Altera SDC and TimeQuest API - Manual (Page 166)

2–156 Chapter 2: SDC and TimeQuest API Package and Commands
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SDC and TimeQuest API Reference Manual © December 2009 Altera Corporation
use_timequest_style_escaping
Usage
use_timequest_style_escaping [-off] [-on]
Options
-off: Disable this setting.
-on: Enable this setting.
Description
Use TimeQuest-style escaping. (TimeQuest-style escaping is enabled by default.
The values used to create a collection, whether explicitly using a collection command or implicitly as a
value specified as a "-from", "-to", or similar option to various SDC and report commands, are a Tcl list of
wildcards. This includes a single name with an exact match. The value must follow standard Tcl
substitution rules for Tcl lists and "string match" as described below, unless using TimeQuest-style
escaping (default).
For special characters such as '$', the character must be escaped using a single '\' character to prevent Tcl
from interpreting the word after '$' as a Tcl variable, such as: Clk\$Signal.
A '\' character itself must be escaped with another '\' as in the '$' case, must be escaped again for the Tcl
list, and must be escaped yet again for Tcl "string match." The final result is eight '\' characters, such as:
Clk\\\\\\\\Signal.
Using Tcl "list" eliminates one level of escaping, since it will escape any '\' characters automatically for the
Tcl list, such as:
[list Clk\\\\Signal]
Using '{' and '}' characters also eliminates the need for one or two levels of escaping, since '{' and '}' prevent
string substitution in the contents, such as:
[List {Clk\\Signal}]
{{Clk\\Signal}}
{{Clk\\Signal}}
The use_timequest_style_escaping option, which is on by default, allows the user to specify a name
containing '\' characters with only two '\' characters in all cases, such as: Clk\\Signal. The extra '\'
characters required for Tcl list string substitution and "string match" are added automatically by
TimeQuest.
To disable TimeQuest style string escaping, call "use_timequest_style_escaping -off" before adding any
timing constraints or exceptions.
Example
project_open top
use_timequest_style_escaping -on
create_timing_netlist
set res [get_cells my_test|special_\\reg]
query_collection $res -all
delete_timing_netlist
project_close