Complex matlab script migration into simulink

I'm currently working with a rather length Matlab script, and am trying to move it onto simulink to adopt a more 'drag n drop' logic flow, as in Simulink we are able to use both custom function blocks as well as default lib blocks. After trying to move this script to Simulink I realized that I have been running into a lot of code generation incompatibility errors, I'd like to ask whether I can "pull" a plot from the base Matlab workspace into Simulink when I run a Simulink function?

Say that I click on a specific block on Simulink that triggers a script in the base workspace to run, and then the results and plots from the base workspace script are "sent" to Simulink.

Is this achievable?

Thanks!

[Walter Roberson]

Well, you could potentially save() data and plotting at the MATLAB level, and then in a MATLAB Function Block, load() it...

However, incorporating such graphics into a Simulink scope might be... difficult.

[Paul]

Hi Kenneth,

Can you provide a lot more clarification on the desired workflow?

Considering the specific question:

"Say that I click on a specific block on Simulink that triggers a script in the base workspace to run, and then the results and plots from the base workspace script are "sent" to Simulink."

"Say that I click on a specific block"

Do you mean double-click?

What kind of block are we talking about? A library block, a subsystem, something else?

By "triggers a script" do you mean a script that executes from a block callback function, like the OpenFcn?

"results and plots from the base workspace script are "sent" to Simulink"

What kind of results are we talking about and how would those results be used in the Simulink model?

What does sending a plot to Simulink mean?

[Kenneth]

Hi Paul,

The script that I am trying to migrate right now is modeling a communications system, when run in MATLAB it plots out 4 figures such as standard plots, etcetc. For ease of use for other people, I am trying to migrate this system onto simulink, to adopt a 'drag n drop' logic for users so they won't have to alter the lengthy script itself when changing parameters. What I have tried so far is dividing the entire script into initialization vs logic/calculations, having Simulink run the initializations(located as a .m file in matlab) as a preloadfcn which pumps those values into the primary simulink block that houses all of the calculation scripts. I have run into some code generation errors(you can see another similar question on my profile).

The workflow I was asking about here would be if there is some way to avoid running all of these scripts within simulink(what I described above) as adapting to code generation standards could make things messy, so if there exists a block within Simulink that when run, executes a .m file from the workspace, allowing the user to see plots generated by the script?

And to asnwer your questions -

correct, by clicking on a block I meant double clicking on it to run the scripts inside.

As for what type of block, I am referring to a custom MATLAB function block within simulink, one where you can script your own functions inside.

For results, as mentioned above, would be plots as shown below - this was generated by layering several hundreds of lines onto a single plot using a for loop, so simply loading the plot data as a preLoadFcn would be very complicated.

I hope this cleared up some of your confusions, thank you so much for your time and effort!

[Paul]

As for what type of block, I am referring to a custom MATLAB function block within simulink, one where you can script your own functions inside.

correct, by clicking on a block I meant double clicking on it to run the scripts inside.

The Matlab Function in Simulink is intended for running Matlab code when as part of a Simulink simulation. Double clicking on that block in the diagram is typically meant to open the editor to edit its code, add parameters, etc. Double clicking on that block is not typically meant to run its code (though it may be possible to do so with some effort depending on the actual behavior that's desired). Perhaps I still don't understand what you're trying to accomplish, but at this point I'm not even sure that Simulink, which is intended for forward-time simulation, is the right tool to use.