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The Model Explorer allows you to quickly locate, view, and change elements of a Simulink® model or Stateflow® chart. To display the Model Explorer, select Model Explorer from the Simulink View menu or select an object in the block diagram and select Explore from its context menu. The Model Explorer appears.
The Model Explorer includes the following components:
Model Hierarchy pane (see Model Hierarchy Pane)
Contents pane (see Contents Pane)
Dialog pane (see Dialog Pane)
Main toolbar (see Main Toolbar)
Search bar (see Search Bar)
You can use the Model Explorer's View menu to hide the Dialog pane and the toolbars, thereby making more room for the other panes.
The Model Hierarchy pane displays a tree-structured view of the Simulink model hierarchy.
The first node in the view represents the Simulink root. Expanding the root node displays nodes representing the MATLAB® workspace (the Simulink base workspace) and each model and library loaded in the current session.
This node represents the MATLAB workspace. The MATLAB workspace is the base workspace for Simulink models. Variables defined in this workspace are visible to all open Simulink models, i.e., to all models whose nodes appear beneath the Base Workspace node in the Model Hierarchy pane.
If you check the Show Configuration Preferences option on the Model Explorer's View menu, the expanded Simulink Root node also displays a Configuration Preferences node. Selecting this node displays the preferred model configuration (see Configuration Sets) for new models in the adjacent panes. You can change the preferred configuration by editing the displayed settings and using the Model Configuration Preferences dialog box to save the settings (see Model Configuration Preferences Dialog).
Expanding a model node displays nodes representing the model's configuration sets (see Configuration Sets), top-level subsystems, model references, and Stateflow charts. Expanding a node representing a subsystem displays its subsystems, if any. Expanding a node representing a Stateflow chart displays the chart's top-level states. Expanding a node representing a state shows its substates.
To display the contents of an object displayed in the Model Hierarchy pane (e.g., a model or configuration set) in the adjacent Contents pane, select the object. To open a graphical object (e.g., a model, subsystem, or chart) in an editor window, right-click the object. A context menu appears. Select Open from the context menu. To open an object's properties dialog, select Properties from the object's context menu or from the Edit menu. See Configuration Sets for information on using the Model Hierarchy pane to delete, move, and copy configuration sets from one model to another.
To expand a node representing a model reference (see Referencing a Model), you must first open the referenced model. To do this, right-click on the node to display its context menu, then select Open Model from the menu. The model to which the reference refers to is then opened, a node for it is displayed in the Model Hierarchy pane, and all references to the model are made expandable. You cannot edit the contents of a reference node, however. To edit the referenced model, you must expand its node.
The Contents pane displays either of two tabular views selectable by tabs. The Contents tab displays the contents of the object selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. The Search Results tab displays the results of a search operation (see Search Bar) .
In both views, the table rows correspond to objects (e.g., blocks or states); the table columns, to object properties (e.g., name and type). The table cells display the values of the properties of the objects contained by the object selected in the Model Hierarchy pane or found by a search operation.
The objects and properties displayed in the Contents pane depend on the type of object (e.g., subsystem, chart, or configuration set) selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. For example, if the object selected in the Model Hierarchy pane is a model or subsystem, the Contents pane by default displays the name and type of the top-level blocks contained by that model or subsystem. If the selected object is a Stateflow chart or state, the Contents pane by default shows the name, scope, and other properties of the events and data that make up the chart or state.
The Customize Contents pane allows you to select the properties that the Contents pane displays for the object selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. When visible, the pane appears in the lower-left corner of the Model Explorer window.
A splitter divides the Customize Contents pane from the Model Hierarchy pane above it. Drag the splitter up or down to adjust the relative size of the two panes.
The Customize Contents pane contains a tree-structured property list. The list's top-level nodes group object properties into the following categories:
Current Properties
Properties that the Contents pane currently displays.
Selection Properties
Properties of the object currently selected in the Contents pane.
All Properties
Properties of the contents of all models displayed in the Model Explorer thus far in this session.
Fixed Point Properties
Fixed-point properties of blocks.
