The MATLAB View provides quick access to the local MATLAB application inside RT-LAB. From here, users can make modifications to the offline model with MATLAB.

By default, the MATLAB View is included in the Edition perspective. To add it to the current perspective, click Window > Show view > Other... > RT-LAB > MATLAB View

Console View

The Console View is a generic view that may contain different Console types. A Console basically displays formatted text. Some Consoles enable user input, for example, the Interactive Python Console.

By default, the RT-Lab Workbench includes three different Consoles:

• An Interactive Python Console for Python development:

• A Target Console that displays output from target nodes when executing remote commands:

• A Log Console that provides internal debug information. This Console can only be used if the Advanced User Capabilities preference page is enabled:

Several Console Views may be opened at the same time in the workbench, but they all share the same list of Consoles.

To add a Console View to the current perspective, click Window > Show view > Other... > RT-LAB > Console or use the Open Console button of an existing Console View.

This is useful when you want to display several Consoles side-by-side, for example, to compare two command outputs.

Toolbar

Most Console types provide the following additional commands:

The Interactive Python Console is shown in the Console View. This Console is provided by the PyDev plugin, available at http://pydev.org

To open a new Interactive Python Console, you can use the main application toolbar:

...or the corresponding menu: Tools > Python > Open Console.

A dialog is displayed to choose among available console types:

Repeat these operations to open several Consoles in the same View. These Consoles may be of different types. Use the toolbar to switch between opened Consoles.

Once started, the Interactive Python Console is able to launch Python scripts and to execute Python commands. This is particularly useful when working with RT-Lab projects since RT-Lab provides a complete Python module. This module, named RtlabApi, allows you to control any part of a simulator, from configuration to execution. All available functions are described in the Python API Reference Guide.

In order to use this module, users must import it with the following command:

>>> import Rt LabApi

However, by default, when opening an Interactive Python Console, some modules are automatically imported, including the RT-Lab API. The RT-Lab API is also given the alias ‘r’. Use the PyDev preference page to edit these initial commands (see Configuration).

Using the RT-Lab API through the Interactive Python Console is a good way to test some commands that would be later integrated to a Python script and thus create a full automated sequence.

Here is an example of what the Interactive Python Console can do:

Shortcuts

Configuration

Enabling the Advanced User Capabilities preference page allows you to configure the Interactive Python Console.

Go to Window > Preferences > PyDev > Interactive Console:

You can also change the current Python version and settings in Window > Preferences > PyDev > Interpreter - Python.

References

PyDev web site: http://pydev.org/

Target Console

The Target Console is shown in the Console View. It is a simple Shell interface that looks similar to a Terminal View:

The Target Console automatically opens when you execute a command or launch a Python script on a Target from its context Menu.

If the Advanced Capabilities preference page is enabled, you can open a new Target Console from the Console View Menu. A dialog is displayed to select the Target to connect to this new Console:

Toolbar

Log Console

The Log Console is shown in the Console View. It displays internal debug messages and needs the Advanced Capabilities preference page to be used.

The Log Console can be opened using the Open Console command of the Console View.

Toolbar

The Variables Table View displays one or more sets of RT-LAB variables, such as Signals and Parameters, in a tabbed notebook:

By default, the Variables Table View is included in the Edition perspective. To add it to the current perspective, click Window > Show view > Other... > RT-LAB > Variables Table.

Working Sets

Variables Working Sets are intended to represent logical groups of RT-LAB variables, for example, the main parameters of a controller. This allows you to focus on a particular set of variables without having to search for them within an entire model.

Several Variables Table Views can be used to display different working sets. The same working set can also be shared between several Variables Tables.

Selecting Working Sets

When a new Variables Table View is created, it opens a default working set. This working set is fully functional but will not be saved when RT-LAB is closed. To have a working set restored the next time RT-LAB is opened, you must create a working set with a unique name.

The easiest way to do so is to click on the New Working Set button. Enter a name and click OK to create a new working set containing all the variables currently displayed in the Variables Table View.

This working set is then automatically opened in the Variables Table and its name appears at the top of the table.

