Mask Editor Overview

You can use the Simulink Mask Editor to define a custom interface for a Subsystem block, Model block, S-Function block, or built-in blocks. This chapter provides reference information about Mask Editor capabilities, but does not describe the workflows needed to combine those capabilities to create and use masks. That information appears in Working with Block Masks in the Simulink User's Guide.

To open the Mask Editor for a block, do one of the following:

• To create a new mask, select the block to be masked, then in the model window Edit menu or in the context menu for the block, choose MaskBlockType.

• To edit an existing mask, select the masked block and select Edit > Edit Mask or the in the context menu for the block, select Edit Mask.

The Mask Editor, looking similar to the figure below. If the block is already masked, the current mask specification appears in the editor, allowing you to change the mask as needed. Otherwise, the editor is initially empty:

The Mask Editor contains a set of tabbed panes, each of which enables you to define a feature of the mask:

• The Icon & Ports pane enables you to define the block icon. See Icon & Ports Pane.

• The Parameters pane enables you to define and describe Mask Parameters dialog box parameter prompts, and to name the variables associated with the parameters. See Parameters Pane.

• The Initialization pane enables you to specify initialization commands. See Initialization Pane.

• The Documentation pane enables you to define the mask type and specify the block description and the block help. See Documentation Pane.

Five buttons appear along the bottom of the Mask Editor:

• The Unmask button deactivates the mask and closes the Mask Editor. While the model is still active, the mask information is still retained so that you can reactivate it.

  To reactivate the mask, select the block and choose Mask Subsystem. The Mask Editor opens, displaying the previous settings. Click OK or Apply to restore the mask.

  When you close the model, the inactive mask information is discarded. If you want the mask information after this, you will need to recreate it the next time you open the model.

• The OK button applies the mask settings on all panes and closes the Mask Editor.

• The Cancel button closes the Mask Editor without applying any changes made since you last clicked the Apply button.

• The Help button displays online information about the Mask Editor.

• The Apply button applies the mask settings on all panes and leaves the Mask Editor open.

To see the system under the mask without unmasking it, select the Subsystem block, then select Look Under Mask from the Edit menu or the context menu of the block. This command opens the subsystem. The mask is not affected.

Simulink Mask Editor

Icon & Ports Pane

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