By default, the Contents pane displays a standard subset of properties for the currently selected model. The Customize Contents pane allows you to perform the following customizations:
To display additional properties of the selected model, expand the All Properties node, if necessary, and check the desired properties.
To delete some but not all properties from the Contents pane, expand the Current Properties node, if necessary, and uncheck the properties that you do not want to appear in the Contents pane.
To delete all properties from the Contents pane (except the selected object's name), uncheck Current Properties.
To display only the properties of the currently selected object, uncheck Current Properties to clear the properties display, then check Selection Properties.
To add or remove fixed-point block properties from the Contents pane, check or uncheck Fixed Point Properties.
The Model Explorer's View menu allows you to control the type of objects and properties displayed in the Contents pane.
To display only object names in the Contents pane, uncheck the Show Properties item on the View menu.
To customize the set of properties displayed in the Contents pane, select Customize Contents from the View menu or click the Customize Contents button on the Model Explorer's main toolbar (see Main Toolbar). The Customize Contents pane appears. Use the pane to select the properties you want the Contents pane to display.
To specify the types of subsystem or chart contents displayed in the Contents pane, select List View Options from the View menu. A menu of object types appears. Check the types that you want to be displayed (e.g., Blocks and Named Signals/Connections or All Simulink Objects for models and subsystems).
The Contents pane by default displays its contents in ascending order by name. To order the contents in ascending order by any other displayed property, click the head of the column that displays the property. To change the order from ascending to descending, or vice versa, click the head of the property column that determines the current order.
Some of the properties that the Contents pane is configured to display may not apply to all the objects currently listed in the Contents pane. You can configure the Model Explorer to indicate the inapplicable properties.
To do this, select Mark Nonexistent Properties from the Model Explorer's View menu. The Model Explorer now displays dashes for the values of properties that do not apply to the objects displayed in the Contents pane.
You can change modifiable properties displayed in the Contents pane (e.g., a block's name) by editing the displayed value. To edit a displayed value, first select the row that contains it. Then click the value. An edit control replaces the displayed value (e.g., an edit field for text values or a pull-down list for a range of values). Use the edit control to change the value of the selected property.
To assign the same property value to multiple objects displayed in the Contents pane, select the objects and then change one of the selected objects to have the new property value. The Model Explorer assigns the new property value to the other selected objects as well.
Use the Dialog pane to view and change properties of the blocks or signals in your model.
To show the Dialog pane, select Dialog View from the View menu, located on the Model Explorer's main toolbar.
In the Contents pane, select an object (such as a block or signal). The properties are displayed in the Dialog pane.
Change a property (for example, the gain of a gain block) in the Dialog pane.
Click Apply to accept the change, or click Revert to return to the original value.
By default, clicking outside a dialog with unapplied changes causes the Model Explorer – Apply Changes dialog box to appear:
Click OK to accept the changes, Ignore to revert to the original settings, or Cancel to dismiss the dialog box without making any changes.
To suppress this dialog box in the future, check Never ask me again on the dialog box, or check Auto Apply/Ignore Dialog Changes on the Model Explorer Tools menu.
If you suppress the dialog box, and thereafter click outside a dialog that has unapplied changes, the Model Explorer automatically applies or discards changes, depending on which action you most recently chose in the dialog box. You can re-enable the dialog box for future operations by unchecking Tools > Auto Apply/Ignore Dialog Changes.
The Model Explorer's main toolbar appears near the top of the Model Explorer window under the Model Explorer's menu.
The toolbar contains buttons that select commonly used Model Explorer commands:
| Button | Usage |
|---|---|
 | Create a new model. |
 | Open an existing model. |
 | Cut the objects (e.g., variables) selected in the Contents pane from the object (e.g., a workspace) selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. Save a copy of the object on the system clipboard. |
 | Copy the objects selected in the Contents pane to the system clipboard. |
 | Paste objects from the clipboard into the object selected in the Model Explorer's Model Hierarchy pane. |
 | Delete the objects selected in the Contents pane from the object selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. |
 | Add a MATLAB variable to the workspace selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. |
 | Add a Simulink.Parameter object to the workspace selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. |
 | Add a Simulink.Signal object to the workspace selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. |
 | Add a configuration set to the model selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. |
 | Add a Stateflow datum to the machine or chart selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. |
 | Add a Stateflow event to the machine or chart selected in the Model Hierarchy pane or to the state selected in the Model Explorer. |
 | Add a code generation target to the model selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. |
 | Turn the Model Explorer's Dialog pane on or off. |
 | Customize the Model Explorer's Contents pane. |
 | Bring the MATLAB desktop to the front. |
 | Display the Simulink Library Browser. |
To show or hide the main toolbar, select Main Toolbar from the Model Explorer's View menu.
