5.3 Display Settings for Parameters

Delays, Setups, and Holds can be made to display as curved lines or with outward facing arrows. In addition to its name, a parameter can also display any of its' other properties or a combination of properties and text using a customized string. The user can also drag and drop the parameter to a new vertical position on the screen.

Curved Parameters:

•Double click on a delay, setup, or hold parameter to open the Properties dialog and check the Display as Curved Arrow box.
•To edit the curve, select the parameter, and then drag and drop the black curve points. Or click and drag anywhere on the line to add another curve point.
•To remove a curve point, right click on the curve point and choose Delete Curve Point from the context menu.

Tip: Adding a point very close to the end of a curved timing parameter can give you precise control over the exact angle of the arrowhead without changing the curve itself.

Setup and Holds with Outward Arrows:.

•Double click on parameter to open the Properties dialog, then check the Outward Arrows box.

•To do this globally, set it in Options > Drawing Preferences menu.

display_outward_arrows

Displaying Different Information:.

A Parameter can display any of its properties or a customized string, rather than just its name.

•Double click on a parameter to open the Properties dialog, pick one of the Display Label defaults. Note: that the Distance setting takes into account common delay removal effects, so it is the actual distance and not the visual distance.
•When this is applied, the parameter will display the new setting.
•If custom is selected in the Display Label box, then the parameter will display the string entered in to the Custom box. The control codes are replaced by the parameter values.	name = %n comment = %c min value = %mv max value = %Mv min formula = %mf max formula = %Mf min margin = %mm max margin = %Mm min distance = %md max distance = %Md
•Tip: the default custom string has all of the control codes listed, so just start by editing that string.

•To change the display label for all parameters, select the Options > Drawing Preferences menu to open the Drawing Preferences dialog, and make the same changes there.

Formatting Parameter Names with superscript, subscript, bold, and italicize:

•Double click on a parameter to open the Properties dialog, then select the name text and press Ctrl>-B for bold, <Ctrl>-I for italize, <Ctrl>-U superscript (up), or <Ctrl>-D for subscript(down). Formatting is ignored during formula evaluation.

•To remove this formatting, just select the text and press the above formatting key combinations to toggle back to normal text.

display_name_formating

Vertical Placement of Parameters:

•Normally, the timing diagram editor attempts to show parameters so that all are visible at the particular zoom level.
•To change the position, click on the center of a parameter and drag it to a new vertical position. After you move a parameter it is considered user placed and the editor will not attempt to move it.
•To return placement control to the timing diagram editor, double-click on the parameter to open the Parameter Properties dialog, and uncheck the user placed box.

Change the default position of Setups and Holds:

•Choose Options > Drawing Preferences menu to open a dialog, and look that the Parameters: Delays, Setups, Holds, Samples section.

draw_pref_dlg_parms_section

•Check the Auto place Setups/Holds on lower signals to make setups and holds appear above the lowest attached signal

display_auto_place_setups

Color Settings:

•To turn off the coloring of parameters that are shown in red, uncheck the View > Show Bad Parms In Red menu.

•To turn off the coloring of the parameters shown in blue and in green, uncheck the View > Show Critical Paths menu.

•To turn off the color background of unreferenced parameters, uncheck the View > Show Unreferenced Parms in Gray menu.

Hide Small Parameter Labels:

•Choose Options > Drawing Preferences menu, then check the Hide small parameter labels to allow parameter labels to be hidden if the parameter is visually small (less then 2 pixels wide). When zooming out to a larger time scale, parameters shrink, but labels stay the same size. This option will prevent these small parameter labels from cluttering the screen. Default is unchecked.