setControlsFileName() not working as expected in MATLAB

[tkuchida]

Trying to investigate an issue reported on the Forum where controls provided for a forward simulation via AbstractTool::setControlsFileName() aren't being applied (from Forum topic 7998; investigation still in progress). A workaround could be to add a ControlSetController to the model before passing the model to ForwardTool, but ControlSetController isn't wrapped.

[tkuchida]

A working workaround is to add a PrescribedController to the Model first:

pc = PrescribedController('controls.sto');
model.addController(pc);
...
forwardTool.setModel(model);

If this is the expected workaround, then the issue can be closed---though it might be worthwhile to investigate why setControlsFileName() wasn't working (or provide an explanation or sample code in the doxygen).

[tkuchida]

The user reported on the Forum that using setControlsFileName() results in a setup file that correctly applies the controls when used in the GUI, but the ForwardTool that generated the setup file does not apply the controls when run().

[aseth1]

@tkuchida using a PrescribedController is a good (preferable) workaround, but setControlsFileName() should have worked. I can get the ForwardTool in the GUI to use a controls file (which should be calling setControlsFileName() to do that) and was able to run a forward simulation with supplied controls.

[tkuchida]

@aseth1 There is no issue with the GUI. Please read the post immediately above yours.

[mitkof6]

Hi @tkuchida I had similar problems issue with setting the controls of the model and maybe this is related. I concluded that the default controls override the controls that are set by the user. I was investigating this quite a lot. If you need further details please let me know and I will look at this again. Hope this helps!

[tkuchida]

Hi, @mitkof6! Thanks for the note. #1351 may be related, but I suspect one issue here is with AbstractTool and the implementation of setControlsFileName() (it seems to assume that the necessary ControllerSet already exists). Interestingly, configuring a ForwardTool in MATLAB and calling run() doesn't apply the specified controls but printing a setup file from this ForwardTool and running it in the GUI works. It's possible that the GUI is doing something behind the scenes that isn't happening automatically in the API. I haven't investigated thoroughly but the PrescribedController route works for the user on the Forum so this issue doesn't appear to be urgent. 🚗💨

[tkuchida]

Controls are applied as expected if setControlsFileName() is called before setModel().

[tkuchida]

@jimmyDunne This Issue might be related to a similar issue recently reported on the Forum (topic 9415). Calling setModel() after setControlsFileName() worked here.

[jimmyDunne]

Thanks for pointing this out, Tom. For Forward, this seems to do the trick. It doesn't apply to the CMCTool because you don't pass in controls. It is not great that there is this order dependency on the tools :/

[tkuchida]

It doesn't apply to the CMCTool because you don't pass in controls.

I was thinking that you might try moving the setModel() line further down, if possible.