Comma-Separated List

If you specify Dataset data, specify only one Dataset object for the Input parameter. Do not include it in a comma-separated list.

Each variable or expression must evaluate to an appropriate object that corresponds to a specific root-level input port in the model. Each variable or expression in the list must evaluate to the appropriate object that corresponds to one of the root-level input ports of the model. The first item corresponds to the first root-level input port, the second to the second root-level input port, and so on. The dimensions for each data sample must match the dimensions of the data specified in the input block parameter.

For an Enable or Trigger block, the signal driving the enable or trigger port must be the last item in the comma-separated list. If you have both an enable and a trigger port, then specify:

Use an empty matrix to specify ground values for a port. For example, to load data for input ports in1 and in3, and to use ground values for port in2, enter the following in the Input parameter:

in1, [], in3

Dataset Elements

A Dataset object can include elements with different data types.

For individual nonbus signal data, you can specify these types of data for Dataset elements:

For buses, use a structure with a data element for each leaf signal, using one of these formats:

Create a Dataset Object for Inport Blocks

To generate a Simulink.SimulationData.Dataset object from the root-level Inport blocks in a model, you can use the createInputDataset function. Signals in the generated dataset have the properties of the Inport blocks and the corresponding ground values at model start and stop times. You can create timeseries and timetableobjects for the time and values for signals for loading. The other signals use ground values. Each timetable object must contain data for only one signal.

You can load into a root-level input port data specified by a MATLAB timeseries object that resides in a workspace.

Time Dimension

When you create a MATLAB timeseries object to import data to Simulink, the time dimension (number of time samples) depends on the dimension and the type of signal data.

t = (0:10)';
ts = timeseries(sin(t), t);

t = 0;
ts = timeseries([1 2; 3 4], t);

'InterpretSingleRowDataAs3D', true

t = 0;
ts = timeseries([1 2], t, 'InterpretSingleRowDataAs3D', true);

Enum Data

If you specify an enum in timetable data, clear the Interpolate data parameter for the corresponding Inport block.

Data Structures

You can load to a root-level input port data from the workspace in the form of a structure, whose name you specify in the Configuration Parameters > Data Import/Export > Input parameter. For information about defining MATLAB structures, see Structure Arrays.

You can specify structures for the model as a whole or on a per-port basis. For information about specifying per-port structures for the Input parameter, see Structures for All Ports or for Each Port.

The structure always includes a signals substructure, which contains a values field and a dimensions field. Depending on the modeling task that you want to perform, the structure can also include a time field. The form of a structure that you use depends on the type of signals for which you are importing data:

For examples of importing data for discrete and continuous signals, see Control How Models Load Input Data.

Structures for All Ports or for Each Port

You can specify one structure to provide input to all root-level input ports in a model, or you can specify a separate structure for each port.

The per-port structure format consists of a separate structure-with-time or structure-without-time for each port. The input data structure for each has only one signals field. To specify this option, enter the names of the structures in the Input text field as a comma-separated list, in1, in2,..., inN. The value in1 is the data for first input port in the model, in2 for the second input port, and so on.

To specify one structure for all ports:

Specify Time Data

You can specify a time vector of doubles as part of the data structure to import. For example, specify a time vector when importing signal data to represent a continuous plant or to create a test case. To test a discrete algorithm, use a structure with an empty time vector. This table provides additional recommendations for specifying time values, based on the kind of signal data you want to load.

timeVector = startTime + sampleTime*(0:numSteps-1)'; 

T1 = 1 + 0.2*(0:100)' 

timeVector = [startTime:timeStep:endTime]' 

T2 = [0:0.2:10]' 

Examples of Specifying Signal and Time Data

In the first example, consider the following model that has a single input port:

As another example, consider a model that has two inputs.

Suppose that you want to input a sine wave into the first port and a cosine wave into the second port. Define a structure, a, as follows, in the MATLAB workspace:

a.time = 0.1*[0:1]';
a.signals(1).values = sin(a.time);
a.signals(1).dimensions = 1;
a.signals(2).values = cos(a.time);
a.signals(2).dimensions = 1;

Enter the structure name (a) in the Configuration Parameters > Data Import/Export > Input parameter edit box.

Specify the Input Expression

The default input expression for a model is [t,u] and the default input format is Array. If you define t and u in the MATLAB workspace, simply select the Configuration Parameters > Data Import/Export > Input parameter to input data from the model workspace.

Suppose that you have a model with two Inport blocks:

You define t and u in the MATLAB workspace:

numSteps = 9;
timeStep = 0.1;
t = (timeStep*(0:numSteps))';
u = [sin(t),cos(t),4*cos(t)];

When the simulation runs, the signal data sin(t) and cos(t) are assigned to In1 and the signal data 4*cos(t) is assigned to In2. Signal data is input for 100 time points.

Arrays for Input Ports Driving Function-Call Subsystems

You can use an array to drive a Function-Call Subsystem through a root-level input port. You can use an array or an array that is an element of a Dataset object. The array must be an nx1 array. For the root-level Inport block, select the Output function call parameter.

For example, this Dataset object has an array element x:

ds = Simulink.SimulationData.Dataset;
x = [1 3 7 8]';
ds = ds.addElement(x,'theElementName');

This model uses the ds data set in the Configuration Parameters > Data Import/Export > Input parameter.

When you simulate the model, the time values of the logged signal data in the Function-Call Subsystem show that the Function-Call Subsystem was triggered only for the times specified in an array stored in ds.

>> logsout{1}.Values.Time

ans =

     1
     3
     7
     8

Specify the Input Expression

You can use a MATLAB time expression to load data from a workspace into a root-level input port. To use a time expression, enter the expression as a string (enclosed in single quotes) in the Input field of the Data Import/Export pane. The time expression can be any MATLAB expression that evaluates to a row vector equal in length to the number of signals entering the input ports of the model. Suppose that a model has one vector Inport that accepts two signals. Also, suppose that timefcn is a user-defined function that returns a row vector two elements long. Here are valid input time expressions for such a model:

'[3*sin(t), cos(2*t)]' 

'4*timefcn(w*t)+7'

The expression is evaluated at each step of the simulation, applying the resulting values to the input ports of the model. Simulink defines the variable t when it runs the simulation. Also, you can omit the time variable in expressions for functions of one variable. For example, the expression sin is interpreted as sin(t).