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How to use custom strategies

Custom Strategies are strategies that are generated from external sources which can be run in InTime. Note that this feature is only available from 1.3.2 onwwards.

Prepare Strategy File

The strategy file needs to be in JSON format, as shown in the example below: 

{
"custom_1": [ 
    { "name": "ALM_REGISTER_PACKING_EFFORT", "step": "unknown", "value": "HIGH" },
    { "name": "FITTER_AGGRESSIVE_ROUTABILITY_OPTIMIZATION", "step": "unknown", "value": "ALWAYS" },
    { "name": "OPTIMIZATION_MODE", "step": "unknown", "value": "HIGH POWER EFFORT" },
    { "name": "OPTIMIZATION_TECHNIQUE", "step": "unknown", "value": "BALANCED" },
    { "name": "PHYSICAL_SYNTHESIS_COMBO_LOGIC", "step": "unknown", "value": "OFF" },
    { "name": "PHYSICAL_SYNTHESIS_COMBO_LOGIC_FOR_AREA", "step": "unknown", "value": "OFF" },
    { "name": "PHYSICAL_SYNTHESIS_REGISTER_DUPLICATION", "step": "unknown", "value": "OFF" },
    { "name": "PHYSICAL_SYNTHESIS_REGISTER_RETIMING", "step": "unknown", "value": "OFF" },
    { "name": "QII_AUTO_PACKED_REGISTERS", "step": "unknown", "value": "OFF" },
    { "name": "ROUTER_LCELL_INSERTION_AND_LOGIC_DUPLICATION", "step": "unknown", "value": "OFF" }
  ]
}
The example shows the strategy settings for a Quartus tool. "custom_1" is the strategy name. The settings are expressed in a "name", "step" and "value" format. The "name" should be a valid setting name and the "value" is the acceptable value for the setting. "Step" can be left as "unknown".

Run a Custom Strategy

  1. To run a custom strategy, switch to the "Custom Flow" recipe

  2. Prepare your strategy file in the above format. In this example we named it "hotstart_X.strategy".

  3. Copy the strategy file into the project directory at the same level as the project file, i.e. XPR, DCP, QPF

  4. In the "Flow Properties", there is a "Custom Strategy" field under the "Strategies" group. Specify the file name without the extension as the value, e.g. hotstart_X custom flow

  5. Click "Optimize". InTime will generate and run the strategies that you defined in your strategy file.