Display
Libraries:
Simulink /
Dashboard /
Customizable Blocks
Description
The Display block connects to a signal in your model and displays the signal value during simulation. The Display block can display scalar signals. When you use the Display block in the Customizable Blocks library, you can customize the appearance of the block to look like a real display in your system. Use the Display block with other dashboard blocks to build an interactive dashboard of controls and indicators for your model.
Customize Display Blocks
When you add a Display 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:
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 Edit Custom Block.
In design mode, you can use the toolbar above the block to customize the display. 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 |
Upload a background image. | Yes | Yes |
Set a solid background color. | No | Yes |
Upload a foreground image. | No | Yes |
Change the position of the text within the block. | No | Yes |
In addition to customizing the block design using the toolbar and Design tab, you can also reposition the 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 display block to a signal in your model or change the connection of a display
block, enter connect mode. Select the signal line to which you want to connect. From the
list that appears, select the signal to which you want to connect. Then, pause on the
dashboard block and click the Done Connecting button . To see the dashboard block display the value of the
connected block, run the simulation.
For more information about connecting dashboard blocks, 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).
An unconnected Display block connects to the signal that a Sine Wave block sends to an Outport block.
Limitations
You cannot use the Connection table 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 in a parent model cannot connect to signals 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.
During simulation, you cannot connect a dashboard block to Stateflow chart data or state activity.
You cannot programmatically connect a dashboard block to Stateflow chart data or state activity.
Some signals do not have data available during simulation due to block reduction or optimization for accelerator mode simulations. To view such a signal using a dashboard block, mark the signal for logging.
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
To set the core parameters of the dashboard block, open the Property Inspector and click the Parameters tab.
SignalConnection — Signal to connect and display
signal connection options
Dashboard blocks do not use ports to connect to model elements. To connect dashboard blocks to parameter values in your model, use connect mode, the Simulink® Toolstrip, or the Connection table in the Block Parameters dialog box. For information about connect mode and how to connect using the toolstrip, see Connect Dashboard Blocks to Simulink Model.
To connect a display block or change the connection of a display block using the Connection table:
Select the block.
To connect the block, in the Property Inspector, on the Parameters tab, click Connect. To change the connection of the block, click Change instead.
Select the signal line to which you want to connect.
In the table, select the signal to which you want to connect.
Click Apply.
You can also connect dashboard blocks to a Stateflow chart. For more information, see Connect Dashboard Blocks to Stateflow (Stateflow).
Programmatic Use
Block Parameter: Binding |
Type: Simulink.HMI.SignalSpecification |
Default: [] |
Format — Format for displaying signal values
short (default) | long | shortE | longE | ...
Specify a format for displaying signal values.
| If You Select... | The Block Displays... |
|---|---|
short | Scaled fixed-decimal format with four digits after the decimal point. |
long | Scaled fixed-decimal format with fifteen digits after the decimal point
for double values and seven digits after the decimal
point for single values. |
shortE | Scientific notation format with four digits. |
longE | Scientific notation format with fifteen digits after the decimal point
for double values and seven digits after the decimal
point for single values. |
shortG | Data takes the more compact format between fixed-decimal or scientific notation, with a total of five digits. |
longG | Data takes the more compact format between fixed-decimal or scientific
notation, with a total of fifteen digits for double
values and seven digits for single values. |
shortEng | Engineering notation where the exponent is a multiple of three, with four digits after the decimal point. |
longEng | Engineering notation where the exponent is a multiple of three, with fifteen significant digits. |
+- | Positive/negative format. +, -,
and blank characters are displayed for positive, negative, and zero values,
respectively. |
bank | Currency format with two digits after the decimal point. |
hex | Hexadecimal representation. |
rat | Ratio. |
Custom | Custom string format. Data is displayed in a custom string that you specify using the Format String parameter. |
Integer | Data rounded to the nearest whole number. |
Programmatic Use
Block Parameter:
Format |
| Type: character array | string |
Values:
'short' | 'long' |
'shortE' | 'longE' |
'shortG' | 'longG' |
'shortEng' | 'longEng' |
'bank' | '+' | 'hex' |
'rat' | 'Custom' |
'Integer' |
Default:
'short' |
Format String — Custom string to format data
'%d' (default) | string
Specify a custom string to format displayed signal data. The format string
consists of text and format operators, which start with a % sign
and end with a conversion character. Use the format operators at the place in the
string where you want the signal data to display. For more information about supported
formatting operators, see the formatSpec input of the compose function.
Example: The value of pi is %.2f displays the value of the
connected signal within a sentence.
Example: $%.2f displays the value of the connected signal with a
dollar sign and two decimal places.
Dependencies
To enable this parameter, set Format to
Custom.
Programmatic Use
Block Parameter:
FormatString |
| Type: character array | string |
Default:
'%d' |
Label — Position of label displaying name of connected element
Top (default) | Bottom | Hide
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 block. 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
Block Parameter:
LabelPosition |
| Type: character vector |
Values:
'Top' | 'Bottom' |
'Hide' |
Default:
'Top' |
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.
Tip
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 not locked, 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.
Design
To customize the dashboard block, open the Property Inspector, click the Design tab, and click Edit.
DisplayLock 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.
Tip
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 not locked, 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.
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 6 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.
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.
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.
Example: on
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.
Tip
You can also specify the Background Color in the Format tab of the Simulink Toolstrip.
To specify the color of the block text, use the Font Color parameter.
Programmatic Use
Specify the BackgroundColor parameter for the block as a
1-by-3
[r g b] vector with values between 0 and
1 that is formatted as a string or a character vector.
Block Parameter: BackgroundColor |
| Type: string | character vector |
Values: [r g b] vector |
Opacity — Block background opacity
1 (default) | scalar
Specify the block background opacity as a scalar value from 0 to
1.
Example: 0.5
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.
Example: 0.25
Image X Offset — Horizontal offset of left edge of 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.
Example: 1
Image Y Offset — Vertical offset of top edge of 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.
Example: 1
Width — Image width
scalar
Specify the image width as a ratio of the block width.
Example: 0.5
Height — Image height
scalar
Specify the image height as a ratio of the block height.
Example: 0.5
Lock Aspect Ratio — Option to maintain 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 |
|
Direct Feedthrough |
|
Multidimensional Signals |
|
Variable-Size Signals |
|
Zero-Crossing Detection |
|
Extended Capabilities
Version History
Introduced in R2023bR2023b: Open Panel in New Window
Starting in R2023b, you can open a dashboard panel in a new window. To do so, select the
panel and pause on the ellipsis that appears. In the action menu that expands, click Open in
New Window 
.
You can minimize and restore the new window containing the panel separately from the model window. From the panel window, you can run, pause, stop, and step through the simulation. In the panel window, you can edit the panel and the blocks it contains.
To return the panel to the model canvas, in the panel window toolstrip, click Open in
canvas 
.
For more information about opening a panel in a new window, see Open Panels in New Window.
You can also select a web site from the following list:
Americas
- América Latina (Español)
- Canada (English)
- United States (English)
Europe
- Belgium (English)
- Denmark (English)
- Deutschland (Deutsch)
- España (Español)
- Finland (English)
- France (Français)
- Ireland (English)
- Italia (Italiano)
- Luxembourg (English)
- Netherlands (English)
- Norway (English)
- Österreich (Deutsch)
- Portugal (English)
- Sweden (English)
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom (English)