VHDL Essentials

Appearance

Getting Started ​

Installation ​

Install VHDL Essentials from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.

Extension ID: Guizzz.quartus-assistant

Or install from the command line:

code --install-extension Guizzz.quartus-assistant

Configuration ​

maxv.quartusPath ​

Path to your Intel Quartus Prime installation.

Typestring
DefaultC:\\altera_lite\\25.1std
ExampleC:\\intelFPGA\\25.1std

Set this in settings.json:

json
{
    "maxv.quartusPath": "C:\\intelFPGA\\25.1std"
}

Prerequisites ​

  • Intel Quartus Prime (Lite/Standard/Pro) — required for build and flash commands
  • QuestaSim or ModelSim — required for simulation and .do generation
  • VHDL source files (.vhd, .vhdl)
  • Quartus Settings File (.qsf) — required for pin diagnostics and project explorer

First Steps ​

  1. Open a workspace containing VHDL files (.vhd or .vhdl)
  2. The extension activates automatically — no command needed
  3. Open a .vhd file and try:
    • Ctrl+Click on entity work.xxx to jump to declarations
    • Hover a top-level signal to see FPGA pin info
    • Open the Outline panel (Ctrl+Shift+O) to see the file structure
  4. Open the Quartus Assistant panel from the activity bar (chip icon)
  5. Run your first build via Ctrl+Shift+P → Quartus: Build