Getting Started: Your First EHANDBOOK Container

This tutorial walks you through installing the EHANDBOOK Container-Build Toolbox for Simulink and generating your first interactive container. You should have this working in less than 10 minutes.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • MATLAB/Simulink installed (version 2016b through 2024b)

  • Administrator rights to install MATLAB add-ons

  • A valid EHANDBOOK Container-Build Toolbox license (or evaluation license)

  • ETAS License Manager installed and configured

Step 1: Install the Toolbox

The toolbox installs through MATLAB’s Add-on Manager, just like any other MATLAB extension.

  1. Open MATLAB

  2. Click the Add-Ons button in the MATLAB toolbar

  3. Select Manage Add-Ons

  4. Search for "EHANDBOOK Container-Build Toolbox for Simulink"

  5. Click Install

  6. Accept the license agreement

  7. Wait for installation to complete

MATLAB will notify you when installation is complete.

Step 2: Verify Installation

After installation, you should see the toolbox menu in Simulink.

  1. Open Simulink or create a new model

  2. In Simulink, look at the main menu bar

  3. You should see a new menu item for EHANDBOOK Container-Build Toolbox

  4. If you don’t see it, restart MATLAB and try again

If you still don’t see the menu, check Installation Troubleshooting.

Step 3: Open a Simulink Model

You need a Simulink model to generate a container. You can either:

  • Open an existing Simulink model from your project

  • Create a simple test model

For this tutorial, let’s open an existing model:

  1. In MATLAB, go to File → Open

  2. Navigate to a Simulink model file (.slx or .mdl)

  3. Click Open

  4. The model loads into Simulink

If you don’t have a model available, you can create a simple one:

  1. In Simulink, go to File → New → Model

  2. Add a few simple blocks (e.g., Sine Wave, Add, Gain, Scope)

  3. Connect them to create a simple signal flow

  4. Save the model with a name like test_model.slx

Step 4: Generate Your First Container

Now you’ll generate your first EHANDBOOK container with one click:

  1. In Simulink, with your model open, click the EHANDBOOK menu

  2. Select Generate Container

  3. A dialog appears with generation options

  4. Accept the default settings

  5. Click Generate

The toolbox will now:

  • Analyze your Simulink model

  • Generate interactive diagrams

  • Create the EHANDBOOK container

  • Save the .ehb file next to your model

You’ll see progress messages in the MATLAB console. This typically takes 10-30 seconds depending on model complexity.

Step 5: Open and Explore Your Container

Once generation completes successfully, you can explore your container:

  1. Click the Open Container link that appears in Simulink

  2. EHANDBOOK-NAVIGATOR launches automatically

  3. You’ll see the top-level hierarchy of your model as an interactive diagram

    Generated EHANDBOOK Container in EHANDBOOK-NAVIGATOR

Now explore your container:

  • Expand subsystems: Double-click subsystems to zoom in and see their contents

    Exploring Subsystems in Generated Container

  • Navigate back: Use navigation buttons to return to higher levels

  • Select signals: Click on signal lines to highlight them

  • View properties: Right-click elements to see their properties

Congratulations! You’ve successfully generated and opened your first EHANDBOOK container.

Troubleshooting

Container generation fails

  • Check the MATLAB console for error messages

  • Ensure your model has no syntax errors (in Simulink, run model check)

  • Verify your Simulink version is supported (2016b-2024b)

  • Try saving and reloading the model

Container won’t open

  • Ensure EHANDBOOK-NAVIGATOR is installed on your system

  • Try opening the .ehb file manually by right-clicking and selecting Open with EHANDBOOK-NAVIGATOR

Toolbox menu doesn’t appear

  • Restart MATLAB completely

  • Verify the installation through Add-on Manager

  • Check Installation Guide