# Creating a default model

It is possible to write a "first draft" for your model by using Pybids or
bids-matlab.

See below for code snippet showing how to do it with each package.

## PyBIDS - `auto_model`

[PyBIDS](https://github.com/bids-standard/pybids) currently represents
models as dictionaries.
To generate a default model dictionary, use {py:func}`bids.modeling.auto_model`,
and then use {py:func}`json.dump` to save it to a file.

```python
from bids import BIDSLayout
from bids.modeling import auto_model
import json

# indexing the dataset
layout = BIDSLayout(path_to_dataset)

# creating the default model
model = auto_model(layout, one_vs_rest=True)

# saving to a JSON file
with open("model-default_smdl.json", "w") as outfile:
    json.dump(model[0], outfile, indent=2)
```

## BIDS-MATLAB - `Model.default`

[BIDS-MATLAB](https://github.com/bids-standard/bids-matlab) provides
similar functionality through {mat:meth}`+bids.Model.default`:

```matlab
% indexing the dataset
BIDS = bids.layout(path_to_dataset);

% create an empty model
bm = bids.Model();
% creating the default model for our dataset
bm = bm.default(BIDS);

% saving to a JSON file
filename = fullfile(pwd, 'model-default_smdl.json');
bm.write(filename);
```