Edit

Enter new value for parameter or variable during simulation in edit box with customizable appearance

Since R2026a

• 

Libraries:
Simulink / Dashboard

Description

The Edit block connects to a parameter or variable value in your model. You can change the connected value before or during simulation by entering a new value in the edit box. When you use the Edit block in the Customizable Blocks library, you can customize the appearance of the block to look like an edit box in an existing digital interface. Use the Edit block with other dashboard blocks to build an interactive dashboard of controls and indicators for your model.

Customize Edit Blocks

When you add an Edit 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 edit box. To access additional customization options or to enter exact values for design settings, use the Design tab in the Property Inspector.

Design Mode Actions

Action	Available in Toolbar	Available 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.	Yes	Yes
Change the font size.	Yes	Yes
Change the text color.	Yes	Yes
Make the text bold, italic, or underlined.	Yes	Yes
Change the position of the text within the block.	No	Yes
Upload a background image.	Yes	Yes
Set a solid background color.	No	Yes
Upload a foreground image.	No	Yes

In addition to customizing the block design using the toolbar and Design tab, you can also reposition the edit box 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 control block to a parameter in your model or to change the connection of a control block, enter connect mode. Select the block to whose parameter you want to connect. From the list that appears, select the parameter to which you want to connect. Then, pause on the dashboard block and click the Done Connecting button .

The control block cannot connect to a parameter whose value is a variable until you update the model diagram. To connect to a parameter whose value is a variable or to modify the value of a variable that is the value of a connected parameter when the simulation is not running, update the model diagram by pressing Ctrl+D.

You can connect to a parameter with a scalar value or to an element of a matrix or structure. For more information, 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).

This animation shows how to connect the Edit block to your model.

Limitations

• Except for the Dashboard Scope block and the Display block, dashboard blocks can only connect to real scalar signals.

• You cannot use the Connection table in the Block Parameters dialog box 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 cannot connect to model elements 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.

• When you connect a dashboard block to a variable or parameter during simulation, the data for that variable or parameter is not logged to the Simulation Data Inspector. To log variable and parameter data to the Simulation Data Inspector, connect the dashboard block to the variable or parameter prior to simulation.

• When you simulate a model in external mode with the Default parameter behavior set to Inlined, dashboard blocks can appear to change parameter and variable values. However, the change does not propagate to the simulation. For example, Gain blocks display changes made to the Gain parameter using the dashboard blocks, but the Gain value used in the simulation does not change.

Parameters

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 Tab of Property Inspector

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

Connection

Connection — Block parameter value to connect

parameter value connection options

This block is a control block — a block that controls the value of a parameter. Connect the block to the parameter whose value you want to control. You can connect to a parameter with a scalar value, or to an element of a matrix.

Dashboard blocks do not use ports to connect to model elements. To connect a dashboard block, use connect mode, the Simulink Toolstrip, or the Connection table in the Block Parameters dialog box. For information, see Connect Dashboard Blocks to Simulink Model.

To connect to a parameter with a scalar value using the Connection table:

1. Select the block.

2. In the Property Inspector, on the Parameters tab, click Connect or Change.

3. Select the block to whose parameter value you want to connect.

4. In the table that appears, select the parameter.

5. Click Apply.

To connect to a parameter whose value is specified as a variable or to change the value of a connected variable, you must first update the model diagram. To update the model diagram, press Ctrl+D.

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

Programmatic Use

You can programmatically connect a control block to a parameter. Define a Simulink.HMI.ParamSourceInfo object that represents the parameter. Then, set the value of the Binding parameter to the object. To set the value of the Binding parameter, use the set_param function.

For example, suppose the model named vdp contains a Push Button block named myButton and an Integrator block named x1. To connect the Push Button block to the Initial Condition parameter of the Integrator block, use this code.

blockPath1 = "vdp/myButton";
blockPath2 = "vdp/x1";

myObj = Simulink.HMI.ParamSourceInfo;
myObj.BlockPath = Simulink.BlockPath(blockPath2);
myObj.ParamName = 'InitialCondition';

set_param(blockPath1,Binding=myObj)

Parameter:	Binding
Values:	Simulink.HMI.ParamSourceInfo object

Example: set_param(gcb,Binding=myObj)

Main

Label — Position of label displaying name of connected element

Hide (default) | Bottom | Top

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 label. 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

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

Parameter:	LabelPosition
Values:	'Hide' (default) | "Bottom" | "Top" | "Hide"

Example: set_param(gcb,LabelPosition="Bottom")

Lock Aspect Ratio — Option to maintain block aspect ratio

on (default) | off

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 Tab of Property Inspector

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

Edit

Lock Aspect Ratio — Option to maintain block aspect ratio

on (default) | off

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

Font — Font

Courier Prime | DSEG7-Classic | Noto Sans | Noto Serif | Roboto | Ubuntu

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

Size — Font size

scalar

Choose from a list of font sizes between 8 and 72.

Text Color — Text color

[r g b] vector

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

Example: [1 1 0.5]

X Offset — Horizontal offset of center of text from center of block

scalar

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.

Y Offset — Vertical offset of center of text from center of block

scalar

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.

Width — Width of text bounding box

scalar

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

Height — Height of text bounding box

scalar

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

Lock Aspect Ratio — Option to maintain text bounding box aspect ratio

on (default) | off

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

Background Image

Use Background Color — Option to specify solid block background color

off (default) | on

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.

Color — Block background color

[r g b] vector

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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

Parameter:	BackgroundColor
Values:	[r g b] vector with values between 0 and 1 formatted as a string or character vector

Example: set_param(gcb,BackgroundColor="[1 0 1]")

Opacity — Block background opacity

1 (default) | scalar

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

Corner Radius — Corner radius of area with block background color

scalar

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.

Foreground Image

X Offset — Horizontal offset of left edge of foreground image from left edge of block

scalar

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.

Y Offset — Vertical offset of top edge of foreground image from top edge of block

scalar

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.

Width — Foreground image width

scalar

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

Height — Foreground image height

scalar

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

Lock Aspect Ratio — Option to maintain foreground image aspect ratio

on (default) | off

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

Block Characteristics

Data Types	double | half | integer | single
Direct Feedthrough	no
Multidimensional Signals	no
Variable-Size Signals	no
Zero-Crossing Detection	no

Extended Capabilities

C/C++ Code Generation

Generate C and C++ code using Simulink® Coder™.

Dashboard blocks are ignored for code generation.

Version History

Introduced in R2026a

R2026a: Block Parameters dialog box table for connecting dashboard blocks will be removed

In a future release, connecting blocks from the Dashboard library or the Customizable Blocks library using the table in the Block Parameters dialog box will no longer be supported. Use connect mode instead. For information about connect mode, see Connect Dashboard Blocks to Simulink Model.

R2026a: Add blocks to dashboard panels using quick insert menu

You can now use the quick insert menu to add blocks to dashboard panels. For details, see Getting Started with Dashboard Panels.

R2026a: Programmatically switch dashboard panel tabs

Dashboard panels can have multiple tabs. You can now programmatically switch which tab a panel displays using the simulink.dashboard.switchPanelTab function. For example, you can use this capability to create a dashboard that switches tabs when you click a button by entering the simulink.dashbaord.switchPanelTab function in the callback function that runs when you click the button.

R2026a: Programmatically check whether a block is a dashboard block

Dashboard blocks are blocks from these libraries:

• Dashboard library (including the Customizable Blocks sublibrary)

• Aerospace Blockset™ library

You can now programmatically check whether a block is a dashboard block using the simulink.dashboard.isDashboardBlock function.