Release 10 (MATLAB 5.2) Enhancements (Release 11 New Features)

Release 11 New Features

Simulink 2.2

Simulink 2.2 added many enhancements relating to these aspects of the product:

These enhancements are described in more detail in the online (PDF) version of Using Simulink.

User Interface

Note See Chapter 3 of Using Simulink for more information about each of these new user interface features.

Toolbar

The PC (Microsoft Windows 95 and NT) version of Simulink displays an optional toolbar below the menu bar in the model and block library windows. You can use the toolbar's buttons to create, save, edit, print, and run models.

Status Bar

The PC version of Simulink displays an optional status bar at the bottom of model and block library windows. The status bar displays the current time and solver when a simulation is running.

Context-Sensitive Menus

The PC version of Simulink displays a popup menu when you press the right mouse button over a model or block library window. If a block is selected, the menu displays editing, formatting, and property commands applicable to blocks and annotations; otherwise, the menu displays commands applicable to the model or library as a whole.

Automatic Block Connection

You can insert a block having a single input and output into a model by dropping it onto a line segment.

Block Properties Dialog Box

Simulink 2.2 added a Block Properties dialog box, accessed from the Edit menu. You can set the following block parameter values:

Description
Priority
Open function
Attribute format

Undoing Breaking of Library Links

Simulink 2.2 allows you to undo the breaking of library links.

Simulation

Block Priorities

You can assign evaluation priorities to nonvirtual blocks in a model. Higher priority blocks evaluate before lower priority blocks, though not necessarily before blocks that have no assigned priority. You can do this with either the Block Properties dialog box from the Edit menu or with the set_param command. See Chapter 3 of Using Simulink (online version) for more information.

Additional Solvers

Simulink 2.2 adds two stiff solvers, ode23t and ode23tb. See the section about solvers in Chapter 4 of Using Simulink (online version) for more information.

Debugger

The Simulink debugger allows you to run a model step by step and inspect the values of any variables at any step. See Chapter 11 of Using Simulink for more information.

Tunable Mask Parameters

You can specify whether a mask parameter is tunable, that is, modifiable while a simulation is running. See Chapter 6 of Using Simulink for more information.

Level 2 S-Functions

Simulink 2.2 supports Level 2 S-functions in a C MEX S-function. In particular, these Level 2 S-functions support:

Multiple input and output ports
More simulation S-function routines:
- mdlProcessParameters, which is called during simulation after parameters have been changed and verified by mdlCheckParameters
- mdlStart, which performs actions such as allocating memory and attaching to PWork elements.
mdlRTW, a method for code generation in which your S-function influences the code generation process.

In mdlRTW, you can write additional subrecords into the model.rtw file for the S-function block record. The Target Language Compiler (TLC) file that inlines your S-function can use this information. For more details about Level 2 S-functions, see Writing S-Functions.

Merge Block

The Merge block allows you to combine multiple input lines into a single output line for reduced memory utilization and increased model flexibility. See Chapter 8 of Using Simulink (online version) for more information.

Non-Algebraic Feedback Loops

Prior to Version 2.2, Simulink treated as algebraic loops any loops that involved Triggered Subsystems and that were also composed entirely of blocks with direct feedthrough.

With Version 2.2, for Variable-Step solvers, Simulink now takes advantage of the implicit sequencing inherent in triggered execution (i.e., inputs must be stable prior to the trigger, and outputs appear after the trigger) to break such loops, thus:

Eliminating the need to invoke the algebraic loop solver
Providing more meaningful results

For Fixed-Step solvers, it is still necessary to insert a memory block in the appropriate location (usually at the output of the triggered subsystem) to break such algebraic loops.

See "Algebraic Loops" in Chapter 9 of Using Simulink (online version) for more information.

Model Construction Commands

Object Parameters

The command get_param(obj,'ObjectParameters') where obj is an object name returns a cell array describing the object's parameters. See get_param in Using Simulink (online version) for more information.

Dialog Parameters

The command get_param(b,'DialogParameters'), where b is the name of a block, returns a cell array describing the parameters that appear in a block's parameter dialog. See get_param in Using Simulink (online version) for more information.

Lines/Annotations API

You can use the find_system command to get handles to all the lines and annotations in a model. The returned handles can be used with get_param and set_param to read and write the line or annotation properties. See find_system in Chapter 10 of Using Simulink (online version) for more information.

Printing

Print Frames

You can add print frames (customized headers and footers) to printouts of Simulink model diagrams. To edit a print frame, use the new frameedit command. See "Printing a Block Diagram" in Chapter 3 of Using Simulink (online version) for more information.

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