MATLAB®

Desktop Tools and Development Environment

R2016b
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MATLAB® Desktop Tools and Development Environment

© COPYRIGHT 1984–2016 by The MathWorks, Inc.
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Revision History
June 2004 First printing New for MATLAB 7.0 (Release 14). Formerly
part of Using MATLAB.
October 2004 Online only Revised for Version 7.0.1 (Release 14SP1)
March 2005 Online only Revised for Version 7.0.4 (Release 14SP2)
March 2005 Second printing Revised for Version 7.0.4 (Release 14SP2)
June 2005 Third printing Minor revision for Version 7.0.4 (Release
14SP2)
September 2005 Online only Revised for Version 7.1 (Release 14SP3)
March 2006 Online only Revised for Version 7.2 (Release 2006a)
September 2006 Online only Revised for Version 7.3 (Release 2006b)
March 2007 Online only Revised for Version 7.4 (Release 2007a)
September 2007 Online only Revised for Version 7.5 (Release 2007b)
March 2008 Online only Revised for Version 7.6 (Release 2008a)
October 2008 Online only Revised for Version 7.7 (Release 2008b)
March 2009 Online only Revised for Version 7.8 (Release 2009a)
September 2009 Online only Revised for Version 7.9 (Release 2009b)
March 2010 Online only Revised for Version 7.10 (Release 2010a)
September 2010 Online only Revised for Version 7.11 (Release 2010b)
April 2011 Online only Revised for Version 7.12 (Release 2011a)
September 2011 Online only Revised for Version 7.13 (Release 2011b)
March 2012 Online only Revised for Version 7.14 (Release 2012a)
September 2012 Online only Revised for Version 8.0 (Release 2012b)
March 2013 Online only Revised for Version 8.1 (Release 2013a)
September 2013 Online only Revised for Version 8.2 (Release 2013b)
March 2014 Online only Revised for Version 8.3 (Release 2014a)
October 2014 Online only Revised for Version 8.4 (Release 2014b)
March 2015 Online only Revised for Version 8.5 (Release 2015a)
September 2015 Online only Revised for Version 8.6 (Release 2015b)
October 2015 Online only Rereleased for Version 8.5.1 (Release
2015aSP1)
March 2016 Online only Revised for Version 9.0 (Release 2016a)
September 2016 Online only Revised for Version 9.1 (Release 2016b)
 Contents

Startup and Shutdown

1
Start MATLAB on Windows Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Ways to Start MATLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Speeding Up MATLAB Start Up on Windows Systems . . . . . 1-2

Associating Files with MATLAB on Windows Platforms . . . . 1-4

Associate .mat Files with MATLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Start MATLAB on Linux Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Start MATLAB on Mac Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

From Applications Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
From Terminal Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

Exit MATLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Ways to Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Confirm Exiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Running a Script When Exiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10

Recovering Data After an Abnormal Termination . . . . . . . . 1-11

Error Log Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12

Emailing Error Log Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12

When MATLAB Terminates Unexpectedly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13

Specifying Java Startup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

MATLAB Startup Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

Default Folder on Windows Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Default Folder on Mac Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Default Folder on Linux Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17

v
 userpath as Initial Working Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Changing the Startup Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18

Commonly Used Startup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19

Specify Startup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21

Startup Options from Operating System Prompt . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Startup Options in Shortcut on Windows Systems . . . . . . . . 1-21
Startup Options in MATLAB Startup File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Passing Perl Variables on Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Startup and Calling Java Software from MATLAB . . . . . . . 1-23

Toolbox Path Caching in MATLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24

About Toolbox Path Caching in MATLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Using the Cache File Upon Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Updating the Cache and Cache File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
More Diagnostics with Toolbox Path Caching . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26

Desktop
2
Change Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Font Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Help and Web Browser Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Adding Fonts on Windows Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Fonts Custom Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Change Color Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Changing Text and Background Colors in Desktop Tools . . . . 2-6
Changing Syntax Highlighting Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Changing Command Window Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Changing Code Analyzer Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Access Frequently Used Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9

Optimize Desktop Layout for Limited Screen Space . . . . . . 2-11

Desktop Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Document Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13

vi Contents
Define Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Choose a Set of Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Compare Sets of Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Display Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Customize Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Evaluate and Resolve Keyboard Shortcut Conflicts . . . . . . . 2-27
Examples of Creating, Modifying, and Deleting Keyboard
Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-29
Delete a Set of Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-32
Use Keyboard Shortcuts Settings Files Created on Other
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Keyboard Shortcut Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33

Set Print Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-36

Page Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-36
Layout Options for Page Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-36
Header Options for Page Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-37
Fonts Options for Page Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-37

Web Browsers and MATLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-39

About Web Browsers and MATLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-39
Display Pages in Web Browsers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-41
Specify Proxy Server Settings for Connecting to the Internet 2-41
Specify the System Browser for Linux Platforms . . . . . . . . . 2-42

Manage Your Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-43

Check for Software Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-45

Macintosh Platform Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-46

Mouse Instructions and Macintosh Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . 2-46
Navigating Within the MATLAB Root Folder on Macintosh
Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-46

Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-48
Set Preferences for MATLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-48
Where MATLAB Stores Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-49
Preferences MATLAB Uses When Multiple Releases Are
Installed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-49
General Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-51
Confirmation Dialog Boxes Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-52
Source Control Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-54

vii
 Keyboard Shortcuts Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-54
Colors Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-55
Colors Programming Tools Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-56
Comparison Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-57
Toolbars Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-58

Web Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-59

Entering Commands
3
Enter Statements in Command Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Find Functions to Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Format Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

Format Line Spacing in Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Format Floating-Point Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Wrap Lines of Code to Fit Window Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Suppress Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
View Output by Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Clear the Command Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10

Stop Execution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11

Find Text in Command Window or History . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

Find Text in the Command Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Find Text in the Command History Window . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14

Create Shortcuts to Rerun Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15

Set Command Window Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17

Set Keyboard Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19

Check Syntax as You Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22

Syntax Highlighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Delimiter Matching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Tab Completion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Function Syntax Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26

viii Contents
 Command History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
What Is the Command History? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Use Command History Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Change the Command History Date Format . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Command History Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30

Help and Product Information

4
Ways to Get Function Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

MATLAB Code Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Standalone Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Inline Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Search Syntax and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Bookmark and Share Page Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

Bookmark Favorite Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
View Page Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11

Contact Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12

Help Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14

Japanese Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Korean and Chinese Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17

Information About Your Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18

Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

5
Create and Edit Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
View Workspace Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Create Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

ix
 View Variable Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Edit Variable Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Navigate Variable Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Copy, Rename, and Delete Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Delete Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Display Statistics in the Workspace Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13

Save and Load Workspace Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15

View Contents of MAT-File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Save Variables to MATLAB Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Save Structure Fields as Separate Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18

Workspace and Variable Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20

Workspace Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Variables Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22

Managing Files in MATLAB

6
Find Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Simple Search for File and Folder Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Advanced Search for Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Comparing Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

Comparing Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Comparing Folders and Zip Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Comparing Text and Live Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Comparing Files with Autosave Version or Version on Disk . 6-16
Comparing MAT-Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-17
Comparing Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
Comparing Binary Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
Using Comparison Tool Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21
Function Alternative for Comparing Files and Folders . . . . 6-24

Manage Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25

MathWorks File Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-28

Files and Folders that MATLAB Accesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-29

Where Does MATLAB Look for Files? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-29

x Contents
 Files and Folders You Should Add to the Search Path . . . . . 6-29
When Multiple Files Have the Same Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30
Locations of MathWorks Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30

Current Folder Browser Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32

Specify File Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-34

Construct Valid Path and File Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-34
Case Sensitivity of File Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-36

Create and Extract from Zip Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38

Create a Zip Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
Add Files to a Zip Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-39
Extract Files from a Zip Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-39
Compare Zip Archive to Unzipped Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-40

What Is the MATLAB Search Path? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-41

userpath Folder on the Search Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-41
MATLABPATH Environment Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-42
Determine If Files and Folders Are on the Search Path . . . . 6-42
The Search Path Is Not the System Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43
How MATLAB Stores the Search Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-44

Change Folders on the Search Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-45

For Current and Future Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-45
For the Current Session Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47

Use Search Path with Different MATLAB Installations . . . 6-48

Add Folders to the MATLAB Search Path at Startup . . . . . 6-49

Use a startup.m File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Set the MATLABPATH Environment Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49

Assign userpath as Startup Folder (Macintosh or UNIX) . . 6-51

Path Unsuccessfully Set at Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52

Errors When Updating Folders on Search Path . . . . . . . . . 6-54

xi
 Editor Preferences
7
Editor/Debugger Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
General Preferences for the Editor/Debugger . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Editor/Debugger Display Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Editor/Debugger Tab Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Editor/Debugger Language Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Editor/Debugger Code Folding Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Editor/Debugger Backup Files Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Editor/Debugger Autoformatting Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10

Code Analyzer Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12

Code Analyzer Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Searching Messages in the Code Analyzer Preferences Dialog
Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13

Add-Ons
8
Get Add-Ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Install an Add-On Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2

Manage Your Add-Ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3

Change Add-Ons Installation Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3

Internationalization
9
Locale Settings for MATLAB Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Default Locale Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Supported Character Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Platform-Specific Localized Formats for Current Folder
Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3

Limitations to International Character Support . . . . . . . . . . 9-4

xii Contents
Set Locale on Windows Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Locale on Windows 10 Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Locale on Windows 8 Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Locale on Windows 7 Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6

Set Locale on Mac Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7

Set Locale on Linux Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8

Unexpected Behavior on Mac Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9

Characters Incorrectly Displayed on Windows Systems . . . 9-10

datenum Might Not Return Correct Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11

Numbers Display Period for Decimal Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12

File or Folder Names Incorrectly Displayed . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13

Script Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14

MATLAB Desktop Language Preference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15

xiii
 1

Startup and Shutdown

• “Start MATLAB on Windows Platforms” on page 1-2

• “Associating Files with MATLAB on Windows Platforms” on page 1-4
• “Associate .mat Files with MATLAB” on page 1-5
• “Start MATLAB on Linux Platforms” on page 1-6
• “Start MATLAB on Mac Platforms” on page 1-7
• “Exit MATLAB” on page 1-9
• “Recovering Data After an Abnormal Termination” on page 1-11
• “Error Log Reporting” on page 1-12
• “When MATLAB Terminates Unexpectedly” on page 1-13
• “Specifying Java Startup Options” on page 1-14
• “MATLAB Startup Folder” on page 1-16
• “Commonly Used Startup Options” on page 1-19
• “Specify Startup Options” on page 1-21
• “Toolbox Path Caching in MATLAB” on page 1-24
1 Startup and Shutdown

Start MATLAB on Windows Platforms

In this section...
“Ways to Start MATLAB” on page 1-2
“Speeding Up MATLAB Start Up on Windows Systems” on page 1-2

Ways to Start MATLAB

There are several ways to start MATLAB on a Microsoft Windows platform. In these
instructions, Release refers to your MATLAB release number, for example, R2016b.

• On Windows 10 systems, Start > All apps > MATLAB Release

• On Windows 8 systems, on the Start screen or the desktop click MATLAB Release.
• On Windows 7 systems, if you chose to have the installer put a shortcut to the
MATLAB program on the Windows Start menu, select Start > MATLAB Release
• If you chose to have the installer create a shortcut, double-click the MATLAB shortcut
on your Windows desktop.
• Double-click a file with any of a number of file extensions in the Windows Explorer
tool. The installer sets up associations between these file types and MathWorks®
products during installation. For example, double-clicking a file with a .m extension
starts MATLAB and opens the file in the MATLAB Editor. For more information, see
“Associating Files with MATLAB on Windows Platforms” on page 1-4.
• From the Windows system prompt, type matlab.

After starting MATLAB, the desktop opens. Desktop components that were open when
you last shut down MATLAB are opened on startup. You can specify other startup
options, such the initial working folder—for more information, see “Specify Startup
Options” on page 1-21 and “MATLAB Startup Folder” on page 1-16.

If you have trouble starting MATLAB, see “Troubleshooting Installation” in the

Installation Guide.

Speeding Up MATLAB Start Up on Windows Systems

On Windows systems, the MathWorks Installer installs and configures a utility
program that can speed up MATLAB startup, called the MATLAB Startup Accelerator.

1-2
 Start MATLAB on Windows Platforms

For information about this program, including information about how to modify
the configuration, see Start the License Manager in the “License Management”
documentation.

1-3
1 Startup and Shutdown

Associating Files with MATLAB on Windows Platforms

When you install MATLAB on Windows platforms, the installer sets up associations
between certain file types and MathWorks products. When you double-click one of these
files in the Windows Explorer (file manager), Windows executes the open action specified
by the file association. If Windows starts MATLAB, it opens the version of MATLAB
associated with that file type.

By default, MATLAB associates the latest installed version to MATLAB file types. If
you use the Windows file manager or the Control Panel to associate a MATLAB version
to a file type, that version remains associated with the file type even when you install
another MATLAB. If, instead, you always want to use the latest MATLAB version, you
must manually reassociate the type with each new installation of MATLAB. If you want
to return to the default behavior, uninstall every MATLAB that is manually associated to
any MATLAB file type. Then reinstall the latest MATLAB release.

Sometimes double-clicking a MATLAB file in the Windows file manager opens a new
instance of the version of MATLAB that is already open. To work around this issue,
uninstall versions of MATLAB, release R2010a or earlier. Then reinstall MATLAB
R2010b or later.

Alternatively, change the security setting on the matlabroot\toolbox\local

\pathdef.m file to allow the Users group to write to the file. For more information,
see http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/93468-why-is-a-new-instance-of-
matlab-opened-when-i-double-click-on-a-matlab-file-in-windows-explorer-even.

More About
• “MathWorks File Extensions” on page 6-28
• “Associate .mat Files with MATLAB” on page 1-5

1-4
 Associate .mat Files with MATLAB

Associate .mat Files with MATLAB

To associate a .mat extension type with MATLAB R2010b or later, use the Microsoft
Windows Default Programs control panel.

1 Open the Windows Control Panel. The Control Panel is typically available from
the Windows Start menu, or refer to your Windows documentation.
2 From View by: Category, select Programs.
3 Select Default Programs.
4 Select Set your default programs. The Programs pane shows installed versions
of MATLAB, R2010b and later.
5 Select a MATLAB release, then Choose defaults for this program.
6 Check the box next to the .mat entry.
7 Select Save.
8 Close all dialog boxes and menus, and exit the Control Panel.

If you want to use MATLAB R2010a or earlier, choose the Associate a file type or
protocol with a program options from the Default Programs menu instead. Scroll
down the list of file types to the .mat entry. Select Change Program... and choose a
version of MATLAB from the Recommended Programs list. Do not use the Browse
button.

For information about using these options, see your Windows documentation.

Note: By default, MATLAB associates the latest installed version to MATLAB file types.
However, once you use the Windows Control Panel or the file manager to associate a
MATLAB version to a file type, you must manually reassociate the type with each new
installation of MATLAB. If you want to return to the default behavior, uninstall every
MATLAB that is manually associated to any MATLAB file type. Then reinstall the latest
MATLAB release.

More About
• “Associating Files with MATLAB on Windows Platforms” on page 1-4

1-5
1 Startup and Shutdown

Start MATLAB on Linux Platforms

To start MATLAB on Linux platforms, type matlab at the operating system prompt.

If you did not set up symbolic links in the installation procedure, type matlabroot/
bin/matlab, where matlabroot is the name of the folder in which you installed
MATLAB.

After starting MATLAB, the desktop opens. Desktop components that were open when
you last shut down MATLAB are opened on startup.

If the DISPLAY environment variable is not set or is invalid, the desktop does not display.
If you have trouble starting MATLAB, see “Troubleshooting Installation” topics in the
Installation Guide.

You can specify the initial working folder and other options — for more information,
see “MATLAB Startup Folder” on page 1-16 and “Specify Startup Options” on page
1-21.

To execute a MATLAB script, for example hello.m, via a remote ssh login, at the
command shell type:
ssh local.foo.com matlab -nodisplay -nojvm < hello.m

The ssh command pipes hello.m to MATLAB running on the remote host,
local.foo.com. The -nodisplay option starts MATLAB without the desktop.

See Also
matlab (Linux)

1-6
 Start MATLAB on Mac Platforms

Start MATLAB on Mac Platforms

In this section...
“From Applications Folder” on page 1-7
“From Terminal Window” on page 1-7

From Applications Folder

This example shows how to start MATLAB from the Applications folder.

Double-click the MATLAB icon in the Applications/matlabroot folder, where

matlabroot is the name of the folder in which you installed MATLAB.

The desktop opens, including components that were open when you last shut down
MATLAB.

The default startup folder is userhome/Documents/MATLAB.

MATLAB automatically adds the userpath folder to the top of its search path.

If MATLAB fails to start due to a problem with required system components such as
Java® software, diagnostics run automatically and advise you of the problem, with
suggestions to correct it.

From Terminal Window

This example shows how to start MATLAB from a terminal window.

Open a Terminal window.

Navigate to your MATLAB installation folder,

/Applications/matlabroot/MATLAB_Release.app/bin

where matlabroot is the name of the folder in which you installed MATLAB, and
Release is your MATLAB release number, for example, R2013b.

Start MATLAB.
./matlab

1-7
1 Startup and Shutdown

The desktop opens, including components that were open when you last shut down
MATLAB.

The default startup folder is the MATLAB installation folder.

MATLAB automatically adds the userpath folder to the top of its search path.

If MATLAB fails to start due to a problem with required system components such
as Java software, diagnostics run automatically and advise you of the problem, with
suggestions to correct it.

See Also
matlab (Mac)

More About
• “MATLAB Startup Folder” on page 1-16
• “Troubleshooting Installation”

1-8
 Exit MATLAB

Exit MATLAB

In this section...
“Ways to Exit” on page 1-9
“Confirm Exiting” on page 1-9
“Running a Script When Exiting” on page 1-10

Ways to Exit
At any time, do one of the following:

• Click the Close box in the MATLAB desktop.

• Click on the left side of the desktop title bar and select Close.
• Type quit or exit at the command prompt.

MATLAB closes after:

• Prompting you to confirm exiting, if that preference is specified.

• Prompting you to save any unsaved files
• Running a script when exiting, if the finish.m script exists in the current folder or
on the search path.

Confirm Exiting
To set a preference that displays a confirmation dialog box when you exit:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences.

2 Select MATLAB > General > Confirmation Dialogs.
3 Select the Confirm before exiting MATLAB check box and click OK.

MATLAB then displays the following dialog box when you exit.

1-9
1 Startup and Shutdown

You can also display your own exit confirmation dialog box using a finish.m script, as
described in the following section.

Running a Script When Exiting

When MATLAB exits, it runs the script finish.m, if finish.m exists in the current
folder or anywhere on the search path. You create the file finish.m containing
statements such as saving the workspace or displaying a confirmation dialog box. There
are two sample files in matlabroot/toolbox/local that you can use as the basis for
your own finish.m file:

• finishsav.m — Includes a save function so the workspace is saved to a MAT-file.

• finishdlg.m — Displays a confirmation dialog box that allows you to cancel
quitting.

See Also
exit | finish | quit

More About
• “Confirmation Dialog Boxes Preferences” on page 2-52
• “Recovering Data After an Abnormal Termination” on page 1-11
• “Error Log Reporting” on page 1-12
• “When MATLAB Terminates Unexpectedly” on page 1-13

1-10
 Recovering Data After an Abnormal Termination

Recovering Data After an Abnormal Termination

If MATLAB terminates unexpectedly, you might lose information. After you start
MATLAB again, you can try the following suggestions to recover some of the information.
Some of these suggestions refer to actions you need to take during the session before
MATLAB terminates. If you did not take those actions, consider regularly performing
them to help you recover from any future abnormal terminations you might experience.

• Use the Command History or the file on which it is based, history.m, to run
statements from the previous session. You might be able to recreate data as it was
before the termination.
• If you used the diary function or -logfile startup option for the session in which
MATLAB terminated unexpectedly, you might be able to recover output.
• If you saved the workspace to a MAT-file during the session, you can recover it by
loading the MAT-file.
• If you were editing a file in the Editor when MATLAB terminated unexpectedly, and
you had the backup feature enabled, you should be able to recover changes you made
to files you had not saved. To recover, open the file in the Editor.
• If you were in a Simulink® session when a segmentation violation occurred, and you
have the Simulink Autosave Options preference selected, the last autosave file for
the model reflects the state of the autosave data before the segmentation violation.
Because Simulink models might be corrupted by a segmentation violation, a model
is not autosaved after a segmentation violation occurs. To recover the file, open the
model.

See Also
diary | load | save

Related Examples
• “Save and Load Workspace Variables” on page 5-15
• “Save Files”

More About
• “Commonly Used Startup Options” on page 1-19

1-11
1 Startup and Shutdown

Error Log Reporting

Upon startup, if MATLAB detects an error log generated by a serious problem during
the previous session, an Error Log Reporter prompts you to email the log to MathWorks
for analysis. The error log contains the stack trace and information about the MATLAB
software configuration. If the problem occurs repeatedly, make note of what seems to
cause it, look for information about it in the MathWorks Bug Reports database, and if
the problem is reproducible, submit a Service Request via http://www.mathworks.com/
support/contact_us/ts/help_request_1.html.

