Verilog - syntax doubt

Question

In an FPGA code, if I have something like the following:

(* LOC="M18" *)   output reg      lcd_e;

where lcd_e is an input/output port.

1. Does this mean that I do not need to create a UCF file pointing lcd_e to M18?
2. What does "(*" and "*)" indicate?

Answer 1

1. Yes, this is another way to lock pins.
2. It's a vendor-specific (Xilinx) way to lock pins. (* *) aren't standard