Variant Manager

R2026b

Manage, configure, and analyze system variants

Since R2026b

Description

The Variant Manager app provides a centralized environment to manage the full variant workflow: explore variant elements, capture design alternatives, validate variant configurations, and deliver specific product variants.

In large Simulink^® models, variant elements such as variant blocks and variant parameters appear across the model hierarchy, which can make them difficult to manage and validate. The Variant Manager app lets you visualize the model hierarchy and centrally manage variant elements such as variant blocks, variant parameters, and variant transitions across the hierarchy.

Use Variant Manager across the Model-Based Design workflow to:

• Visualize variant blocks, variant parameters, and variant transitions in a single hierarchical view of the model.

• Capture combinations of variant choices as named variant configurations and switch among them to evaluate design alternatives.

• Validate that a variant configuration is consistent and valid before simulation or code generation.

• Apply variant configurations in simulation, testing, and coverage analysis.

• Compare variant configurations with Variant Analyzer to identify differences.

• Reduce a model with Variant Reducer to produce a simplified, standalone model that contains only the variants required for a specific product or product line.

To learn about licensing requirements for Simulink Variant Manager™ workflows, see License Requirements for Simulink Variant Manager.

Open the Variant Manager App

• Simulink Toolstrip: On the Apps tab, under Model Verification, Validation, and Test, click Variant Manager.

• MATLAB^® command prompt: Use the Simulink.VariantManager.open function.

Examples

• Manage, Configure, Reduce, and Analyze System Variants with Simulink Variant Manager
• Run Simulations for Variant Models Using Variant Configurations
• Run Tests for Variant Models Using Variant Configurations
• Reduce Model Containing Variant Blocks
• Analyze Variant Configurations in Models Containing Variant Blocks

Parameters

Configurations and Constraints

Configurations Pane — Manage named variant configurations

configuration list

Create, copy, and delete named variant configurations for the model. You can also compose a top-level configuration from referenced component configurations. See Create and Activate Variant Configurations.

Constraints Pane — Define constraints applicable to all configurations

constraint list

Define constraints as logical expressions that apply across all configurations. Constraints are validated during activation, simulation, and code generation. See Define Constraints for Variant Configurations.

Control Variables — View and manage variant control variables in configuration

import | add | delete | export | ...

Show the variant control variables for the selected configuration. Use the toolbar to import, add, copy, delete, change the data type of, or export control variables. You can also show variable usage in the model hierarchy or filter the table by variable name. For more information, see Add, Import, or Export Control Variables in Variant Configuration.

Model Hierarchy — Navigate and interact with variant elements in model

System | Blocks | Stateflow | Variant Parameters | Referenced Configurations

Displays the model hierarchy as a tree view with tabs to switch among different variant element types. Use the Navigate list with Previous and Next buttons to step through rows by variable usage, active choices, or invalid choices. For more information, see Manage Variant Elements.

Tab	Description
System	All blocks in the model hierarchy.
Blocks	Only variant blocks. Use the View list to filter by Variant control mode.
Stateflow	Variant transitions used in Stateflow® charts.
Variant Parameters	Variant parameters grouped by bank or by choice. See Manage Variant Parameters Using Variant Manager.
Referenced Configurations	Variant configurations for referenced components. This tab is not shown by default. To open, right-click a configuration and select Referenced component configurations. See Referenced Configurations.

Operations

Apply changes — Export variant configurations object to data source

button

Export the variant configurations object to the base workspace or data dictionary and associate it with the model. Save the model after applying changes to make the changes persist. See Save Variant Configurations.

Reload object — Revert to saved variant configurations object

button

Reload the variant configurations object from the data source, and discard unexported changes. This operation does not revert control variable values that activation or export operations already pushed.

Import from file — Load variant configurations object from file

button

Load a variant configurations object from a MAT file or MATLAB script into Variant Manager.

Export to file — Save variant configurations object to file

button

Save the variant configurations object to a MAT file or MATLAB script for later reuse.

Configurations Generator — Generate variant configurations automatically

button

Open the Configurations Generator to automatically generate all possible variant configurations for the model. See Generate Variant Configurations Automatically.

Activate Configuration — Validate and apply selected configuration to model

button

Validate the selected configuration and apply it to the model. Activation pushes control variable values to data sources. See Validate and Activate Variant Configuration.

Update Model — Compile model to obtain accurate variant information

button

Compile the model to obtain accurate compile-time information for control variable import, activation, and variant parameter identification. See Use Model Compilation Information in Variant Manager.

Tools

Variant Reducer — Open Variant Reducer to generate reduced model

button

Open the Variant Reducer to generate a reduced model containing only the variant choices for selected configurations. See Reduce Variant Models Using Variant Reducer.

Variant Analyzer — Open Variant Analyzer to compare configurations

button

Open the Variant Analyzer to compare variant configurations, check variant coverage, and find dependent model artifacts. See Analyze Variant Configurations in Models Containing Variant Blocks.

Limitations

• You cannot use Variant Manager with library files.

• Variant Manager does not support this functionality that requires model compilation with Subsystem block diagrams from the user interface or from the MATLAB Command Window:

  • Generating variant configurations automatically

  • Obtaining compile-time information using Update Model

  • Using Variant Reducer and Variant Analyzer

• The model hierarchy table does not show protected referenced models.

• Variant Manager does not support workflows such as activation, viewing, or importing control variables from variations inside a protected model.

• For a variant block, you can define variant configurations only if the Variant control mode parameter of the block is set to expression.

• Variant Manager reports errors and warnings related to variant elements only.

• Variant Manager constraints are evaluated based on the values of variant control variables defined in the base workspace or data dictionaries linked to the model.

• Variant Manager does not validate constraints post compilation, for example, at startup variant activation time.

• Variant Manager does not support creating or deleting variant parameter objects from the Variant Parameters tab.

Version History

Introduced in R2026b