Reference Component

Link to an architectural definition or Simulink behavior

Description

Use a Reference Component block to link an architectural definition of a System Composer™ component or a Simulink^® behavior.

To add or connect System Composer components:

• Add an architecture Reference Component from the Modeling tab or the palette. You can also click and drag a box on the canvas, selecting the Reference Component option once complete.

• Add a port by selecting an edge of the component and choosing a direction from the menu: Input or Output

• Click and drag the port to create a connection. Connect to another component, or have the option of creating a new component to complete the connection.

• To connect the architecture Reference Component blocks to architecture or composition model root ports, drag from the component ports to the containing model boundary. When you release the connection, a root port is created at the boundary.

To manage Reference Component contents:

• Upon creating a Reference Component, you have the option to right-click on the component and select Block Parameters. From here, you can specify your reference model name, if it already exists. The reference model can be a System Composer architecture model or a Simulink model.

• With a regular Component block, you can right-click on the block and convert it into a reference component.

  • Select Save As Architecture Model to save the contents of the component as an architecture model that can be referenced in multiple places and kept in sync. The component will become a reference component that links to the referenced architecture model.

  • Select Create Simulink Behavior to create a new Simulink reference model and link to it.

  • Select Link to Model to link to a known model that can be either a System Composer architecture model or a Simulink model.

• To break the reference link for a Reference Component, you have the option to right-click and select Inline Model which inlines the contents of the architecture model referenced by the specified component and breaks the link to the reference model. The Reference Component becomes a regular Component block.

Ports

Input

Source — Input connection from another component

interface

If you connect to a source component, the interfaces on the ports are shared.

Output

Destination — Output connection to another component

interface

If you connect to a destination component, the interfaces on the ports are shared.

More About

Definitions

Term	Definition	Application	More Information
architecture	A System Composer architecture represents a system of components and how they interface with each other structurally and behaviorally. You can represent specific architectures using alternate views.	Different types of architectures describe different aspects of systems: Functional architecture describes the flow of data in a system. Logical architecture describes the intended operation of a system. Physical architecture describes the platform or hardware in a system.	Compose Architecture Visually
model	A System Composer model is the file that contains architectural information, including components, ports, connectors, interfaces, and behaviors.	Perform operations on a model: Extract the root level architecture contained in the model. Apply profiles. Link interface data dictionaries. Generate instances from model architecture. System Composer models are stored as .slx files.	Create an Architecture Model
component	A component is a nontrivial, nearly-independent, and replaceable part of a system that fulfills a clear function in the context of an architecture. A component defines an architecture element, such as a function, a system, hardware, software, or other conceptual entity. A component can also be a subsystem or subfunction.	Represented as a block, a component is a part of an architecture model that can be separated into reusable artifacts.	Components
port	A port is a node on a component or architecture that represents a point of interaction with its environment. A port permits the flow of information to and from other components or systems.	There are different types of ports: Component ports are interaction points on the component to other components. Architecture ports are ports on the boundary of the system, whether the boundary is within a component or the overall architecture model.	Ports
connector	Connectors are lines that provide connections between ports. Connectors describe how information flows between components or architectures.	A connector allows two components to interact without defining the nature of the interaction. Set an interface on a port to define how the components interact.	Connections

Term	Definition	Application	More Information
reference component	A reference component is a component whose definition is a separate architecture model or Simulink behavior model.	A reference component represents a logical hierarchy of other compositions. You can reuse compositions in the model using reference components.	Implement Component Behavior in Simulink Create a Reference Architecture
state chart	A state chart diagram demonstrates the state-dependent behavior of a component throughout its state lifecycle and the events that can trigger a transition between states.	Add Stateflow® Chart behavior to describe an architectural component using state machines.	Add Stateflow Chart Behavior to Architecture Component
sequence diagram	A sequence diagram is a behavior diagram that represents the interaction between structural elements of an architecture as a sequence of message exchanges.	You can use sequence diagrams to describe how the parts of a static system interact.	Define Sequence Diagrams Use Sequence Diagrams in the Views Gallery