Generate HLS Code for MATLAB Value Classes

You can generate HLS code from MATLAB^® value classes. Use the Shape class and its subclasses Square and Rhombus to generate HLS code for a MATLAB value class. To view the generated HLS code open the code generation report.

Generate HLS Code and Review Code Generation Report

Create a class structure in MATLAB with one value class Shape and two subclasses Square and Rhombus of the value class. Generate HLS code and code generation report using the codegen command.

Create Class Hierarchy

• In a writable folder, create a MATLAB value class named Shape and save the code as Shape.m.

  classdef Shape 
  % Create a shape at coordinates centerX and centerY
      properties
          centerX;
          centerY;
      end
      properties (Dependent = true)
          area;
      end
      methods 
          function out = get.area(obj)
              out =  obj.getarea();
          end
          function obj = Shape(centerX,centerY)
              obj.centerX = centerX;
              obj.centerY = centerY;
          end
      end
      methods(Abstract = true)
          getarea(obj);
      end
      methods(Static)
          function d = distanceBetweenShapes(shape1,shape2)
              xDist = abs(shape1.centerX - shape2.centerX);
              yDist = abs(shape1.centerY - shape2.centerY);
              d = sqrt(xDist^2 + yDist^2);
          end
      end
  end

• Create a subclass of Shape named Square in the same folder. Save this code as Square.m.

  classdef Square < Shape 
  % Create a Square at coordinates center X and center Y 
  % with sides of length of side
      properties
          side;
      end
      methods
          function obj = Square(side,centerX,centerY)
              obj@Shape(centerX,centerY);
              obj.side = side;
          end
          function Area = getarea(obj)
              Area = obj.side^2;
          end
      end
  end

• Create another subclass of Shape named Rhombus and save it as Rhombus.m.

  classdef Rhombus < Shape
      properties
          diag1;
          diag2;
      end
      methods
          function obj = Rhombus(diag1,diag2,centerX,centerY)
              obj@Shape(centerX,centerY);
              obj.diag1 = diag1;
              obj.diag2 = diag2;
          end
          function Area = getarea(obj)
              Area = 0.5*obj.diag1*obj.diag2;
          end
      end
  end

Generate HLS Code

Write a function use_shape that uses the Shape, Square, and Rhombus classes to demonstrate their functionality.

function [TotalArea, Distance] =   use_shape
%#codegen
s = Square(2,1,2);
r = Rhombus(3,4,7,10);
TotalArea  = s.area + r.area;
Distance = Shape.distanceBetweenShapes(s,r);

Generate HLS Code for use_shape and generate a code generation report.

cfg = coder.config('hdl');
cfg.Workflow = 'High Level Synthesis';
codegen -config cfg use_shape -report

View Code Report

• Click the View report link in the codegen output to open the HDL Coder Report Viewer. In the MATLAB Source pane, locate Rhombus.m and click on Rhombus to highlight the constructor of the Rhombus class.

• Click the Variables tab. You see that the variable obj is an object of the Rhombus class. To see the properties of obj, expand obj.

  

• In the MATLAB Source pane, click Call Tree. The Call Tree view shows that use_shape calls the Rhombus constructor and that the Rhombus constructor calls the Shape constructor.

  

• In the code pane, in the Rhombus class constructor, hover over this line:

  obj@Shape(centerX,centerY)

  The Rhombus class constructor calls the Shape method of the base Shape class. To view the Shape class definition, in obj@Shape, double-click Shape.