Simulink®

Simulink Preferences Window: Main Pane

Simulink Preferences Window Overview

The Simulink Preferences Window comprises the following panes:

• General Preferences (root level)

  Set preferences for configuring window reuse, file change and old version notifications, autosave, and callback tracing.

• Display Defaults

  Configure display options for the Model Browser, block connection lines and port data types.

• Font Defaults

  Configure font options for blocks, lines and annotations.

• Configuration Defaults

  Edit the template Configuration Parameters to be used as defaults for new models.

Click items in the tree to select panes.

Configuration

1. On the root level pane, select the check boxes to configure preferences.

2. Close the window to apply your changes.

   Click Apply to apply your changes and keep the window open.

Your settings affect the behavior of all Simulink models, including those currently open, and all subsequent models. Your preference settings are preserved for the next time you use the software.

See Also

• Model File Change Notification

• Simulink Preferences Window: Display Defaults Pane

• Simulink Preferences Window: Font Defaults Pane

• Simulink Preferences Window: Configuration Defaults Pane

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Window Reuse

Specify whether to use the current window or open new windows to display a subsystem or its parent.

Settings

Default: Mixed

Mixed

Mixed window reuse. Subsystem opens in its own window. When you press Escape (go to parent), the parent window rises to the front, and the subsystem window disappears.

None

Never reuse windows. Subsystem opens in a new window. Press Escape: the parent window moves to the front.

Replace

Replace parent window. Subsystem opens in a new window. Parent window disappears. Press Escape: the parent window appears, and the subsystem window disappears.

Reuse

Reuse parent window. Subsystem replaces the parent in the current window. Press Escape: the parent window replaces subsystem in current window.

Tips

• Reusing windows avoids cluttering your screen.

• Creating a window for each subsystem allows you to view subsystems side by side with their parents or siblings.

• The WindowReuse preference does not affect the behavior of library windows.

Command-Line Information

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Model File Change Notification

Use these preferences to specify notifications if the model has changed on disk when you update, simulate, edit or save the model. When updating or simulating, you can choose the action to take: warn, error, reload if unmodified, or show a dialog box where you can choose to reload or ignore. For more information, see Model File Change Notification.

The frame contains these controls:

• Updating or simulating the model

• Action

• First editing the model

• Saving the model

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Updating or simulating the model

Specify whether to notify if the model has changed on disk when updating or simulating the model.

Settings

Default: On

On

Notify if the model has changed on disk when updating or simulating the model. Select the action to take in the Action list.

Off

Do not notify if the model has changed on disk when updating or simulating the model.

Tip

To programmatically check whether the model has changed on disk since it was loaded, use the function slIsFileChangedOnDisk.

Dependency

This parameter enablesAction.

Command-Line Information

See Also

Model File Change Notification

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Action

Select what action to take if the file has changed on disk since it was loaded.

Settings

Default: Warning

Warning

Displays a warning in MATLAB command window

Error

Displays an error, at the MATLAB command window if simulating from the command line, or if simulating from a menu item, in the Simulation Diagnostics window.

Reload model (if unmodified)

Reloads if the model is unmodified. If the model is modified, you see the prompt dialog.

Show prompt dialog

Shows prompt dialog. In the dialog, you can choose to close and reload, or ignore the changes.

Tip

To programmatically check whether the model has changed on disk since it was loaded, use the function slIsFileChangedOnDisk.

Dependencies

This parameter is enabled by the parameter Updating or simulating the model.

Command-Line Information

See Also

Model File Change Notification

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First editing the model

Specify whether to notify if the file has changed on disk when editing the model.

Settings

Default: On

On

Displays a warning if the file has changed on disk when you modify the block diagram. Any graphical operation that modifies the block diagram (e.g., adding a block) causes a warning dialog to appear. Any command-line operation that causes the block diagram to be modified (e.g., a call to set_param) will result in a warning like this at the command line:

Warning: Block diagram 'mymodel' is being edited but file has 
changed on disk since it was loaded.  You should close and 
reload the block diagram.

Off

Do not check for changes on disk when first editing the model.

Tip

To programmatically check whether the model has changed on disk since it was loaded, use the function slIsFileChangedOnDisk.

Command-Line Information

See Also

Model File Change Notification

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Saving the model

Specify whether to notify if the file has changed on disk when saving the model.

Settings

Default: On

On

Notify if the file has changed on disk when you save the model.

