Implementing Copy for Handle Classes in MATLAB

Last Updated : 24 Apr, 2025

MATLAB is a (Matrix-Laboratory), matrix-based programming language platform that is majorly used to solve math work and real-time problems. it’s specifically designed for engineers and scientists to analyze and design systems. And also capable to solve real-time problems with some histogram equalization, and graphical representation.

So, in this article, we will look at implementing how we can handle the classes and also understand implementing Copy for Handle Classes in MATLAB, and see the overview of MATLAB, and what are the required terms.

User-Defined Handle Classes

So in MATLAB when the user wants to copy a handle an object, MATLAB copies doesn’t copy the data stored in that object’s properties.

Implementing Copy for Handle Classes in MATLAB

Handle classes are the special kinds of classes that allow the multi variables to the same object. so for implementing the copy functionality for the handle classes in MATLAB. firstly we need to define the method, in the class that creates a new object with the same properties as the original object.

So let’s see the syntax of creating the copy method for handling classes:

Syntax:

% Create a Handle Class

classdef MyClass < handle

properties

myProperty

end

end

Stepwise Implementation

For Implementing Copy for Handle Classes in MATLAB we have to follow the steps that are listed here.

Step 1: So firstly open the MATLAB editor and create a new file and define the class using the ‘classdef‘ keyword.

classdef MyClass
    % class definition goes here
end

Step 2: After defining the class, inside the class define the properties and methods, and another element.

properties
    myProperty
end

Step 3: Now we have to create the function with the name of the method, followed by the method definition.

methods
    function output = myMethod(obj, input)
        % method definition goes here
    end
end

Step 4: Now we can create the class constructor instance of our class. and MATLAB provides the no. of input arguments.

methods
    function obj = MyClass(arg1, arg2)
        % constructor definition goes here
    end
end

Step 5: To call a method, we have to use this line of code for method calls.

output = myObject.myMethod(input);

So, for accessing the properties and method of the object you can use the dot notation like “myObject.myProperty”.

So this is the overall implementation part of that cover the all above steps, which define how we can implement the copy for class handling.

Example:

Matlab

% Code 
classdef MyHandleClass < handle 
    properties 
        myProperty 
    end
      
    methods 
        function obj = MyHandleClass(arg1, arg2) 
            if nargin > 0 
                obj.myProperty = arg1 + arg2; 
            end
        end
          
        function newObj = copy(obj) 
            % Create a new object of the same class 
            newObj = feval(class(obj)); 
              
            % Copy the property values 
            newObj.myProperty = obj.myProperty; 
        end
    end
end

% Create an instance of MyHandleClass
myObject = MyHandleClass(2, 3);

% Call the copy method to create a new instance
newObject = copy(myObject);

% Display the property values of the new instance
disp(newObject.myProperty); % should display 5

This code creates an instance of MyHandleClass with myProperty set to 2+3=5. Then, it calls the copy method to create a new instance of MyHandleClass with the same property values. Finally, it displays the myProperty value of the new instance, which should also be 5.

Output: