How do I set the initial state of a Simulink block programatically?

The easiest way to set the initial state of a block from MATLAB code is to use the "set_param" command. This is essentially the programmatic way to populate a block's dialog. The command uses the following format:

set_param( 'model_name/system_name/block_name', 'parameter_name', 'new_parameter_value' )

The "parameter_name" will vary from block-type to block-type, but you can find out the name of a give block's state (It is usually close to the text in the dialog) in the help under "Block-Specific Parameters". The "new_parameter_value" is usually a string that represents the text that you would have typed in the dialog fields.