The Signal Selector :: Working with Signals (Using Simulink)

Using Simulink

The Signal Selector

The Signal Selector allows you to connect a signal or viewer object (see The Signal & Scope Manager) or the Floating Scope to block inputs and outputs. It appears when you click the signal selection button for a signal or viewer object in the Signal & Scope Manager or on the toolbar of the Floating Scope's window.

The Signal Selector that appears when you click the signal selection button applies only to the currently selected signal or viewer object (or the Floating Scope). If you want to connect blocks to another signal or viewer object, you must select the object in the Signal & Scope Manager and launch another instance of the Signal Selector. The object used to launch a particular instance of the Signal Selector is called that instance's owner.

The Signal Selector includes the following control panels.

Port/Axis Selector

This list box allows you to select the owner output port (in the case of signal generators) or display axis (in the case of signal viewers) to which you want to connect blocks in your model.

The list box is enabled only if the signal generator has multiple outputs or the signal viewer has multiple axes.

Model Hierarchy

This tree-structured list lets you select any subsystem in your model.

Selecting a subsystem causes the adjacent port list panel to display the ports available for connection in the selected subsystem. To display subsystems included as library links in your model, click the Library Links button at the top of the Model hierarchy panel. To display subsystems contained by masked subsystems, click the Look Under Masks button at the top of the panel.

Inputs/Signals List

The contents of this panel displays input ports available for connection to the Signal Selector's owner if the owner is a signal generator or signals available for connection to the owner if the owner is a signal viewer.

If the Signal Selector's owner is a signal generator, the inputs/signals list by default lists each input port in the system selected in the model hierarchy tree that is either unconnected or connected to a signal generator.

The label for each entry indicates the name of the block of which the port is an input. If the block has more than one input, the label indicates the number of the displayed port. A greyed label indicates that the port is connected to a signal generator other than the Signal Selectors' owner. Checking the checkbox next to a port's entry in the list connects the Signal Selector's owner to the port, replacing, if necessary, the signal generator previously connected to the port.

To display more information on each signal, click the Detailed view button at the top of the pane. The detailed view shows the path and data type of each signal and whether the signal is a test point. The controls at the top and bottom of the panel let you restrict the amount of information shown in the ports list.

To show named signals only, select Named signals only from the List contents control at the top of the pane.
To show test point signals only, select Test point signals only from the List contents control.
To show only signals whose signals match a specified string of characters, enter the characters in the Show signals matching control at the bottom of the Signals pane and press the Enter key.
To show the selected types of signals for all subsystems below the currently selected subsystem in the model hierarchy, click the Current and Below button at the top of the Signals pane.

To select or deselect a signal in the Signals pane, click its entry or use the arrow keys to move the selection highlight to the signal entry and press the Enter key. You can also move the selection highlight to a signal entry by typing the first few characters of its name (enough to uniquely identify it).

Note You can continue to select and deselect signals on the block diagram with the Signal Selector open. For example, shift-clicking a line in the block diagram adds the corresponding signal to the set of signals that you previously selected with the Signal Selector. Simulink updates the Signal Selector to reflect signal selection changes you have made on the block diagram. However, the changes do not appear until you select the Signal Selector window itself.

Signals connected to Generator/Viewer Logging Signals