How to find number of input and output ports of an unknown simulink model ?

I have three different simulink models Model1, Model2 and Model3. Now I am adding these all models into one single blank Model.

Here, I dont know that how many input ports are there and how many output ports are there.

So to connect the Model1, Model2 and Model3, I need to identify first how many input ports and output ports are there in these all three models Model1, Model2, Model3.

Then suppose first model has input ports like A and B and The second model has output ports like A and E

Then I want to do the 'for' loop which will one by one check all the input ports with all the output ports and when the port name like A matches with any output port name A then that input port and output port should be connected.

Everything I need to do it with matlab script.

so, any idea How to do this or any suggetions how can I find the total number of input and output ports of the simulink model ?

Please help me in this.

Thank you.

Answer 1

[Paul]

Hi Shiv,

I started out with this model with three subsystems.

Then I ran this code:

% Handles to the subsystems
subsystems  = find_system(get_param(gcs,'Handle'),'BlockType','SubSystem');

% Handes to the Inport blocks of the subsystems
inports     = find_system(subsystems,'BlockType','Inport');

% Names of the Inport blocks of the subsystems
inportnames = get_param(inports,'Name');

% Handles to the Outport blocks of the subsystems
outports     = find_system(subsystems,'BlockType','Outport');

% Names of the Outport blocks of the subsystems
outportnames = get_param(outports,'Name');

% Cell array of structures of port handles to the ports of the subsystems
porthandles = get_param(subsystems,'PortHandles');

% Convert to structure array
porthandles    = [porthandles{:}];

% Vector of handles to the input ports
inporthandles  = [porthandles.Inport];

% Vector of handles to the output ports
outporthandles = [porthandles.Outport];

% match up the port names. Assumes any matches between inport names and outport names are 1-to-1
[Lia,LocB]=ismember(inportnames,outportnames);

% connect the ports
add_line(gcs,outporthandles(LocB(Lia)),inporthandles(Lia));

The result was this model

Maybe this code can be adapted to your needs.

[Shiv Nileshkumar Matliwala]

Thank you so much. For this answer. I really appereciate this.

[Paul]

Hope it helps.

You may want to invesigate the SearchDepth Name-Value pair of find_system

Also, other functions that may be applicable instead: Simulink.findBlocks or Simulink.findBlocksOfType.

Link to relevant blog post

Finally, if the inport/outport mapping is 1-to-many, you'll have to change the ismember to a loop over the 1 and match each with the many.

[Shiv Nileshkumar Matliwala]

Hello Paul,

I had one more question that if I put one bus creator block inside this system and then I want to set the number inputs ports of Bus Creator block as number of subsystems I have in this system. Then suppose, instead of 2 inputs and 2 output ports, there is only 1 output port and 1 input port of each of these three subsystem. So, now here the three output ports should be connected to the 3 input of the bus creator and then single output from the bus creator should go into all three inputs of these three subsystems.

Can you tell me how can I make it. I am trying since 2 days but I am not getting what I want.

And also can you tell me how 'Handles' work ?

Please, help me with this. So that I can have more clear idea about how to find ports of bus creator block.

Thank you so much in advance.

[Paul]

Started with this:

Ran this

% add a Bus Creator to the block diagram with three inputs
hbus = add_block('simulink/Signal Routing/Bus Creator','shiv/MyBus');
set_param(hbus,'Inputs','3');

% Handles to the bus ports
hbusports = get_param(hbus,'PortHandles');

% Handles to subsystems
hsubsystems  = find_system(get_param(gcs,'Handle'),'BlockType','SubSystem');

% Handles to the ports of the subsystems, convert to structure array
hsubsystemports     = get_param(subsystems,'PortHandles');
hsubsystemports     = [hsubsystemports{:}];

% Connect the subsystem outputs to the Bus inputs
add_line(gcs,[hsubsystemports.Outport],hbusports.Inport,'autorouting','smart');

% Connect the Bus output to the subsystem inputs
add_line(gcs,repmat(hbusports.Outport,numel(hsubsystems),1),[hsubsystemports.Inport],'autorouting','smart');

Resulted in this:

[Shiv Nileshkumar Matliwala]

Thank you so much. I was struggling with handles. I got a big confusion but now its clear to me. Thank you so much for your support.

I really appretiate it.

Thank you. and I wish a very good day Paul.

