How to recognize Stateflow blocks using Simulink API (get_param)?

In older Matlab/simulink version it was possible to detect a Stateflow block using Simulink get_param(...) command for example for a SF block:

>> get_param(gcb, 'BlockType')

ans =

SubSystem

>> get_param(gcb, 'MaskType')

ans =

Stateflow

So a Stateflow block could be detected by queering the BlockType = 'SubSystem' and MaskType = 'Stateflow'. But since the introduction of the new Simulink Editor (R2012b) the 'MaskType' parameter for s Stateflow block is empty (''). How can I recognize SF blocks using Simulink API get_param(...) command?

Thanks.

Regards, Wojtek

Answer 1

[Sebastian Castro]

Hi Wojciech,

The most straightforward way to find Stateflow Chart blocks is by using the Stateflow API. For example, the following set of commands will give you all the Chart blocks in all currently open models.

S = sfroot; 
charts = S.find('-isa','Stateflow.Chart');

To search only in some particular model:

S = sfroot; 
myModel = S.find('-isa','Simulink.BlockDiagram','-and','Name','model_name');
charts = myModel.find('-isa','Stateflow.Chart');

Here is the landing page in our documentation for the Stateflow API.

[Wojciech Przystas]

Hi Sebastian,

thanks for posting your answer. But in my case I would like to use the Simulink API instead of Stateflow API. The main reason is performance. I already got a solution for this problem using the 'SFBlockType' subsystem block parameter.

Thanks.

Regards, Wojtek

[Teresa Hubscher-Younger]

@Wojciech Przystas, I was curious about the reason being performance. Is it that you personally are faster writing APIs in Simulink or have you observed some performance issue with the Stateflow API. I realize your comment here is really old, have you tried Stateflow API recently and still think it's true?

Over the years, we have continued to work on the Stateflow API that Sebastian suggested.

-Teresa

[Wojciech Przystas]

@Teresa Hubscher-Younger

Thanks for your message.

In our solution, we currently use both Simulink and the Stateflow API to create our target specific configuration files.

Since this is done in the configuration phase and not in the run-time phase, it is not time critical and performance is not an issue.

Thanks.

[Teresa Hubscher-Younger]

Thanks!

Answer 2

[John Harris]

To expand on Wojtek's solution and hopefully help out others who may be looking for this answer, SFBlockType is a parameter that seems to be present on SubSystems at least as far back as R2013a.

Values for 'SFBlockType' that I have found are:

• 'Chart' (stateflow charts)
• 'MATLAB Function' (MATLAB Functions)
• 'NONE' (plain subsystems)

Note non sub-system blocks don't have this parameter, so if a non-subsystem block is selected

get_param(gcb,'SFBlockType')

returns an error. Consider using a strcmp as a safety catch,

isAChart = strcmp(get_param(gcb,'SFBlockType'),'Chart');

Cheers!

[Oleg Makosiy]

I wish i knew this years ago! thanks

[Sanjeev Kumar]

Thats great John!! Now I got the charts from our model. I want to set it's parameter like "Action Language" to C by set_param command but it doesn't recognize these parameters. Kindly help on it.

Answer 3

[Robert]

Sebastian already pointed out the most stable - if awkward - way, using the stateflow api search methods, though you have to be careful to search the library if a stateflow block resides there and is only linked into your system.

There is another way only using the simulink api, as you required. Using find_system(gcb ,'MaskType', 'Stateflow') still finds the block, even though get_param will yield an empty MaskType on the very same. Seems to be some kind of backwards compatibility programmed into find_system, that is still working up to 2016b. Also awkward, but pure Simulink-API.

As Embedded Matlab blocks are technically integrated as Stateflow blocks into Simulink, these will be matched by find_system(... 'Stateflow') as well. So if you need to distinguish the different kinds of Stateflow embedments into Simulink, there is no way around Stateflow API.

Answer 4

[Jamie Wardlaw]

So some years on I came back to this, the solution in 2018b that I am using is

%find stateflow charts
sf_charts = find_system(sysName,'MaskType','Stateflow');

Seems to work well.