Type Function Arguments

About Function Arguments

You create function arguments for a MATLAB Function block by entering them in its function header in the MATLAB Function Block Editor. When you define arguments, the Simulink^® software creates corresponding ports on the MATLAB Function block that you can attach to signals. You can select a data type mode for each argument that you define for a MATLAB Function block. Each data type mode presents its own set of options for selecting a data type.

By default, the data type mode for MATLAB Function block function arguments is Inherited. This means that the function argument inherits its data type from the incoming or outgoing signal. To override the default type, you first choose a data type mode and then select a data type based on the mode.

Specifying Argument Types

To specify the type of a MATLAB Function block function argument:

From the MATLAB Function Block Editor, select Edit Data to open the Ports and Data Manager.
In the left pane, select the argument of interest.
In the Data properties dialog box (right pane), click the Show data type assistant button to display the Data Type Assistant. Then, choose an option from the Mode drop-down menu.
The Data properties dialog box changes dynamically to display additional fields for specifying the data type associated with the mode.

Based on the mode you select, specify a desired data type:

Mode	What to Specify
`Inherit` (default)	You cannot specify a value. The data type is inherited from previously-defined data, based on the scope you selected for the MATLAB Function block function argument: If scope is Input, data type is inherited from the input signal on the designated port. If scope is Output, data type is inherited from the output signal on the designated port. If scope is Parameter, data type is inherited from the associated parameter, which can be defined in the Simulink masked subsystem or the MATLAB^® workspace. See Inheriting Argument Data Types.
`Built in`	Select from the drop-down list of supported data types, as described in Built-In Data Types for Arguments.
`Fixed point`	Specify the fixed-point data properties as described in Specifying Fixed-Point Designer Data Properties.
`Expression`	Enter an expression that evaluates to a data type, as described in Specifying Argument Types with Expressions.
`Bus Object`	In the Bus object field, enter the name of a `Simulink.Bus` object to define the properties of a MATLAB structure. You must define the bus object in the base workspace. See How Structure Inputs and Outputs Interface with Bus Signals. Note You can click the Edit button to create or modify `Simulink.Bus` objects using the Simulink Bus Editor (see Attach Bus Signals to MATLAB Function Blocks.
`Enumerated`	In the Enumerated field, enter the name of a `Simulink.IntEnumType` object that you define in the base workspace. See Code Generation for Enumerations.

Inheriting Argument Data Types

MATLAB Function block function arguments can inherit their data types, including fixed point types, from the signals to which they are connected.

Select the argument of interest in the Ports and Data Manager
In the Data properties dialog, select Inherit: Same as Simulink from the Type drop-down menu.

See Built-In Data Types for Arguments for a list of supported data types.

Note

An argument can also inherit its complexity (whether its value is a real or complex number) from the signal that is connected to it. To inherit complexity, set the Complexity field on the Data properties dialog to Inherited.

After you build the model, the Compiled Type column of the Ports and Data Manager gives the actual type inherited from Simulink in the compiled simulation application.

The inherited type of output data is inferred from diagram actions that store values in the specified output. In the preceding example, the variables mean and stdev are computed from operations with double operands, which yield results of type double. If the expected type matches the inferred type, inheritance is successful. In all other cases, a mismatch occurs during build time.

Note

Library MATLAB Function blocks can have inherited data types, sizes, and complexities like ordinary MATLAB Function blocks. However, all instances of the library block in a given model must have inputs with the same properties.

Built-In Data Types for Arguments

When you select Built-in for Data type mode, the Data properties dialog displays a Data type field that provides a drop-down list of supported data types. You can also choose a data type from the Data Type column in the Ports and Data Manager. The supported data types are:

Data Type	Description
`double`	64-bit double-precision floating point
`single`	32-bit single-precision floating point
`int32`	32-bit signed integer
`int16`	16-bit signed integer
`int8`	8-bit signed integer
`uint32`	32-bit unsigned integer
`uint16`	16-bit unsigned integer
`uint8`	8-bit unsigned integer
`boolean`	Boolean (1 = `true`; 0 = `false`)

Specifying Argument Types with Expressions

You can specify the types of MATLAB Function block function arguments as expressions in the Ports and Data Manager.

