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Display

Display signal value during simulation with customizable appearance

Since R2023b

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  • Customizable Display block

Libraries:
Simulink / Dashboard / Customizable Blocks

Description

The Display block connects to a signal in your model and displays the signal value during simulation. The Display block can display scalar signals. When you use the Display block in the Customizable Blocks library, you can customize the appearance of the block to look like a real display in your system. Use the Display block with other dashboard blocks to build an interactive dashboard of controls and indicators for your model.

Customize Display Blocks

When you add a Display block to your model, the block is preconfigured with a default design. You can use the block with the default design or customize the appearance of the block.

To customize the appearance of the block, use design mode. After selecting the block, you can enter design mode in one of three ways:

  • In the Simulink® Toolstrip, on the block-specific tab, under Design, click Edit.

  • In the Property Inspector, on the Design tab, click Edit.

  • Pause on the ellipsis that appears over the block and click the Edit Custom Block button .

In design mode, you can use the toolbar above the block to customize the display. To access additional customization options or to enter exact values for design settings, use the Design tab in the Property Inspector.

Customizable Display block in design mode with the toolbar and the Design tab in the Property Inspector visible.

Design Mode Actions

ActionAvailable in ToolbarAvailable in Design Tab

Change the font. Choose from a list of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) fonts that look the same on all platforms.

YesYes

Change the font size.

YesYes

Change the text color.

YesYes

Make the text bold, italic, or underlined.

YesYes

Upload a background image.

YesYes

Set a solid background color.

NoYes

Upload a foreground image.

NoYes

Change the position of the text within the block.

NoYes

In addition to customizing the block design using the toolbar and Design tab, you can also reposition the text interactively in the canvas.

When you finish editing the design, to exit design mode, click the X in the upper right of the canvas.

Connect Dashboard Blocks

Dashboard blocks do not use ports to connect to model elements. To connect a dashboard block, use connect mode. To enter connect mode on an unconnected block, pause on the block you want to connect and click the Connect button . To enter connect mode on a connected block, select the block, pause on the ellipsis that appears (…), and in the action menu that expands, click the Connect button.

To connect a display block to a signal in your model or change the connection of a display block, enter connect mode. Select the signal line to which you want to connect. From the list that appears, select the signal to which you want to connect. Then, pause on the dashboard block and click the Done Connecting button . To see the dashboard block display the value of the connected block, run the simulation.

For more information about connecting dashboard blocks, see Connect Dashboard Blocks to Simulink Model.

You can also connect dashboard blocks to a Stateflow® chart. For more information, see Connect Dashboard Blocks to Stateflow (Stateflow).

An unconnected Display block connects to the signal that a Sine Wave block sends to an Outport block.

An unconnected Half Gauge block connects to the signal that a Sine Wave block sends to a Display block.

Limitations

  • You cannot use the Connection table to connect a dashboard block to a block that is commented out. When you connect a dashboard block to a commented block using connect mode, the dashboard block does not display the connected value until the you uncomment the block.

  • Dashboard blocks in a parent model cannot connect to signals inside referenced models.

  • When you simulate a model hierarchy, dashboard blocks inside referenced models do not update.

  • Dashboard blocks do not support rapid accelerator simulation.

  • During simulation, you cannot connect a dashboard block to Stateflow chart data or state activity.

  • You cannot programmatically connect a dashboard block to Stateflow chart data or state activity.

  • Some signals do not have data available during simulation due to block reduction or optimization for accelerator mode simulations. To view such a signal using a dashboard block, mark the signal for logging.

Parameters

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Use the Property Inspector and the Block Parameters dialog box to specify the values of the block parameters. To set the core parameters of the dashboard block, use the Block Parameters dialog box or the Parameters tab in the Property Inspector. To customize the block, use the Design tab in the Property Inspector. To open the Block Parameters dialog box for a block, double-click the block. To open the Property Inspector, on the Modeling tab, under Design, select Property Inspector.

Parameters

To set the core parameters of the dashboard block, open the Property Inspector and click the Parameters tab.

Signal

Dashboard blocks do not use ports to connect to model elements. To connect dashboard blocks to parameter values in your model, use connect mode, the Simulink Toolstrip, or the Connection table in the Block Parameters dialog box. For information about connect mode and how to connect using the toolstrip, see Connect Dashboard Blocks to Simulink Model.

To connect a display block or change the connection of a display block using the Connection table:

  1. Select the block.

  2. To connect the block, in the Property Inspector, on the Parameters tab, click Connect. To change the connection of the block, click Change instead.

  3. Select the signal line to which you want to connect.

  4. In the table, select the signal to which you want to connect.

  5. Click Apply.

You can also connect dashboard blocks to a Stateflow chart. For more information, see Connect Dashboard Blocks to Stateflow (Stateflow).

Programmatic Use

Block Parameter: Binding
Type: Simulink.HMI.SignalSpecification
Default: []
Main

Specify a format for displaying signal values.

If You Select...The Block Displays...
shortScaled fixed-decimal format with four digits after the decimal point.
longScaled fixed-decimal format with fifteen digits after the decimal point for double values and seven digits after the decimal point for single values.
shortEScientific notation format with four digits.
longEScientific notation format with fifteen digits after the decimal point for double values and seven digits after the decimal point for single values.
shortGData takes the more compact format between fixed-decimal or scientific notation, with a total of five digits.
longGData takes the more compact format between fixed-decimal or scientific notation, with a total of fifteen digits for double values and seven digits for single values.
shortEngEngineering notation where the exponent is a multiple of three, with four digits after the decimal point.
longEngEngineering notation where the exponent is a multiple of three, with fifteen significant digits.
+-Positive/negative format. +, -, and blank characters are displayed for positive, negative, and zero values, respectively.
bankCurrency format with two digits after the decimal point.
hexHexadecimal representation.
ratRatio.
CustomCustom string format. Data is displayed in a custom string that you specify using the Format String parameter.
IntegerData rounded to the nearest whole number.

