Installation
The extension, GHDL and the tools each feature needs.
Install the extension#
HDL Studio needs VS Code 1.90 or later. Install it from the Visual Studio Marketplace, or from a terminal:
code --install-extension SoftForge.soft-forge-hdl-studioA .vsix file installs the same way: code --install-extension soft-forge-hdl-studio-1.0.4.vsix, or Extensions: Install from VSIX… in the Command Palette.
Install GHDL#
Everything that simulates runs on GHDL. The backend you pick decides what the debugger can do:
| Tool | Needed for |
|---|---|
| GHDL, any backend, with VPI | everything |
A C compiler (gcc) |
building the debug agent, once per work directory |
| GHDL GCC or LLVM backend + GDB | source breakpoints, stepping, call stacks |
With the mcode backend you still get the signal viewer and every simulation-time feature. Only source-level debugging is unavailable, because mcode produces no executable for GDB to drive.
If the tools are not on the PATH, point the extension at them:
| Setting | Default | |
|---|---|---|
hdl.ghdl.path |
ghdl |
the GHDL executable |
hdl.ghdl.gdbPath |
gdb |
GDB, for source-level debugging |
hdl.ghdl.ccPath |
gcc |
the C compiler that builds the VPI debug agent |
Optional: Vivado#
The Vivado flow and hardware programming need AMD Vivado. HDL Studio finds it on the PATH, then under /opt/Xilinx/<release>/Vivado/bin (newest release first); settings64.sh is not needed. Otherwise set hdl.vivado.path to the vivado executable, its bin directory or the install directory.
Check the setup#
Open a folder with VHDL sources and run HDL Studio: Create Workspace File. The workspace dashboard that opens shows which toolchains were detected: the GHDL version and backend, Vivado, and whether a hw_server is running.