Emailing Error Log Reports

There are some situations where the Error Log Reporter does not open, for example,
when you start MATLAB with a -r option or run in deployed mode. It also does not open
if you selected the Never Send option the last time the Error Log Reporter opened.
If you experience abnormal termination but do not see the Error Log Reporter on
subsequent startups, you can instead email the reports. To locate the error log reports,
type:
dir(fullfile(tempdir,'matlab_crash_dump.*.*'))

Copy the contents of the file into the body of an email message and send to
[email protected]. After you send the log file, delete it or move it to another location.
If you do not delete it, the Error Log Reporter might detect it on the next startup and
prompt you to send it, even if you already did.

See Also
tempdir

1-12
 When MATLAB Terminates Unexpectedly

When MATLAB Terminates Unexpectedly

In the event MATLAB experiences a segmentation violation (segv) or other serious
problem, the MATLAB System Error dialog box opens to notify you about the problem.
When this occurs, the internal state of MATLAB is unreliable and not suitable for further
use. Exit as soon as possible and then restart. However, you might want to first try to
save your work in progress.

To exit and restart without trying to save your work, follow these steps:

1 If you want to view the stack trace for the problem, click Details.
2 Click Close to terminate MATLAB.
3 Restart MATLAB. If the Error Log Reporter dialog box opens, select the option to
send a report to MathWorks.

To try to save your work in progress before exiting and restarting MATLAB, follow these
steps:

1 If you want to view the stack trace for the problem, click Details.
2 Click Attempt to Continue. MATLAB tries to return to the Command Window or
tool you were using.

The Command Window displays the message Please exit and restart MATLAB
to the left of the prompt, which reminds you to discontinue use.
3 From the Command Window or tool, try to save the workspace and unsaved files.

Caution Because the internal state of MATLAB might be corrupted, do not

save existing files to the same file name. Instead, specify a new file name. The
information in the new file might be corrupted or incomplete.
4 Exit MATLAB immediately after saving because any further usage would be
unreliable.
5 Restart MATLAB. If the Error Log Reporter dialog box opens, select the option to
send a report to MathWorks.

1-13
1 Startup and Shutdown

Specifying Java Startup Options

You can specify custom Java startup options by creating a java.opts file, a text file
containing one option per line. For example, use the -Dproperty=value command to
assign a value to a system property.

Put the java.opts file in one of the following folders:

• MATLAB startup folder on page 1-16, if starting MATLAB from a command

prompt.
• If there is no java.opts file in the startup folder, MATLAB checks the
matlabroot/bin/arch folder. matlabroot is the output of the matlabroot
function and arch is the output of the computer('arch') function.

A java.opts file in this location applies to all users, but individual users might not
have permissions to modify files there.

Do not use a java.opts file in the following situations:

• To enable the use of the Java debugger, use the matlab -jdb command. For
information, see matlab (Linux) or matlab (Mac).
• To adjust the Java heap size on desktop versions of MATLAB, use “Java Heap
Memory Preferences”.
• To modify the static Java class path, create a javaclasspath.txt file. For
information, see “Static Path”.

To modify the library path, create a javalibrarypath.txt file. For information, see
“Locating Native Method Libraries”.

See Also
matlab (Linux) | matlab (Mac)

Related Examples
• “Java Heap Memory Preferences”
• “Static Path”
• “Locating Native Method Libraries”

1-14
 Specifying Java Startup Options

More About
• “MATLAB Startup Folder” on page 1-16

1-15
1 Startup and Shutdown

MATLAB Startup Folder

By default, MATLAB sets the initial working folder (startup folder) based on the method
you use to start MATLAB. To identify the startup folder, type pwd at the command line
immediately after starting MATLAB and before typing any other commands. You can
change the startup folder using the userpath function or the General Preferences panel.
For convenience, make this folder a folder that you frequently use.

Note: If a startup.m file changes the current folder, this value overrides the initial
working folder value. Do not add cd statements to startup.m. For more information
about user-defined options, see startup.

In this section...
“Default Folder on Windows Platforms” on page 1-16
“Default Folder on Mac Platforms” on page 1-17
“Default Folder on Linux Platforms” on page 1-17
“userpath as Initial Working Folder” on page 1-17
“Changing the Startup Folder” on page 1-18

Default Folder on Windows Platforms

How You Start MATLAB Startup Folder

Double-click the MATLAB The startup folder is set to the userpath value,
shortcut on your Windows whose default value is Documents\MATLAB. The
desktop userpath folder is automatically added to the search
path. If MATLAB does not find a valid userpath
value, the startup folder is C:\Windows\System32.
Double-click a file type The folder in which the file resides is the startup
associated with MATLAB folder. The userpath folder is automatically added to
the search path.
In a DOS window The folder in which you ran the matlab command
is the startup folder. The userpath folder is
automatically added to the search path.

1-16
 MATLAB Startup Folder

Default Folder on Mac Platforms

How You Start MATLAB Startup Folder
Double-click the MATLAB The startup folder is the value returned when you
application enter userpath, which by default is userhome/
Documents/MATLAB. MATLAB automatically adds
the userpath folder to the top of its search path upon
startup. To specify a different folder for userpath,
and for other options, use the userpath function.

You can specify that the userpath be the startup

folder by setting the value of the environment variable
MATLAB_USE_USERWORK to 1.
Start MATLAB in a shell The startup folder is the MATLAB installation folder.

Default Folder on Linux Platforms

On Linux platforms, the default startup folder is the folder from which you started
MATLAB.

To specify the userpath as the startup folder, set the value of the environment variable
MATLAB_USE_USERWORK to 1 before startup. By default, userpath is userhome/
Documents/MATLAB, and MATLAB automatically adds the userpath folder to the top
of the search path upon startup. To specify a different folder for userpath, and for other
options, use the MATLAB userpath function.

userpath as Initial Working Folder

Using userpath as the startup folder offers these benefits:

• You can store the MATLAB files you work with in one, appropriately named location,
such as Documents/MATLAB.
• Your MATLAB files are readily available at startup, because the current folder is
always the same.
• You can always run your files because MATLAB automatically adds the userpath
folder to the top of the search path.
• The first time you run a new version of MATLAB, MATLAB automatically creates the
userpath folder if it does not exist.

1-17
1 Startup and Shutdown

• When you upgrade to a newer version of MATLAB, MATLAB automatically continues

to use the same startup folder and your existing files.
• The default userpath utilizes the benefits provided by the standard location in
the Windows and Macintosh environments for storing personal files. Files in the
Documents/MATLAB folder are available to you when you use other machines.
Because each user has their own Documents/MATLAB folder, other users, even those
using your machine, cannot access files in your Documents/MATLAB folder.

Changing the Startup Folder

Starting in R2014b, you can change the startup folder using the General Preferences
panel. On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select
MATLAB > General. Choose an option for the Initial working folder.

By default, the initial working folder is set to Location based on MATLAB startup
rules.

See Also
startup | userpath

Related Examples
• “Specify Startup Options” on page 1-21
• “Assign userpath as Startup Folder (Macintosh or UNIX)” on page 6-51

More About
• “General Preferences” on page 2-51
• “Determine If Files and Folders Are on the Search Path” on page 6-42

1-18
 Commonly Used Startup Options

Commonly Used Startup Options

The following table lists commonly used startup options for the matlab command. For a
complete list of options, refer to the input arguments for matlab (Windows), matlab
(Mac), or matlab (Linux).

Platform Option Description

All -c licensefile Set LM_LICENSE_FILE to licensefile. It can have the form
port@host.
All -h or -help Display startup options (without starting MATLAB).
All -logfile Automatically write output from MATLAB to the specified log
"logfilename" file.
Windows -minimize Start MATLAB with the desktop minimized. Any desktop tools
platforms or documents that were undocked when MATLAB was last
closed are not minimized at startup.
Mac and -nojvm Start MATLAB without loading the JVM™ software. This
Linux minimizes memory usage and improves initial startup speed,
platforms but restricts functionality. With nojvm, you cannot use the
desktop, figures, or any tools that require Java software.

For example, you cannot set preferences if you start MATLAB

with the -nojvm option. However, you can start MATLAB
once without the -nojvm option, set the preference, and quit
MATLAB. MATLAB remembers that preference when you start
it again, even if you use the -nojvm option.
All -nosplash Start MATLAB without displaying its splash screen.
All -r "statement" Automatically run the specified statement immediately after
MATLAB starts. This is sometimes referred to as calling
MATLAB in batch mode. Files you run must be in the startup
folder for MATLAB or on the search path. Do not include
path names or file extensions. Enclose the statement in
double quotation marks ("statement"). To separate multiple
statements, use semicolons or commas.
All - Limit MATLAB to a single computational thread. By default,
singleCompThread Windows uses the multithreading capabilities of the computer
on which it is running.

1-19
1 Startup and Shutdown

See Also
matlab (Linux) | matlab (Mac) | matlab (Windows)

1-20
 Specify Startup Options

Specify Startup Options

In this section...
“Startup Options from Operating System Prompt” on page 1-21
“Startup Options in Shortcut on Windows Systems” on page 1-21
“Startup Options in MATLAB Startup File” on page 1-22
“Passing Perl Variables on Startup” on page 1-22
“Startup and Calling Java Software from MATLAB” on page 1-23

Startup Options from Operating System Prompt

You can specify startup options (also called command flags or command-line switches)
that instruct the MATLAB program to perform certain operations when you start it.
On all platforms, specify the options as arguments to the matlab command when you
start at the operating system prompt. For example, the following starts MATLAB and
suppresses the display of the splash screen.
matlab -nosplash

On Windows platforms, you can precede a startup option with either a hyphen (-) or a
slash (/). For example, -nosplash and /nosplash are equivalent.

Startup Options in Shortcut on Windows Systems

You can add selected startup options (also called command flags or switches for the
command line) to the target path for your shortcut on the Windows platform for
MATLAB.

To use startup options for the MATLAB shortcut icon on a Windows platform, follow
these steps:

1 Right-click the shortcut icon for MATLAB and select Properties from the context
menu. The Properties dialog box for MATLAB opens to the Shortcut pane.
2 In the Target field, after the target path for "matlab.exe", add the startup option,
and click OK.

This example runs the MATLAB results script or function after startup, where
results.m is in the startup folder or on the MATLAB search path. The text in the
Target field is similar to the following:

1-21
1 Startup and Shutdown

"C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2010b\bin\matlab.exe" -r "results"

Include the statement, but not the option (-r) in double quotation marks.

Use semicolons or commas to separate multiple statements. This example changes the
format to short, and then runs the MATLAB code file results:

"... matlab.exe" -r "format('short');results"

Separate multiple options with spaces. This example starts MATLAB without displaying
the splash screen, and then runs the MATLAB code file results:

"... matlab.exe" -nosplash -r "results"

Startup Options in MATLAB Startup File

The startup.m file is a file you create to specify startup options. Create the startup.m
file in a folder on the MATLAB search path. Use startup.m to modify the default search
path, predefine variables in your workspace, or define defaults for graphics objects. For
example, the following statement adds the user-defined folder /home/myname/mytools
to the search path.
addpath /home/myname/mytools

To change the current folder on startup to mytools, set the Initial working folder
value, described in “General Preferences” on page 2-51, to:
/home/myname/mytools

At startup, MATLAB automatically executes the file matlabrc.m and, if it exists on the
MATLAB search path, startup.m. The file matlabrc.m, which is in the matlabroot/
toolbox/local folder, is reserved for use by MathWorks and by system administrators
on multiuser systems. To locate the startup.m file, type:

which startup

If MATLAB finds a startup.m file, it displays the path to the file.

Passing Perl Variables on Startup

You can pass Perl variables to MATLAB on startup by using the -r option of the matlab
function. For example, assume a MATLAB function test that takes one input variable:

1-22
 Specify Startup Options

function test(x)

To pass a Perl variable instead of a constant as the input parameter, follow these steps.
This command starts MATLAB and runs test with the input argument 10.

1 Create a Perl script such as

#!/usr/local/bin/perl
$val = 10;
system('matlab -r "test(' . ${val} . ')"');
2 Invoke the Perl script at the prompt using a Perl interpreter.

For more information, see the -r option in matlab (Windows), matlab (Mac), or
matlab (Linux).

Startup and Calling Java Software from MATLAB

When MATLAB starts, it constructs the class path for Java software using
javaclasspath.txt and javalibrarypath.txt files. For more information, see
“Java Class Path” and “Locating Native Method Libraries”.

For information about memory allocation for Java objects, see “Java Heap Memory
Preferences”.

See Also
matlab (Linux) | matlab (Mac) | matlab (Windows)

More About
• “Commonly Used Startup Options” on page 1-19

1-23
1 Startup and Shutdown

Toolbox Path Caching in MATLAB

In this section...
“About Toolbox Path Caching in MATLAB” on page 1-24
“Using the Cache File Upon Startup” on page 1-24
“Updating the Cache and Cache File” on page 1-24
“More Diagnostics with Toolbox Path Caching” on page 1-26

About Toolbox Path Caching in MATLAB

For performance reasons, MATLAB caches toolbox folder information across sessions.
The caching features are mostly transparent to you. However, if MATLAB does not
see the latest versions of your MATLAB code files or if you receive warnings about the
toolbox path cache, you might need to update the cache.

Using the Cache File Upon Startup

Upon startup, MATLAB gets information from a cache file to build the toolbox folder
cache. Because of the cache file, startup is faster, especially if you run MATLAB from a
network server or if you have many toolbox folders. When you end a session, MATLAB
updates the cache file.

MATLAB does not use the cache file at startup if you clear the Enable toolbox path
cache check box in General Preferences. Instead, it creates the cache by reading from
the operating system folders, which is slower than using the cache file.

Updating the Cache and Cache File

How the Toolbox Path Cache Works

MATLAB caches (essentially, stores in a known files list) the names and locations of files
in matlabroot/toolbox folders. These folders are for files provided with MathWorks
products that should not change except for product installations and updates. Caching
those folders provides better performance during a session because MATLAB does not
actively monitor those folders.

1-24
 Toolbox Path Caching in MATLAB

We strongly recommend that you save any MATLAB code files you create and any
files provided by MathWorks that you edit in a folder that is not in the matlabroot/
toolbox folder tree. If you keep your files in matlabroot/toolbox folders, they might
be overwritten when you install a new version of MATLAB.

When to Update the Cache

When you add files to matlabroot/toolbox folders, the cache and the cache file need
to be updated. MATLAB updates the cache and cache file automatically when you install
toolboxes or toolbox updates using the installer for MATLAB. MATLAB also updates the
cache and cache file automatically when you use MATLAB tools, such as when you save
files from the MATLAB Editor to matlabroot/toolbox folders.

When you add or remove files in matlabroot/toolbox folders by some other means,
MATLAB might not recognize those changes. For example, when you:

• Save new files in matlabroot/toolbox folders using an external editor

• Use operating system features and commands to add or remove files in matlabroot/
toolbox folders

MATLAB displays this message:

Undefined function or variable

Update the cache so MATLAB recognizes the changes you made in matlabroot/
toolbox folders.

Steps to Update the Cache

To update the cache and the cache file,

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > General.

The General Preferences pane is displayed.

2 Click Update Toolbox Path Cache and click OK.

Function Alternative

To update the cache, use rehash toolbox. To also update the cache file, use rehash
toolboxcache. For more information, see rehash.

1-25
1 Startup and Shutdown

More Diagnostics with Toolbox Path Caching

To display information about startup time when you start MATLAB, select the Enable
toolbox path cache diagnostics check box in General Preferences.

1-26
 2

Desktop

• “Change Fonts” on page 2-2

• “Fonts Custom Preferences” on page 2-5
• “Change Color Settings” on page 2-6
• “Access Frequently Used Features” on page 2-9
• “Optimize Desktop Layout for Limited Screen Space” on page 2-11
• “Define Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-15
• “Set Print Options” on page 2-36
• “Web Browsers and MATLAB” on page 2-39
• “Manage Your Licenses” on page 2-43
• “Check for Software Updates” on page 2-45
• “Macintosh Platform Conventions” on page 2-46
• “Preferences” on page 2-48
• “Web Preferences” on page 2-59
2 Desktop

Change Fonts
In this section...
“Font Preferences” on page 2-2
“Help and Web Browser Fonts” on page 2-3
“Adding Fonts on Windows Systems” on page 2-3

Font Preferences
Change the font for desktop tools using the Fonts Preferences dialog box. Access this
dialog box on the Home tab, in the Environment section, by clicking Preferences.
Select MATLAB > Fonts.

The default font that MATLAB uses for a particular tool depends upon its content:

• Code tools, such as the Command Window and Editor, use a monospaced font to
preserve vertical alignment.
• Text-based tools, such as the Current Folder browser, use your system’s font.
• A few specific tools, including the Profiler, use a custom proportional font.

You can change the font for the group of code tools, for the group of text-based tools, or
for individual tools. To change the font for an individual tool, or to move a tool from one
group to another, click Custom Fonts and set the preferences for that tool.

This table describes the factory defaults for each group of tools. Refer to this table to
restore fonts to their original state.

Font Group Factory Defaults Default Font Group Tools

Desktop code font Monospaced, Plain, 10 point Command History

Command Window

Editor (and Shortcuts Editor)

Desktop text font Your system's current font Current Folder browser (and Path
browser)

Workspace browser

Variables editor

2-2
 Change Fonts

Font Group Factory Defaults Default Font Group Tools

Function Browser
Custom fonts SansSerif, Plain, 10 point Profiler (and Code Analyzer
messages, Function Browser help,
and Supplemental Software help)

Note: For the Profiler, you can change the font type and size, but not the style (for
example, bold or italic).

UNIX®1 systems include a preference to apply antialiasing: Use antialiasing to

smooth desktop fonts. Select this preference for a smoother desktop appearance.
You must restart MATLAB for the preference to take effect. This option is not provided
on Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh platforms, because MATLAB follows the
operating system’s font settings on these platforms.

Help and Web Browser Fonts

To adjust the font size in the Help browser or MATLAB web browser, right-click the page
and select Zoom In or Zoom Out. You cannot change the font type or style.

Adding Fonts on Windows Systems

MATLAB determines the set of fonts for the Preferences dialog box from your system
settings on the first use of fonts within a session.

If, during a MATLAB session, you install a font that MATLAB can use, restart MATLAB
to include it in the list. A common reason to install additional fonts is to read files created
in different languages. For details on adding fonts to your system, refer to the Microsoft
Windows help.

If MATLAB cannot display a particular font, it excludes that font from the list. The
criteria for compatible fonts are as follows:

• For desktop components (such as the Command Window), figure windows, and
uicontrols — Fonts compatible with TrueType and Microsoft OpenType® fonts

1. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries.

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2 Desktop

• For graphics objects, such as xlabel, ylabel, title, and text — TrueType and
Microsoft OpenType fonts

MATLAB looks for fonts in the following locations:

• The operating system's standard location (see your system administrator for details)
• The /jre/lib/fonts folder where Java software is installed on your system

Related Examples
• “Set Print Options” on page 2-36

2-4
 Fonts Custom Preferences

Fonts Custom Preferences

You can override font settings for individual desktop tools, as described in the table that
follows. Desktop tools otherwise use the settings that the “Font Preferences” on page 2-2
specify.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB
> Fonts > Custom, and then set options as described in this table:

Preference Usage
Desktop tools Select the desktop tool for which you want to view or customize
fonts, such as the Command Window or Editor.
Font to use Indicates the font currently being used in the selected desktop
tool. Use one of these fonts to change it.

• Desktop code

Uses the characteristics of the desktop code font, as described

in “Font Preferences” on page 2-2.
• Desktop text

Uses the characteristics of the desktop text font, as described

in “Font Preferences” on page 2-2.
• Custom

Uses the type, style, and size you specify in the fields.

For the Profiler, you can change the font type and size, but
changes to the font style (for example, bold or italic) have no
effect.

2-5
2 Desktop

Change Color Settings

In this section...
“Changing Text and Background Colors in Desktop Tools” on page 2-6
“Changing Syntax Highlighting Colors” on page 2-6
“Changing Command Window Colors” on page 2-7
“Changing Code Analyzer Colors” on page 2-7

Changing Text and Background Colors in Desktop Tools

To change the colors that MATLAB uses for text and background in desktop tools, follow
these steps:

Note: The colors you specify also apply to the Import Wizard, but do not apply to the
Help display pane or the web browser.

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Colors.
2 Clear Use system colors.

System colors are the text and background colors that your platform (for example,
Microsoft Windows) uses for other applications.
3 Select the colors you want to use from the Text and Background color palettes.

When you choose a color, the Syntax Highlighting sample and Command
Window sample areas in the dialog box update to show you how it looks.

Tip If you use a gray background color, a selection in an inactive window is not
visible.
4 Click OK.

Changing Syntax Highlighting Colors

In the Command Window, Command History, Editor, and Shortcuts callback area,
MATLAB conveys syntax information using different colors. This feature, known as

2-6
 Change Color Settings

syntax highlighting, helps you to identify syntax elements, such as if/else statements
at a glance. The Editor also provides syntax highlights colors for other languages.

