FPGA Intellectual Property
PCI Express*, Networking and Connectivity, Memory Interfaces, DSP IP, and Video IP
6355 Discussions

Avoid BDF editor like the plague

Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
976 Views

 

--- Quote Start ---  

Avoid BDF editor like the plague. 

--- Quote End ---  

 

Why?:blink: 

Some people say, that is BSM level is the only way out: http://www.alteraforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3779&p=162131#post162131 

 

 

(http://www.alteraforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3779&p=162131#post162131)
0 Kudos
6 Replies
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
192 Views

So, can Anyone say anything with facts against using BDF editor?

0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
192 Views

Not really. I say use the tools you feel comfortable with. 

It's just that in my opinion it feels easier to use at the beginning, but as your design gets more complicated it resembles more and more like a plate of spaghetti and becomes near to impossible to debug properly. If you find reading someone else's code difficult, try to read someone else's design entirely done with the graphical editor, spread over 4-5 A3 sheets... real life experience! :shock: 

 

And after 2/3 times of SOPC Builder / QSys messing your symbol completely even for a tiny change, you will be cured and will use HDL, like everyone else ;)
0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
192 Views

Also to add: 

- you cannot directly simulate graphical files, you need to export them to hdl (then you get into the problem of "what to I check into my version control system". You check both in, and you risk having the two missmatch each other because on the last checking you forgot to export the bdf again). 

- they are not parameterisable at a connection level (HDL is) 

-You can only open them in Altera tools  

-You get called bad names by all the other engineers.
0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
192 Views

And I forgot: 

The BDF editor in quartus 10+ is really really cr ap. compared to version 9 and before. Its like they're really trying to stop people using it.
0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
192 Views

 

--- Quote Start ---  

Not really. I say use the tools you feel comfortable with. 

It's just that in my opinion it feels easier to use at the beginning, but as your design gets more complicated it resembles more and more like a plate of spaghetti and becomes near to impossible to debug properly. If you find reading someone else's code difficult, try to read someone else's design entirely done with the graphical editor, spread over 4-5 A3 sheets... real life experience! :shock: 

 

And after 2/3 times of SOPC Builder / QSys messing your symbol completely even for a tiny change, you will be cured and will use HDL, like everyone else ;) 

--- Quote End ---  

 

Topics like this about BDF and like this about QSys ( http://www.alteraforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35671 ) are very discouraging about Altera GUI... 

According to Your experience - what Altera GUI is less buggy in Quartus 12.1sp1: BDF Editor or QSys?
0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
192 Views

BDF editor and Qsys are different things. 

Basically they dont want you to use the BDF editor if you can avoid it.
0 Kudos
Reply