The Model Explorer's search bar allows you to select, configure, and initiate searches of the object selected in the Model Hierarchy pane. It appears at the top of the Model Explorer window.
To show or hide the search bar, check or uncheck Search Bar in the Model Explorer's View > Toolbars menu.
The search bar includes the following controls:
Specifies the type of search to be performed. Options include:
by Block Type
Search for blocks of a specified block type. Selecting this search type causes the search bar to display a block type list control that allows you to select the target block type from the types contained by the currently selected model.
by Property Name
Searches for objects that have a specified property. Selecting this search type causes the search bar to display a control that allows you to specify the target property's name by selecting from a list of properties that objects in the search domain can have.
by Property Value
Searches for objects whose property matches a specified value. Selecting this search type causes the search bar to display controls that allow you to specify the name of the property, the value to be matched, and the type of match (equals, less than, greater than, etc.).
for Fixed Point
Searches a model for all blocks that support fixed-point computations.
by Name
Searches a model for all objects that have the specified string in the name of the object.
by Stateflow Type
Searches for Stateflow objects of a specified type.
for Library Links
Searches for library links in the current model.
by Class
Searches for Simulink objects of a specified class.
for Model References
Searches a model for references to other models.
by Dialog Prompt
Searches a model for all objects whose dialogs contain a specified prompt.
by String
Searches a model for all objects in which a specified string occurs.
Specifies options that apply to the current search. The options include:
Search Current System and Below
Search the current system and the subsystems that it includes directly or indirectly.
Look Inside Masked Subsystems
Search includes masked subsystems.
Look Inside Linked Subsystems
Search includes linked subsystems.
Match Whole String
Do not allow partial string matches, e.g., do not allow sub to match substring.
Match Case
Consider case when matching strings, e.g., Gain does not match gain.
Regular Expression
The Model Explorer considers a string to be matched as a regular expression.
Evaluate Property Values During Search
This option applies only for searches by property value. If enabled, the option causes the Model Explorer to evaluate the value of each property as a MATLAB expression and compare the result to the search value. If disabled (the default), the Model Explorer compares the unevaluated property value to the search value.
Refine Search
Causes the next search operation to search for objects that meet both the original and new search criteria (see Refining a Search).
Initiates the search specified by the current settings of the search bar on the object selected in the Model Explorer's Model Hierarchy pane. The Model Explorer displays the results of the search in the tabbed Search Results pane.
You can edit the results displayed in the Search Results pane. For example, to change all objects found by a search to have the same property value, select the objects in the Search Results pane and change one of them to have the new property value.
To refine the previous search, check the Refine Search option on the search bar's Search Options menu. A Refine button replaces the Search button on the search bar. Use the search bar to define new search criteria and then click the Refine button. The Model Explorer searches for objects that match the previous search criteria and the new criteria.
You use Model Explorer to change the font size used in the Simulink dialog boxes and in Model Explorer.
To change the font size used in Model Explorer and in the Simulink Dialog boxes, first open Model Explorer (see The Model Explorer).
Press the Ctrl+ keys to increase the font size
Alternatively, from the Model Explorer's View menu, select Increase Font Size
Press the Ctrl- keys to decrease the font size
Alternatively, from the Model Explorer's View menu, select Decrease Font Size
Note These changes simultaneously alter the font size used by Model Explorer and in the Simulink dialog boxes. The changes remain in effect across Simulink sessions. |
| Exploring, Searching, and Browsing Models | The Finder | |
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