[Shiv Nileshkumar Matliwala]

Hello Paul,

sorry to again disturb you. I had one doubt. Like the above system with two inputs and two outputs, three models were there. but now when I want to make a generalized code, I need to implement for loop for whatever number of model available. So in that case,

I have a structure of models. So, I made one for loop like below first,

for i=1:model_n

load_system(S.ModelConfig.Components.Model{1, i}.Text)

model_name(i,:) = get_param(load_system(S.ModelConfig.Components.Model{1, i}.Text),'Name');

models_available(i,:) = find_system(load_system(S.ModelConfig.Components.Model{1, i}.Text),'BlockType','SubSystem');

end

in this, three model_name which are Model1,Model2 and Model3 are stored. and Inside all these models there are subsystems available which I am storing in models_available as names Model1, Model2 and Model3

Now I want to implement the second loop of adding these above blocks (models_available) into my new system. but as we give source location Model1/Model1 and destination location as New_Model/Model1, I want to implement the for loop for adding the block. So can you please help me how can I make this correct ?

%setting initial position of first block

l=300

t=150

width = 60

height = 50

for i=1:length(models_available)

add_block([model_name(i,:),get_param(find_system(model_name(i,:),'BlockType','SubSystem'),'Name')],[file_name,get_param(models_available(i),'Name')],'Position',[l t l+width t+height]);

[l t a b]=get_param([file_name,strings('Model_%d',i)],'Position')

end

I have implemented this code but when i run

[model_name(i,:)/get_param(find_system(model_name(i,:),'BlockType','SubSystem'),'Name')]

It is giving me output as Model1 Model1 instead of Model1/Model1. and same for destination location I guess.

[Paul]

I will confess that I'm not 100% following but I think what you're trying to do is prepend a model name to a block name. I think that model_name(i,:) is a char and get_param(....,'Name') returns a char.

But I'm a bit confused because model_name seems to an array of chars, but chars are usually stored in cell array, not a numeric array.

I have a file shiv.slx and in that digram is a block named Subsystem2. I think you want

>> model_name{1} = get_param(gcs,'Name')  % shiv.slx already loaded, use gcs, store in cell
model_name =
  1×1 cell array
    {'shiv'}

>> string(model_name{1}) + "/" + string(get_param(gcb,'Name')) % prepend the model name to the block name
ans = 
    "shiv/Subsystem2"
>> char(string(model_name{1}) + "/" + string(get_param(gcb,'Name'))) % or cast to char if necessary
ans =
    'shiv/Subsystem2'

[Shiv Nileshkumar Matliwala]

Hello Paul,

I just need some help from you. Can yu please tell me how can I get the data type of a signal in simulink model programmatically ??

for example, I have 2 signals A and B between Bus selector and bus creator blocks in simulink model. Now I want to find the data type of signals A and B.

Can you suggest me how can I find this data types and how can I set that with 'Boolean' ?

[Chong Wang]

cool

Answer 2

[Florian Bidaud]

Hi,

You need to use the function get_param with 'Ports' as a parameter, for each subsystem of your model.

The first and second element of the array will give you the input and output ports numbers

load_system('system.slx')
ports_data = get_param('system/Subsystem','Ports')
input_ports_number = ports_data(1)
output_ports_numer = ports_data(2)

[Shiv Nileshkumar Matliwala]

Can you suggest me how can i find the parameter of the input and output port ?

like A or B in above case.

[Florian Bidaud]

I'm not sure waht you mean exactly, but you can get port number and port label with using that following code:

handles = find_system('yourSimulinkSystem.slx', 'LookUnderMasks', 'on', 'FollowLinks', 'on', 'SearchDepth', 1, 'BlockType', 'Inport')
portInfo = [get_param(handles, 'Name'), get_param(handles, 'Port')]

Try to run

get_param('yourSimulinkSystem.slx','ObjectParameters')

You will find all the accessible parameters you can get from your system, and use the ones you need.

I guess here what you're trying to do is associating inputs and outputs with similar characteristics ?

[Shiv Nileshkumar Matliwala]

I had one more doubt that if i have one unknown simulink model for which i dont dont how many blocks are there. So is there any way I can find like how many blocks are there inside the simulink model ??

[Florian Bidaud]

Yes, you can again use :

length(get_param('yourSimulinkSystem','Blocks'))