I am trying to model an algorithm which needs macro functions to be defined in the auto generated C code using embedded coder. How to do I define functions as macros in Simulink/Stateflow for the same?
From your question I understand that you are trying to replace some functions generated by the Simulink models with your own macros. You can probably achieve what you want by creating a code replacement library as described here.
Also there is a limitation to which functions you can replace: the list of functions which you can replace.
Another simple but not very elegant solution would be to write a script to do the code replacement manually. You can write a custom hook to call the script after the code is generated (customizing the build process). I would not recommend editing the generated code unless you are sure what you are doing though.
Related
I am pondering over a few different ways of writing utility classes/functions. By utility I mean a part of code being reused in many places in the project. For example a set of formatting functions for the date & time handling.
I've got Java background, where there was a tendency to write
class UtilsXyz {
public static doSth(){...};
public static doSthElse(){...};
}
which I find hard to unit test because of their static nature. The other way is to inject here and there utility classes without static members.
In Dart you can use both attitudes, but I find other techniques more idiomatic:
mixins
Widely used and recommended in many articles for utility functions. But I find their nature to be a solution to infamous diamond problem rather than utility classes. And they're not very readable. Although I can imagine more focused utility functions, which pertain only Widgets, or only Presenters, only UseCases etc. They seem to be natural then.
extension functions
It's somehow natural to write '2023-01-29'.formatNicely(), but I'd like to be able to mock utility function, and you cannot mock extension functions.
global functions
Last not least, so far I find them the most natural (in terms of idiomatic Dart) way of providing utilities. I can unit test them, they're widely accessible, and doesn't look weird like mixins. I can also import them with as keyword to give some input for a reader where currently used function actually come from.
Does anybody have some experience with the best practices for utilities and is willing to share them? Am I missing something?
To write utility functions in an idiomatic way for Dart, your options are either extension methods or global functions.
You can see that they have a linter rule quoting this problem:
AVOID defining a class that contains only static members.
Creating classes with the sole purpose of providing utility or otherwise static methods is discouraged. Dart allows functions to exist outside of classes for this very reason.
https://dart-lang.github.io/linter/lints/avoid_classes_with_only_static_members.html.
Extension methods.
but I'd like to unit test some utility functions, and you cannot test extension functions, because they're static.
I did not find any resource that points that the extension methods are static, neither in StackOverflow or the Dart extension documentation. Although extension can have static methods themselves. Also, there is an open issue about supporting static extension members.
So, I think extensions are testable as well.
To test extension methods you have 2 options:
Import the extension name and use the extension syntax inside the tests.
Write an equivalent global utility function test it instead and make the extension method call this global function (I do not recommend this because if someone changes the extension method, the test will not be able to caught).
EDIT: as jamesdlin mentioned, the extension themselves can be tested but they cannot be mocked since they need to be resolved in compile time.
Global functions.
To test global functions, just import and test it.
I think the global functions are pretty straightforward:
This is the most simple, idiomatic way to write utility functions, this does not trigger any "wtf" flag when someone reads your code (like mixins), even Dart beginners.
This also takes advantage of the Dart top-level functions feature.
That's why I prefer this approach for utility functions that are not attached to any other classes.
And, if you are writing a library/package, the annotation #visibleForTesting may fall helpful for you (This annotation is from https://pub.dev/packages/meta).
In Modelica Standard Library, the unit of SpecificEnergy and SpecificEnthalpy is "J/kg", but I'd like to use "kJ/kg" as the display unit, my first thought is to modify the Modelica Standard Library, but I am not sure if it will cause unexpectable issues, so I want to find a way to customize my own Modelica Standard Library. In this way, I could choose to use my own version or the standard one.
My question is: Is there some way like this?
In addition to using defineUnitConversion there is another possibility for prefixed units such as "kJ/kg" or "MJ/kg": just define a variable with that displayUnit in the model by creating e.g.,
SpecificEnthalphy myEnthalpy(displayUnit="MJ/kg")=...;
and then simulating the model.
No need to specify a conversion factor in this case (it is found automatically).
