Creating blocks in Plecs with scripts

Question

Is it possible to create blocks in Plecs from a script?

Previously, in Simulink I have created a custom library with masked S-function blocks and saved this as a library all from the same Matlab script. I was wondering if there was a similar way to do this in Plecs, in this case just masking the C-script blocks?

Answer 1

Your question and desired workflow isn't 100% clear to me.  My interpretation: "Is there a way to create a custom mask that encapsulates a C-Script block?" to which the answer is yes.  Please see the "PLECS: Creating Custom Components and Subsystem Masks" tutorial. One can pass parameters defined in the component mask into the C-Script using the C-Script's parameter field.

Please let me know if I misunderstood your question.  If so, please provide a more detailed explanation, graphic, or psuedocode describing your goals.

Comments

I have already achieved what you are describing with creating a custom mask to encapsulate a C-script block. However, I have done this manually in a Plecs model, where I have dragged the C-script and in- and out ports from the Plecs library and manually connected them in my model.

What I would like to do, is to do this from a script, so I can create multiple of these masked subsystems by running this script. I have previously achieved this in Matlab/Simulink. A short snippet of the code:

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% Add the block with the relevant parameters

add_block('simulink/User-Defined Functions/S-Function',lib_name + "/" + blockName,'FunctionName',block_sWrapper,'Parameters',parameters_mask);

maskObj = Simulink.Mask.create(gcb);

set_param(gcb,'MaskStyleString',edit_str,...

'MaskVariables',parameters_order,...

'MaskPromptString',parameters_text,...

'MaskValueString',parameters_value,...

'MaskDisplay',"image(" + "'C:\MATLAB\R2023b\EltwinMClib\Mask_icons\" + blockName  + ".png')")   

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As you can see from the code, Matlab allows me to create a block from a script, create a custom mask for it, and set the parameters of the mask all from within a script. This it what I would hopefully like to do in Plecs as well.

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Thanks for clarifying Kristian - it helped me better understand your goals.

There isn't a similar script-based interface to add blocks to a schematic.  However, once the block is added to the schematic, the C-Script fields are all configurable as parameters.  

For example:

% Set command convention: plecs('set', 'componentPath', 'parameter', 'value')

DeclarationString = "#include <math.h>\n";
plecs('set','./PathToScript/C-Script','Declarations',DeclarationString)

For many components in PLECS, you can determine the parameter name by clicking the check-box near the parameter entry or in the component mask editor window. The parameter name for each field in a C-Script may not be obvious (e.g. 'Declarations', 'StartFcn', 'OutputFcn', etc.). PLECS Standalone files are plain-text.  By reviewing the portion of the model describing the C-Script the various parameter names will be apparent.

Since the PLECS Standalone file is plain text, one can also programatically construct a model by writing the appropriate text strings, which I have done in the past.  Note that the file format is subject to change in future versions of PLECS.