AR-PACKAGE Structure

The AUTOSAR standard defines AUTOSAR packages (AR-PACKAGEs). AR-PACKAGEs contain groups of AUTOSAR elements and reside in a hierarchical AR-PACKAGE structure. In an AUTOSAR authoring tool (AAT) or in Simulink, you can configure an AR-PACKAGE structure to:

The ARXML importer imports AR-PACKAGEs, their elements, and their paths into Simulink. The model configuration preserves the packages for subsequent export to ARXML code. In general, the software preserves AUTOSAR packages across round-trips between an AAT and Simulink.

If your AUTOSAR component originated in Simulink, at component creation, the AUTOSAR component builder creates an initial default AR-PACKAGE structure, containing the following packages.

For example, suppose that you start with a simple Simulink model, such as CounterModel. Rename it to mySWC. Configure the model for AUTOSAR code generation. (For example, open the Embedded Coder Quick Start and select AUTOSAR code generation.) When you build the model, its initial AR-PACKAGE structure resembles the following figure.

After component creation, you can use the XML Options view in the AUTOSAR Dictionary to specify additional AR-PACKAGEs. (See Configure AUTOSAR XML Options or Configure AUTOSAR Adaptive XML Options.) Each AR-PACKAGE represents an AUTOSAR element category. During code generation, the ARXML exporter generates a package if any elements of its category exist in the model. For each package, you specify a path, which defines its location in the AR-PACKAGE structure.

Using XML options, you can configure AUTOSAR packages for the following categories of AUTOSAR elements:

The AR-PACKAGE structure is logically distinct from the single-file or modular-file partitioning that you can select for ARXML export, using the XML option Exported XML file packaging. For more information about AUTOSAR package export, see AR-PACKAGE Location in Exported ARXML Files.

Configure AUTOSAR Packages and Paths

If you import an AR-PACKAGE structure into Simulink, the ARXML importer preserves package-element relationships and package paths defined in the ARXML code. Also, the importer populates packaging properties in the component and XML Options views in the AUTOSAR Dictionary. If the ARXML code does not assign AUTOSAR elements to packages based on category, the importer uses heuristics to determine an optimal category association for a package. However, a maximum of one package can be associated with a category.

Suppose that you start with a non-AUTOSAR Simulink model and configure the model for AUTOSAR code generation. (For example, open the Embedded Coder Quick Start and select AUTOSAR code generation.) The software creates an initial default AR-PACKAGE structure. After component creation, the component view in the AUTOSAR Dictionary displays Component XML Options, including package paths for the component, internal behavior, and implementation.

The XML Options view displays paths for AUTOSAR data type and interface packages, and additional packages.

Using the Additional Packages subpane, you can populate path fields for additional packages or leave them empty. If you leave a package field empty, and if the model contains packageable elements of that category, the ARXML exporter uses internal rules to calculate the package path. The application of internal rules is backward-compatible with earlier releases. The following table lists the XML option packaging properties with their rule-based default package paths.

To set a packaging property in the MATLAB^® Command Window or in a script, use an AUTOSAR property set function call similar to the following:

hModel = 'autosar_swc_counter';
openExample(hModel);
arProps=autosar.api.getAUTOSARProperties(hModel);
set(arProps,'XmlOptions','ApplicationDataTypePackage','/Company/Powertrain/DataTypes/ADTs');
get(arProps,'XmlOptions','ApplicationDataTypePackage')

For a sample script, see Configure AUTOSAR XML Options.

For an example of configuring and exporting AUTOSAR packages, see Export AUTOSAR Packages.

Control AUTOSAR Elements Affected by Package Path Modifications

If you modify an AUTOSAR package path, and if packageable elements of that category are affected, you can:

If you modify a package path in the AUTOSAR Dictionary, and if packageable elements of that category are affected, a dialog box opens. For example, if you modify the XML option ConstantSpecification Package from path value /pkg/dt/Ground to /pkg/misc/MyGround, the software opens the following dialog box.

To move AUTOSAR constant specification elements to the new package, click OK. To set the new package path without moving the elements, click Cancel.