There are multiple possibilities to extend the unit conversions in Dymola. Probably the best is the one for the question asked is mentioned by Hans Olsson below, but you can as well
Create a function like this:
function unitConversions "Define unit conversions, which are currently not pre-defined by Dymola"
extends DymolaModels.Icons.Basic.Function;
algorithm
defineUnitConversion("J/kg", "kJ/kg", 1e-3);
// more conversions could be added here
end unitConversions;
After the function is executed, the conversion should be available for the current session of Dymola. So you need to run the function manually every time Dymola is started. This is actually one reason I asked this question - but there seems to be no answer until now.
As an alternative, you can modify E:\[Dymola_InstallPath]\insert\displayunit.mos and add the same line. This will be usable until you install a new version of Dymola, for which you will have to do the same modification...
I am currently working on the implementation of some C-Code in a Simulink model using the S-Function Builder block.
The code uses various timers and counters, which are defined as static variables to enable the access to the data in following simulation steps.
However, if I start the simulation MATLAB crashes without error message ('Fatal Exception'). To test I defined the variables without the 'static' statement. The Simulation works in this case, however with (logically) wrong results of the S-Function.
Has anybody else faced similar issues or knows how to declare static variables in Simulink?
P.S.
I know I could use Work Vectors, which I do not intend to do, since it would result in huge efforts in adopting the function to do so.
Furthermore I could simply build a feed-back loop in the model using a memory block. For approximately 100 variables this solution would also be pretty impractical.
Not a solution, but a possible workaround is to use the coder.ceval functionality. I have used this to wrap a C-function with similar (static variables used as counters) function. The coder.ceval call is then placed in an embedded matlab block. Possibly some definitions of the interfaces must also be made (structures / bus objects).
Check coder.ceval, coder.rref and coder.wref for the call structure.
It seems like it was a bug in Simulink or the MinGW Compiler. However I tore down the code, ending up with it crashing with the call of one specific variable. I renamed the variable, since I could not find any error in the syntax. Now everything works fine...
The variable name had various underscores and capital letters - in case anyone makes similar experiences.
I would like to write some pieces of code in Scala . It is important for me that this code can be called from matlab. AFAIK java code can easily be integrated with matlab. http://www.mathworks.co.uk/help/matlab/ref/javamethod.html
Is this valid also for scala code?
It is also valid for Scala code. Just pretend that you're doing Java interop (e.g. a method called + would actually be $plus) and make sure scala-library.jar is in Matlab's classpath (e.g. using javaaddpath).
Incidentally, I've done Java/Matlab interop before, and it's not as "easily integrated" as one might hope. Passing data is kind of awkward and you tend to trip on classloader and/or classpath issues every now and then.
I'd be wary of planning a big project with lots of tightly-connected interop. In my experience it usually works better using the Unix mindset: make independent tools that do their own thing well, and chain them together to get what you want. For instance, I routinely have Scala write Matlab code and call Matlab to run it, or have Matlab use system to fire up a Scala program to process a subset of the data.
So--calling Scala from Matlab is completely possible, and for simple interfaces looks just like Java. Just try to keep the interface simple.
You could encapsulate your Scala code in another language that's easily called by Matlab, such as Java of C. Since you seem to know about Java, you could use these examples to learn to encapsulate your Scala methods inside Jave methods that you can call from Matlab. A number of other methods are available to you with different languages (MEX-files, loadlibrary, etc...)
I have the problem, that I have to access a funktion form a dll in matlab/Simulink in the rtw.
This should work with a s function, but I have the needed parameters in a array of structures organized.
The question is now how I can reach them when I want to call my DLL function?
Or is there a better way (e.g. level 2 Matlab files or something similar)?
The pure simulation (without RTW) worked pretty well with level 2 m files but I am not able to write a tlc file for compiling them. I did not find much on the net and the documentation only about C sources.
Thanks
Christian
For signals in Simulink, what you are asking for is an array of buses. There is similar support for using arrays of structs for parameters. For calling an external function, you might want to look at the legacy code tool. You might also be able to use the MATLAB function block to call your external dll.
In addition to what #MikeT says:
Generating code from Level 2 M-S-Functions is problematic. Read this: http://www.mathworks.co.uk/help/toolbox/simulink/sfg/f7-67622.html#brgscav-1
Also, M-S-functions are generally slow, because they run in the MATLAB interpreter: http://blogs.mathworks.com/seth/2010/10/28/tips-for-simulation-performance/
In the end I coded the problem in C and used an array where I defined to order of the elements. Then I wrote some interface functions to access this "virtual" struct.
This is not very good coding but the easiest way I have found and it is portable.
Thanks