In the Command Window, only the MATLAB input you type is highlighted. The output
from running MATLAB functions is not highlighted.

To change syntax highlighting colors, follow these steps:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Editor/Debugger > Language.
2 From the Language drop-down menu, select the language for which you want to
change syntax highlighting colors.
3 In the Syntax highlighting section, select Enable syntax highlighting.
4 Change the colors.

• If you set the Language to MATLAB, click the Set syntax colors link, and then
change the colors under MATLAB syntax highlighting colors.
• If you did not set the Language to MATLAB, change the colors under Syntax
highlighting.
5 Click OK.

Changing Command Window Colors

To change the colors that MATLAB uses for errors, warnings and hyperlinks in the
Command Window, follow these steps:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Colors.
2 Select the colors you want to use from the Error text and Warning text, and
Hyperlinks color palettes.

When you choose a color, the Command Window sample area in the dialog box
updates to show you how it looks.
3 Click OK.

Changing Code Analyzer Colors

Code Analyzer helps you to identify potential problems and refine your MATLAB code.
By default, the Editor indicates:

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2 Desktop

• Code for which there are warnings, by underlining that code with an orange wavy line
and placing an orange line in the message bar.
• Code for which there are errors, by underlining that code with a red wavy line and
placing a red line in the message bar.
• Code that MATLAB can fix automatically (autofix), by highlighting that code in tan.

To change Code Analyzer colors:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Colors > Programming Tools.
2 Under Code analyzer colors, select the colors you want for warnings, autofix
highlighting, or both.
3 Decide if you want autofix highlights to appear in the Editor.

Clear Autofix highlight if you do not want autofix highlights to appear in the
Editor; select Autofix highlight if you do.
4 Click Apply.
5 Decide if you want to change the color that the Code Analyzer uses for errors.

• If you do not, go to step 6.

• If you do, then:

a In the left navigation pane, click Colors.

b Under MATLAB syntax highlighting colors, change the color for Errors.

In addition to changing the color of Code Analyzer indicators for errors, this
action also changes the color for errors in the Command Window, Command
History window, Editor, and Shortcuts callback area.
6 Click OK.

For more information, see “Automatically Check Code in the Editor — Code Analyzer”.

2-8
 Access Frequently Used Features

Access Frequently Used Features

The quick access toolbar provides access to frequently used operations. This toolbar is
always visible, even when you navigate between different MATLAB Toolstrip tabs.

You can change the location of the quick access toolbar. On the Home tab, in the
Environment section, click Layout, and then select an option for the Quick Access
Toolbar.

To add a Toolstrip button to the quick access toolbar, right-click the button, and then
select Add to Quick Access Toolbar.

To add, remove, or arrange buttons on the quick access toolbar, follow these steps:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Then, select
MATLAB > Toolbars.
2 From the Toolbar drop-down menu, select Quick Access.

The controls for the selected toolbar appear in the Layout and Controls sections of
the Toolbars Preferences pane.
3 In the Controls list, select or clear the check box for controls that you want to
display or remove from the toolbar, respectively.
4 Under Layout, rearrange the controls and separator bars on the selected toolbar, by
doing either of the following:

• Drag the icon for a control or separator bar to another position.

• Select a Layout icon, and then click one of the Layout buttons below the layout
icons.

For instance, to move the MATLAB desktop Cut icon to the beginning of the
toolbar, select the Cut icon , and then click .

2-9
2 Desktop

5 Click Apply or OK.

2-10
 Optimize Desktop Layout for Limited Screen Space

Optimize Desktop Layout for Limited Screen Space

In this section...
“Desktop Layout” on page 2-11
“Document Layout” on page 2-13

Desktop Layout
You can close, minimize, and undock desktop tools to optimize the desktop layout. Once
you design a layout you like, you can save it for reuse.

This table shows how you can optimize the MATLAB desktop layout on your screen.

Action Procedure
Minimize or restore the MATLAB
At the upper right corner of the Toolstrip, click
Toolstrip
or .
Open or hide a tool On the Home tab, in the Environment section,
click Layout. Then, under Show, select, or clear
desktop tools you want to show or hide.

You also can use a function to open desktop tools.

For example, to open the Editor, use edit. To open
the Profiler, use profile with the viewer option.
Maximize a tool Do one of the following:

• Double-click the title bar in that tool.

• On the title bar of a docked tool, click , and
then select Maximize.
Minimize a tool On the title bar of a docked tool, click , and then
select Minimize .

The button for the tool appears along the edge of

the MATLAB desktop indicated by the arrow in the
Minimize icon. Move the button to a different edge
of the desktop by dragging it.

2-11
2 Desktop

Action Procedure
Use a minimized tool Click the button for the tool to open the tool
temporarily on the desktop. When you finish using
the tool, click another tool.
Restore a tool as it appeared before Do one of the following:
maximizing or minimizing
• Double-click the title bar of the maximized tool,
or the button of the minimized tool.
• On the title bar of the tool, click , and then
select Restore.
• Click the Restore button on the title bar in
that tool.
Move a tool Drag a tool by its title bar to a new location. The
status bar indicates where the tool moves if you
release the mouse.
Close a tool On the title bar of a docked tool, click , and then
select Close.
Show or hide title bars On the Home tab, in the Environment section,
click Layout. Then, under Show, select, or clear
Panel Titles.
Show or hide a toolbar in a figure From the View menu, select the toolbar of interest.
window
Undock tools to move them outside Do one of the following:
the desktop
• Drag a tool by its title bar to a new location
outside of the MATLAB desktop.
• On the title bar of the tool, click , and then
select Undock.
Move undocked tools back to the At the upper right of the tool panel, click , and
desktop then select Dock.

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 Optimize Desktop Layout for Limited Screen Space

Action Procedure
Manage a desktop arrangement On the Home tab, in the Environment section,
click Layout, and then select an option.
• Save an arrangement
• Use an arrangement
Note: MATLAB stores the arrangements you
• Rename or delete a saved
save as XML files in the preferences folder for
arrangement
MATLAB. The layout last used in a session is
MATLABDesktop.xml. The MATLABDesktop.xml
file loads when you start MATLAB and is
overwritten when you close MATLAB.

When you end a session, MATLAB saves the current desktop arrangement. The next
time you start MATLAB, the desktop appears as you left it. However, tools such as the
Help browser, web browser, and Variables editor do not reopen automatically, even if
they were open when you ended the last session. You can use startup options to specify
tools that you want to open on startup. For more information, see “Specify Startup
Options” on page 1-21.

Document Layout
When you open MATLAB documents, they open in the associated tool, such as the Editor
or Variables editor. The Editor and Variables editor appear in the position they occupied
when last used. Entries for undocked documents appear on the Windows task bar, or
the equivalent for your platform. Click the task bar entry for a document to make that
document active.

This table shows how to optimize the layout of documents within a tool.

Action Procedure
Move or hide document tabs On the View tab, in the Document Tabs
section, click Tabs Position , and then
select an option.
Reorder documents Drag a document tab to a different position.

To alphabetize names of documents, in the

Document Tabs section of the View tab,
select Alphabetize.

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2 Desktop

Action Procedure
Arrange or tile documents In the Editor and Variables editor, select
the View tab. In the Tiles section, click a
tile option.

In a Figure panel, Help browser, or web

browser, select a tile option, , , , or ,
on the right side of the toolbar.
Move a tiled document Drag the document tab to another tile. If
you drag it to a tile that already contains a
document, the document you are dragging
covers up the other document.
Undock a document Right-click the document tab and then
select Undock.
Close and save the document currently Click .
displaying
Close a document in the Editor without Click Ctrl + .
saving

2-14
 Define Keyboard Shortcuts

Define Keyboard Shortcuts

In this section...
“Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-15
“Choose a Set of Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-15
“Compare Sets of Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-18
“Display Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-19
“Customize Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-22
“Evaluate and Resolve Keyboard Shortcut Conflicts” on page 2-27
“Examples of Creating, Modifying, and Deleting Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-29
“Delete a Set of Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-32
“Use Keyboard Shortcuts Settings Files Created on Other Systems” on page 2-33
“Keyboard Shortcut Restrictions” on page 2-33

Keyboard Shortcuts
To access desktop features quickly, you can use keyboard shortcuts. Press Alt to display
tooltips on MATLAB Toolstrip buttons, indicating what keys to press to access those
features. For example, pressing Alt followed by H accesses the Home tab and displays
tooltips for the features available on that tab. You cannot customize these shortcuts.

An action can have multiple keyboard shortcuts. All defined shortcuts work, but only one
appears on the desktop Toolstrip tooltip.

You can:

• Choose from a set of shortcuts that install with MATLAB.

• Create customized sets of shortcuts.
• Use a set of shortcuts copied from another system

Choose a Set of Keyboard Shortcuts

By default, MATLAB uses keyboard shortcut settings that correspond to the platform on
which you are running. To choose different keyboard shortcut settings, follow these steps:

2-15
2 Desktop

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
2 Click the down arrow in the Active settings field, and make a selection from the
drop-down list, as summarized in this table.

Settings File Option to Select Details

Installed with • On Mac, Mac Default For a description of the files
MATLAB Set that install with MATLAB, see
• On all other systems, “Installed Settings Files for
Windows Default Set Keyboard Shortcuts” on page
or Emacs Default Set 2-16.

Previously added The file name No additional information.

On your system, Browse “Browse to Keyboard Shortcuts
but not in the drop- Settings Files” on page
down list 2-16.
3 Click Apply.

Installed Settings Files for Keyboard Shortcuts

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts settings files installed with MATLAB.

Operating Keyboard Shortcut Settings Files Installed with MATLAB

System
Windows • Windows Default Set (Default)
• Emacs Default Set
UNIX • Emacs Default Set (Default)
• Windows Default Set
Macintosh • Macintosh Default Set (Default)

Browse to Keyboard Shortcuts Settings Files

Browse to use a keyboard shortcuts settings file that is on your system, but not an
Active settings choice in the Keyboard Shortcuts Preferences dialog box. This situation
typically arises when you copy a settings file from another system to a folder other than
the prefdir folder. To browse to a settings file and make it your active settings file,
follow these steps:

2-16
 Define Keyboard Shortcuts

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
2 In the Active settings field, click the down arrow, and then select Browse.
3 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the folder containing the settings file.
4 Select the settings file, and then click Open.
5 In the Keyboard Shortcuts preferences pane, click OK.

The settings file you selected in step 4 is now the active settings file for MATLAB.

Future MATLAB sessions provide this settings file as a choice in the Active settings
drop-down menu.

Use Keyboard Shortcut Settings Files from File Exchange

Download keyboard shortcut settings files from File Exchange when you want to do
either of the following:

• Restore the MATLAB default keyboard shortcuts that were in place for MATLAB
Version 7.9 (R2009a) and earlier releases.
• Find and download keyboard shortcuts that others created and uploaded to File
Exchange.

Follow these steps:

1 Search the File Exchange Web site for the keyboard shortcut set that you want to
use. Files tagged with keyboard shortcuts configurable include:

• MATLAB Desktop R2009a Non-Default Keyboard Shortcut sets

• MATLAB Desktop R2009a Default Keyboard Shortcut sets
2 Click the name of the file submission to view a description of the file.
3 Click the Download Submission button and save the .ZIP file to your computer.
4 In the MATLAB Current Folder browser, navigate to the location of your saved file.
Right-click the downloaded .ZIP file, and then select Extract.

MATLAB creates a subfolder with the same name as the .ZIP file and extracts the
files from that .ZIP file into the newly created folder.
5 In the Current Folder browser, expand the newly created folder, and then double-
click the settings file you want to use.

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2 Desktop

A keyboard key icon preceding a file name indicates a valid keyboard shortcut
settings file.
6 In the Keyboard Shortcuts Preferences dialog box, review the settings, and then click
OK.

The newly downloaded settings file is now in effect.

Compare Sets of Keyboard Shortcuts

Compare sets of keyboard shortcuts to:

• Upgrade MATLAB from a version before Version 7.9 (R2009b).

MATLAB 7.9 made keyboard shortcuts consistent across the desktop. Therefore, you
might find that shortcuts you used before Version 7.9 are different.
• See how a set of keyboard shortcuts you found on File Exchange differs from your
current set of keyboard shortcuts.
• See how a set of keyboard shortcuts differs from the default set.

Steps for Comparing Keyboard Shortcuts

To compare your current set of keyboard shortcuts to another set:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
2 Click the Actions button .
3 From the drop-down menu, choose the set of keyboard shortcuts to which you want
to compare the current set.
4 The Comparison Tool opens and displays the two keyboard shortcut sets side-by-side.

Read the Results of Comparing Sets of Keyboard Shortcuts

When you compare keyboard shortcut sets, they appear in the Comparison Tool as
follows:

• One set displays on the left side of the tool and the other set displays on the right side
of the tool.

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 Define Keyboard Shortcuts

• Each column header displays the name of the keyboard shortcut set contained within
the column.
• Highlighting identifies rows that differ:

• Rows that exist in one file, but not the other, appear in green highlighting.
• Rows that appear in both files, but that differ in content appear in pink
highlighting.
• When multiple desktop tools support the same keyboard shortcut for a single desktop
action, there is a row for each tool. For example, if both the MATLAB desktop and the
Editor support the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+W for closing a selected window, a column
of the Comparison Tool might appear like this:

• When there are multiple keyboard shortcuts for the same action in a single tool,
there is a row for each keyboard shortcut. For example, if there are two different
keyboard shortcuts in the Editor for applying a code analyzer autofix, a column of the
Comparison Tool might appear like this:

• On Macintosh platforms, the textual format of keyboard shortcuts is slightly different

from other platforms, and also differs from the representation shown on MATLAB
desktop menus. These differences are due to the Macintosh platform displaying
shortcuts using symbols. For instance, the Macintosh platform uses the symbol for
a keyboard key. Because the Comparison Tool represents symbols as text, it specifies
the symbol as CMD.

See also “Using Comparison Tool Features” on page 6-21.

Display Keyboard Shortcuts

The following sections describe the various ways you can display keyboard shortcuts:

• “List All Keyboard Shortcuts in a Set” on page 2-20

• “Display Keyboard Shortcuts on Menus” on page 2-20
• “Display Keyboard Shortcuts in the Preferences Dialog Box” on page 2-20

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2 Desktop

List All Keyboard Shortcuts in a Set

You can copy all the keyboard shortcuts from a keyboard shortcuts set and paste them
in a text file or spreadsheet application, such as Microsoft Excel®. To create a list of
keyboard shortcuts for easy browsing and future reference, follow these steps:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
2 Click the Actions button .
3 From the drop-down menu, choose Copy to Clipboard.
4 Open a spreadsheet application or a text editor.

For the best formatting use a spreadsheet application.

5 Paste in the data from the clipboard.

In Microsoft Excel, for example, choose Home > Paste.

Display Keyboard Shortcuts on Menus

If no keyboard shortcut appears on the menu, one does not currently exist for that action.
To create a keyboard shortcut for an action, follow the steps in “Customize Keyboard
Shortcuts” on page 2-22.

Display Keyboard Shortcuts in the Preferences Dialog Box

To identify a keyboard shortcut when there is no menu option for an action, use the
Keyboard Shortcuts Preferences pane:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
2 In the filter field, type the name of the tool for which you want to list the keyboard
shortcuts. For example, type Editor to see the keyboard shortcuts currently defined
for actions you can perform in the Editor.

2-20
 Define Keyboard Shortcuts

3 Narrow the list of Action names that the preferences pane displays by adding text
to describe the action. For example, add clear, if you want to find the keyboard
shortcut for clearing selected text in the Editor. Keep the description text short to
increase the likelihood of the filter returning the action you seek.

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2 Desktop

4 Select the action name of interest. In this example, select Clear Selection.
5 View the table labeled Shortcuts for Clear Selection. It indicates that the Escape
key is the current keyboard shortcut for the Clear Selection action in the Editor.

Customize Keyboard Shortcuts

You can customize or view keyboard shortcuts for MATLAB desktop tools. On the Home
tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Keyboard
> Shortcuts. If you have an active Internet connection, you can watch the Customizable
Keyboard Shortcuts video for an overview.

The following sections provide details:

• “Steps for Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-22

• “Filter Keyboard Shortcut Actions” on page 2-25
• “Specify Keystrokes for a Keyboard Shortcut” on page 2-26
• “Evaluate and Resolve Keyboard Shortcut Conflicts” on page 2-27
• “Examples of Creating, Modifying, and Deleting Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-29
• “Display Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-19

Steps for Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
2 In the Active settings field, choose the file that contains the set of keyboard
shortcuts that you want to customize.

Typically, the first time you modify keyboard shortcuts, you begin with the default
settings for your platform. For details, see “Choose a Set of Keyboard Shortcuts” on
page 2-15.

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 Define Keyboard Shortcuts

3 Under Action name, select the action for which you want to define or modify a
keyboard shortcut. An action is the operation for which you want to customize the
shortcut, such as Clear Command History.

For tips on finding the action you want, see “Filter Keyboard Shortcut Actions” on
page 2-25.
4 Click the Add button .

An editable field opens under the Shortcut column.

5 Type the shortcut that you want to use for the action you selected in Step 3.
Alternatively, you can choose a shortcut from the drop-down menu.

For details, see “Specify Keystrokes for a Keyboard Shortcut” on page 2-26.
6 Assign the shortcut to the tool or tools with which you want to use it. For example, in
the Tools with shortcut column:

a Click the down arrow for the list of desktop tools to which you can assign a
shortcut. Not all actions are available with all desktop tools.
b Select a check box to assign the shortcut to a tool. Clear a check box to remove it.

7 Evaluate and resolve any conflicts, indicated by the informational and error
icons.

For more information, see “Evaluate and Resolve Keyboard Shortcut Conflicts” on
page 2-27.

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2 Desktop

8 Click Apply.

• The keyboard shortcut becomes available immediately.

• If a changed shortcut corresponds to a menu option that previously displayed no
keyboard shortcut, MATLAB reflects the new keyboard shortcut on the menu.

Restore Default Keyboard Shortcut Sets

If you modify keyboard shortcuts, and then decide you do not want to keep the changes,
you can restore the default shortcuts. To restore the default state of a keyboard shortcut:

1 Click the Actions button .

2 Select Undo Modifications to Windows Default Set (modified) or Undo
Modifications to Emacs Default Set (modified), as appropriate for your system.
3 Click OK.

Note: Undoing modifications reverts all keyboard shortcuts changes that you made to the
set. You cannot undo modifications on a shortcut-by-shortcut basis.

Save Keyboard Shortcuts to a Settings File

Save keyboard shortcuts to a settings file to:

• Save changes you make to a default settings file, such as the Windows default set,
to a new set.

MATLAB preserves changes you make to the default sets across sessions. However,
if you undo modifications to a default keyboard shortcut set (as described in “Restore
Default Keyboard Shortcut Sets” on page 2-24) you lose all changes, unless you
first save them to a new set.
• Copy the keyboard shortcuts settings file to another system running MATLAB and
use it there.
• Overwrite a settings file that you previously saved.

You cannot overwrite the default settings files that install with MATLAB. MATLAB
saves modifications that you make to a default set using the name of the default set
appended with the text (modified). For instance, Windows default (modified).
• Share a keyboard shortcuts settings file with others.

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 Define Keyboard Shortcuts

For example, you can submit your file to the File Exchange repository. Click this
link to go directly to the page where you can submit your file: MATLAB Central File
Exchange — Submit New File.

To save a keyboard shortcuts settings file, follow these steps:

1 Open the Keyboard Shortcuts Preferences dialog box. On the Home tab, in the
Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Keyboard >
Shortcuts.
2 Click the Actions button , and then select Save As.
3 In the Save dialog box, navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, specify
the file name, and then click Save.

MATLAB saves the file as an .xml file in the folder that you specified.

Filter Keyboard Shortcut Actions

Use the filter field to see the list of actions for which you can customize or define a
keyboard shortcut:

1 Type all or part of any one of the following:

• An action name, for example, Delete.

MATLAB displays only the action names or desktop menus that contain the text
you specify.
• The name of a desktop tool or menu, for example, File or Command Window.

MATLAB displays a list of the action names associated with the tool or menu you
specify. In addition, the list includes any action names that contain the name of
the tool or menu. For example, if you specify Command History, the list of action
names includes Next History Command, which is a Command Window action.
• A keyboard shortcut, for example, Ctrl+R

MATLAB displays only the action names that have the shortcut you specify. Be
aware of the following:

• You can enter most keyboard shortcuts by either pressing keystrokes or typing
the key names.

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2 Desktop

For example, to enter Ctrl+S, use the keystroke (by pressing the Ctrl key and
the S key). Or, type Ctrl+S character by character (C-t-r-l-+-Y).
• If using keystrokes for a keyboard shortcut does not work, try typing the
characters instead. You must type some keyboard shortcuts character by
character, such as shortcuts including the Tab, Backspace, or Delete keys.
• Type numpad to refer to the number pad that is on the far right of some
keyboards.
• Type Up or Down to refer to the Up arrow or Down arrow keypad keys,
respectively.
2 Verify that an Action name performs the action you expect:

a Hover the mouse pointer over the Action name. For example, Remove Next
Word.
b View the tooltip that appears.