If you programmatically modify a package path, you can use the MoveElements property to specify handling of affected elements. The property can be set to All (the default), None, or Alert. If you specify Alert, and if packageable elements are affected, the software opens the dialog box with OK and Cancel buttons.

For example, the following code sets a new constant specification package path without moving existing constant specification elements to the new package.

hModel = 'autosar_swc_expfcns';
openExample(hModel);
arProps = autosar.api.getAUTOSARProperties(hModel);
set(arProps,'XmlOptions','ConstantSpecificationPackage','/pkg/misc/MyGround',...
    'MoveElements','None');

Export AUTOSAR Packages

This example shows how to configure and export AUTOSAR packages for an AUTOSAR software component that originated in Simulink.

AR-PACKAGE Location in Exported ARXML Files

Grouping AUTOSAR elements into AUTOSAR packages (AR-PACKAGEs) is logically distinct from the ARXML output file packaging that the AUTOSAR configuration parameter Exported XML file packaging controls. Whether you set Exported XML file packaging to Single file or Modular, ARXML export preserves the configured AR-PACKAGE structure.

Suppose that you configure the example model autosar_swc_expfcns with the following AR-PACKAGE structure. (See the steps in Export AUTOSAR Packages). In this configuration, the path of the constant specification package has been changed from the initial model setting, /pkg/dt/Ground, to /pkg/misc/myGround.

If you export this AR-PACKAGE structure into a single file (Exported XML file packaging is set to Single file), the exported ARXML code preserves the configured AR-PACKAGE structure.

autosar_swc_expfcns.arxml:

<AR-PACKAGES>
    <AR-PACKAGE>
        <SHORT-NAME>pkg</SHORT-NAME>
        ...
                <SHORT-NAME>swc</SHORT-NAME>
                ...
                <SHORT-NAME>if</SHORT-NAME>
                ...
                <SHORT-NAME>dt</SHORT-NAME>
                ...
                        <SHORT-NAME>SwBaseTypes</SHORT-NAME>
                     ...
                <SHORT-NAME>misc</SHORT-NAME>
                ...
                        <SHORT-NAME>MyGround</SHORT-NAME>
                        ...
                <SHORT-NAME>imp</SHORT-NAME>
                ...
    </AR-PACKAGE>
</AR-PACKAGES>

If you export the same AR-PACKAGE structure into multiple files (Exported XML file packaging is set to Modular), the exported ARXML code preserves the configured AR-PACKAGE structure, distributed across multiple files.

The exporter maps packageable AUTOSAR elements to ARXML files based on element category, not package path. For example, the exporter maps the data-type-oriented ConstantSpecification package, /pkg/misc/myGround, to the data types ARXML file, autosar_swc_expfcns_datatype.arxml.

autosar_swc_expfcns_component.arxml:

<AR-PACKAGES>
    <AR-PACKAGE>
        <SHORT-NAME>pkg</SHORT-NAME>
        ...
                <SHORT-NAME>swc</SHORT-NAME>
                ...
    </AR-PACKAGE>
</AR-PACKAGES>

autosar_swc_expfcns_datatype.arxml:

<AR-PACKAGES>
    <AR-PACKAGE>
        <SHORT-NAME>pkg</SHORT-NAME>
        ...
                <SHORT-NAME>dt</SHORT-NAME>
                ...
                        <SHORT-NAME>SwBaseTypes</SHORT-NAME>
                        ...
                <SHORT-NAME>misc</SHORT-NAME>
                ...
                        <SHORT-NAME>MyGround</SHORT-NAME>
                        ...   
    </AR-PACKAGE>
</AR-PACKAGES>

autosar_swc_expfcns_implementation.arxml:

<AR-PACKAGES>
    <AR-PACKAGE>
        <SHORT-NAME>pkg</SHORT-NAME>
        ...
                <SHORT-NAME>imp</SHORT-NAME>
                ...
    </AR-PACKAGE>
</AR-PACKAGES>

autosar_swc_expfcns_interface.arxml:

<AR-PACKAGES>
    <AR-PACKAGE>
        <SHORT-NAME>pkg</SHORT-NAME>
        ...
                <SHORT-NAME>if</SHORT-NAME>
                ...
    </AR-PACKAGE>
</AR-PACKAGES>