TABLE OF CONTENTS This appendix presents an overview of masked subsystems, and a step-by-step procedure to create custom user interfaces, i.e., masks for Simulink subsystems.
A mask is a custom user interface for a subsystem. A masked subsystem conceals the subsystem's contents, and it appear to the user as an atomic block with its own icon and parameter dialog box. However, a masked subsystem provides only graphical, not functional, grouping. We can create a mask for any Simulink subsystem using the Mask Editor.
A masked subsystem allows us to
Replace the parameter dialogs of a subsystem and its contents with a single parameter dialog with its own block description, parameter prompts, and help text.
Replace a subsystem's standard icon with a custom icon that shows its purpose.
Prevent accidental modification of subsystems by concealing their contents behind a mask.
Placing a masked subsystem in a library. We can also mask S-Function and Model blocks.
Masks can include any of the following features:
| Mask Icon - | The mask icon replaces a subsystem's standard icon, i.e., it appears in a block diagram in place of the standard icon for a subsystem block. Simulink uses MATLAB code that we supply to draw the custom icon. We can use any MATLAB drawing command in the icon code. |
| Mask Parameters - | Masked subsystems allow us to define a set of user-specified parameters. Simulink stores the values of these parameters in the mask... |
