How to use Engineering Change Management with the Chip Planner (ECO)

[Altera_Forum]

I have a question on how to use this ECO feature for long term. 

I started to use this ECO feature and I like the quick refit time.  So I moved some LE in a LAB to a different location. Its real easy to do and gave better timing results.  Then afterwards I am attempt to see save these changes so that they are permanent, but I don't see how to do it.  I noticed after the ECO op there is no QSF changes which would be where I would expected it to be.  The documentation doesn't really specify what happens after getting good results. Its seems like ECO is just for hacking around. Then good luck sucker if you wish to do a full recompile.  So is it possible to logic lock a LAB not a design block after ECO?

[Altera_Forum]

The ECO is not a long-term tool. It is made to make a small change on the back-end that hopefully won't have to be repeated. The main uses are to change I/O standards or phase-shift a PLL to quickly see the effect. Once one is "chosen", the user modifies their PLL or assignments manually. (Note that it's possible to write out a Tcl script based on ECOs, so that they can be "re-done" on the back-end, and though I've done this for some strange cases, it's generally not recommended.) 

If you want to hand-place stuff, go to the top right Editing Mode pull-down, and change it from ECO mode to Assignment Mode. This makes .qsf assignments based on your changes. I think it's mainly location assignments, but haven't really played with it much.

[Altera_Forum]

Hi thanks, I will check out the assignment mode. I have not had to optimize my design like this before so I'm new to this. I usually just keep fiddling with fitter settings until it gets a setting combo that works.  

 I found another new thing to me, I can create a new lock lock region and then click properties. From the property dialog I can add individual design elements like registers or combinatorial logic elements so this looks like a close analog to what I did in ECO mode. Previously I just thought I limited to lock modules, but maybe I can use this feature. I will report back.