Programmatic Use

Block Parameter: Format
Type: character array | string
Values: 'short' | 'long' | 'shortE' | 'longE' | 'shortG' | 'longG' | 'shortEng' | 'longEng' | 'bank' | '+' | 'hex' | 'rat' | 'Custom' | 'Integer'
Default: 'short'

Specify a custom string to format displayed signal data. The format string consists of text and format operators, which start with a % sign and end with a conversion character. Use the format operators at the place in the string where you want the signal data to display. For more information about supported formatting operators, see the formatSpec input of the compose function.

Example: The value of pi is %.2f displays the value of the connected signal within a sentence.

Example: $%.2f displays the value of the connected signal with a dollar sign and two decimal places.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Format to Custom.

Programmatic Use

Block Parameter: FormatString
Type: character array | string
Default: '%d'

You can display the name of the element to which the dashboard block connects in a label positioned at the top or at the bottom of the block, or you can hide the label. If you want the label to be visible, specify the position of the block. If you do not want the label to be visible, specify Hide.

Note

When the dashboard block is not connected to an element, the label is blank.

Programmatic Use

Block Parameter: LabelPosition
Type: character vector
Values: 'Top' | 'Bottom' | 'Hide'
Default: 'Top'

Select this parameter to maintain the aspect ratio when resizing the block in the Simulink canvas.

When the aspect ratio is locked, adding a new background image changes the aspect ratio of the block to match the aspect ratio of the background image. When the aspect ratio is unlocked, adding a new background image does not change the aspect ratio of the block, but instead changes the aspect ratio of the background image to fit the size of the block.

When the aspect ratio is locked, pressing the Shift key while resizing a block temporarily unlocks the aspect ratio. When you release the Shift key, the aspect ratio locks. When the aspect ratio is unlocked, pressing the Shift key while resizing a block temporarily locks the aspect ratio. When you release the Shift key, the aspect ratio unlocks.

Design

To customize the dashboard block, open the Property Inspector, click the Design tab, and click Edit.

Display

Select this parameter to maintain the aspect ratio when resizing the block in the Simulink canvas.

When the aspect ratio is locked, adding a new background image changes the aspect ratio of the block to match that of the background image. When the aspect ratio is unlocked, adding a new background image does not change the proportions of the block but instead stretches or scales the background image to fit the size of the block.

When the aspect ratio is locked, pressing the Shift key while resizing a block unlocks the aspect ratio. When you release the Shift key, the aspect ratio locks. When the aspect ratio is unlocked, pressing the Shift key while resizing a block locks the aspect ratio. When you release the Shift key, the aspect ratio unlocks.

Text

Choose from a list of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) fonts that look the same on all platforms.

Choose from a list of font sizes between 6 and 72.

Choose a text color from the palette of standard colors, or specify a custom color.

Specify the horizontal offset of the center of the text from the center of the block as a ratio of the block width. Relative to the position of the text when the offset is 0, an offset with a negative value moves the text left, and an offset with a positive value moves the text right.

Specify the vertical offset of the center of the text from the center of the block as a ratio of the block height. Relative to the position of the text when the offset is 0, an offset with a negative value moves the text up, and an offset with a positive value moves the text down.

Specify the width of the bounding box of the text as a ratio of the block width.

Specify the height of the bounding box of the text as a ratio of the block height.

Select this parameter to maintain the aspect ratio when resizing the bounding box of the text in the Simulink canvas.

Background Image

For the block background, you can provide a background image or select a solid color. To select a solid background color, select this parameter. To provide a background image, clear this parameter.

Note

Changing the background color using the Format tab of the Simulink Toolstrip removes the background image and enables the Use Background Color parameter.

Example: on

To use a solid background color, select the Use Background Color parameter. Then, choose a background color from the palette of standard colors, or specify a custom color.

Tip

You can also specify the Background Color in the Format tab of the Simulink Toolstrip.

To specify the color of the block text, use the Font Color parameter.

Programmatic Use

Specify the BackgroundColor parameter for the block as a 1-by-3 [r g b] vector with values between 0 and 1 that is formatted as a string or a character vector.

Block Parameter: BackgroundColor
Type: string | character vector
Values: [r g b] vector

Specify the block background opacity as a scalar value from 0 to 1.

Example: 0.5

Specify the corner radius of the area covered by the block background color as a ratio of half of the smaller of the two block dimensions, width or height.

Example: 0.25

Foreground Image

Specify the horizontal offset of the left edge of the image from the left edge of the block as a ratio of the block width. Relative to the position of the image when the offset is 0, an offset with a negative value moves the image left, and an offset with a positive value moves the image right.

Example: 1

Specify the vertical offset of the top edge of the image from the top edge of the block as a ratio of the block height. Relative to the position of the image when the offset is 0, an offset with a negative value moves the image up, and a positive value moves the image down.

Example: 1

Specify the width of the foreground image as a ratio of the block width.

Example: 0.5

Specify the height of the foreground image as a ratio of the block height.

Example: 0.5

Select this parameter to maintain the aspect ratio when resizing the image using the Property Inspector.

Block Characteristics

Data Types

Boolean | double | enumerated | fixed point | half | integer | single | string

Direct Feedthrough

no

Multidimensional Signals

no

Variable-Size Signals

no

Zero-Crossing Detection

no

Extended Capabilities

Version History

Introduced in R2023b

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See Also

Blocks

Tools

Topics