Specifications

CHAPTER 16: SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
INTRODUCTION
238 ■ INTRODUCTION TO QUARTUS II ALTERA CORPORATION
Introduction
The Quartus
®
II Software Builder is an integrated programming tool that
transforms software source files into a flash programming file or passive
programming files for configuring an Excalibur
™
device, or files that contain
memory initialization data for the embedded processor stripe of an
Excalibur device. You can use the Software Builder to process software
source files for Excalibur designs, including designs created with the SOPC
Builder and DSP Builder system-level design tools.
Using the Software Builder in the
Quartus II Software
The Software Builder uses the ADS Standard Tools or GNUPro for ARM
®
software toolset to process software source files created by the Quartus II
Text Editor or other Assembly or C/C++ language development tools. You
can use the Software Builder to process the following software source files:
■ Assembly Files (.s, .asm)
■ C/C++ Include Files (.h)
■ C Source Files (.c)
■ C++ Source Files (.cpp)
■ Library Files (.a)
The Software Builder can perform a software build on software source files
with minimal assistance and allows you to customize processing for a
particular design. Once you have specified software build settings, you can
run the Software Builder by using the Start Software Build command
(Processing menu).
You can also run a program or process for an Excalibur device from within
the Quartus II software by using the Software Builder to run a command-
line command during or after a software build.