Some shortcuts have been implemented to simplify all the possible operations on the diagram blocks and reduce the time required to graphically design the desired firmware.
The multiple selection of blocks and wires can be done by keeping clicked the left button of the mouse and creating a selection area that comprises the desired blocks and links, or by keeping pressed the “ctrl” key and left click with the mouse the desired blocks and links. The selected blocks and links can then be copied, cut and pasted by using respectively the commands “ctrl + c”, “ctrl + x” and “ctrl + v” (as an alternative to the “Copy”, “Cut” and “Paste” buttons of the “Tools” group of the “Home” toolbar). Also the “canc” character eliminates the selected blocks and links. These actions, as the actions of adding a block to the diagram or creating a wire between blocks can be undone or redone through the commands “ctrl + z” and “ctrl + SHIFT + z” (as an alternative to the “Undo” and “Redo” buttons of the “Tools” group of the “Home” toolbar).
Other useful shortcuts concern the zoom functionalities. The “q” or the “-” keys and the “w” or the “+” keys can be used respectively to zoom out and zoom in the diagram. The same actions can be done with the mouse wheel. The “a” key zooms out all the diagram in order to show the entire design, while the “b” key zooms in the diagram focusing and centering on the selected block. By pressing the “alt” key and the left button of the mouse is then possible to move the diagram.
Some combination of characters allow to simplify the connections operation between block:
- “P” Fast in-place access to Variable, Registers and port
- “alt + v”: This command can be used on a selected register block of the diagram to create in the Register File and add to the diagram multiple registers. In the window that will appear it is possible to insert the number of desired registers. The name of the registers that will be created is automatically assigned starting from the name of the selected register and adding a suffix constituted by an underscore and an incremental number (i.e. if the starting register is called “reg”, the next register will be “reg_1”). If the name of the selected register already contains the underscore followed by a number (e.g. “reg_3”), the name of the automatically created register will simply have the number incremented of a unit (e.g. “reg_4”). If more registers block are selected, the procedure will be executed for each one independently.
- “alt + s”: This command allows to automatically create connections between registers and multiple copies of the same block. The link to be copied is consider valid if it is coming from or going to a register block with a suffix constituted by an underscore followed by a number (e.g. “Threshold_0”, “Baseline_0”). Once a valid link has been selected and the considered combination of characters is pressed, the link becomes pink. At this point, if the link is coming from a register, the user has to click a block of the same type of the destination block of the selected link. A new link will be created: its origin is the output of a register with an incremental name with respect to the origin pin of the selected link (“Threshold_1” of the following figure) and its destination is the clicked block, at the input with the same name of the destination pin of the selected link (“Threshold” input of the Leading Edge Trigger block in the following figure). The operation could be repeated many times by clicking on different destination blocks as the link remains selected till the Esc character is pressed. Instead, if the link is going to a register, the user has to click a block of the same type of the origin block of the selected link. The new link will connect the clicked block, at the output pin with the same name of the origin pin of the selected link (“BASELINE” input of the Baseline Restorer block in the following figure), to a register with an incremental name with respect to the destination pin of the selected link (“Baseline_1” of the following figure).
- “alt + e”: This command can be used to connect a block to the same type of input on various copies of the same block. When a link is selected and the considered combination of characters is pressed, the link becomes pink. Then, by clicking a block of the same type of the destination block of the selected link, a new link will be created. The origin block of the new link is the same of the selected link (e.g. “REG_0” or “A0” in the following figure) and the destination is represented by the clicked block, at the input with the same name of the destination pin of the selected link (e.g. the “Threshold” and the “In” inputs of the Leading Edge Trigger block in the following figure). This operation could be repeated many times by clicking on different destination blocks as the link remains selected till the Esc character is pressed.
- “alt + d”: This command allows to automatically connect the same output type of various copies of the same block to different inputs of the same block. A link is considered valid to be copied if the destination block has multiple channels, as the Digitizer, the Oscilloscope, the Spectrum Module and the Imaging Module (i.e. multiple inputs with incremental names) or multiple inputs (And, Or, Xor, Merge, Majority, Mux, Adder, Subtractor and Multiplier). Once a valid link has been selected and the considered combination of characters has been pressed, the following window will appear. The user has to insert the zero-based index of the destination block input channel of the link that will be created.
Then, the user can click a block of the same type of the origin block of the selected link to create a new link: its origin is the clicked block, at the output with the same name of the origin pin of the selected link (e.g. the “Trigger” output in the following figure) and its destination is the input with the same name of the selected link destination pin (e.g. the “D01” input of the Oscilloscope block in the following figure), at the index specified by the user (e.g. the “D02” input of the Oscilloscope block in the following figure). This operation could be repeated many times by clicking on different origin blocks as the link remains selected till the Esc character is pressed.
- “alt + r”: This command is used to create links between subsequent output pins of the origin block and the subsequent input pins of the destination block. When a link is selected and the considered combination of characters is pressed, the link becomes pink and the following window is shown. The user has to write the number of links that will be created and click the “OK” button. The Esc character will terminate the link selection.
Then, the indicated number of copies of the selected link will be created, connecting subsequent pins of the origin block to subsequent pins of the destination block. The procedure can be repeated by selecting more links between various origin blocks and the same destination block, or between the same origin block and more destination blocks.
- “alt + f”: This command allows to automatically connect the subsequent output pins of the origin block to the same input pin of various copies of the same block or to different output signal block or to register blocks. Once a valid link has been selected, the user can press the specified combination of characters and the link becomes pink. Then the user has to click on the chosen following destination block: a new link will be created between the subsequent output pin of the origin block and the clicked block at the same input pin of the selected destination block. This operation could be repeated many times by clicking on different destination blocks as the link remains selected till the Esc character is pressed.
In addition, the spacebar key makes the selected blocks to rotate clockwise of 90°, while the “r” key allows to rearrange the wire position in order to optimize the visualization of the diagram.