Information for Mentor Customers

In some software programs, particularly Mentor Graphics, attributes are called properties, but their functionality is the same as that of attributes. In this document, they are referred to as attributes.

There are two types of Mentor Graphics properties. In one, a property is equal to a value, for example, LOC=AA. In the other, the property name and the value are the same, for example, DECODE. In the first type, “attribute” refers to the property. In the second, “attribute” refers to the property and the value.

The Mentor netlist writer program (ENWRITE) converts all property names to lowercase letters, and the Xilinx netlist reader EDIF2NGD then converts the property names to uppercase letters. Because property names are processed in this way, you must enter the variable text of certain constraints in uppercase letters only. The most salient examples are the following.

• A TSidentifier name should contain only uppercase letters on a Mentor Schematic (TSMAIN, for example, but not TSmain or TSMain). Also, if a TSidentifier name is referenced in a property value, it must be entered in uppercase letters. For example, the TSID1 in the second constraint below must be entered in uppercase letters to match the TSID1 name in the first constraint.
  
  TSID1 = FROM: gr1: TO: gr2: 50;
  TSMAIN = FROM: here: TO: there: TSID1: /2;
  
  
• Group names should contain only uppercase letters on a Mentor schematic (MY_FLOPS, for example, but not my_flops or My_flops).
  
  
• If a group name appears in a property value, it must also be expressed in uppercase letters. For example, the GROUP3 in the first constraint below must be entered in uppercase letters to match the GROUP3 in the second constraint.
  
  TIMEGRP GROUP1 = gr2: GROUP3;
  TIMEGRP GROUP3 = FFS: except: grp5;