How can I pass string values from workspace to simulink?

I have a string variable in Matlab workspace and I want to work with it in a Simulink fuction. Is it possible?

[Emerson Butler]

I have this same question, did you ever find a way? Matlab 2018 has a String library for Simulink, but I have 2017 and thus no string library. I was thinking about converting my string to ASCII, and then to uint8, passing that int to simulink, and then using a Matlab Function block to convert from into to ASCII to string, but I get an error saying "String class is not supported for code generation", which makes me think simulink pre-2018 has no string support.