Node Finder (View Menu)

The Node Finder searches the project netlist and returns the node names that match your search criteria in the Nodes Found list. You can then perform various operations on the Nodes Found, such as locating to the node name in your design RTL or various other Quartus^® Prime software tools.

DNI-Based Node Finder

The current version of the Quartus^® Prime Pro Edition software now supports the Design Netlist Infrastructure (DNI) that enables new features for faster design convergence and a better user experience. The Node Finder now supports a DNI search mode with enhanced search options.

Node Finder Search Options

Click the Show More Search Options button in the Node Finder to display all search options available for the current search mode. The following search options are available for the classic and DNI search modes of the Node Finder:

Table 1. Node Finder Search Options
Node Finder Search Options	Description	Available In Search Mode
Named	Specifies the node name, partial node name, and standard wildcard characters that limit the search to node names matching the specified text. Click the drop-down to reinsert previously entered search strings.	Classic and DNI
Search	Starts the node name search using the current search Options and Filter.	Classic and DNI
Expand all and Collapse all	Expands or collapses the view of nodes in the Nodes Found list.	Classic and DNI
Hide Search Options and Show More Search Options	Hides or displays all search Options in the Node Finder.	Classic and DNI
Filter	Specifies the current available or custom search filter for finding node names in the design netlist. The Quartus^® Prime software includes a set of non-editable, default filters. You can use one of these filters to perform a node name search, or you can create a new custom filter based on one of the default filters. The Node Finder's DNI search mode includes some unique filters not available in Node Finder's classic search mode.	Classic and DNI
Customize	Opens the Customize Filter dialog box that allows you to define a custom node name search filter.	Classic
Look in	Allows you to view and edit the current search hierarchy path. You can type the search hierarchy path in the Look in box, or browse to select the search hierarchy level in the Select Hierarchy Level dialog box. In addition, you can move up the search hierarchy by deleting hierarchical names from the Look in box.	Classic and DNI
Case-insensitive	Searches for node names with or without consideration of case. By default, the search is case-sensitive.	DNI
Object type	Specifies which object type to search for. You can choose between instance, instance_bus, instance_port, port, port_bus, net, and net_bus.	DNI
Include subentities	Includes node names that are below the current search hierarchy level in the node name search.	Classic
Hierarchy view	Allows you to view nodes in the Nodes Found list in hierarchy levels.	Classic

Node Finder Search Filters

The following search filters are available for the classic and DNI search modes of the Node Finder.

Table 2. Node Finder Filters and Search Mode
Filter Name	Description	Uses Search Mode
Design Entry (all names)	Finds all user-entered names in your design files.	Classic
Pins: assigned	Finds all pin names assigned locations or other pin-related assignments.	Classic
Pins: unassigned	Finds all pin names not assigned locations or other pin related assignments.	Classic
Pins: input	Finds all input pin names in your design file(s).	Classic
Pins: output	Finds all output pin names in your design file(s).	Classic
Pins: bidirectional	Finds all bidirectional pin names in your design file(s).	Classic
Pins: virtual	Finds names of all I/O elements mapped to logic elements with a Virtual Pin logic option assignment	Classic
Pins: all	Finds all pin names in your design file(s).	Classic
Pins: all & Registers: post-fitting	Finds all pin names in your design along with all register names from your design files that persist after physical synthesis and fitting. This filter is a combination of the Pins: all and Registers: post-fitting filters.	Classic
Ports: partition	Finds all user entered and Compiler-generated partition port names in the post-fit netlist.	Classic
Entity instance: pre-synthesis	Finds all entity instances in the pre-synthesis netlist.	DNI
Registers: pre-synthesis	Finds all user-entered register names contained in the design after Analysis and Elaboration, but before physical synthesis performs any synthesis optimizations.	Classic
Registers: post-fitting	Finds all user-entered register names in your design file(s) that survived physical synthesis and fitting.	Classic
Post-synthesis	Finds all user-entered and synthesis-generated names contained in the design after design elaboration and physical synthesis.	Classic
Post-synthesis: preserved for debug	Finds all internal device nodes in the post-synthesis netlist you have designated with preserve for debug.	Classic
Post-Compilation	Finds all user-centered and Compiler-generated names that persist post fit and do not have location assignments.	Classic
Signal Tap: pre-synthesis	Finds all internal device nodes in the pre-synthesis netlist that are preserved for analysis by the Signal Tap Logic Analyzer.	DNI
Signal Tap: post-fitting	Finds all internal device nodes in the post fit netlist that are preserved for analysis by the Signal Tap Logic Analyzer.	Classic
Signal Tap: pre-synthesis user defined	Finds all user defined internal device nodes in the pre-synthesis netlist that are preserved for analysis by the Signal Tap Logic Analyzer.	DNI
Signal Tap: post-fitting user defined	Finds all user defined internal device nodes in the post-fit netlist that are preserved for analysis by the Signal Tap Logic Analyzer.	Classic
Signal Tap: pre-synthesis preserved for debug	Finds all internal device nodes in the pre-synthesis netlist that are preserved for analysis by the Signal Tap Logic Analyzer.	DNI
Signal Tap: post-fitting preserved for debug	Finds all internal device nodes in the post-fit netlist that are preserved for analysis by the Signal Tap Logic Analyzer.	Classic