Specify Keystrokes for a Keyboard Shortcut

A keystroke can be a single key or the combination of a modifier (Alt, Shift, or Ctrl)
and another key. When you create a keyboard shortcut, specify the keystrokes for the
shortcut as follows:

1 Click the Add button .

2 Specify the number of keystrokes you want to use for the shortcut:

• To use the default number of keystrokes, which is one keystroke, skip to step 3.
• To specify multiple keystrokes, or to specify explicitly one keystroke follow these
steps:

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 Define Keyboard Shortcuts

a Click the down arrow next to the key icon in the Shortcuts field.
b Choose Limit to 1 keystroke, Limit to 2 keystrokes, or Limit to
3 keystrokes.

For instance, Ctrl+F is one keystroke, Ctrl+Y, Shift+Z is two keystrokes,

and Ctrl+Y, Shift+Z, F9 is three keystrokes.
3 Specify the keystrokes by doing one of the following:

• Type the keystrokes, by pressing the keys, not by typing the key names character
by character.

For example, press the Ctrl key and the Y key. Do not type C-t-r-l-+-Y.
• Choose a keystroke, such as the Tab key, by clicking the down arrow next to the
key icon in the Shortcuts field. Then, choose the key name.

The listed keys already have a defined action within dialog boxes. For example,
the Tab key navigates from one field to the next in dialog boxes.

Evaluate and Resolve Keyboard Shortcut Conflicts

Conflicts arise when two or more different actions have the same shortcut. There is no
requirement that you resolve keyboard shortcut conflicts. However, if the same shortcut
specifies two different actions, the shortcuts can be confusing to use.

View keyboard shortcut conflicts — On the Home tab, in the Environment section,
click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Keyboard > Shortcuts.

The Keyboard Shortcuts preferences pane indicates conflicts using informational and
error icons.

• —An informational icon indicates that two different actions in two different tools
have the same shortcut. For information on resolving these conflicts, see “Actions in
Different Tools Have the Same Shortcut — Evaluating Conflicts” on page 2-28.
• —An error icon indicates that two different actions within the same tool have the
same shortcut. For information on resolving these conflicts, see “Actions in the Same
Tool Have the Same Shortcut — Evaluating Conflicts” on page 2-28.

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Actions in Different Tools Have the Same Shortcut — Evaluating Conflicts

Typically, you want to resolve conflicts indicated by the informational icon when all
the following are true:

• You use both tools frequently.

• You perform both actions frequently.
• You have difficulty remembering the action that the shortcut performs in each tool.

For instance on Microsoft Windows platforms, by default, Ctrl+Shift+U undocks a tool

from the MATLAB desktop. However if you select text in the Editor, and then press Ctrl
+Shift+U, it changes the selected text to uppercase. If you frequently use both of these
actions, you can specify a different keyboard shortcut for one or both actions.

Actions in the Same Tool Have the Same Shortcut — Evaluating Conflicts

Typically, you want to resolve conflicts indicated by the error icon .

It can be unnecessary to resolve these conflicts if one or more of the following are true:

• The situation is temporary.

For instance, you are performing a two-step procedure. In the first step, you assign
the keyboard shortcut to an action that results in a conflict. Then, in the second step,
you remove the shortcut from the original action.
• The two actions are associated with different modes of the same tool.

By default, when the MATLAB Editor is in cell mode, Ctrl+Up and Ctrl+Down move
the cursor to the Next and Previous cell, respectively. When the Editor is not in cell
mode, those keyboard shortcuts scroll up and scroll down, respectively. The shortcuts
are in conflict, but the behavior probably is expected, for the given MATLAB Editor
mode.

Although not evident from the preferences pane, Ctrl+C presents a similar situation
on Windows systems. Ctrl+C is the keyboard shortcut for interrupting MATLAB
execution. However, the default keyboard shortcut for the copy action is also Ctrl+C.
Therefore, if you:

• Select an item, and then press Ctrl+C, it copies the selected item to the clipboard,
— regardless of whether MATLAB is busy.

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 Define Keyboard Shortcuts

• Do not select an item and press Ctrl+C, it interrupts MATLAB execution.

If you change the default keyboard shortcut for the copy action from Ctrl+C to
another keystroke, then Ctrl+C interrupts MATLAB execution, regardless of whether
you have selected an item.

Resolve Keyboard Shortcut Conflicts

To resolve a conflict, change or delete shortcuts such that there is a one-to-one

correspondence between a shortcut and a frequently used action. For examples, see
“Changing a Keyboard Shortcut” on page 2-30 and “Deleting a Keyboard Shortcut” on
page 2-31.

Examples of Creating, Modifying, and Deleting Keyboard Shortcuts

• “Creating a New Keyboard Shortcut” on page 2-29
• “Changing a Keyboard Shortcut” on page 2-30
• “Deleting a Keyboard Shortcut” on page 2-31

Creating a New Keyboard Shortcut

By default, no keyboard shortcut is available for adding a Help topic to the list of
favorites. If you frequently mark topics as favorites, you can define a keyboard shortcut
for this action, as follows:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
2 In the filter field, type Help.
3 Scroll through the Action name list, and select Add to Favorites.
4
Click the plus button

MATLAB adds a row to the table above the plus button.

5 In the Shortcut field, click the down arrow, and then change Limit to 1
keystroke to Limit to 2 keystrokes.
6 In the Shortcut field, press Ctrl+S, and then Alt+V.

Notice that the All possible conflicts table is empty, which indicates that no other
desktop action is currently using this combination of keystrokes.

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7 Click Apply.

Notice that:

• The Add to Favorites dialog box opens when you press Ctrl+S, Alt+V in the Help
browser.
• Ctrl+S, Alt+V appears next to Add to Favorites when you click the Favorites
menu in the Help browser.

Changing a Keyboard Shortcut

Suppose you frequently adjust indenting in the MATLAB Editor. However, you have
difficulty remembering the default keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+[ for decreasing the indent.
So, you decide to change it to something that is easier to remember.

This example changes the keyboard shortcut for Decrease Indent in the MATLAB
Editor from Ctrl+[ to Ctrl+Backspace:.

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences > Keyboard >
Shortcuts.
2 Under Active settings, choose Windows Default Set.
3 In the filter field, press Ctrl+[.
4 Under Action name, select Decrease Indent.

5 In the table labeled Shortcuts for Decrease Indent, under Shortcut, click Ctrl
+[. MATLAB makes the field editable.

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 Define Keyboard Shortcuts

6 In the Shortcut field, press Ctrl+Backspace twice.

The first time you press the key combination, it deletes Ctrl+[. The second time
you press it, Ctrl+Backspace appears in the field.
7 Click Apply.

MATLAB saves your changes to the Windows Default Set (modified) settings.

Deleting a Keyboard Shortcut

Suppose you find yourself frequently pressing the wrong keyboard shortcut. For example,
on Windows, you press Alt+Enter (to apply a code analyzer autofix) instead of Ctrl
+Enter (to evaluate the current cell in the MATLAB Editor ). To avoid accidentally
applying an autofix, delete the Alt+Enter shortcut by following these steps:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

Keyboard > Shortcuts.
2 Under Active settings, choose Windows Default Set or Windows Default Set
(modified).
3 In the filter field, press Alt+Enter.
4 Under Action name, select the row containing Autofix Message.
5 In the next table, under Shortcuts for Autofix Message, select the row containing
Alt+Enter.

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6
Click the remove button .
7 Click Apply.

If it does not exist, MATLAB creates a Windows Default Set (modified)

keyboard shortcut set. This set consists of the Windows Default Set of keyboard
shortcuts, less the shortcut for Alt+Enter. If the Windows Default Set
(modified) settings file exists, then MATLAB deletes the Alt+Enter keyboard
shortcut from that set of keyboard shortcuts.

See also “Delete a Set of Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-32.

Delete a Set of Keyboard Shortcuts

If you previously saved or copied a set of keyboard shortcuts to your system and you no
longer want it, delete it as follows:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
2 Under Active settings, choose the set of keyboard shortcuts that you want to delete.

You cannot delete default keyboard shortcut sets, such as Windows Default Set.
3 Click the Actions button and choose Delete filename, where filename is the
name of a keyboard shortcut set you previously saved or copied to your system.

For information on deleting a single keyboard shortcut from a set that you want to keep,
see “Deleting a Keyboard Shortcut” on page 2-31.

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 Define Keyboard Shortcuts

Use Keyboard Shortcuts Settings Files Created on Other Systems

If you find a keyboard shortcuts settings file that is useful to you, or if you want to use
one you created on a different system, make it the active settings file as follows:

1 Copy the settings file to a folder on your system, such as:

I:\my_matlab_files\active_settings_files\new_settings.xml
2 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select
MATLAB > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
3 In the Active settings field, click the down arrow, and then click Browse.
4 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the folder where you copied the settings file.
5 Select the settings file, and then click Open.
6 In the Keyboard Shortcuts preferences pane, click Apply. The settings file you
specified is now the active settings file for MATLAB.

Keyboard Shortcut Restrictions

These sections describe the tools, portions of tools, and actions for which you cannot
change keyboard shortcuts:

• “Tools for Which You Cannot Customize Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-33
• “Actions for Which You Cannot Customize Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-34

Tools for Which You Cannot Customize Keyboard Shortcuts

You cannot change the keyboard shortcuts associated with the following tools or portions
of tools:

• Figure windows—For example, you cannot modify the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+S, for
saving a MATLAB .fig file.
• Toolboxes—For example, you cannot modify keyboard shortcuts in the SimBiology®
desktop.
• Incremental search—You can modify the keyboard shortcuts for initiating a forward
or backward incremental search. However, you cannot change the keyboard shortcuts
that you use within incremental search mode, such as Ctrl+Shift+S to search
forward.
• Dialog boxes—For example, you cannot create a keyboard shortcut for the OK button.

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Actions for Which You Cannot Customize Keyboard Shortcuts

The following table describes some frequently used actions for which you cannot
customize keyboard shortcuts.

Action Keyboard Shortcut

Cancel the current Esc (escape)
action.
For example, if you select the Edit menu, the menu items display. Pressing
Esc retracts the menu items.

In the Function Browser, pressing Esc up to three times has the following
effects:

1 Dismisses the search history

2 Clears the search field
3 Closes the Function Browser
Interrupt MATLAB Ctrl+C
execution on all
supported platforms.
Interrupt MATLAB Ctrl+Cancel
execution on
Windows and UNIX
systems.
Interrupt MATLAB Cmd+. (period)
execution on
Macintosh systems.
Open context menu Ctrl+Shift+F10
on Windows and
UNIX systems.
Close the desktop and Alt+F4
consequently shut
down the MATLAB
program. Outside
the desktop, close
the active window
(except on Macintosh
platforms).

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 Define Keyboard Shortcuts

Action Keyboard Shortcut

Accessibility Tab for navigating through fields in dialog boxes, for example.
affordances
Make an open tool • Command Window: Ctrl+0
the active tool • Command History: Ctrl+1
• Current Folder: Ctrl+2
• Workspace: Ctrl+3
• Profiler: Ctrl+4
• Figure Palette: Ctrl+6
• Plot Browser: Ctrl+7
• Property Editor: Ctrl+8
• Editor: Ctrl+Shift+0
• Figures: Ctrl+Shift+1
• Web browser: Ctrl+Shift+2
• Variables Editor: Ctrl+Shift+3
• Comparison Tool: Ctrl+Shift+4
• Help browser: Ctrl+Shift+5

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Set Print Options

In this section...
“Page Setup Options” on page 2-36
“Layout Options for Page Setup” on page 2-36
“Header Options for Page Setup” on page 2-37
“Fonts Options for Page Setup” on page 2-37

Page Setup Options

MATLAB provides special page setup options for printing from the Command Window
and Editor. Page setup is not supported in live scripts.

To specify page setup options for printing from the Command Window, right-click in the
Command Window, and then select Page Setup.

To specify page setup options for printing from the Editor, first select the Editor tab.
Then, in the File section, click Print and select Page Setup.

The Page Setup dialog box opens for that tool.

Then, perform these steps:

1 Click the Layout, Header, or Fonts tab in the dialog box and set those options for
that tool, as detailed in subsequent sections. On Mac platforms, you must first select
MATLAB in the Settings menu in order to see these tabs.
2 Click OK.
3 After specifying the options, select Print in the tool you want to print from, for
example, the Command Window.

The contents from the tool print, using the options you specified in Page Setup.

Layout Options for Page Setup

You can specify the following layout options. A preview area shows you the effects of your
selections.

• Print header — Print the header specified in the Header pane.

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 Set Print Options

• Print line numbers — Print line numbers.

• Wrap lines — Wrap any lines that are longer than the printed page width.
• Syntax highlighting — For keywords and comments that are highlighted in the
Command Window, specify how they are to appear in print. Options are black and
white text (that is, no highlighting), colored text (for use with a color printer), or
styled text. For styled text, keywords appear in bold, comments appear in italics, and
all other text appears in the normal style. Only keywords and comments you input in
the Command Window are highlighted; output is not highlighted.

Header Options for Page Setup

If you want to print a header, select the Layout tab and then select Print header.
Next, select the Header tab and specify how the elements of the header are to appear. A
preview area shows you the effects of your selections:

• Page number — Format for the page number, for example # of n

• Border — Border style for the header, for example, Shaded box
• Layout — Layout style for the header. For example, Standard one line includes
the date, time, and page number all on one line

Fonts Options for Page Setup

Specify the font to use for the printed contents:

1 From Choose font, select the element, either Body or Header, where Body text is
everything except the Header.
2 Select the font to use for the element.

For example, if you access this dialog box while using the Command Window, you
can select Use Command Window font for Body text. The printed text matches
the Command Window font.
3 Repeat for the other element.

If you did not select Print header on the Layout pane, you do not need to specify
the Header font.

As an example, for Header text, select Use custom font and then specify the font
characteristics—type, style, and size. After you specify a custom font, the Sample area
shows how the font will look.

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2 Desktop

Tip You can change the font that a desktop tool uses. On the Home tab, in the
Environment section, click Preferences > Fonts > Custom.

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 Web Browsers and MATLAB

Web Browsers and MATLAB

In this section...
“About Web Browsers and MATLAB” on page 2-39
“Display Pages in Web Browsers” on page 2-41
“Specify Proxy Server Settings for Connecting to the Internet” on page 2-41
“Specify the System Browser for Linux Platforms” on page 2-42

About Web Browsers and MATLAB

From MATLAB, Web sites and documents can display in any of the following browsers:

• MATLAB Web browser

• Help browser
• Your system Web browser, such as Mozilla® Firefox®

MATLAB uses the different browsers to display different types of information:

• Web sites display in your system browser.

• Documentation displays in the Help browser.
• Other HTML files display in the MATLAB Web browser. For example, after
publishing a MATLAB program file to HTML, the HTML file displays in the
MATLAB Web browser:

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2 Desktop

MATLAB Web and Help Browsers

The MATLAB Web and Help browsers may not support all the features that a particular
Web site or HTML page uses. For example, the MATLAB Web browser does not display
.bmp (bitmap) image files. Instead use .gif or .jpeg formats for image files in HTML
pages.

2-40
 Web Browsers and MATLAB

System Browser

The system browser that MATLAB uses depends on your platform:

• On Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh platforms, MATLAB uses the default
browser for your operating system.
• On UNIX platforms, MATLAB uses the Mozilla Firefox browser. You can specify a
different system browser for MATLAB using Web preferences.

Display Pages in Web Browsers

To display an HTML document in the MATLAB Web browser, double-click the document
name in the Current Folder browser.

To display a Web page or any file type in the MATLAB Web browser:

1 Open the browser using the web command.

2 Type a URL or full path to a filename in the Location field.

Specify Proxy Server Settings for Connecting to the Internet

If your network uses a firewall or another method of protection that restricts Internet
access, provide information about your proxy server to MATLAB. Be aware that:

• MATLAB supports non-authenticated, basic, digest, and NTLM proxy authentication

types.
• You cannot specify the proxy server settings using a script.
• There is no automated way to provide the proxy server settings your system browser
uses to MATLAB.

To specify the proxy server settings:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Web.
2 Select the Use a proxy server to connect to the Internet check box.
3 Specify values for Proxy host and Proxy port.

Examples of acceptable formats for the host are: 172.16.10.8 and ourproxy. For
the port, enter an integer only, such as 22. If you do not know the values for your
proxy server, ask your system or network administrator for the information.

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2 Desktop

If your proxy server requires a user name and password, select the Use a proxy
with authentication check box. Then enter your proxy user name and password.

Note: MATLAB stores the password without encryption in your matlab.prf file.
4 Ensure that your settings work by clicking the Test connection button.

MATLAB attempts to connect to http://www.mathworks.com:

• If MATLAB can access the Internet, Success! appears next to the button.
• If MATLAB cannot access the Internet, Failed! appears next to the button.
Correct the values you entered and try again. If you still cannot connect, try using
the values you used when you authenticated your MATLAB license.
5 Click OK to accept the changes.

Specify the System Browser for Linux Platforms

To specify the system browser:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Web.
2 Under System Web browser, in the Command field, specify the system command
to open the browser, for example, opera, which opens the Opera Web browser.
3 Add options for opening your system browser in the Options field. For example,
geometry 1064x860 specifies the size of the window for Opera.
4 Click OK.

Note: The Mac platform does not have a System Web browser preference.

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 Manage Your Licenses

Manage Your Licenses

You can use the MATLAB licensing features to perform license management activities,
such as activating licenses, deactivating licenses, or updating licenses. You also can visit
the License Center at the MathWorks website to perform other license-related activities.

To access the licensing feature:

1 On the Home tab, in the Resources section, click Help > Licensing.
2 Select a Licensing option. The following table describes the Licensing options.
Depending on your license type, your system might not include all these options.

Note: Some options require an internet connection. If your internet connection requires
a proxy server, use MATLAB web preferences to specify the server host and port. See
“Specify Proxy Server Settings for Connecting to the Internet” on page 2-41 for more
information.

Option Description
Update Displays a list of all your MathWorks licenses on this computer,
Current with their status. When you select a license and click Update
Licenses Selected License, MATLAB contacts MathWorks to retrieve the
most current version of the License File for the license. The update
process overwrites the current License File on your system. You need
to restart MATLAB.
Activate Starts the activation application, which walks you through the
Software activation process. Answer the questions on each dialog box, select
the license you want to activate, and click Activate.
Deactivate Displays a list of all your MathWorks licenses on this computer,
Software with their status. When you select a license and click Deactivate,
MATLAB deactivates all releases on this computer associated with
the license, and updates the licensing information at the MathWorks
website. You will not be able to use MathWorks software with that
license on this computer.

If you are not connected to the Internet, MATLAB deactivates the

licences on your computer but cannot update the corresponding
license information stored at the MathWorks website. In this

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Option Description
scenario, MATLAB returns a deactivation string. To complete
deactivation, save a copy of this string, go to a computer with an
internet connection, and visit the License Center at the MathWorks
website. There you can log in to your MathWorks Account and enter
the deactivation string.
Manage Starts a web browser, opening the My Licenses page associated with
Licenses your MathWorks Account. You can use this page, called the License
Center, to perform many licensing activities.

2-44
 Check for Software Updates

Check for Software Updates

To determine if more recent versions of your MathWorks products are available, and to
view latest version numbers for all MathWorks products, follow these steps:

1 Make sure that you have an active internet connection.

2 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, select Add-Ons > Check for
Product Updates. The Check for Updates dialog box displays.
3 From the Select View list, choose to view the latest version numbers for all
MathWorks products installed on your system, or all MathWorks products.

The latest versions display.

4 Click any column heading to sort or reverse the sort order by that column.
5 To access the release notes for a product, use the What's New column.

Release notes document new features and changes, bug reports, and compatibility
considerations.
6 Decide whether you want to upgrade to the most recent version.

• If you do, click Download Products at MathWorks.com

• If you do not, go to step 7.
7 Click Close.

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2 Desktop

Macintosh Platform Conventions

In this section...
“Mouse Instructions and Macintosh Platforms” on page 2-46
“Navigating Within the MATLAB Root Folder on Macintosh Platforms” on page 2-46

Mouse Instructions and Macintosh Platforms

The documentation typically presents conventions for Microsoft Windows platforms.
Therefore, some conventions and operations differ on the Macintosh platform from those
that appear in the rest of the documentation. The intended action for the Macintosh
platform is typically obvious. Mouse operations follow Macintosh conventions.

Make the following replacements to adjust documented mouse instructions for Macintosh
platforms if you are using a one-button mouse:

• Replace right-click with Ctrl+click

• Replace middle-click with Command+click

Navigating Within the MATLAB Root Folder on Macintosh Platforms

On Macintosh platforms, MATLAB is installed as an application bundle. The root folder,
the string returned by the matlabroot command, has a .app extension.

To view the contents of the MATLAB root folder in the Mac Finder, right-click the
MATLAB application bundle, and then select Show Package Contents from the
context menu.

