Quartus® Prime Standard Edition User Guide: Design Compilation

ID 683283
Date 10/22/2021
Public
Document Table of Contents

3.2.6. Design Libraries

By default, the Compiler processes all design files into one or more libraries.
  • When compiling a design instance, the Compiler initially searches for the entity in the library associated with the instance (which is the work library if you do not specify any library).
  • If the Compiler cannot locate the entity definition, the Compiler searches for a unique entity definition in all design libraries.
  • If the Compiler finds more than one entity with the same name, the Compiler generates an error. If your design uses multiple entities with the same name, you must compile the entities into separate libraries.
Note: If you do not specify a design library, if a file refers to a library that does not exist, or if the referenced library does not contain a referenced design unit, the Quartus® Prime software searches the work library. This behavior allows the Quartus® Prime software to compile most designs with minimal setup, but you have the option of creating separate custom design libraries.