vivado-git/README.md

vivado-git

Trying to make Vivado more git-friendly on Windows.

Requirements

• Git for Windows
• Add C:\Program Files\Git\bin (or wherever you have your git.exe) to your PATH

Installation

Add Vivado_init.tcl (or append the relevant lines if you already have something in it) along with the scripts directory to %APPDATA%\Roaming\Xilinx\Vivado.

How it works

Vivado is a pain in the ass to source control decently, so these scripts provide:

• A modified write_project_tcl_git.tcl script to generate the project script without absolute paths.

• A git wrapper that will recreate the project script and add it before committing.

Workflow

1. When first starting with a project, create it in a folder called vivado_proj (e.g. C:/.../PROJECT_NAME/vivado_proj) . All the untracked files will be under this directory.

2. Place your source files anywhere you want in your project folder (usually in the C:/.../PROJECT_NAME/src).

   Here is an example of a possible project structure:

   PROJECT_NAME
       ├── .git
       ├── .gitignore
       ├── project_name.tcl         # Project generator script
       ├── src/                     # Tracked source files
       │   ├── design
       │   │    ├── *.v
       │   │    └── *.vhd
       │   ├── testbench
       │   │    ├── *.v
       │   │    └── *.vhd
       │   └── ...
       └── vivado_proj/             # Untracked generated files
           ├── project_name.xpr
           ├── project_name.cache/
           ├── project_name.hw/
           ├── project_name.sim/
           └── ...
   

3. Initiate the git repository with git init on the Tcl Console. This will create the repository, automatically change to your project directory (C:/.../PROJECT_NAME), generate the .gitignore file and stage it.

4. Stage your source files with git add.

5. When you are done, git commit your project. A PROJECT_NAME.tcl script will be created in your C:/.../PROJECT_NAME folder and added to your commit.

6. When opening the project after a cloning, do it by using Tools -> Run Tcl Script... and selecting the PROJECT_NAME.tcl file created earlier. This will regenerate the project so that you can continue working.