To view the content of the MATLAB root folder from within MATLAB:

1
On the Home tab, in the File section, click
2 In the File Browser dialog box, press Command+Shift+G to open the Go To Folder
dialog box.
3 Enter the full path to the MATLAB folder, for example, /Applications/
MATLAB_R2012a.app.
4 Press Go.

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 Macintosh Platform Conventions

To open a file with a MATLAB command, such as edit, specify the full path of the
MATLAB root folder. For example:
edit(fullfile(matlabroot,'/toolbox/matlab/demos/lotka.m'))

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2 Desktop

Preferences

In this section...
“Set Preferences for MATLAB” on page 2-48
“Where MATLAB Stores Preferences” on page 2-49
“Preferences MATLAB Uses When Multiple Releases Are Installed” on page 2-49
“General Preferences” on page 2-51
“Confirmation Dialog Boxes Preferences” on page 2-52
“Source Control Preferences” on page 2-54
“Keyboard Shortcuts Preferences” on page 2-54
“Colors Preferences” on page 2-55
“Colors Programming Tools Preferences” on page 2-56
“Comparison Preferences” on page 2-57
“Toolbars Preferences” on page 2-58

Set Preferences for MATLAB

MATLAB provides various options called preferences for customizing MATLAB. To access
and set preferences:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences.

2 From the left pane of the Preferences dialog box, select a tool, product, or an entry
revealed when you click an arrow preceding a tool or product name.
3 Change settings in the right pane of the Preferences dialog box.
4 Click Apply or OK.

Preferences take effect immediately. They remain persistent across sessions of MATLAB.

Function Alternative

Open the Preferences dialog box using the preferences function.

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 Preferences

Where MATLAB Stores Preferences

MATLAB and other MathWorks products store their preferences in the file matlab.prf.
This file loads when you start MATLAB. The folder containing this file is called the
preferences folder. The preference folder also contains other related files.

Path to and File Name for the Preferences Folder

To see the full path for the folder where matlab.prf and related files are located,
type prefdir in the MATLAB Command Window. The name of the preferences folder
matches the name of the release. For instance, for MATLAB R2016b, the name of the
preferences folder is R2016b.

On Mac OS X and iOS, the folder might be in a hidden folder. If so, to access the hidden
folder:

1 In the Apple Mac OS Finder tool, select Go > Go to Folder.

2 In the resulting dialog box, type the path returned by prefdir, and then press
Enter.

Effects of Changing Preferences

When you change preferences using the MATLAB Desktop, it updates matlab.prf.
When you close MATLAB, it saves those changes to matlab.prf.

Effects of Installation and Deinstallation on the Preferences Folder

Installing MATLAB has no effect on the preferences folder. That is, MATLAB creates,
checks, copies, and writes to the preferences folder when you start up MATLAB, not
when you install it. When you uninstall MATLAB, there is an option in the uninstaller to
remove the preferences folder. However, this option is not selected by default.

Preferences MATLAB Uses When Multiple Releases Are Installed

The files in the preferences folder that MATLAB uses depends on the version of
MATLAB you are starting up. How and if MATLAB migrates (reuses) preferences files
from one version of MATLAB to the next also depends on the version.

Process for Creating and Migrating Preferences Folder and Files

When you start up, MATLAB looks for a preferences folder name that matches the
release starting up, and then it does one of the following:

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• If MATLAB finds a preferences folder name matching the release starting up, then it
uses that folder and the files within it. This is usually the case after the first time you
start MATLAB.

If a preference folder exists but is empty, then MATLAB recreates the default
preference files for the release starting up.
• If MATLAB does not find a preferences folder name matching the release starting up,
then it creates one. Next, MATLAB checks to see if a preference folder exists for any
of the three releases of MATLAB that immediately precede the one you are starting.

• If none of the preference folders from the previous three releases exist, then
MATLAB creates the default preference files for the release starting up.

For example, if you start up R2016a and neither R2015b, R2015a, or R2014b are
installed, then MATLAB creates the default files for the R2016a release. This is
true even if a preference folder exists for the R2014a release or earlier.
• If one or more of the preference folders for the previous three releases exist, then
MATLAB migrates the files from the preferences folder corresponding to the latest
previous release to the preferences folder for the release starting up.

For example, if you start up R2016a and a preference folder exists for both the
R2015b and R2014b releases, then MATLAB migrates the files from the R2015b
preferences folder to the R2016a preferences folder.

Control Preferences Files MATLAB Uses

This table describes how to control which versions of preferences files MATLAB uses.

To Use: Do This:
Default preference files for a given release • If none of the preference folders for the
of MATLAB three releases immediately preceding
the given release exist, do nothing.
• If one or more of the preference folders
for the previous three releases exist,
make sure that the preferences folder
for the given release exists, but is empty
before starting up.
All the preference files from a release of Ensure that the preferences folder exists
MATLAB up to three releases preceding for that previous release. Delete the entire
the release you plan to start up preferences folder for each release after the

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 Preferences

To Use: Do This:
release you want to migrate from, including
the folder for the release of MATLAB you
plan to start up.
The release-specific default for just a Delete just that file from the preferences
particular file in the preferences folder folder for the release of MATLAB you plan
to start up.

One file to consider keeping is history.m.

For more information, see “Command
History” on page 3-28.

General Preferences
You can set preferences for the initial working folder, deleting files, and toolbox path
caching.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB
> General. Then, adjust preference options as described in this table.

Preference Usage
Initial working folder Select an option to specify the current folder in
MATLAB when it starts.

If you select Location based on MATLAB

startup rules, MATLAB determines the
initial working folder based on how you started
MATLAB and on the userpath. This is the
default option. For details, see “MATLAB
Startup Folder” on page 1-16.

Alternatively, select the last working folder from

your previous MATLAB session, or specify the
full path to a folder on your system.

If you create a startup.m file, the commands in

that file can override the preference option.
Deleting files Select an option to specify what MATLAB does
with files you delete using the delete function.

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Preference Usage
Selecting Delete permanently makes the
delete function run faster.

On Linux systems, if you select Move to a

temporary folder, MATLAB moves files to a
subfolder with the prefix MATLAB_Files_ in
the system temporary folder, as returned by the
tempdir function.
Toolbox path caching Select Enable toolbox path caching to have
MATLAB cache toolbox folder information
across sessions for quicker startup performance.
Select Enable toolbox path cache
diagnostics to display information about
startup time when you start MATLAB.
Click Update Toolbox Path Cache to add files
to the toolbox folders under the matlabroot
folder. (Use after you use tools not provided with
MATLAB to create MATLAB files.)

For details, see “Toolbox Path Caching in

MATLAB” on page 1-24.
Desktop language (selected non-English Select the language in which the MATLAB
systems only) desktop appears. This option affects the text in
dialog boxes, button names, menu items, and
error and warning messages.

Confirmation Dialog Boxes Preferences

You can specify whether MATLAB displays specific confirmation dialog boxes.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB
> General > Confirmation Dialogs. Then, adjust preference options as described in
the table below.

This table summarizes the core MATLAB confirmation dialog boxes. There might be
additional confirmation dialog boxes for other products you install.

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 Preferences

Option Confirmation Dialog Box Appears

Warn before deleting When you delete entries from the Command History window.
Command History
items For details, see “Use Command History Commands” on page 3-29.
Warn before clearing When, on the Home tab, in the Code section, you click Clear
the Command Window Commands. Does not appear when you use the clc function.
Confirm when When you save variables by dragging them from the Workspace
overwriting variables browser onto a MAT-file in the Current Folder browser.
in MAT-files
Confirm when When you load variables by dragging them from the Details Panel of
overwriting the Current Folder browser to the Workspace browser or Command
workspace variables Window.
via drag-and-drop
Prompt when editing When you type edit filename and filename does not exist in the
files that do not exist current folder or on the search path.
Prompt to exit debug When you try to save a modified file while in debug mode.
mode when saving file
For details, see “End Debugging Session”.
Prompt to save on When you have unsaved changes to a figure and program file and you
activate activate the UI by clicking the Run button, for example.

For details, see “GUIDE Preferences”.

Prompt to save on When you have unsaved changes to a figure and program file and you
export select File > Export.

For details, see “GUIDE Preferences”.

Confirm changing When you have modified a callback signature in GUIDE.
default callback
implementation For details, see “GUIDE Preferences”.
Confirm before exiting When you quit MATLAB.
MATLAB
Confirm when deleting When you delete variables from the workspace using menu items. Does
variables not appear with the clear function.

For details, see “Save and Load Workspace Variables” on page 5-15.

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Source Control Preferences

You can select which previously installed and configured source control system to use
with MATLAB.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB
> General > Source Control. Then, select an option from the list.

For more information, see “Select or Disable Source Control System”.

Keyboard Shortcuts Preferences

You can set keyboard shortcuts for actions you perform using MathWorks software. You
can specify or import sets of predefined keyboard shortcuts, set individual shortcuts on
an action-by-action basis, or use a combination of both approaches.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB
> Keyboard > Shortcuts. Then, adjust preference options as described in the table
below.

For step-by-step instructions, see “Customize Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-22.

Preference Usage
Active settings Select or import a set of predefined
keyboard shortcuts.

For details, see “Choose a Set of Keyboard

Shortcuts” on page 2-15 and “Use Keyboard
Shortcuts Settings Files Created on Other
Systems” on page 2-33.
Select any one of these options:

• Save As—Save active settings to a file.

• Copy to clipboard— so you can import
into Microsoft Excel, for example.

For details, see, “Display Keyboard

Shortcuts” on page 2-19.

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 Preferences

Preference Usage
• Compare active settings to another set.

For details, see,“Compare Sets of

Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-18.
• Undo Modifications to a default
keyboard shortcut set.
• Delete a set of keyboard shortcuts you
previously saved or added.

For details, see “Delete a Set of

Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 2-32.
Search by action name or shortcut Search the list of displayed actions.
Shortcuts for <action-name> View the keyboard shortcut assigned to a
selected action.
Add or delete a keyboard shortcut to a
selected action.

For details, see,“Examples of Creating,

Modifying, and Deleting Keyboard
Shortcuts” on page 2-29.
All possible conflicts Display conflicts when two or more
different actions have the same shortcut.

For details, see “Evaluate and Resolve

Keyboard Shortcut Conflicts” on page 2-27.
Remove the keyboard shortcut from the
selection in the All possible conflicts list.

For details, see “Evaluate and Resolve

Keyboard Shortcut Conflicts” on page 2-27.

Colors Preferences
You can specify the text and background color for desktop tools, as well as colors for
highlighting syntax elements of MATLAB code.

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2 Desktop

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB
> Colors. Then, set options as described in the table below.

Preference Usage
Desktop tool colors Specify that desktop tools use the same text and
background colors that your platform uses for other
applications by selecting Use system colors.

Customize colors by clearing Use system colors, and

then choose Text and Background colors from the drop-
down menus.

These colors do not apply to the Help display pane, nor to

the web browser.

For details, see “Changing Text and Background Colors in

Desktop Tools” on page 2-6.
MATLAB syntax highlighting Set colors to help you quickly identify elements of
colors MATLAB syntax in the Editor, Command Window,
Command History window, and the MATLAB shortcuts
callback area.

For details, see “Changing Syntax Highlighting Colors” on

page 2-6.
MATLAB Command Window Set colors to help you quickly identify errors, warnings,
colors and hyperlinks in the Command Window.

Colors Programming Tools Preferences

You can specify options used for editing and debugging code, including code analysis
colors, variable and function colors, and cell display options.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB
> Colors > Programming Tools. Then, set options as described in the table below.

Preference Usage
Code analyzer colors • Warnings—Specifies the color Code Analyzer uses to identify
code in the Editor for which there are warning messages.

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 Preferences

Preference Usage
• Autofix highlight—Specifies the color Code Analyzer uses to
identify code in the Editor for which there is an automatic fix.

For details, see “Automatically Check Code in the Editor — Code

Analyzer”.
Variable and function • Automatically highlight—Specifies the color the Editor
colors uses to highlight all occurrences of a specific variable or
function. For details, see “Find and Replace Functions or
Variables in the Current File”.
• Variables with shared scope—Specifies the color of
variables with shared scope. The text is colored, not shaded.
For details, see “Check Variable Scope in Editor”
Section display options Highlight sections—Specifies the color the Editor uses to shade
code sections.

Show lines between sections—Specifies that code section

divisions appear with a gray line between each section in the
Editor. These lines do not appear in the published or printed file.

See also “Run Code Sections”.

Comparison Preferences
Colors

You can change and save your diff color preferences for the Comparison tool. You can
apply your color preferences to all comparison types.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB
> Comparison. Then, set options as described in the table below.

Preference Usage
Colors Set colors to help you quickly identify differences,
modifications, and merges in comparison reports. Choose
colors from the drop-down menus. View the colors in
the Sample pane. To use your modified settings in
comparisons, click Apply. Refresh any open comparison
reports to use the new colors.

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2 Desktop

Preference Usage
Active Settings To save your modified color preferences for use in future
MATLAB sessions, click Save As. Enter a name for your
color settings profile and click OK.

After saving settings, you can select them in the Active

Settings list.

For details, see “Change Color Preferences” on page

6-23.

External Source Control Integration

Use the check box to control external source control interactions: Allow external
source control tools to use open MATLAB sessions for diffs and merges. After
you configure your source control tool to use MATLAB Comparison tool, the Comparison
tool prompts you to set this preference. For details, see “Customize External Source
Control to Use MATLAB for Diff and Merge”.

Toolbars Preferences
You can customize some toolbars in the MATLAB application.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB
> Toolbars. Then, set options as described in the table below.

For step-by-step instructions on setting these preferences, see “Access Frequently Used
Features” on page 2-9.

Preference Usage
Toolbar Select the toolbar you want to customize.
Layout Rearrange controls in the toolbar by dragging and dropping them to a
new location in the Layout.
Controls Select which buttons appear on the selected toolbar.

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 Web Preferences

Web Preferences
Web preferences enable you to specify Internet connection information to MATLAB.

Limitations

• MATLAB supports nonauthenticated, basic, digest, and NTLM proxy authentication

types.

• You cannot specify proxy server settings using a script.

• There is no automated way to provide MATLAB with the proxy server settings that
your system browser uses.

You can set Web preferences on the Home tab, in the Environment section. Click
Preferences. Select MATLAB > Web, and then adjust preference options as described
in the table below.

Preference Usage
Use a proxy server to Provide information that MATLAB needs to access the internet
connect to the Internet when your network uses a firewall or another method of
protection that restricts Internet access.
Proxy host Specify a value for the Proxy host. For example, 172.16.10.8
or ourproxy. If you do not know the values for your proxy server,
ask your system or network administrator for the information.
Proxy port Specify an integer value for the Proxy port. For example, 22.
If you do not know the values for your proxy server, ask your
system or network administrator for the information.
Use a proxy with Specifies that your proxy server requires a user name and
authentication password.
Proxy username Specify the proxy server user name.
Proxy password Specify the proxy server password.

Note: MATLAB stores the password without encryption in your

matlab.prf file.

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Preference Usage
Test connection Ensure that your settings work.

If MATLAB cannot access the Internet, Failed! appears next

to the button. Correct the values you entered and try again. If
you still cannot connect, try using the values you used when you
authenticated your MATLAB license.
System Web browser • Command—Specifies the system command to open the
UNIX platforms only — browser.
excluding Macintosh
For example, opera, opens the Opera Web browser.
• Options—Specifies options for the system browser.

For example, geometry 1064x860 specifies the size of the

window for Opera.

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 3

Entering Commands

• “Enter Statements in Command Window” on page 3-2

• “Find Functions to Use” on page 3-4
• “Format Output” on page 3-7
• “Stop Execution” on page 3-11
• “Find Text in Command Window or History” on page 3-12
• “Create Shortcuts to Rerun Commands” on page 3-15
• “Set Command Window Preferences” on page 3-17
• “Set Keyboard Preferences” on page 3-19
• “Check Syntax as You Type” on page 3-22
• “Command History” on page 3-28
3 Entering Commands

Enter Statements in Command Window

As you work in MATLAB, you can enter individual statements in the Command Window.
For example, create a variable named a by typing this statement at the command line:
a = 1

MATLAB immediately adds variable a to the workspace and displays the result in the
Command Window.
a =

When you do not specify an output variable, MATLAB uses the variable ans, short for
answer, to store the results of your calculation.
sin(a)

ans =

0.8415

The value of ans changes with every command that returns an output value that is not
assigned to a variable.

If you end a statement with a semicolon, MATLAB performs the computation, but
suppresses the display of output in the Command Window.
b = 2;

To enter multiple statements on multiple lines before running any of the statements, use
Shift+Enter between statements. This action is unnecessary when you enter a paired
keyword statement on multiple lines, such as for and end.

You also can enter more than one statement on the same line by separating statements.
To distinguish between commands, end each one with a comma or semicolon. Commands
that end with a comma display their results, while commands that end with a semicolon
do not. For example, enter the following three statements at the command line:
A = magic(5), B = ones(5) * 4.7; C = A./B

A =
17 24 1 8 15

3-2
 Enter Statements in Command Window

23 5 7 14 16
4 6 13 20 22
10 12 19 21 3
11 18 25 2 9

C =
3.6170 5.1064 0.2128 1.7021 3.1915
4.8936 1.0638 1.4894 2.9787 3.4043
0.8511 1.2766 2.7660 4.2553 4.6809
2.1277 2.5532 4.0426 4.4681 0.6383
2.3404 3.8298 5.3191 0.4255 1.9149

MATLAB displays only the values of A and C in the Command Window.

To recall previous lines in the Command Window, press the up- and down-arrow keys, ↑
and ↓. Press the arrow keys either at an empty command line or after you type the first
few characters of a command. For example, to recall the command b = 2, type b, and
then press the up-arrow key.

To clear a command from the Command Window without executing it, press the Escape
(Esc) key.

You can evaluate any statement already in the Command Window. Select the statement,
right-click, and then select Evaluate Selection.

In the Command Window, you also can execute only a portion of the code currently at
the command prompt. To evaluate a portion of the entered code, select the code, and then
press Enter.

For example, select a portion of the following code:

hello

3-3
3 Entering Commands

Find Functions to Use

This example shows how to find the name and description of a MathWorks function from
the Command Window or Editor using the Function browser. The Function browser is
not supported in live scripts.

1 Click the Browse for functions button, . In the Command Window, this button is
to the left of the prompt. In the Editor, the button is on the Editor tab, in the Edit
section. The Function browser opens.

Tip The Function browser closes when you move the pointer outside of it. To keep the
browser open, drag it by the top edge to a different location.
2 Optionally, select a subset of products to display in the list. Click the product area
at the bottom of the browser (where the text All installed products appears
by default), and then set the Selected Products preference and click OK. This
preference also applies to the Help browser.
3 Find functions by browsing the list or by typing a search term. For example, search
for the term fourier.

3-4
 Find Functions to Use

In the search results, a parenthetical term after a function name indicates either
that the function is in a product folder other than MATLAB, or that there are
multiple functions with the same name. For example, fft (comm) corresponds to
the fft function in the Communications System Toolbox™ folder.
4 Select a function that you would like to use or learn more about, as follows.

• Insert the function name into the current window by double-clicking the name.
Alternatively, drag and drop the function name into any tool or application.
• View syntax information for the function by single-clicking its name. A brief
description for each of the syntax options displays in a yellow pop-up window.

3-5
3 Entering Commands

Tip The pop-up window automatically closes when you move your pointer to a
new item in the results list. To keep the pop-up window open, drag it by the top
edge to a different location.

You can change the font that the Function browser uses by setting preferences. On the
Home tab, in the Environment section, select Preferences > Fonts. By default, the
Function browser uses the desktop text font and the pop-up window uses the Profiler
font.

3-6
 Format Output

Format Output
MATLAB displays output in both the Command Window and the Live Editor. You can
format the output display using several provided options.

In this section...
“Format Line Spacing in Output” on page 3-7
“Format Floating-Point Numbers” on page 3-8
“Wrap Lines of Code to Fit Window Width” on page 3-9
“Suppress Output” on page 3-9
“View Output by Page” on page 3-9
“Clear the Command Window” on page 3-10

Format Line Spacing in Output

By default, MATLAB displays blanks lines in command window output.

You can select one of two numeric display options in MATLAB.

• loose — Keeps the display of blank lines (default).

>> x = [4/3 1.2345e-6]

x =

1.3333 0.0000
• compact — Suppresses the display of blank lines.
>> x = [4/3 1.2345e-6]
x =
1.3333 0.0000

To format the output display, do one of the following:

• On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Command Window, and then choose a Numeric display option.
• Use the format function at the command line, for example:
format loose

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3 Entering Commands

format compact

Note: Line spacing display options do not apply in the Live Editor.

Format Floating-Point Numbers

You can change the way numbers display in both the Command Window and the Live
Editor. By default, MATLAB uses the short format (5-digit scaled, fixed-point values).

