Chain Description File (.cdf) Definition

An ASCII text file (with the extension .cdf) that stores Altera device programming information. You can use a Chain Description Files (.cdf) to program or configure a single device or one or more devices in a JTAG chain.

A .cdf contains the target device name, programming options, programming files (SRAM Object Files (.sof), Programmer Object Files (.pof), Jam Files (.jam), Jam Byte Code Files (.jbc)) and programming order. Each open Programmer window is a Chain Description File. You can have multiple Chain Description Files open, but you can program with only one Chain Description File at a time. You can open a Chain Description File either by creating a Chain Description File or by opening an existing Chain Description File.

You can change the following options by specifying options in the Programmer GUI or by editing the .cdf directly in a text editor:

• Specify the programming hardware setup.
• Specify the programming mode.
• Add or remove programming files.
• Add or remove target devices, including user-defined devices.
• Change the order of devices and files in a multidevice chain.
• Create or edit I/O Pin State Files (.ips).