How to use Simulink Design Verifier to test Variants?

How to identify design errors and meet coverage for all the variant choices in a model?

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

Simulink Design Verifier (SLDV) considers only the active variant choice to generate the test cases. With the variant model having many choices, a user can choose one of the below workflows to generate test cases for all required paths. Leveraging the Simulink Design Verifier to generate test cases for a model with Variant Subsystems requires extra steps.

Workflow 1: Toggling Variant choices

• Open the model under test.
• Activate specific variant choice(s). 
• In the SLDV configuration option, set output file names specific to each choice, this will ensure each choice has a separate SLDV output file.
• Perform SLDV run on the model (Design Error Detection, Test Generation).
• Generate report and analyze results.
• Toggle choices and re-run SLDV analysis. 

Workflow 2: Using Variants Manager

The user can generate test cases for defined configurations in the Variant Manager

• Open the model under test.
• Get defined variant configurations in the Variant Manager.

config = Simulink.VariantManager.getConfigurationData(modelName) 

• Validate all configurations one by one in a loop using "Simulink.VariantManager.activateModel" API, this will activate one set of configurations at a time. This API is introduced in MATLAB R2022b.

 Note: If Variant Control parameters are defined in Data Dictionary, the Data Dictionary needs to be saved after activating a specific variant configuration.

Simulink.VariantManager.activateModel(modelName,Configuration = config.VariantConfigurations(i).Name);

• Set SLDV output file names (this will help to differentiate between different reports associated with each configuration) 

opts = sldvoptions(modelName)

opts.DataFileName = [modelName '_' config.VariantConfigurations(i).Name '_sldvdata']; 

opts.ReportFileName =  ['SLDV_Report_' modelName '_' config.VariantConfigurations(i).Name]; 

set_param(modelName,'SimulationCommand','Update') 

[status,fileNames] = sldvrun(modelName,opts,true); 

Our demo example "slexVariantVnVWorkflow"

https://www.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2022b/simulink/ug/variants-verification-validation-example.html

showcases a similar workflow to generate test cases for variant subsystems in the model using SLDV.