Stateflow.State

State in chart, state, or box

Description

Use Stateflow.State objects to describe an operating mode of a reactive system. For more information, see Represent Operating Modes by Using States.

Creation

Syntax

state = Stateflow.State(parent)

Description

state = Stateflow.State(parent) creates a Stateflow.State object in a parent chart, state, or box.

Input Arguments

parent — Parent for new state

Stateflow.Chart object | Stateflow.State object | Stateflow.Box object

Parent for the new state, specified as a Stateflow^® API object of one of these types:

• Stateflow.Box

• Stateflow.Chart

• Stateflow.State

Properties

Stateflow API objects have properties that correspond to the values you set in the Stateflow Editor. To access or modify a property, use dot notation. To access or modify multiple properties for multiple API objects, use the get and set functions, respectively. For more information, see Modify Properties and Call Functions of Stateflow Objects.

Content

Name — Name of state

"" (default) | string scalar | character vector

Name of the state, specified as a string scalar or character vector.

LabelString — Label for state

"?" (default) | string scalar | character vector

Label for the state, specified as a string scalar or character vector. For more information, see Specify Labels in States and Transitions Programmatically.

DuringAction — State during action

character vector

This property is read-only.

State during action, specified as a character vector. The value of this property depends on the LabelString property for the state. For more information, see Specify Labels in States and Transitions Programmatically. This property is not supported in Moore charts.

EntryAction — State entry action

character vector

This property is read-only.

State entry action, specified as a character vector. The value of this property depends on the LabelString property for the state. For more information, see Specify Labels in States and Transitions Programmatically. This property is not supported in Moore charts.

ExitAction — State exit action

character vector

This property is read-only.

State exit action, specified as a character vector. The value of this property depends on the LabelString property for the state. For more information, see Specify Labels in States and Transitions Programmatically. This property is not supported in Moore charts.

MooreAction — State action in Moore chart

character vector

This property is read-only.

State action in a Moore chart, specified as a character vector. The value of this property depends on the LabelString property for the state. For more information, see Specify Labels in States and Transitions Programmatically. This property is supported only in Moore charts. For more information, see Design Guidelines for Moore Charts.

OnAction — State on actions

cell array of character vectors

This property is read-only.

State on actions, specified as a cell array of character vectors in the form

{'trigger1','action1',...,'triggerN','actionN'}

The value of this property depends on the LabelString property for the state. For more information, see Specify Labels in States and Transitions Programmatically. This property is not supported in Moore charts.

IsExplicitlyCommented — Whether to comment out state

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Whether to comment out the state, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). Setting this property to true is equivalent to right-clicking the state and selecting Comment Out. For more information, see Comment Out Objects in a Stateflow Chart.

IsImplicitlyCommented — Whether state is implicitly commented out

true or 1 | false or 0

This property is read-only.

Whether the state is implicitly commented out, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). The state is implicitly commented out when you explicitly comment out an object that contains it. If the state is contained in an atomic subchart, this property is false unless the explicitly commented object is also contained in the atomic subchart.

IsCommented — Whether state is commented out

true or 1 | false or 0

Since R2023a

This property is read-only.

Whether the state is commented out, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). This property is true when either IsExplicitlyCommented or IsImplicitlyCommented is true.

CommentText — Comment text

"" (default) | string scalar | character vector

Comment text added to the state, specified as a string scalar or character vector. This property applies only when the IsExplicitlyCommented property is true. In the Stateflow Editor, when you point to the comment badge on the state, the text appears as a tooltip. When you set the IsExplicitlyCommented property to false, the value of CommentText reverts to "".

Graphical Appearance

Position — Position and size of state

[0 0 90 60] (default) | [left top width height]

Position and size of the state, specified as a four-element numeric vector of the form [left top width height].

BadIntersection — Whether state intersects a box, state, or function

true or 1 | false or 0

This property is read-only.

Whether the state graphically intersects a box, state, or function, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false).

IsGrouped — Whether state is a grouped state

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Whether the state is a grouped state, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). When you copy and paste a grouped state, you copy not only the state but all of its contents. For more information, see Copy and Paste by Grouping.

IsSubchart — Whether state is a subchart

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Whether the state is a subchart, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false).

ContentPreviewEnabled — Whether to display preview of state contents

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Whether to display a preview of the state contents, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). This property applies only when the IsSubchart property is true.

ArrowSize — Size of incoming transition arrows

8 (default) | scalar

Size of incoming transition arrows, specified as a scalar.

FontSize — Font size for state label

scalar

Font size for the state label, specified as a scalar. The StateFont.Size property of the chart that contains the state sets the initial value of this property.

