Running Synthesis with Tcl - 2024.1 English

Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Synthesis (UG901)

Document ID
UG901
Release Date
2024-06-28
Version
2024.1 English

The Tcl command to run synthesis is synth_design. Typically, this command is run with multiple options, for example:

synth_design -part xc7k30tfbg484-2 -top my_top

In this example, synth_design is run with the -part option and the -top option.

In the Tcl Console, you can set synthesis options and run synthesis using Tcl command options. To retrieve a list of options, type synth_design -help in the Tcl Console. The following snippet is an example of the -help output: synth_design -help.

Description:
Synthesize a design using Vivado Synthesis and open that design
Syntax:
synth_design 	[-name <arg>] [-part <arg>] [-constrset <arg>] [-top <arg>]
				   [-include_dirs <args>] [-generic <args>] [-verilog_define <args>]
				   [-flatten_hierarchy <arg>] [-gated_clock_conversion <arg>]
				   [-directive <arg>] [-rtl] [-bufg <arg>] [-no_lc]
 				  [-shreg_min_size <arg>] [-mode <arg>]
				   [-fsm_extraction <arg>][-rtl_skip_mlo][-rtl_skip_ip]
				   [-rtl_skip_constraints]
				   [-keep_equivalent_registers] [-resource_sharing <arg>]
				   [-cascade_dsp <arg>] [-control_set_opt_threshold <arg>]
				   [-max_bram <arg>] [-max_uram <arg>]
				   [-max_dsp <arg>] [-max_bram_cascade_height <arg>]
				   [-max_uram_cascade_height <arg>] [-global_retiming] 
				   [-no_srlextract]
				   [-assert] [-no_timing_driven] [-sfcu] [-debug_log] [-quiet] [-verbose]
Returns:
design object
Usage:
Name 						  Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[-name] 				Design name
[-part] 			        Target part
[-constrset] 				Constraint fileset to use.
[-top] 				        Specify the top module name.
[-include_dirs] 			Specify verilog search directories.
[-generic] 				Specify generic parameters. Syntax: -generic
					<name>=<value> -generic <name>=<value> ...
[-verilog_define] 			Specify verilog defines. Syntax:
					-verilog_define <macro_name>[=<macro_text>]
					-verilog_define <macro_name>[=<macro_text>]
[-flatten_hierarchy] 		        Flatten hierarchy during LUT mapping. Values:
					zull, none, rebuilt.
					Default: rebuilt
[-gated_clock_conversion]               Convert clock gating logic to flop enable.
					Values: off, on, auto
					Default: off
[-directive] 				Synthesis directive. Values: default,
					RuntimeOptimized, AreaOptimized_high,
					AreaOptimized_medium, AlternateRoutability,
					AreaMapLargeShiftRegToBRAM,
					AreaMultThresholdDSP, FewerCarryChains.
					Default: default
[-rtl] 					Elaborate and open an rtl design.
[-bufg]                                 Max number of global clock buffers used by synthesis.
                                        Default = 12                                                                                                                                                                    
[-no_lc]                                Disable LUT combining. Do not allow combining.
[-shreg_min_size]                       Minimum length for chain of registers to be mapped onto
                                        SRL.
                                        Default: 3
[-mode]                                 The design mode. Values: default, out_of_context.
                                        Default: default
[-fsm_extraction]                       FSM Extraction Encoding. Values: off, one_hot, 
                                        sequential, johnson, gray, user_encoding, auto.
                                        Default: auto
[-rtl_skip_mlo]                         Skip mandatory logic optimization for RTL elaboration of 
                                        the design; requires -rtl option.
[-rtl_skip_ip]                          Exclude subdesign checkpoints in the RTL elaboration of         
                                        the design; requires -rtl option.
[-rtl_skip_constraints]                 Do not load and validate constraints against elaborated         
                                        design; requires -rtl option.
[-srl_style]                            Static SRL Implementation Style. Values: register,
                                        srl, srl_reg, reg_srl, reg_srl_reg.
[-keep_equivalent_registers]            Prevents registers sourced by the same logic from being 
                                        merged. (Note that the merging can otherwise be       
                                        prevented using the synthesis KEEP attribute).[-resource_sharing]                     Sharing arithmetic operators. Value: auto, on, off.
                                        Default: auto
[-cascade_dsp]                          Controls how adders summing DSP block outputs will be             
                                        implemented. Value: auto, tree, force.
                                        Default: auto
[-control_set_opt_threshold]            Threshold for synchronous control set optimization to   
                                        lower number of control sets. Valid values are 'auto' 
                                        and non-negative integers. The higher the number, the 
                                        more control set optimization will be performed and       
                                        fewer control sets will result. To disable control set   
                                        optimization completely, set to 0.
                                        Default: auto
[-max_bram]                             Maximum number of block RAM allowed in design. (Note -1         
                                        means that the tool will choose the max number allowed 
                                        for the part in question).
                                        Default: -1
[-max_uram]                             Maximum number of UltraRAM blocks allowed in design.     
                                        (Note -1 means that the tool will choose the max number     
                                        allowed for the part in question).
                                        Default: -1
[-max_dsp]                              Maximum number of block DSP allowed in design. (Note -1 
                                        means that the tool will choose the max number allowed         
                                        for the part in question).
                                        Default: -1
[-max_bram_cascade_height]              Controls the maximum number of BRAM that can be cascaded 
                                        by the tool. (Note -1 means that the tool will choose           
                                        the max number allowed for the part in question).
                                        efault: -1
[-max_uram_cascade_height]              Controls the maximum number of UtraRAM that can be 
                                        cascaded by the tool. (Note -1 means that the tool will 
                                        choose the max number allowed for the part in question).
                                        Default: -1
[-global_retiming]                             Seeks to improve circuit performance for intra-clock         
                                        sequential paths by automatically moving registers   
                                        (register balancing) across combinatorial gates or LUTs.   
                                        It maintains the original behavior and latency of the
                                        circuit and does not require changes to the RTL sources. A value of "on" turns on retiming, "off" turns off retiming and "auto" will allow the tool to decide.  "auto" will have retiming turns on for Vesal devices and off for non-Versal devices. Default: "auto"  
                                        

[-no_srlextract]                        Prevents the extraction of shift registers so that they   
                                        get implemented as simple registers.
[-assert]                               Enable VHDL assert statements to be evaluated. A   
                                        severity level of failure will stop the synthesis flow 
                                        and produce an error.
[-no_timing_driven]                     Do not run in timing driven mode.
[-sfcu]                                 Run in single-file compilation unit mode.
[-debug_log]                            Print detailed log files for debugging.
[-quiet]                                Ignore command errors.
[-verbose]                              Suspend message limits during command

For the -generic option, special handling needs to happen with VHDL boolean and std_logic_vector type because those type do not exist in other formats. Instead of TRUE, FALSE, or 0010, for example, Verilog standards should be given.

For boolean, the value for FALSE is:

-generic my_gen=1‘b0

For std_logic_vector, the value for 0010 is:

-generic my_gen=4‘b0010
Note: Overriding string generics or parameters is not supported.
Note: If you are using the -mode out_of_context option on the top-level, do not use the PACKAGE_PIN property unless there is an I/O buffer instantiated in the RTL. The out_of_context option tells the tool to not infer any I/O buffers including tristate buffers. Without the buffer, you get errors in placer.

A verbose version of the help is available in the Vivado Design Suite Tcl Command Reference Guide (UG835). To determine any Tcl equivalent to a Vivado IDE action, run the command in the Vivado IDE and review the content in the Tcl Console or the log file.