Using Simulink

Setting Signal Display Options

Simulink offers the following options for displaying signal characteristics on a block diagram.

Signal Display Option	Description
Wide nonscalar lines	Draws lines that carry vector or matrix signal wider than lines that carry scalar signals.
Signal dimensions	Displays the dimensions of a signal next to the line that carries it.
Port data types	Displays the data type and signal type of a signal next to the output port that emits the signal.

You can set these options via either Simulink's Format menu or its model context (right-click) menu.

Signal Names

You can assign names to signals by

• editing the signal's label
• editing the Name field of the signal's property dialog (see Signal Properties Dialog Box)
• setting the name parameter of the port or line that represents the signal, e.g.,

p = get_param(gcb, 'PortHandles')
l = get_param(p.Inport, 'Line')
set_param(l, 'Name', 's9')

Signal Labels

A signal's label displays the signal's name. A virtual signal's label optionally displays the signals it represents in angle brackets. You can edit a signal's label, thereby changing the signal's name.

To create a signal label (and thereby name the signal), double-click on the line that represents the signal. The text cursor appears. Type the name and click anywhere outside the label to exit label editing mode.

Note    When you create a signal label, take care to double-click on the line. If you click in an unoccupied area close to the line, you will create a model annotation instead.

Labels can appear above or below horizontal lines or line segments, and left or right of vertical lines or line segments. Labels can appear at either end, at the center, or in any combination of these locations.

To move a signal label, drag the label to a new location on the line. When you release the mouse button, the label fixes its position near the line.

To copy a signal label, hold down the Ctrl key while dragging the label to another location on the line. When you release the mouse button, the label appears in both the original and the new locations.

To edit an existing signal label, select it:

• To replace the label, click on the label, then double-click or drag the cursor to select the entire label. Then, enter the new label.
• To insert characters, click between two characters to position the insertion point, then insert text.
• To replace characters, drag the mouse to select a range of text to replace, then enter the new text.

To delete all occurrences of a signal label, delete all the characters in the label. When you click outside the label, the labels are deleted. To delete a single occurrence of the label, hold down the Shift key while you select the label, then press the Delete or Backspace key.

To change the font of a signal label, select the signal, choose Font from the Format menu, then select a font from the Set Font dialog box.

Displaying Signals Represented by Virtual Signals

To display the signal(s) represented by a virtual signal, click the signal's label and enter an angle bracket (<) after the signal's name. (If the signal has no name, simply enter the angle bracket.) Click anywhere outside the signal's label. Simulink exits label editing mode and displays the signals represented by the virtual signal in brackets in the label.

You can also display the signals represented by a virtual signal by selecting the Show Propagated Signals option on the signal's property dialog (see Signal Properties Dialog Box).

Checking Signal Connections

Setting Signal Properties