• The save_system function displays an error, unless the OverwriteIfChangedOnDisk option is used.

• Saving the model by using the menu (File > Save) or a keyboard shortcut causes a dialog to be shown. In the dialog, you can choose to overwrite, save with a new name, or cancel the operation.

Off

Do not check for changes on disk when saving the model.

Tip

To programmatically check whether the model has changed on disk since it was loaded, use the function slIsFileChangedOnDisk.

Command-Line Information

See Also

Model File Change Notification

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Autosave

Use this preference to specify whether to automatically save a backup copy of the model before updating or simulating.

For more information, see the check box control Save before updating or simulating the model.

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Save before updating or simulating the model

Specify whether to automatically save a backup copy of the model before updating or simulating.

Settings

Default: On

On

If the model has unsaved changes, automatically save a backup copy of the model before updating or simulating. This autosave copy can be useful for crash recovery.

The copy is saved in the same directory as the model, with the name MyModel.mdl.autosave.

Off

Do not automatically save a copy before updating or simulating.

Tips

If you open or load a model with a more recent autosave copy available, the model loads, and the non-modal dialog Model Recovery appears.

For each model in the list, you can choose to:

• Restore — Overwrite the original model file with the autosave copy, and delete the autosave copy.

  If you select the check box to Keep a copy of original model file, you can save copies of the original model files named MyModel.mdl.original.

• Delete Autosave — Delete the autosave copy, and do nothing else.

• Ignore — Do nothing. This leaves the model and the autosave copy untouched. The Model Recovery dialog will reappear the next time you open the model, so you can choose to restore or delete autosave files later.

Select a check box for each model in the list to specify whether to restore, delete autosave, or ignore. You can click the Restore All, Delete All or Ignore All buttons to select that option for all models.

The default option is Ignore All. If you click OK without making any changes, your models and autosave copies are left untouched. The next time you open the model, the Model Recovery dialog will reappear and you can choose again whether to restore or delete any autosave copies.

Caution   If you restore, any changes made since your last save will be lost. If a segmentation violation occurred, note that the last autosave file for the model reflects the state of the autosave data prior to the segmentation violation. Because Simulink models might be corrupted by a segmentation violation, a model is not autosaved after a segmentation violation occurs.

Click OK to apply your choices.

Autosave has the following rules:

• If you deliberately close a modified model, any autosave copy is deleted.

• Autosave does not occur for models that are part of the MATLAB installation, so you will not create autosave copies of the demo models.

• Autosave does not occur if the autosave file or location is read only.

Command-Line Information

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Notify when loading an old model

Specify whether to notify when loading a model last saved in a older version of Simulink software.

Settings

Default: Off

On

Print a message in the command window when loading a model last saved in an old version of Simulink software.

Off

No notification when loading old models.

Tips

• Run slupdate('modelname') to convert the block diagram to the format of the current version of Simulink software.

• For advice on upgrading a model to the current version of Simulink software, see Consulting the Model Advisor.

Command-Line Information

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Do not load models created with a newer version of Simulink

Specify whether to load a model last saved in a newer version of Simulink software.

Settings

Default: Off

On

Do not load any model last saved in a newer version of Simulink software, and print an error message in the command window.

Off

Load models last saved in a newer version of Simulink software, and print a warning message in the command window.

Tip

If possible, use the Save As command to convert the block diagram to the format of the desired version of Simulink software. The Save As command allows you to save a model created with the latest version of the Simulink software in formats used by earlier versions. See Saving a Model in Earlier Formats.

Command-Line Information

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Callback tracing

Specify whether to display the model callbacks that Simulink software invokes when simulating a model.

Settings

Default: Off

On

Display the model callbacks in the MATLAB command window as they are invoked.

Callback tracing allows you to determine the callbacks the software invokes, and in what order, when you open or simulate a model.

Off

Do not display model callbacks.

Command-Line Information

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Open the Sample Time Legend whenever Sample Time Display is changed

Specify whether to display the Sample Time Legend whenever Sample Time Display is changed.

Settings

Default: On

On

Display the Sample Time Legend whenever you change Sample Time Display by selecting Colors, Annotations, or All from the Sample Time Display submenu. The model diagram is updated and the legend opens.

Off

Do not display the Sample Time Legend whenever Sample Time Display is changed.

Command-Line Information

See Also

Viewing Sample Time Information

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Simulink Preferences Window

Simulink Preferences Window: Display Defaults Pane