State Decomposition

Decomposition — Decomposition of substates

"EXCLUSIVE_OR" (default) | "PARALLEL_AND"

Decomposition of substates at the top level of containment in the state, specified as "EXCLUSIVE_OR" or "PARALLEL_AND". For more information, see Specify Substate Decomposition.

Type — Decomposition of sibling states

'AND' | 'OR'

This property is read-only.

Decomposition of sibling states, specified as 'AND' or 'OR'. The state inherits this property from the Decomposition property of its parent state or chart.

ExecutionOrder — Execution order in parallel (AND) decomposition

scalar

Execution order for the state in parallel (AND) decomposition, specified as an integer scalar. This property applies only when both of these conditions are satisfied:

• The Type property of the state is "AND".

• The UserSpecifiedStateTransitionExecutionOrder property of the chart that contains the state is true.

Active State Output

HasOutputData — Whether to create active state data output

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Whether to create an active state data output port for the state, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). For more information, see Monitor State Activity Through Active State Data.

OutputData — Active state data object

Stateflow.Data object

This property is read-only.

Active state data object for the state, specified as a Stateflow.Data object. This property applies only when the HasOutputData property for the state is true.

OutputPortName — Name of active state data object

string scalar | character vector

Name of the active state data object for the state, specified as a string scalar or character vector. This property applies only when the HasOutputData property for the state is true.

OutputMonitoringMode — Monitoring mode for active state output

"SelfActivity" (default) | "ChildActivity" | "LeafStateActivity"

Monitoring mode for the active state output data, specified as "SelfActivity", "ChildActivity", or "LeafStateActivity".

EnumTypeName — Name of enumerated data type for active state data object

string scalar | character vector

Name of the enumerated data type for the active state data object for the state, specified as a string scalar or character vector. This property applies only when the OutputMonitoringMode property for the state is "ChildActivity" or "LeafStateActivity". For more information, see Enum Name.

DoNotAutogenerateEnum — Whether to define enumerated data type manually

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Whether to define the enumerated data type for the active state data output manually, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). This property applies only when the OutputMonitoringMode property for the state is "ChildActivity" or "LeafStateActivity". For more information, see Define State Activity Enumeration Type.

Signal Logging and Test Point Monitoring

LoggingInfo — Signal logging properties

Stateflow.SigLoggingInfo object

Signal logging properties for the state, specified as a Stateflow.SigLoggingInfo object with these properties:

• DataLogging — Whether to enable signal logging, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false).

• DecimateData — Whether to limit the amount of logged data, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false).

• Decimation — Decimation interval, specified as an integer scalar. This property applies only when the DecimateData property is true.

• LimitDataPoints — Whether to limit the number of data points to log, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false).

• MaxPoints — Maximum number of data points to log, specified as an integer scalar. This property applies only when the LimitDataPoints property is true.

• NameMode — Source of the signal name, specified as "SignalName" or "Custom".

• LoggingName — Custom signal name, specified as a string scalar or character vector. This property applies only when the NameMode property is "Custom".

Signal logging saves the self activity of the state to the MATLAB^® workspace during simulation. For more information, see Log Simulation Output for States and Data.

Example: state.LoggingInfo.DataLogging = true;

TestPoint — Whether to set state as test point

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Whether to set the state as a test point, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). You can monitor testpoints with a floating scope during simulation. You can also log test point values to the MATLAB workspace. For more information, see Monitor Test Points in Stateflow Charts.

Debugging

Debug — Debugger properties

Stateflow.StateDebug object

Debugger properties for the state, specified as a Stateflow.StateDebug object with these properties:

• OnEntry — Whether to set the On State Entry breakpoint, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false).

• OnDuring — Whether to set the During State breakpoint, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false).

• OnExit — Whether to set the On State Exit breakpoint, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false).

For more information, see Set Breakpoints to Debug Charts.

Example: state.Debug.Breakpoints.OnEntry = true;

Example: state.Debug.Breakpoints.OnDuring = true;

Example: state.Debug.Breakpoints.OnExit = true;

Code Generation

InlineOption — Appearance in generated code

"Auto" (default) | "Function" | "Inline"

Appearance of the state functions in generated code, specified as one of these values:

• "Auto" — An internal calculation determines the appearance of state functions in generated code.

• "Function" — State functions are implemented as separate static functions.

• "Inline" — Calls to state functions are replaced by code as long as the function is not part of a recursion.

For more information, see Inline State Functions in Generated Code (Simulink Coder).

Hierarchy

Chart — Chart that contains state

Stateflow.Chart object

This property is read-only.

Chart that contains the state, specified as a Stateflow.Chart object.

Subviewer — Subviewer for state

Stateflow.Chart object | Stateflow.State object | Stateflow.Box object | Stateflow.Function object

This property is read-only.

Subviewer for the state, specified as a Stateflow.Chart, Stateflow.State, or Stateflow.Box object. The subviewer is the chart or subchart where you can graphically view the state.

Machine — Machine that contains state

Stateflow.Machine object

This property is read-only.

Machine that contains the state, specified as a Stateflow.Machine object.

Path — Location of parent in model hierarchy

character vector

This property is read-only.

Location of the parent of the state in the model hierarchy, specified as a character vector.

Identification

Description — Description

"" (default) | string scalar | character vector

Description for the state, specified as a string scalar or character vector.

Document — Document link

"" (default) | string scalar | character vector

Document link for the state, specified as a string scalar or character vector.

Tag — User-defined tag

[] (default) | any data type

User-defined tag for the state, specified as data of any type.

SSIdNumber — Session-independent identifier

scalar

This property is read-only.

Session-independent identifier, specified as an integer scalar. Use this property to distinguish the state from other objects in its parent chart.

Id — Unique identifier

scalar

This property is read-only.

Unique identifier, specified as an integer scalar. Unlike SSIdNumber, the value of this property is reassigned every time you start a new MATLAB session and may be recycled after an object is deleted.

Object Functions

find	Identify specified objects in hierarchy
getChildren	Identify children of object
getParent	Identify parent of object
defaultTransitions	Identify default transitions in specified object
innerTransitions	Identify inner transitions with specified source
outerTransitions	Identify outgoing transitions with specified source
sinkedTransitions	Identify transitions with specified destination
sourcedTransitions	Identify transitions with specified source
getReferences	Identify references to symbol name
renameReferences	Rename symbol and update references to symbol name
commentedBy	Identify objects that implicitly comment out a graphical object
dialog	Open properties dialog box
view	Display object in editing environment
highlight	Highlight graphical object
fitToView	Zoom in on graphical object

Examples

Add State to Chart

Add a state in the chart ch. Set its name to A.

state = Stateflow.State(ch);
state.Name = "A";

Enter Multiline Label in State

To enter a multiline label in the state state, you can:

• Call the MATLAB function sprintf and use the escape sequence \n to insert newline characters:

  str = sprintf("A\nen: action1();\ndu: action2();\nen,du: action3();");
  sA.LabelString = str;

• s

• Enter a concatenated text expression that uses the function newline to create newline characters:

  str = "A" + newline + ...
      "en: action1();" + newline + ...
      "du: action2();" + newline + ...
      "en,du: action3();"
  sA.LabelString = str;

To extract the state name, entry action, and during action specified by the state label, enter:

name = state.Name

name =

    'A'

entry = state.EntryAction

entry =

    ' action1();
      action3();'

during = state.DuringAction

during =

    ' action2();
      action3();'

For more information, see Specify Labels in States and Transitions Programmatically.

Add Supertransition from Subchart

Create a supertransition that connects a junction inside a subchart to a junction outside the subchart.

Open the model and access the Stateflow.Chart object for the chart.

open_system("sfSupertransitionAPIExample")
ch = find(sfroot,"-isa","Stateflow.Chart");

Access the Stateflow.State object for the subchart and the Stateflow.Junction objects for the junctions.

st = find(ch,"-isa","Stateflow.State");
j1 = find(st,"-isa","Stateflow.Junction");
j2 = find(ch,"-isa","Stateflow.Junction","-depth",1);

Save the original position of the subchart to a temporary workspace variable subchartPosition.

subchartPosition = st.Position;

Convert the subchart to a normal state by setting its IsSubchart and IsGrouped properties to false.

st.IsSubchart = false;
st.IsGrouped = false;

When you convert a subchart to a normal state, it may change size to display its contents.

Add a transition that connects junction j1 to junction j2.

tr = Stateflow.Transition(ch);
tr.Source = j1;
tr.Destination = j2;

Revert the state to a subchart by setting its IsSubchart property to true. Restore the subchart to its original position.

st.IsSubchart = true;
st.Position = subchartPosition;

The transition between the junctions is now a supertransition that crosses the boundary of the subchart.

Version History

Introduced before R2006a

R2023a: New object functions and properties

Stateflow.State objects have new object functions and properties:

• The object function getReferences returns the locations where a chart refers to the name of a state.

• The object function renameReferences renames a state and updates all references to the state name in the chart.

• The object function commentedBy identifies the explicitly commented objects that cause a state to be commented out.

• The property IsCommented indicates whether a state is commented out. This property replaces the object function isCommented.