For example, suppose that you enter x = [4/3 1.2345e-6] in the Command Window.
The MATLAB output display depends on the format you selected. This table shows some
of the available numeric display formats, and their corresponding output.

Numeric Display Format Example Output

short (default) x = 1.3333 0.0000
short e x = 1.3333e+00 1.2345e-06
long x = 1.333333333333333
0.000001234500000
+ x = ++

Note: The text display format affects only how numbers are shown, not how MATLAB
computes, or saves them.

To format the way numbers display, do one of the following:

• On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Command Window, and then choose a Numeric format option.
• Use the format function, for example:

format short
format short e
format long

See the format reference page for a list and description of all supported numeric
formats.

3-8
 Format Output

Wrap Lines of Code to Fit Window Width

A line of code or its output can exceed the width of the Command Window, requiring you
to use the horizontal scroll bar to view the entire line. To break a single line of input or
output into multiple lines to fit within the current width of the Command Window:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Command Window.
2 Select Wrap Lines.
3 Click OK.

Note: Line wrapping options do not apply in the Live Editor.

Suppress Output
To suppress code output, add a semicolon (;) to the end of a command. This is useful
when code generates large matrices.

Running the following code creates A, but does not show the resulting matrix in the
Command Window or the Live Editor:
A = magic(100);

View Output by Page

Output in the Command Window might exceed the visible portion of the window. You can
view the output, one screen at a time:

1 In the Command Window, type more on to enable paged output.

2 Type the command that generates large output.
3 View the output:

• Advance to the next line by pressing Enter.

• Advance to the next page by pressing Space Bar.
• Stop displaying the output by pressing q.

To disable paged output, type more off.

3-9
3 Entering Commands

Note: Paged output options do not apply in the Live Editor.

Clear the Command Window

If the Command Window seems cluttered, you can clear all the text (without clearing the
workspace) by doing one of the following:

• On the Home tab, in the Code section, select Clear Commands > Command
Window to clear the Command Window scroll buffer.
• Use the clc function to clear the Command Window scroll buffer.
• Use the home function to clear your current view of the Command Window, without
clearing the scroll buffer.

See Also
clc | format | home | more

3-10
 Stop Execution

Stop Execution
To stop execution of a MATLAB command, press Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Break.

On Apple Macintosh platforms, you also can use Command+. (the Command key and
the period key).

Ctrl+C does not always stop execution for files that run a long time, or that call built-
ins or MEX-files that run a long time. If you experience this problem, include a drawnow,
pause, or getframe function in your file, for example, within a large loop.

Also, Ctrl+C might be less responsive if you start MATLAB with the -nodesktop
option.

Note: For certain operations, stopping the program might generate errors in the
Command Window.

See Also
drawnow | getframe | pause

3-11
3 Entering Commands

Find Text in Command Window or History

In this section...
“Find Text in the Command Window” on page 3-12
“Find Text in the Command History Window” on page 3-14

Find Text in the Command Window

You can search text currently in the Command Window. This includes text that is visible
on the screen, and text that is in the scroll buffer.

• “Search Using Find Dialog Box” on page 3-12

• “Search Using Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 3-12

Search Using Find Dialog Box

To search for specified text in the Command Window, on the Command Window title
bar, click , and then select Find. The Find dialog box opens. The search begins at the
current cursor position. MATLAB finds the text you specified and highlights it.

MATLAB beeps when a search for Find Next reaches the end of the Command Window,
or when a search for Find Previous reaches the top of the Command Window. If you
have Wrap around selected, MATLAB continues searching after beeping.

To search for the specified text in other MATLAB desktop tools, change the selection in
the Look in field.

You can increase the amount of information available in the Command Window so that
more text is available for searching. Doing so requires more memory. On the Home tab,
in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Command
Window, and then increase the setting for Number of lines in the command window
scroll buffer.

Clearing the command window (for example, with the clc function), empties the scroll
buffer. The cleared text is no longer available for searching. To clear your display in the
Command Window without clearing the buffer, use the home function.

Search Using Keyboard Shortcuts

You can also perform an incremental search in the Command Window using keyboard
shortcuts.

3-12
 Find Text in Command Window or History

1 Begin an incremental search by using one of the defined keyboard shortcuts.

Action Windows Default Shortcut Macintosh or Emacs Default

Shortcut
Initiate a forward Ctrl+Shift+S Ctrl+S
incremental search.
Initiate a backward Ctrl+Shift+R Ctrl+R
incremental search.

An incremental search field appears in the bottom right corner of the MATLAB
Desktop window. For a forward search, the text F Inc Search appears. The F
indicates a forward search.
2 Begin typing your search term.

When you enter lowercase letters in the incremental search field, MATLAB looks for
both lowercase and uppercase instances of the letters. For example, if you enter b,
MATLAB looks for b and B. However, if you enter uppercase letters, MATLAB only
looks for instances that match the case you entered.
3 Perform incremental search actions using these keyboard shortcuts:

Action Keyboard Shortcut

Complete a partially highlighted set of Ctrl+W
characters.
Find the next occurrence of a set of characters. Ctrl+S
Remove characters from the incremental Ctrl+G
search field, back to the last successful search

If you search for a set of characters that does not appear in the Command Window
text, Failing appears in the incremental search field.
4 End incremental searching by pressing Esc (escape), Enter, or any other key that is
not a character or number.

The incremental search field disappears. The cursor remains at the position where
the text was last found, with the search text highlighted.

3-13
3 Entering Commands

Find Text in the Command History Window

You can search for text in the Command History Window. You can search for text either
at the beginning of a command, or anywhere within a command.

1 In the Command History window, type in the Search field. To display the Search
field if is not visible, click , and then select Find.

2 Begin typing your search term.

The Command History window searches backward and selects the previous entry
that contains the sequence of letters you typed.
3 Select from the different search options using the buttons to the right of the search
field. Options include (match case), (match anywhere within command), and
(match at beginning of command).
4 Find the previous or next occurrence of the entry with the up and down arrow keys,
respectively.
5 Press Esc to clear the search.

3-14
 Create Shortcuts to Rerun Commands

Create Shortcuts to Rerun Commands

This example shows how to create, run, edit, and organize MATLAB shortcuts. A
MATLAB shortcut is an easy way to run a group of MATLAB language statements that
you use regularly. For example, use a shortcut to set up your environment when you
start working, or to set the same properties for figures you create.

1 On the Home tab, click New, and then select Command Shortcut.

If the Shortcuts tab is on the desktop, you can also click New Shortcut in the
Manage section.
2 Complete the Shortcut Editor dialog box:

1 In the Label field, enter a name for the shortcut.

For this example, enter my_Shortcut.

2 In the Callback field, type statements you want the shortcut to run.

You also can drag and drop statements from the Command Window, Command
History Window, or a file.

For this example, enter these statements:

format compact
clear
workspace
filebrowser
clc

Tip If command prompts (>>) appear, MATLAB automatically removes them

from the Callback field when you save the shortcut.
3 In the Category field, type the name of a new category or select an existing
category from the drop-down list. If you leave this field blank, the shortcut
appears in the General section of the toolbar.
4 In the Icon field, select an icon.
5 Select both the Add to quick access toolbar and Show label on quick
access toolbar options.
6 Click Save.

3-15
3 Entering Commands

The shortcut icon and label appear on the quick access toolbar. If the shortcut icon
does not appear on the quick access toolbar, use the drop-down to see the full list.

To organize and edit shortcuts, on the Shortcuts tab, in the Manage section, click
Organize Shortcuts to open the Shortcuts Organizer dialog box. If the Shortcuts
tab is not visible, go to the Home tab, and in the Environment section, click
Layout. Then, under Show, select Shortcuts Tab.
3 Run a shortcut by clicking its icon on the Shortcuts tab.

All the statements in the shortcut Callback field execute as if you ran those
statements from the Command Window, although they do not appear in the
Command History window.

3-16
 Set Command Window Preferences

Set Command Window Preferences

You can customize the visual display of the Command Window and command output
within it.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB
> Command Window, and then adjust preference options as described in the table
below.

Preference Usage
Text display Select a Numeric format option to specify the output format of
numeric values in the Command Window.

For details, see “Format Floating-Point Numbers” on page 3-8.

Select a Numeric display option to specify whether blank lines
appear in Command Window output. To suppress blank lines, select
compact. To display blank lines, select loose.
Datetime format Select a Locale option to specify the default input locale of the
Datetime object. You also can enter a custom locale. For more
information, including a list of common values, see datetime.
Select a Default date and time format option to specify the default
format of the Datetime object. You also can enter a custom format.
For more information, see datetime Properties.
Select a Default date-only format option to specify the default date
format of the Datetime object. You also can enter a custom format.
For more information, see datetime Properties.
Display Select Wrap lines to make each line of input or output in the
Command Window break into multiple lines to fit within the current
width of the Command Window.

For details, see “Wrap Lines of Code to Fit Window Width” on page
3-9.
Select Set matrix display width to eighty columns to limit the
width of matrix output.

3-17
3 Entering Commands

Preference Usage
Note: If you also select Wrap lines, and the width of the Command
Window is fewer than 80 characters, each row of 80 characters of
matrix output wraps to fit within the width of the Command Window.
Select Show getting started message bar to display the Command
Window message bar that provides links to introductory information.

Select Show function browser button to display the Function

Browser button to the left of the prompt in the Command Window.
You can use the Function Browser to search for MATLAB functions.
Select Suggest corrections for mistyped functions and
variables to display suggestions in the Command Window. If you
enter an undefined function, variable name, or MATLAB operator,
MATLAB displays:
Did you mean:

followed by a suggested command at the command line. You can press

Enter to execute that command, or Esc to delete the suggestion.
Number of lines in command window scroll buffer specifies
the maximum number of lines displayed in the Command Window.
A larger scroll buffer provides a larger base for search features, but
requires more memory. By default, the scroll buffer is set to 5,000
lines.

The scroll buffer size does not impact the number of lines you can
recall. By default, you can use the up arrow key ↑ to recall all lines
shown in the Command History window, regardless of how many
lines you can see in the Command Window.
Tab key Tab size specifies the number of spaces assigned to the tab key.

Note: This setting does not apply if you have enabled tab completion.
To change tab completion settings, on the Home tab, select
Preferences > Keyboard.

3-18
 Set Keyboard Preferences

Set Keyboard Preferences

Keyboard preferences enable you to set tab completion, function hints, and delimiter
matching in the Command Window and Editor.

Note: Keyboard preference changes do not apply in live scripts.

To set Keyboard Preferences, on the Home tab, in the Environment section, click
Preferences. Select MATLAB > Keyboard, and then adjust preference options as
described in this table.

Preference Usage
Tab completion Select the tool or tools in which you want the Tab key to complete
names known to MATLAB after you type the first few letters of the
name.

For details, see “Tab Completion” on page 3-23.

Select Tab key narrow completions to have MATLAB continue
to reduce the list of possible names for completion as you type each
additional character and press the Tab key.
Function hints Specify the selected tool or tools that you want to display syntax
function hints.

When enabled, if you type a function name with an opening

parenthesis, and then pause, a tooltip opens showing the basic
syntax for the function. For example:

3-19
3 Entering Commands

Preference Usage

For details, see “Function Syntax Hints” on page 3-26.

Delimiter Matching Specify when and if MATLAB alerts you to matched and
mismatched delimiters. Delimiters include parentheses, brackets,
braces, and, in the Editor only, paired keywords.

If you select Match while typing, MATLAB alerts you to matched

and mismatched delimiters as you type.

If you select Match on arrow key, MATLAB alerts you to

matched and mismatched delimiters when you move the cursor
over a delimiter using an arrow key.

For details, see “Delimiter Matching” on page 3-23.

Select one of these Show match with options to specify how
MATLAB indicates matching delimiters:

• Balance — The corresponding delimiter highlights briefly

(default).
• Underline — Both delimiters in the pair display underlines
briefly.
• Highlight — Both delimiters in the pair highlight briefly.

3-20
 Set Keyboard Preferences

Preference Usage
Select one of these Show mismatch with options to specify how
MATLAB indicates mismatched delimiters

• Beep — MATLAB beeps.

• Strikethrough — The delimiter you type appears crossed out
briefly (default).
• None — There is no alert.

3-21
3 Entering Commands

Check Syntax as You Type

In this section...
“Syntax Highlighting” on page 3-22
“Delimiter Matching” on page 3-23
“Tab Completion” on page 3-23
“Function Syntax Hints” on page 3-26

Syntax Highlighting
To help you identify MATLAB elements, some entries appear in different colors in the
Command Window and the Editor. This is known as syntax highlighting. By default:

• Keywords are blue.

• Character vectors are purple.
• Unterminated character vectors are maroon.
• Comments are green.

if A > B
'greater'
elseif A < B
'less'
end

Except for errors, output in the Command Window does not appear with syntax
highlighting.

When you paste or drag a selection from the Editor to another application, such as
Microsoft Word, the pasted text maintains the syntax highlighting colors and font
characteristics from the Editor. MATLAB software pastes the selection to the Clipboard
in RTF format, which many Microsoft Windows and Macintosh applications support.

You can change syntax highlighting preferences. On the Home tab, in the Environment
section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Editor/Debugger > Languages.
Preference changes do not apply in live scripts.

3-22
 Check Syntax as You Type

Delimiter Matching
MATLAB indicates matched and mismatched delimiters, such as parentheses, brackets,
and braces, to help you avoid syntax errors. MATLAB also indicates paired language
keywords, such as for, if, while, else, and end statements.

By default, MATLAB indicates matched and mismatched delimiters and paired language
keywords as follows:

• Type a closing delimiter—MATLAB briefly highlights or underlines the corresponding

opening delimiter.
• Type more closing delimiters than opening delimiters—MATLAB puts a strike line
through or underlines the unmatched delimiter.
• Use the arrow keys to move the cursor over one delimiter—MATLAB briefly
underlines both delimiters in a pair. If no corresponding delimiter exists, MATLAB
puts a strike line through the unmatched delimiter.

If a matching delimiter exists, but it is not visible on the screen, a pop-up window
appears and shows the line containing the matching delimiter. Click in the pop-up
window to go to that line.

The pop-up window for delimiter matching is not supported in live scripts.

You can change delimiter matching indicators, and when and if they appear. On the
Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB >
Keyboard. Preference changes do not apply in live scripts.

Tab Completion
MATLAB can help you avoid typographical errors by completing the names of functions,
models, MATLAB objects, files, folders, variables, structures, graphics properties,
parameters, and options.

3-23
3 Entering Commands

To complete names in the Command Window, type the first few characters of the name
you want to complete, and then press the Tab key.

If MATLAB presents a list of possible matches, use the arrow keys to select the name you
want, and then press the Tab key.

In addition, you can:

• Clear the list without selecting anything, by pressing the Esc (escape) key.
• Search a long list before making a selection, by adding additional characters to your
original term.
• Complete parts of a name that use dot notation by adding a dot, and then pressing the
Tab key.
• Complete the names and values of graphics properties. Begin typing the first part of a
property, and then press the Tab key. Type a comma after each property.
• Complete parameter names and options for certain functions. When entering a
command, at the location of a parameter or option, type ', and then press the Tab
key. Completion of parameters and options is not available for all functions.

For MATLAB to complete a file or folder name, it must be on the search path or in the
current folder. Variables and properties must be in the current workspace.

In the Editor, MATLAB completes:

• Nested functions only when they are available at the current location of the cursor.
Not supported in live scripts.
• Names of variables defined in the active document. The variable must be valid at the
current location of the cursor (that is, already defined).
• Names of class properties and methods in class definition files. Not supported in live
scripts.

In the Editor, MATLAB does not complete field names of structure arrays defined only
within the active file.

3-24
 Check Syntax as You Type

Note: To add spaces within statements using the Tab key in the Editor, first add a space,
and then press Tab. Otherwise, when tab completion is enabled, MATLAB attempts to
complete a name.

Tab completion is enabled by default. To change this setting, on the Home tab, in the
Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Keyboard. Preference
changes do not apply in live scripts.

Example of Name Completion

This example shows how to complete the name for the containers.Map.keys method.

1 In the Command Window, type help cont, and then press Tab.

MATLAB displays a list of selections.

2 Select containers, and then press Tab.

The Command Window displays help containers.

3 At the command prompt, add a dot after containers, and then press Tab.

The Command Window displays:

help containers.Map
4 At the command prompt, add a dot after Map, and then press Tab.

MATLAB displays a new list.

3-25
3 Entering Commands

5 Scroll down the list, select keys, and then press the Tab key.

The Command Window displays help containers.Map.keys.

Function Syntax Hints

As you enter a function in the Command Window or Editor, syntax hints open in a pop-
up window to display allowable input arguments for a function.

Function hints appear for both MATLAB installed functions and functions you create.
The syntax hints for MATLAB functions comes from the documentation. The syntax
for functions you create comes from the function definition statement (first executable
line) in the MATLAB program file. That file must be on the search path or in the current
folder.

To use function syntax hints, type a function name with an opening parenthesis, and
then pause. A tooltip opens showing the basic syntax for the function.

You can type a variable for any argument that appears in blue. Enter your variable
names, and not the argument names shown in the window.

3-26
 Check Syntax as You Type

The displayed syntax options change, based on the argument you just entered.

Some function names are overloaded. That is, there are methods with the same name
as a function that support different types of inputs. Overloaded methods require that
you pass an object as the first input. When you specify the object name, the syntax hints
update to reflect the associated method, as shown.

Function syntax hints are suggestions only. Some allowable arguments might not
appear, or could be in black text when they should be blue.

Function hints are enabled by default. To change this setting, on the Home tab, in the
Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Keyboard, and then
set the options for Function hints. Preference changes do not apply in live scripts.

3-27
3 Entering Commands

Command History

In this section...
“What Is the Command History?” on page 3-28
“Use Command History Commands” on page 3-29
“Change the Command History Date Format” on page 3-30
“Command History Preferences” on page 3-30

What Is the Command History?

The Command History window displays a log of statements that you ran in the current
and previous MATLAB sessions. The Command History lists the time and date of each
session in your operating system's short date format, followed by the statements for that
session. Brackets in the left margin indicate commands that are processed as a group. A
colored mark precedes each command that generates an error.

To view the command history, press the up-arrow key, ↑, in the Command Window. To
retrieve a command using a partial match, type any part of the command at the prompt,
and then press the up-arrow key.

To dock or detach the Command History window, click , and then select an option. To
view the Command History if it is closed: on the Home tab, in the Environment section,
click Layout. Then, under Show, click Command History and select either Docked or
Popup.

MATLAB saves statements that run in the Command Window to the history file,
History.xml. These statements include those you run using the Evaluate Selection
item on context menus in tools such as the Editor, Command History, and Help
browser. By default, MATLAB automatically saves the command history file after each
command. The history file does not include every action taken in MATLAB. For example,
modifications of values in the Variables editor are not included in the Command History.
All entries remain until you delete them, or until the number of commands in the history
file exceeds the number of commands to save, as specified in the Command History
preferences. When the specified limit is reached, MATLAB automatically deletes the
oldest entries. By default, the Command History saves 25,000 commands.

3-28
 Command History

Use Command History Commands

You can select entries in the Command History window, and then perform the following
actions for the selected entries.

Action How to Perform the Action

Create a script from a Select an entry or entries, and then right-click and select Create
statement or statements. Script or Create Live Script from the context menu. The Editor
opens a new file that contains the commands you selected from the
Command History window.
Rerun previous commands. Do one of the following:

• Press the up arrow key (↑) until the command you want appears at
the prompt, and then press Enter
• Double-click an entry or entries in the Command History window,
or select an entry and press Enter.

To extend the selection to include multiple commands, press Shift+↑.

Copy statements to another Do one of the following:
window.
• Select an entry or entries, and then select Copy from the context
menu. Paste the selection into an open file in the Editor or any
application.
• Drag the selection from the Command History window to an open
file or another application.
Create a shortcut from a Do one of the following:
statement or statements.
• Select an entry or entries, and then right-click and select Create
Shortcut from the context menu.
• Drag the selection to the desktop Toolstrip. The Add Shortcut
dialog box opens and the selected commands appear in the
Callback field.
Delete Entries Select the entries to delete, and then right-click and select Delete, or
press the Delete key.

To delete all entries, click , and then select Clear Command

History from the context menu. You cannot recall these entries.

3-29
3 Entering Commands

Change the Command History Date Format

MATLAB uses your operating system's short date format to display dates in the
Command History window. To change the date format, for instance from MM/DD/YYYY
to DD/MM/YYYY:

1 Change the short date format for your operating system as described in its
documentation.
2 Restart MATLAB.

Note: Clearing the command history deletes all entries from the Command History
window. You can no longer recall those entries in the Command Window.

Command History Preferences

You can exclude statements from the command history and specify how many commands
to save to the command history file, History.xml. MATLAB uses the command history
file for both the Command History window and statement recall in the Command
Window.

Note: When you exclude statements from the command history file, you cannot recall
them in the Command Window, nor can you view them in the Command History window.

You can also change the way you search for previously executed statements in the
command history. Select from different search text matching options and change the way
results are displayed in the Command History window.

To set Command History preferences, on the Home tab, in the Environment section,
click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Command History, and then adjust the
preference options as described in this table:

Option Usage
Save Select Save exit/quit commands to save exit and quit
commands in the command history.
Select Save consecutive duplicate commands to
save consecutive executions of the same statement in the
command history.

3-30
 Command History

Option Usage
• With this option selected, if you run magic(5) two times
in a row, the entries for magic(5) appear on separate
lines in the command history.
• With this option cleared, the command history retains
only one entry for magic(5) and displays a tally of
consecutive executions to the left.
Select Don't save history file to prevent saving the
command history across sessions. This option is useful when
multiple users share the same machine. For example, the
option prevents each user from viewing statements others
have run.

Any entries predating the current session remain unless you

first delete entries from the Command History window.
Save last n commands specifies the number of commands
to save.
Match Select Match anywhere to retrieve statements that contain
the search text in any location.

Select Match beginning to retrieve statements that begin

with the search text. This option is selected by default.
Select Match case to retrieve statements that match the
case of the search text.
Select Filter matches to display only statements that
match the search text. Clear Filter matches to display
all previously executed statements and highlight the
statements that match the search text.
Show Select Show match toolbar to display a search toolbar
at the top of the Command History window. Search for
previously executed statements using the search field and
change Match preferences using the provided buttons.
Select Show match locations to display yellow markers
to the right of the scroll bar in the Command History
window that indicate the location of matches throughout the
command history.

3-31
3 Entering Commands

Option Usage
Select Show execution time to display an approximate
execution time to the right of each statement. Times display
for any statements that takes longer than 0.1 seconds to
execute.

3-32
 4

Help and Product Information

• “Ways to Get Function Help” on page 4-2

• “MATLAB Code Examples” on page 4-3
• “Search Syntax and Tips” on page 4-7
• “Bookmark and Share Page Locations” on page 4-10
• “Contact Technical Support” on page 4-12
• “Help Preferences” on page 4-14
• “Japanese Documentation” on page 4-16
• “Korean and Chinese Documentation” on page 4-17
• “Information About Your Installation” on page 4-18
4 Help and Product Information

Ways to Get Function Help

Each MATLAB function has supporting documentation that includes examples and
describes the function inputs, outputs, and calling syntax. This table describes ways to
access that documentation.

Type of Help How to Access Example or Icon

Reference page in Help Use the doc command. doc mean
browser — or —
Select a function name
in the Editor, Command
Window, or Help browser;
right-click; and then select
Help on Selection.
Function syntax hints in After you type an open mean(
Command Window parenthesis for function
inputs, pause or press Ctrl
+ F1.
Abbreviated help text in Use the help command. help mean
Command Window
Function browser in Click the function icon to
Command Window the left of the command
prompt.
Complete documentation in Click the Help button on the
Help browser quick access toolbar or on
the Home tab.
— or —
Enter search terms in the
Search Documentation
box.

See Also
doc

More About
• “MATLAB Code Examples” on page 4-3

4-2
 MATLAB Code Examples

MATLAB Code Examples

In this section...
“Standalone Examples” on page 4-3
“Inline Examples” on page 4-5

Standalone Examples
A standalone example is a readable version of a MATLAB script that shows how to
accomplish a particular task. MATLAB and all MATLAB toolboxes include examples as
part of the installed documentation. (Before release R2012b, these examples were called
demos.)

Access examples by clicking Examples on the right or bottom left of the main
documentation page for a particular product. You can also access examples by clicking

the icon to the right of the product name.

4-3
4 Help and Product Information

MATLAB include various examples that demonstrate various functionality. For instance,
click on Graphics to view examples demonstrating plotting functionality in MATLAB.

Each example combines comments, code, and output together in a formatted document.
You can open the corresponding script in the Editor by clicking Open Script or Open
Live Script to the right of the example name, or by clicking Open Script or Open Live
Script at the top of the example page in the Help browser.

4-4
 MATLAB Code Examples

In the Editor, there are two ways to run the script:

• Run one section at a time and view the incremental results. Select the first section,
and then step through the script by clicking Run and Advance, .
•
Run the entire script by clicking Run or Run All .

Additional examples, created by members of the MATLAB community, are available at

the File Exchange.

Inline Examples
The product documentation also includes inline code excerpts, such as examples on
function pages like cos or plot. You can run inline code from the Help browser by
selecting the code, right-clicking, and then selecting Evaluate Selection, as shown.
(On Macintosh systems, press Shift+F7, which copies code to the Command Window for
evaluation.)

4-5
4 Help and Product Information

See Also
demo | echodemo

Related Examples
• “Run Code Sections”

External Websites
• File Exchange

4-6
 Search Syntax and Tips

Search Syntax and Tips

Find keywords in the documentation by entering text in the Search box on the Desktop or
in the Help browser.

When you view pages linked from the search results, search terms appear with
highlights. To clear the highlights, press the Esc key.

The search engine ignores common, insignificant words such as a, an, the, and of, unless
they are part of an exact phrase in quotation marks. It also ignores capitalization,
punctuation, and special characters such as +. To find a symbol or special character:

• Search for the word instead of the symbol or character, such as plus instead of +.
• View the documentation on Operators and the Symbol Reference.
• Search the PDF documentation, available from the documentation home page.

Searches can include the following operators:

"" Exact phrase

Example: "plot tools" finds pages that contain plot tools, in that sequence,
with no words between them.
* Wildcard

Requires at least two nonwildcard characters, and cannot appear at the start of
a keyword or in an exact phrase.

Example: plot* finds plot, plot3, and plotting.

OR Boolean OR

Example: plot OR graph finds pages with either plot or graph.

NOT Boolean NOT

Example: "plot tools" NOT "time series" finds pages with plot tools but
excludes pages with time series.

4-7
4 Help and Product Information

AND Boolean AND

Implied when no operator is present between keywords.

Example: plot AND tools is equivalent to "plot" "tools".

The Help browser search evaluates NOT operators first, OR operators second, and AND
operators last. For example,

"plotting tool" OR "plot tools" NOT "time series" AND workspace

finds pages that contain either plotting tool or plot tools and contain workspace, but do
not contain time series.

You can filter search results using facets that appear on the left side of the page. For
example, view MATLAB topics by selecting MATLAB and Help Topics.

The search engine searches the following text in the documentation:

• Documentation — Text and code shown in the Help browser

4-8
 Search Syntax and Tips

• User interface examples — Help comments in the program file

• Videos — Title

4-9
4 Help and Product Information

Bookmark and Share Page Locations

In this section...
“Bookmark Favorite Pages” on page 4-10
“View Page Locations” on page 4-11

Bookmark Favorite Pages

In MATLAB, bookmarks are called favorites. Add, find, and organize favorites by clicking

the Favorites button in the Help browser, .

When you add a favorite, do not change the Callback. MATLAB requires special values
to create a shortcut that opens the page in the Help browser. In addition, if you want the
bookmark to appear in your list of favorites, keep the Category set to Help Browser
Favorites, as shown.

Note: You cannot migrate favorites that you save in one MATLAB release to a new
release.

4-10
 Bookmark and Share Page Locations

View Page Locations

To identify the location of a page in the Help browser to share with someone else, right-
click within the page, and then select Get Page Address.

The Help Page Location dialog box provides two ways to access the page:

• A web command to run from the command line that opens the page from the installed
documentation. This command is subject to change between releases, so it is not
always accurate for someone running a different version of MATLAB.
• A URL for the page corresponding to your product version at the MathWorks website.
This documentation is available to anyone, even if they do not have MathWorks
products. However, to access archived documentation from previous releases, as well
as Korean and Chinese documentation, you must log in with a MathWorks Account.

Note: If you are running a prerelease version, the URL is invalid because the
documentation does not yet exist on the website.

4-11
4 Help and Product Information

Contact Technical Support

This example shows how to contact MathWorks Technical Support to report a bug or
request help. This procedure requires internet access.

1 On the Home tab, in the Resources section, click Request Support.

2 When requested, log in using your MathWorks Account email address and password.
If you do not have a MathWorks Account, create one.

3 Provide information to help technical support reproduce your issue, such as a

description of the steps you followed or a code excerpt. Optionally, you can attach up
to five files to your request, where each file is no larger than 3 MB. To submit files
larger than 3 MB, upload them to the MathWorks FTP site.

4-12
 Contact Technical Support

4 Specify the product that is related to the issue.

5 Submit the request.

External Websites
• How do I access the MathWorks FTP site?
• MathWorks Support Page

4-13
4 Help and Product Information

Help Preferences
To set Help preferences:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Help.
2 Adjust the preference options as described in the table.

Preference Usage
Documentation Location Specify whether to view the documentation provided with your
installed products or the documentation on the web at http://
www.mathworks.com/help. Viewing the web documentation
requires an internet connection and a MathWorks Account.

If your preference is set to view web documentation, but your

internet connection becomes unavailable, MATLAB changes the
preference to view the installed documentation. You can reset the
preference after your connection is restored.

Changes to this preference apply only to new Help browser tabs.

Selected Products Select the products to include for viewing and searching
documentation in the Help browser or Function browser.

If your Documentation Location is set to view documentation

on the web, then you can select Show products that are not
installed to select and access documentation for all MathWorks
products.

When the Help browser is already open, changes to this

preference apply only to new Help browser tabs.
Quick Help Display Specify whether help links display content in the Help browser or
in a small window. This preference applies to reference pages or
program help that you access using:

• Help on Selection in context menus or F1

• Function hints or the Function Browser
• Links in error messages

4-14
 Help Preferences

Preference Usage
Links to reference pages from the Current Folder browser always
open in the Help browser.
Language (selected non- Specify whether you want documentation in the Help browser
English systems only) and context-sensitive help to appear in English. Installed non-
English documentation is not always current.

This option is only available if your Documentation Location

is set to view documentation on the web, and for selected non-
English systems only.

To adjust the font size in the Help browser or MATLAB Web browser, use the Ctrl +
Mouse Scroll keyboard shortcut.

More About
• “Japanese Documentation” on page 4-16
• “Korean and Chinese Documentation” on page 4-17

4-15
4 Help and Product Information

Japanese Documentation
Many MathWorks products provide versions of the documentation translated from
English to Japanese.

The new version of most products installs the translated documentation from the
previous version and the English documentation for the current version. To view the
English documentation, access the Environment section on the Home tab, and click
Preferences. Select MATLAB > Help, and set the Help Language preference to
English.

The Language preference is available when the system locale is Japanese and the
translated documentation is installed. The preference changes the language only in
the Help browser and context-sensitive help. If the documentation for a product is not
translated, the Help browser displays the English documentation.

When the translated documentation is available, you can view it by setting your Help
Documentation Location preference to view documentation on the web. Alternatively,
download it from the MathWorks website at http://www.mathworks.co.jp/help.

For information about documentation in other languages, contact your MathWorks sales
and service office.

Related Examples
• “Set Locale on Windows Platforms” on page 9-5
• “Set Locale on Linux Platforms” on page 9-8
• “Set Locale on Mac Platforms” on page 9-7

4-16
 Korean and Chinese Documentation

Korean and Chinese Documentation

A subset of MATLAB documentation in Korean and simplified Chinese is available on the
web to licensed MATLAB users.

Access this documentation from MATLAB using these steps:

1 From the Home tab, in the Environment section, click the Preferences button.
2 From the left pane, select Help.
3 For Documentation Location, select Web, on mathworks.com (Internet
connection required). Then for Language, select either your default language
(Korean or Chinese) or English, and click OK.
4 Open the documentation from the Home tab Resources section by clicking the
Help button.

You also can view the Help directly on the web:

1 Open the MathWorks help website, http://www.mathworks.com/help.

2 Click the button with the globe icon and the country name at the bottom left of the
web page, and select a country based on the language in which you want to view the
documentation.

If the documentation does not display in the language you want, the subset of
documentation you are viewing might not be translated.

4-17
4 Help and Product Information

Information About Your Installation

MATLAB software can tell you what products are installed, their versions, and other
information about your license and platform. This information is important to have in the
event you contact technical support.

Type of Information You To Get the Information

Want
Version and license for From the product, select Help > About.
Installed product
Or use functions:

• license — for the license number

• ver — for version numbers for MATLAB and libraries
• version — for version numbers for MathWorks products
MATLAB platform In MATLAB, select Help > About MATLAB. The About
MATLAB dialog box shows 32-bit or 64-bit.
arch value used to In MATLAB, select Help > About MATLAB. The About
locate library files for MATLAB dialog box shows the arch value, for example
the mex function and win64.
standalone applications
Or use the computer function.
Passcodes and licenses From any desktop tool, select Help > Licensing > Manage
Licenses.

4-18
 5

Workspace Browser and Variable

Editor

• “Create and Edit Variables” on page 5-2

• “Save and Load Workspace Variables” on page 5-15
• “Workspace and Variable Preferences” on page 5-20
5 Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

Create and Edit Variables

In MATLAB, you can create, edit, and copy variables in the MATLAB workspace. The
MATLAB workspace consists of the variables you create and store in memory during a
MATLAB session.

View Workspace Contents

To view a list of variables in your workspace, use the Workspace browser. To open the
Workspace browser if it is not currently visible, do either of the following:

• On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Layout. Then, under Show,
select Workspace.
• Type workspace in the Command Window.

By default, the Workspace browser displays the base workspace. You also can view
function workspaces if MATLAB is in debug mode. For more information, see “Base and
Function Workspaces”.

To display additional columns such as size and range, on the Workspace browser title
bar, click , and then click Choose Columns.

To select which columns to display, right-click the Workspace browser title bar and select
or clear the desired column names.

You can also use the who command in the Command Window to view a list of variables.
To list information about size and class, use the whos command.

Create Variables
You can create new variables in the workspace by running MATLAB code or using
existing variables.

To create a new variable, enter the variable name in the Command Window, followed by
an equal sign (=) and the value you want to assign to the variable. For example, if you
run these statements, MATLAB adds the three variables x, A, and I to the workspace:

x = 5.71;

5-2
 Create and Edit Variables

A = [1 2 3; 4 5 6; 7 8 9];
I = besseli(x,A);

You do not have to declare variables before assigning values to them.

If you do not end the assignment statement with a semicolon (;), MATLAB displays the
result in the Command Window. For example,

x = 5.71

x =
5.7100

If you do not explicitly assign the output of a statement to a variable, MATLAB generally
assigns the result to the reserved word ans. The value of ans changes with every
statement that returns an output value that is not assigned to a variable. For example,

sin(1)

ans =
0.8415

To create a new workspace variable from an existing variable, in the Variables editor,
select an element, data range, row, or column in an array, and then in the Variable tab,
select New from Selection.

View Variable Contents

You can view the contents of a variable in several ways:

• Command Window — Type the variable name at the command prompt.

5-3
5 Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

• Variables editor — In the Workspace browser, double-click a variable name. You

can also use the openvar function. For example, to open the variable A, type
openvar('A').

Some variables open a viewer or other tool appropriate for the type of value they have,
such as timeseries. For details, see the documentation for that data or object type.

A or icon next to a variable property in the Variables editor indicates that the
property is protected or private.

Note: The maximum number of elements in a variable that you can open in the
Variables editor depends on your operating system and the amount of physical
memory installed on your system.

To change how the Variables editor displays variables, go to the View tab, and in the
Format section, select a number display format. The display format does not affect
how values are displayed in the Command Window or Workspace browser, or how the
variables are saved.

Edit Variable Contents

You can edit the contents of scalar (1-by-1) variables in the Workspace browser. Right-
click the variable and select Edit Value.

To edit other variables, open them in the Variables editor. For example, suppose that you
create a cell array, C, by running these commands in the Command Window:

A = magic(4);
C = {A A A};
In the Workspace browser, double-click the variable name C to open it in the Variables
editor.

5-4
 Create and Edit Variables

To edit an element of a variable, double-click the element. The element opens in a new
document within the Variables editor. For example, if you double-click element C{1,1}
in the Variables editor, the contents of that cell open in a new tab. You can edit the value
of a variable element by clicking the element and typing a new value. Press Enter or
click another element to save the change.

5-5
5 Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

To return to the parent cell array or structure of an element, go to the View tab and click
the Go Up button.

Changes you make in the Variables editor are automatically saved in the workspace.
Changes you make to variables via the Command Window or other operations
automatically update the information for those variables in the Workspace browser and
Variables editor.

Note:

• You cannot edit elements or subsets of multidimensional arrays in the Variables

editor.

• You cannot edit tall arrays in the Variables editor.

• When editing strings in the Workspace browser or as part of a structure in the
Variables editor, you must use double quotes to surround the string value.

To modify the size, shape and order of variable elements in the Variable editor, use the
following procedures:

5-6
 Create and Edit Variables

Action Procedure
Delete row, column, or variable Right-click the desired row header, column header, or
elements selected elements and select Delete Row or Delete
Column.
Insert new row or column Right-click the desired row header, column header,
or element and select Insert Row Above, Insert
Row Below, Insert Column to the Left, or Insert
Column to the Right. You can also add rows or
columns simply by entering a value in an empty row
or column. For example, to add a row and column to
the array in C{1,1}, enter a value in element (5,5).
Cut variable elements Right-click the desired row header, column header,
or selected elements and select Cut. The cut values
move to the clipboard and are replaced by the default
value for empty elements. For more information, see
“Empty Elements” on page 5-7.
Copy variable elements Right-click the desired row header, column header, or
selected elements and select Copy.
Paste variable elements Right-click the row header, column header, or
element where you want the insertion to begin and
select Paste.
Paste cells from Microsoft Excel Right-click the element where you want the insertion
spreadsheet to begin, and then select Paste Excel Data.

Empty Elements

Empty elements in variables are assigned default values. Default assignments are:

• 0 for numeric arrays

• [] for cell arrays and structure arrays
• <undefined> for categorical variables

Edit Table and Structure Array Variables

Tables (including timetables) and structure arrays support additional editing actions.

5-7
5 Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

Action Procedure Example

Modify column or Double-click the name and enter
row name the new text.

Reorder variables Hover over the left side of a

variable until a four-headed
arrow appears. Then, click
and drag the column to a new
location.

5-8
 Create and Edit Variables

Action Procedure Example

Modify units and Click the arrow that appears
description of to the right of a variable name.
variables Then, enter new text in the
Units and Description fields.

Sort variable data Click the arrow that appears

to the right of a variable name
and select Ascending or
Descending.

5-9
5 Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

Action Procedure Example

Modify column or Double-click the name and enter
row name the new text.

Note: The contents of a table are only visible and modifiable when the number of
variables is fewer than 5000. When the number of variables equals or exceeds 5000, you
can only view the table properties.

Changes made to certain variable types in the Variables editor also appear in the
Command Window. For example, suppose you have a table T that contains three
columns, A, B, and C. If you delete column A in the Variables editor, the line T(:,'A')
= []; displays in the Command Window. To suppress code display in the Command
Window, on the View tab, clear the Show MATLAB Code check box.

Navigate Variable Contents

When editing variables in the Variables editor, some variables can contain large amounts
of data, making it difficult to navigate between elements. Use these keyboard shortcuts
to move easily between variable elements in the Variables editor. You cannot modify
these keyboard shortcuts.

Action Keyboard Shortcut

Commit changes to element and move to next element. Enter

5-10
 Create and Edit Variables

Action Keyboard Shortcut

“Variables Preferences” on page 5-22 enable you to
specify what the next element is. The default is to move
down.
Move right. Tab

Within a selection, Tab also moves from the last column in

one row to the first column in the next row.
Move in opposite direction of Enter or Tab. Shift+Enter or Shift+Tab
Move up m rows, where m is the number of visible rows. Page Up
Move down m rows, where m is the number of visible rows. Page Down
Move to column 1. Home
Move to row 1, column 1. Ctrl+Home
Edit current element, positioning cursor at the end of the F2 (Ctrl+U on Apple
element. Macintosh platforms)

Action Keyboard Shortcut

Commit changes to element and move to next element. Enter
Move right. Tab

Within a selection, Tab also moves from the last column in

one row to the first column in the next row.
Move in opposite direction of Enter or Tab. Shift+Enter or Shift+Tab

Copy, Rename, and Delete Variables

You can copy and paste, duplicate, rename, and delete variables within the Workspace
browser.

Action Procedure
Copy variable to and from Select the variables, right-click, and then select
clipboard Copy. Then, you can paste the names, for example,
into the Command Window or an external
application. Multiple variables are comma-separated.

5-11
5 Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

Action Procedure
Duplicate variable Select the variables, right-click, and then select
Duplicate. MATLAB creates a copy of the selected
variables.
Rename a workspace variable Right-click the variable name, and then select
Rename. Type the new variable name and press
Enter.
Delete all variables in workspace On the Home tab, in the Variable section, click
Clear Workspace.

You can also use the clear function in the Command

Window.
Delete selected variables from Select the variables in the Workspace browser, right-
workspace click, and then select Delete.

You can also use the clear function in the Command

Window. For example, to clear variables A and B, use
the command clear A B.