This method can also be used to merge several workings sets into a new one: select the working sets you want to merge (see below) then create a new working set. Duplicates will automatically be removed.

To select which working sets should be shown in a Variable Table, click on the Select Working Sets button to open the following dialog:

This dialog allows you to create, edit and delete variables working sets.

Editing Working Sets

In the Select Working Sets dialog, clicking the Edit... button opens a new dialog that can be used to choose the variables that will be part of the selected working set:

An easier way of adding elements to a working set is to open it in a Variables Table and to drag and drop variables from the Project Explorer, the Search View or another Variables Table View.

You can also drag a block, a subsystem or even a model to add all the contained variables to the working set.

If the Variables Table displays several working sets, the variables will be added to each of them.

It is also possible to right-click on a variable or a block (or a combination of them) in the Project Explorer or the Search View and then click on Add to Working Sets:

This opens the Select Working Set dialog described above.

To remove a variable from a working set, right-click it in the Variables Table and click Remove, or press the Delete key.

Lost Elements

If a variable is not available, it is displayed with a red-cross icon as below:

This happens, for example, when the project is closed, when the model is removed from the project, or when the model has been recompiled and the variable does not exist anymore.

Then you can either remove the variables from the working set or fix the problem. If a variable becomes available again, the Variable Table will automatically be updated.

Editing Values

When a model is running, the values of the variables are automatically updated every few seconds. You can also change the value of editable variables such as parameters.

• By default, the Variables Table View is in Auto-apply mode. This means that as soon as you change a value and hit Enter, the value is sent to the model.
• If you want to send several values at the same time (so that all the variables are updated during the same calculation step), toggle the Auto-apply button.
• Then if you modify a value and hit Enter, the value will be displayed with an asterisk indicating a non-applied change.
• The new value will not be sent to the model until you press the Apply button or you toggle the Apply button again. If you press the Discard button, all pending changes will be canceled.

To edit the value of a vector or a matrix, you have to use the Variable Viewer: double-click on the variable or right-click on it and select Show In > Variable Viewer.

Table Customization

You can sort variables by name, path, type or any property by clicking on the corresponding column header. Columns can be resized and moved by drag and drop.

The Variables Table also provides Filter and Search functionalities at the bottom of the view.

For advanced customization, open the View Menu and select Customize Table to open the following dialog:

Toolbar: View Menu

Probe Control Panel

The Probe Control panel enables you to specify the acquisition parameters for each acquisition group. The signals from a given group share the same characteristics, such as: size of the data frames being sent, expressed either as a number of samples per signal, or in units of time

• decimation factor
• sampling mode (repetitive or not) and re-arming delay
• blocking mode in case acquisition or transmission is interrupted
• a write-to-file option, that enables simulation data to be saved as a .mat file on the target nodes.

The Probe Control Panel can be launch using the Tools > Probe Control menu or using the toolbar button. Note that the panel is only available when a model is selected in the Project Explorer view.

Group Control Panel

For a model with more than one acquisition group, the GroupControl Panel is displayed when the ProbeControl panel is opened.

To open the probeControl panel, select the model and assure you that it is built. Then, open the panel from the Tools > Probe Control menu. The probeControl is automatically connected to this model. In all other cases, you are required to click on Connect to choose a model from a list of running simulations. The ProbePanel is then said to be standalone. In this configuration, it receives some important notifications from the target nodes such as System Paused, System Reset, System Error, etc.

Group Information Panel

The Group info panel displays additional information about the configuration and settings of an acquisition group.

Dynamic Signals Panel

The Dynamic Signals panel is the graphical interface to manage dynamic signals. The dynamic signals are the signals available inside the model. A signal is the port’s outputs of a block. Only double-type signals could be added to an acquisition group in order to be displayed.

In order to have access to all the signals inside them the model, the option Reuse storage signals should be set to off in the Simulation parameters of the Simulink model.

Signal Selection Panel

The Signal Selection panel is the graphical interface to select signals while setting dynamic triggering. The dynamic signals are the signals available inside the model. A signal is the port’s outputs of a block.