systemcomposer.interface.Dictionary

A data dictionary is a repository of data relevant to your model. The Architectural Data section of a data dictionary stores shared definitions used in Simulink and architecture model interfaces, such as port interfaces, data types, and system wide constants. For more information, see What Is a Data Dictionary?

You can save local interfaces on a System Composer™ model to the Architectural Data section of a Simulink data dictionary using the Interface Editor. In addition to the Interface Editor, you can also use the Architectural Data Editor to manage and modify interfaces and value types.

A data interface defines the kind of information that flows through a port. The same interface can be assigned to multiple ports. A data interface can be composite, meaning that it can include data elements that describe the properties of an interface signal.

Data interfaces represent the information that is shared through a connector and enters or exits a component through a port. Use the Interface Editor to create and manage data interfaces and data elements and store them in a data dictionary for reuse between models.

A data element describes a portion of an interface, such as a communication message, a calculated or measured parameter, or other decomposition of that interface.

Data interfaces are decomposed into data elements that can represent pins or wires in a connector or harness, messages transmitted across a bus, and data structures shared between components.

A value type can be used as a port interface to define the atomic piece of data that flows through that port and has a top-level type, dimension, unit, complexity, minimum, maximum, and description.

You can also assign the type of data elements in data interfaces to value types. Add value types to data dictionaries using the Interface Editor so that you can reuse the value types as interfaces or data elements.

An owned interface is an interface that is local to a specific port and not shared in a data dictionary or the model dictionary.

Create an owned interface to represent a value type or data interface that is local to a port.

An adapter connects two components with incompatible port interfaces by mapping between the two interfaces. An adapter can act as a unit delay, rate transition, or merge. You can also use an adapter for bus creation. Use the Adapter block to implement an adapter.

With an adapter, on the Interface Adapter dialog box, you can: create and edit mappings between input and output interfaces, apply an interface conversion UnitDelay to break an algebraic loop, apply an interface conversion RateTransition to reconcile different sample time rates for reference models, apply an interface conversion Merge to merge two or more message or signal lines, and when output interfaces are undefined, you can use input interfaces in bus creation mode to author owned output interfaces.

A physical subsystem is a Simulink subsystem with Simscape™ connections.

A physical subsystem with Simscape connections uses a physical network approach suited for simulating systems with real physical components and represents a mathematical model.

A physical port represents a Simscape physical modeling connector port called a Connection Port (Simscape).

Use physical ports to connect components in an architecture model or to enable physical systems in a Simulink subsystem.

A physical connector can represent a nondirectional conserving connection of a specific physical domain. Connectors can also represent physical signals.

Use physical connectors to connect physical components that represent features of a system to simulate mathematically.

A physical interface defines the kind of information that flows through a physical port. The same interface can be assigned to multiple ports. A physical interface is a composite interface equivalent to a Simulink.ConnectionBus object that specifies a number of Simulink.ConnectionElement objects.

Use a physical interface to bundle physical elements to describe a physical model using at least one physical domain.

A physical element describes the decomposition of a physical interface. A physical element is equivalent to a Simulink.ConnectionElement object.

Define the Type of a physical element as a physical domain to enable use of that domain in a physical model.

A software architecture is a specialization of an architecture for software-based systems, including the description of software compositions, component functions, and their scheduling.

Use software architectures in System Composer to author software architecture models composed of software components, ports, and interfaces. Design your software architecture model, define the execution order of your component functions, simulate your design in the architecture level, and generate code.

A software component is a specialization of a component for software entities, including its interfaces.

Implement a Simulink export-function, rate-based, or JMAAB model as a software component, simulate the software architecture model, and generate code.

A software composition is a diagram of software components and connectors that represents a composite software entity, such as a module or application.

Encapsulate functionality by aggregating or nesting multiple software components or compositions.

A function is an entry point where a transfer of program control occurs and can be defined in a software component.

You can apply stereotypes to functions in software architectures, edit sample times, and specify the function period using the Functions Editor.

A function element describes the attributes of a function in a client-server interface.

Edit the function prototype on a function element to change the number and names of inputs and outputs of the function. Edit function element properties as you would edit other interface element properties. Function argument types can include built-in types as well as bus objects. You can specify function elements to support:

A function argument describes the attributes of an input or output argument in a function element.

You can set the properties of a function argument in the Interface Editor just as you would other value types: Type, Dimensions, Units, Complexity, Minimum, Maximum, and Description.

A service interface defines the functional interface between client and server components. Each service interface consists of one or more function elements.

Once you have defined a service interface in the Interface Editor, you can assign it to client and server ports using the Property Inspector. You can also use the Property Inspector to assign stereotypes to service interfaces.

A server is a component that defines and provides a function.

A server component is where the function is defined. You can implement function behavior in a Simulink export-function model.

A client is a component that sends a request to the server.

A client component is where the function is called. The implementation of function call behavior is dependent on the synchronicity of the function execution.

A class diagram is a graphical representation of a static structural model that displays unique architecture types of the software components optionally with software methods and properties.

Class diagrams capture one instance of each referenced model and show relationships between them. A component diagram view can be optionally represented as a class diagram for a software architecture model.