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?
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.
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:
% 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’)”)
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.
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>
";
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.