Simulink 4.0 Release Notes (Simulink Release Notes)

Simulink Release Notes

Simulink Editor

This section describes enhancements to the Simulink Editor.

Preferences

The Simulink Preferences dialog box allows you to specify default settings for many options (see Setting Simulink Preferences in Using Simulink).

Text Alignment

Simulink 4.0 allows you to choose various alignments for annotation text. To choose an alignment for an annotation, select the annotation and then select Text Alignment from the editor menubar or context (right-click) menu (see Annotations in Using Simulink).

UNIX Context Menus

The UNIX version of Simulink 4.0 now has context menus for block diagrams. Click the right button on your mouse to display the menu.

Library Link Enhancements

Simulink 4.0 optionally displays an arrow in each block that represents a library link in a model. Simulink 4.0 also allows you to modify a link in a model and propagate the changes back to the library (see Modifying a Linked Subsystem in Using Simulink).

Note Simulink displays "Parameterized Link" on the parameter dialog box of a masked subsystem whose parameters differ from the library reference block to which the masked subsystem is linked. This feature, which is not documented in Using Simulink, allows you to determine quickly whether a library link differs from its reference.

Find Dialog Box

The Find dialog box enables you to search Simulink models and Stateflow charts for objects that satisfy specified search criteria. You can use the dialog box to find annotations, blocks, signals, states, state transitions, etc. To invoke the Find dialog, select Find from the Simulink Edit menu (see Searching for Objects in Using Simulink).

Model Browser

The Model Browser's toolbar includes the following new buttons:

Show Library Links

Shows library links as nodes in the browser tree.

Look Under Masks

Shows the contents of masked blocks as nodes in the browser tree.

Single Window Mode

Simulink now provides two modes for opening subsystems. In multiwindow mode, Simulink opens each subsystem in a new window. In single-window mode, Simulink closes the parent and opens the subsystem (see "Window Reuse" in Using Simulink).

Keyboard Navigation

Simulink 4.0 provides the following new keyboard shortcuts.

Key
Action

Tab
Selects the next block in the block diagram.

Shift+Tab
Selects the previous block in the block diagram.

Ctrl+Tab
Cycles between the browser tree pane and the diagram pane when the model browser is enabled.

Enter
Opens the currently selected subsystem.

Esc
Opens the parent of the current subsystem.

Key	Action
Tab	Selects the next block in the block diagram.
Shift+Tab	Selects the previous block in the block diagram.
Ctrl+Tab	Cycles between the browser tree pane and the diagram pane when the model browser is enabled.
Enter	Opens the currently selected subsystem.
Esc	Opens the parent of the current subsystem.

Enhanced Library Browser

The Library Browser incorporates the following new features:

Blocks no longer appear as browser tree nodes. Instead, they appear as icons in the preview pane.
The preview pane has moved from beneath the library tree pane to beside the tree pane. You can create instances of blocks displayed in the preview pane by dragging them from the preview pane and dropping them in a model.
Splitter bars now divide the browser's panes, allowing the panes to be independently resized.
Double-clicking a block's icon opens the block's parameter dialog box with all fields disabled. This allows you to inspect, but not modify, a library block's parameters.
Double-clicking a library block opens the library in the preview pane.
You can now insert a block in the topmost model on your screen by right-clicking the block in the preview pane and selecting Insert in... from the context menu that appears. If no model is open or the topmost model is a locked library, the Library Browser offers to create a model in which to insert the block.
The browser now contains a menu with File, Edit, and Help options.
The block help text pane has moved from the bottom of the Library Browser to the top.
Selecting Find from the Library Browser's Edit menu displays a modeless Find dialog box.
The browser's search feature is much faster and supports regular expressions.

Help Menus

Simulink 4.0 adds a Help menu to the menu bar on model and library windows. The help item on a block context menu displays a help page for the block. The help item on the model context menu displays the first page of the Using Simulink book.

Simulink 4.0 Release Notes Modeling Enhancements