Select <data type expression> from the Type drop-down menu of the Data properties dialog.
In the Type field, replace “<data type expression>” with an expression that evaluates to a data type. The following expressions are allowed:
- Alias type from the MATLAB workspace, as described in Simulink.AliasType.
- fixdt function to create a Simulink.NumericType object describing a fixed-point or floating-point data type
- type operator, to base the type on previously defined data

Specifying Fixed-Point Designer Data Properties

MATLAB Function blocks can represent signals and parameter values as fixed-point numbers. To simulate models that use fixed-point data in MATLAB Function blocks, you must install the Fixed-Point Designer™ product on your system.

You can set the following fixed-point properties:

Signedness. Select whether you want the fixed-point data to be Signed or Unsigned. Signed data can represent positive and negative quantities. Unsigned data represents positive values only. The default is Signed.

Word length. Specify the size (in bits) of the word that will hold the quantized integer. Large word sizes represent large quantities with greater precision than small word sizes. Word length can be any integer between 0 and 128 bits. The default is 16.

Scaling. Specify the method for scaling your fixed point data to avoid overflow conditions and minimize quantization errors. You can select the following scaling modes:

Scaling Mode Description

Scaling Mode	Description
`Binary point` (default)	If you select this mode, the Data Type Assistant displays the Fraction Length field, specifying the binary point location. Binary points can be positive or negative integers. A positive integer moves the binary point left of the rightmost bit by that amount. For example, an entry of 2 sets the binary point in front of the second bit from the right. A negative integer moves the binary point further right of the rightmost bit by that amount, as in this example: The default is 0.
`Slope and bias`	If you select this mode, the Data Type Assistant displays fields for entering the Slope and Bias. Slope can be any positive real number. The default is 1.0. Bias can be any real number. The default value is 0.0. You can enter slope and bias as expressions that contain parameters defined in the MATLAB workspace.

Binary point (default)

If you select this mode, the Data Type Assistant displays the Fraction Length field, specifying the binary point location.

Binary points can be positive or negative integers. A positive integer moves the binary point left of the rightmost bit by that amount. For example, an entry of 2 sets the binary point in front of the second bit from the right. A negative integer moves the binary point further right of the rightmost bit by that amount, as in this example:

The default is 0.

Slope and bias

If you select this mode, the Data Type Assistant displays fields for entering the Slope and Bias.

Slope can be any positive real number. The default is 1.0.
Bias can be any real number. The default value is 0.0.

You can enter slope and bias as expressions that contain parameters defined in the MATLAB workspace.

Note

You should use binary-point scaling whenever possible to simplify the implementation of fixed-point data in generated code. Operations with fixed-point data using binary-point scaling are performed with simple bit shifts and eliminate the expensive code implementations required for separate slope and bias values.

Data type override. Specify whether the data type override setting is Inherit (default) or Off.

Calculate Best-Precision Scaling. The Simulink software can automatically calculate “best-precision” values for both Binary point andSlope and bias scaling, based on the Limit range properties you specify.

To automatically calculate best precision scaling values:

Specify Minimum, Maximum, or both Limit range properties.
Click Calculate Best-Precision Scaling.

The Simulink software calculates the scaling values, then displays them in either the Fraction Length, or Slope and Bias fields.

Note

The Limit range properties do not apply to Constant or Parameter scopes. Therefore, Simulink cannot calculate best-precision scaling for these scopes.

Fixed-point Details. You can view the following Fixed-point details:

Fixed-point Detail	Description
Representable maximum	The maximum number that can be represented by the chosen data type, sign, word length and fraction length (or data type, sign, slope and bias).
Maximum	The maximum value specified.
Minimum	The minimum value specified.
Representable minimum	The minimum number that can be represented by the chosen data type, sign, word length and fraction length (or data type, sign, slope and bias).
Precision	The precision for the given word length and fraction length (or slope and bias).

Using Data Type Override with the MATLAB Function Block

If you set the Data Type Override mode to Double or Single in Simulink, the MATLAB Function block sets the type of all inherited input signals and parameters to fi double or fi single objects respectively (see MATLAB Function Block with Data Type Override (Fixed-Point Designer) for more information). You must check the data types of your inherited input signals and parameters and use the Ports and Data Manager (see Ports and Data Manager) to set explicit types for any inputs that should not be fixed-point. Some operations, such as sin, are not applicable to fixed-point objects.