To preserve specified variables, but delete others, use

the clearvars function with the -except option.
For example, to clear all variables except variable A,
use the command clearvars -except A.

You can change the character that delimits decimals in the data when you cut and paste
values from the Variables editor into text files or other applications. You might do this,
for instance, if you provide data to a locale that uses a character other than the period
(.). To change the delimiter character, specify a Decimal separator for exporting
numeric data via system clipboard in the “Variables Preferences” on page 5-22.

Delete Variables
You can delete variables within the Workspace browser.

Action Procedure
Delete all variables in workspace On the Home tab, in the Variable section, click
Clear Workspace.

5-12
 Create and Edit Variables

Action Procedure
You can also use the clear function in the Command
Window.
Delete selected variables from Use the clear function in the Command Window.
workspace For example, to clear variables A and B, use the
command clear A B.

To preserve specified variables, but delete others, use

the clearvars function with the -except option.
For example, to clear all variables except variable A,
use the command clearvars -except A.

Display Statistics in the Workspace Browser

For each variable or object, the Workspace browser can display statistics such as the
Min, Max, and Mean, when relevant. MATLAB performs these calculations using the
min, max, and mean functions, and updates the results automatically.

To display statistics, on the Workspace browser title bar, click , and then select
Choose Columns. Select the statistics you want MATLAB to calculate.

Improve Workspace Browser Performance During Statistical Calculations

If you show statistical columns in the Workspace browser, and you work with very large
arrays, you might experience performance issues when the data changes as MATLAB
updates the statistical results. To improve performance, consider one or both of the
following:

• Show only the statistics of interest to you.

On the Workspace browser title bar, click , and then select Choose Columns.
Clear the statistics you do not want MATLAB to calculate.
• Exclude large arrays from statistical calculations.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select

MATLAB > Workspace, and then use the arrow buttons under Statistical
calculations to change the maximum array size for which the Workspace browser
performs statistical calculations. Any variable exceeding the maximum array size

5-13
5 Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

reports <Too many elements> in Workspace browser statistics columns instead of

statistical results.

Include or Exclude NaN Values in Statistical Calculations

If your data includes NaNs (Not-a-Number values), you can specify that the Workspace
browser statistical calculations consider or ignore the NaNs. On the Home tab, in the
Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Workspace, and then
select one of the following:

• Use NaNs when calculating statistics

If a variable includes a NaN, and you select this option, the values for Min, Max,
Var, and several other statistics appear as NaN. However, Mode and several other
statistics show a numeric result.
• Ignore NaNs whenever possible

If a variable includes a NaN, and you select this option, numeric results appear for
most statistics including Min, Max, and Mode. However, Var still appears as NaN.

More About
• “Workspace and Variable Preferences” on page 5-20
• “Save and Load Workspace Variables” on page 5-15

5-14
 Save and Load Workspace Variables

Save and Load Workspace Variables

The workspace is not maintained across sessions of MATLAB. When you quit MATLAB,
the workspace clears. However, you can save any or all the variables in the current
workspace to a MAT-file (.mat). You can load MAT-files later during the current
MATLAB session, or during another session, if you want to reuse the workspace
variables.

You can save any or all the variables in the current workspace to a MAT-file (.mat). You
can load MAT-files later during the current MATLAB session, or during another session,
if you want to reuse the workspace variables.

This table describes how to save and load workspace variables.

Action Procedure
Save all workspace variables to a MAT- On the Home tab, in the Variable section,
file click Save Workspace.

You can also use the save function. For

example, save all current workspace variables
to the file june10.mat

save('june10')
Save selected variables to a MAT-file Do one of the following:

• Select the variables in the Workspace

browser, right-click, and then select Save
As.
• Drag the variables from the Workspace
browser to the Current Folder browser.

You can also use the save function. For

example, save only variables A and B to the file
june10.mat

save('june10','A','B')
Save part of a variable Use the matfile function. For an example, see
“Save Parts of Variables to MAT-Files”.
Load a MAT-file Select the MAT-file in the Current Folder
browser, right-click, and then select Load.

5-15
5 Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

Action Procedure
You can also use the load function. For
example, load all variables from the file
durer.mat

load('durer')
Load selected variables from a MAT-file Do one of the following:

• On the Home tab, in the Variable section,

click Import Data. Select the MAT-file you
want to load and click Open.
• In the Current Folder browser, select the
MAT-file that contains the variables. Drag
variables from the Details panel of the
Current Folder browser to the Workspace
browser.

You can also use the load function. For

example, load variables X and map from the file
durer.mat

load('durer','X','map')
Load part of a variable Use the matfile function. For an example, see
“Load Parts of Variables from MAT-Files”.

Action Procedure
Save all workspace variables to a MAT- Use the save function. For example, save
file all current workspace variables to the file
june10.mat

save('june10')
Save selected variables to a MAT-file Use the save function. For example, save only
variables A and B to the file june10.mat

save('june10','A','B')
Save part of a variable Use the matfile function. For an example, see
“Save Parts of Variables to MAT-Files”.
Load a MAT-file Double-click the MAT-file in the Current
Folder browser

5-16
 Save and Load Workspace Variables

Action Procedure
You can also use the load function. For
example, load all variables from the file
durer.mat

load('durer')
Load selected variables from a MAT-file On the Home tab, in the Variable section,
click Import Data. Select the MAT-file you
want to load and click Open.

You can also use the load function. For

example, load variables X and map from the file
durer.mat

load('durer','X','map')
Load part of a variable Use the matfile function. For an example, see
“Load Parts of Variables from MAT-Files”.

Caution When you load data into the MATLAB workspace, the new variables you create
overwrite any existing variables in the workspace that have the same name.

View Contents of MAT-File

To see the variables in a MAT-file before loading the file into your workspace, click the
file name in the Current Folder browser. Information about the variables appears in the
Details pane. Alternatively, use the command whos -file filename. This function
returns the name, dimensions, size, and class of all variables in the specified MAT-file.

To see the variables in a MAT-file before loading the file into your workspace, use the
command whos -file filename. This function returns the name, dimensions, size, and
class of all variables in the specified MAT-file.

For example, you can view the contents of the example file durer.mat.

whos -file durer.mat

Name Size Bytes Class Attributes

X 648x509 2638656 double

5-17
5 Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

caption 2x28 112 char

map 128x3 3072 double

The byte counts represent the number of bytes that the data occupies in memory when
loaded into the MATLAB workspace. Because of compression, data encoding, and
metadata, the space occupied in the file by a variable may be different from the in-
memory size. MATLAB compresses data in Version 7 or higher MAT-files. For more
information, see “MAT-File Versions”.

Save Variables to MATLAB Script

You also can save workspace variables to a MATLAB script:

• To save all workspace variables, on the Home tab, click Save Workspace.
• To save selected workspace variables, select the variables in the Workspace browser,
right-click, and then select Save As.

Then, in the Save As window, specify a file name. In the Save as type menu, select
MATLAB Script.

Variables that cannot be saved to a script are saved to a MAT-file with the same name as
that of the script.

To load the saved variables into the workspace, simply run the script.

Save Structure Fields as Separate Variables

If any of the variables in your current workspace are structure arrays, the default
behavior for saving is to store the entire structure. To store fields of a scalar structure as
individual variables, use the save function in the Command Window with the -struct
option.

For example, consider the structure S.

S.a = 12.7; S.b = {'abc', [4 5; 6 7]}; S.c = 'Hello!';

Save the entire structure to newstruct.mat. The file contains the variable S.
save newstruct.mat S
whos -file newstruct.mat

Name Size Bytes Class Attributes

5-18
 Save and Load Workspace Variables

S 1x1 810 struct

Save the fields individually. The file contains variables a, b, and c, but not S.

save newstruct.mat -struct S

whos -file newstruct.mat

Name Size Bytes Class Attributes

a 1x1 8 double
b 1x2 262 cell
c 1x6 12 char

Save only selected fields, such as a and c. The file contains variables a and c, but not b
or S.

save newstruct.mat -struct S a c

whos -file newstruct.mat

Name Size Bytes Class Attributes

a 1x1 8 double
c 1x6 12 char

More About
• “Load Parts of Variables from MAT-Files”
• “Save Parts of Variables to MAT-Files”
• “MAT-File Versions”

5-19
5 Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

Workspace and Variable Preferences

In this section...
“Workspace Preferences” on page 5-20
“Variables Preferences” on page 5-22

Workspace Preferences
Workspace preferences enable you to configure options for saving workspace variables to
MATLAB scripts. They also enable you to restrict the size of arrays on which MATLAB
performs calculations, and to specify if you want those calculations to include or ignore
NaNs.

To open Workspace preferences, on the Home tab, in the Environment section, click
Preferences. Select MATLAB > Workspace.

Preference Usage
Threshold for saving variables to Specify Maximum array size to limit the
MATLAB script number of elements of arrays saved to a
MATLAB script.

Specify Maximum struct/object nesting

levels to limit the nesting level of
structures, arrays, or objects saved to a
MATLAB script.
Multidimensional array formatting Specify how multidimensional arrays are
formatted when saved to a MATLAB script.

To create a compact script, select Row

vector with reshape (compactness and
efficiency).

To retain array representation, select

As 2-D pages (readability). Specify
the dimensions of a 2-D slice as positive
integers less than or equal to the
dimensions of the n-D array. The second
integer must be greater than the first.

5-20
 Workspace and Variable Preferences

Preference Usage
File formatting Set the character width at which text in the
MATLAB script is wrapped by specifying
Maximum characters per line.
n element and smaller arrays show Limit the size of arrays for which the
statistics Workspace browser displays statistics
to improve performance when MATLAB
updates the statistical results in the
Workspace browser.

For more information, see “Improve

Workspace Browser Performance During
Statistical Calculations” on page 5-13.
Handling NaN values in calculations Specify whether NaN values are included or
excluded from calculations for the statistics
displayed in the Workspace browser. You
can select to either Use NaNs when
calculating statistics or Ignore NaNs
when calculating statistics.

5-21
5 Workspace Browser and Variable Editor

Preference Usage
MATLAB array size limit By default, MATLAB can use up to 100%
of the size of RAM (not including virtual
memory) of your computer to allocate
memory for each MATLAB array. To
change this limit to a smaller percentage,
select the Limit the maximum array
size to a percentage of RAM check
box. Then move the slider to adjust the
percentage of RAM.

To allow MATLAB to use both RAM and

virtual memory when creating an array,
clear the Limit the maximum array size
to a percentage of RAM check box. If
MATLAB attempts to allocate memory
that exceeds the resources available on
the computer, your system might become
nonresponsive.

This limit applies to the size of each array,

not the total size of all MATLAB arrays.

Variables Preferences
When working in the Variables editor, Variables preferences enable you to specify array
formatting, cursor movement, and the decimal separator for exporting data using the
system clipboard.

To open Variables preferences, on the Home tab, in the Environment section, click
Preferences. Select MATLAB > Variables.

Preference Usage
Format Select an option from the Default array format to
specify the default array output format of numeric values
displayed in the Variables editor. This format preference
affects only how numbers display, not how MATLAB
computes or saves them. For information on formatting
options, see the reference page for the format function.

5-22
 Workspace and Variable Preferences

Preference Usage
Editing Specify where the cursor moves to after you type an
element and press Enter.

To keep the cursor in the element where you typed, clear

the Move selection after Enter check box.

To move the cursor to another element, select the Move

selection after Enter check box. In the Direction field,
specify how you want the cursor to move.
International number In the Decimal separator for exporting numeric
handling data via system clipboard field, specify the decimal
separator for numbers you cut or copy from the Variables
editor and then paste into text files or other applications.

This preference has no effect on numeric data copied from

and pasted into MATLAB. Within MATLAB, decimal
separators are always periods.

More About
• “Create and Edit Variables” on page 5-2

5-23
 6

Managing Files in MATLAB

• “Find Files and Folders” on page 6-2

• “Comparing Files and Folders” on page 6-6
• “Manage Files and Folders” on page 6-25
• “MathWorks File Extensions” on page 6-28
• “Files and Folders that MATLAB Accesses” on page 6-29
• “Current Folder Browser Preferences” on page 6-32
• “Specify File Names” on page 6-34
• “Create and Extract from Zip Archives” on page 6-38
• “What Is the MATLAB Search Path?” on page 6-41
• “Change Folders on the Search Path” on page 6-45
• “Use Search Path with Different MATLAB Installations” on page 6-48
• “Add Folders to the MATLAB Search Path at Startup” on page 6-49
• “Assign userpath as Startup Folder (Macintosh or UNIX)” on page 6-51
• “Path Unsuccessfully Set at Startup” on page 6-52
• “Errors When Updating Folders on Search Path” on page 6-54
6 Managing Files in MATLAB

Find Files and Folders

In this section...
“Simple Search for File and Folder Names” on page 6-2
“Advanced Search for Files” on page 6-2

Simple Search for File and Folder Names

If you know the name of the file you want to find, begin typing the first characters of the
name in the Current Folder browser. As you type, the Current Folder browser searches
downward from the top of the window, looking through all expanded folders.

Alternatively, to find a series of characters anywhere in the name of a file:

1
Click the search button in the current folder toolbar. The address bar becomes a
search field.
2 Type a portion of a file name. The asterisk character (*) is a wildcard. For example,
to show only file names that begin with coll and have a .m extension, type
coll*.m.
3 Press Enter.

MATLAB displays all files within the current folder (including its subfolders) that
match that file name. If you typed the full path to a folder, that folder becomes the
current folder.
4 Clear the results and show all items in the current folder by pressing the Esc key.

Tip To open the Current Folder browser if it is not open, do the following: on the Home
tab, in the Environment section, click Layout. Then, under Show, select Current
Folder. Show and hide columns, or sort and group columns by clicking , and then
selecting an option.

Advanced Search for Files

Use the Find Files tool to:

• Search for specific text in file names and within files

• Include or exclude specified file types from your search

6-2
 Find Files and Folders

• Search in specified folders

• Exclude large files from your search

To conduct an advanced search for files, open the Find Files tool. On the Home tab, in
the File section, click Find Files. Enter your search criteria in the dialog box that opens.

Use the Look in menu to specify the folders you want to search. Select Entire MATLAB
Path to search all folders on the MATLAB search path. Alternatively, you can enter the
full path for one or more folders. Separate each path with a semicolon (;).

Click Find to begin the search. Search results appear in the right pane of the dialog box,
with a summary at the bottom. For text searches, results include the line number and
line of code. To see file locations, select Show full path names.

Open one or more files by right-clicking the files and selecting one of the Open options.

Include or Exclude File Types

You can search for files with only a specified extension, by selecting an option in the
Include only file type(s) menu. For example, select *.m, *.mlx to limit the search to
MATLAB program files.

6-3
6 Managing Files in MATLAB

To exclude some file types from the search:

1 In the Include only file type(s) menu, select All files (*).
2 Under More options, select the Skip file type(s) box and click Edit. The Edit
Skipped File Extensions dialog box opens.
3 Select the State check box for the file types to exclude from your search.
4 Click OK to accept your changes.

You can remove any file extension from the list by selecting the extension to highlight it.
Then, click Remove.

Search Within File

Under More options, you can choose to search file contents for a partial word. From
the Search type menu, select Contains text. To find an exact full-word match, select
Matches whole word.

Searching within large files can be time consuming. To speed up your search, specify a
file size in the Skip files over field. The Find Files tool ignores files larger than the size
you specify.

Troubleshooting

If the Find Files tool does not find the file you want, try the following:

• When searching for file names, use the asterisk character (*) as a wildcard character
to expand your search. For example, to show file names that begin with coll and
have a .m extension, type coll*.m.
• Select the Include Subfolders check box if the file might be in a subfolder.
• If you select the Skip file type(s) check box, ensure that you do not exclude relevant
file types from your search. Click Edit and review the Edit Skipped File Extensions
dialog box. Ensure that relevant file types do not have the State check box selected.

See Also
dir | exist | what | which

More About
• “Find Functions to Use” on page 3-4

6-4
 Find Files and Folders

• “What Is the MATLAB Search Path?” on page 6-41

6-5
6 Managing Files in MATLAB

Comparing Files and Folders

In this section...
“Comparing Files and Folders” on page 6-6
“Comparing Folders and Zip Files” on page 6-8
“Comparing Text and Live Scripts” on page 6-11
“Comparing Files with Autosave Version or Version on Disk” on page 6-16
“Comparing MAT-Files” on page 6-17
“Comparing Variables” on page 6-20
“Comparing Binary Files” on page 6-20
“Using Comparison Tool Features” on page 6-21
“Function Alternative for Comparing Files and Folders” on page 6-24

Comparing Files and Folders

You can use the Comparison tool to determine and display the differences between
selected pairs of files or folders. The comparison process involves three steps:

1 “Select the Files or Folders to Compare” on page 6-6

2 “Choose a Comparison Type” on page 6-7
3 “Explore the Comparison Report” on page 6-7

Select the Files or Folders to Compare

You can compare files and folders using any of these methods:

• From the Current Folder browser:

• Select a file or folder, right-click and select Compare Against, and browse to
select a second item to compare.
• For two files or subfolders in the same folder, select the files or folders, right-click
and select Compare Selected Files/Folders.
• If you have a file open in the Editor, on the Editor or Live Editor tab, in the File
section,

• Click Compare to browse to a second file for comparison.

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 Comparing Files and Folders

• Alternatively, under Compare, select Compare with Version on Disk or Save

and Compare with Autosave. See “Comparing Files with Autosave Version or
Version on Disk” on page 6-16. These options are not available for live scripts.
• From the MATLAB desktop, on the Home tab, in the File section, click Compare.
Select the files or folders to compare.
• From the command line, use the visdiff function.

Choose a Comparison Type

If you specify two files or folders to compare using either the Current Folder browser
or the visdiff function, then the Comparison tool automatically performs the default
comparison type.

If there are multiple comparison types available for your selections, you can change what
type of comparison to run. For example, text, binary, file list, or XML comparison. To
change the comparison type, create a new comparison using the Comparison tool. You
can change comparison type in the Select Files or Folders for Comparison dialog box.

For example, from the Current Folder browser, if you select two MAT-files to compare,
you get the default comparison type showing information about the variables. To change
the comparison type to binary, create a new comparison using the Comparison tool. See
“Select Files or Folders to Compare from the Comparison Tool” on page 6-21.

Explore the Comparison Report

Comparison report features depend on your comparison type. You can use the tool to:

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

• Compare and merge lines in two text files (some other applications refer to this as a
file diff operation). See “Comparing Text and Live Scripts” on page 6-11.
• Compare and merge variables in two MAT-files. See “Comparing MAT-Files” on page
6-17.
• Determine whether the contents of two binary files match. See “Comparing Binary
Files” on page 6-20.
• Compare any combination of folders, zip files, or Simulink manifests to determine:

• Which file and folder names are unique to each list

• If files and folders with the same name in each list have the same content

See “Comparing Folders and Zip Files” on page 6-8.

• Compare XML files:

• If you select XML files to compare and you have MATLAB Report Generator™
software, the Comparison tool runs a hierarchical matching algorithm. You then
see a report showing a hierarchical view of the portions of the two XML files that
differ.
• If you have Simulink Report Generator software, you can select a pair of Simulink
models to compare XML files generated from them. For information, see “Model
Comparison”.

Comparing Folders and Zip Files

• “Folder Comparison Report” on page 6-8
• “Highlighting of Differences” on page 6-9
• “Next Steps Using the Report” on page 6-11

Folder Comparison Report

To select items to compare, see “Select the Files or Folders to Compare” on page 6-6.
You can perform file list comparisons for any combinations of folders, zip files, and
Simulink Manifests.

When you use the Comparison tool to compare two folders (sometimes referred to as
directories) or any file list comparison (for example, folder versus zip file), a window
opens and presents the contents side by side. The tool enables you to:

• Determine the files that the comparison lists have in common.

6-8
 Comparing Files and Folders

• Determine if files with identical names that are common to both comparison lists also
have identical content.
• Open a new comparison of two files or folders that are common to both comparison
lists, but have different content.
• Open a file for viewing in the Editor.
• Specify filters to ignore certain files or folders

For list comparisons, if you want to expand the list to see all files in subfolders in one
report, select the Include subfolders check box when selecting items to compare. If
you do not include subfolders, you can click compare links in the report to open a new
comparison of two folders with changed content.

To define filters to exclude unimportant differences, on the View tab, click the Filter

button, , then select Add/Remove Filter.

The File and Folder Filters dialog box opens. Specify filters to ignore certain files and
folders, such as backup files or files created by a revision control system. Filters can save
time when reviewing differences, especially when comparing many subfolders. Double-
click to edit existing filters.

For example, to ignore all files and folders in a folder named CVS, open the File and
Folder Filter dialog box and enter:

CVS/

To ignore all files in a folder named CVS, but not ignore subfolders, enter:

CVS/*

Highlighting of Differences

The Comparison tool displays the contents of the lists side by side and highlights files
and subfolders that do not match. The following table describes how the tool highlights
each type of change. The status message (such as identical or contents changed)
appears in the Difference Summary column.

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

Difference Summary Highlighting for Files and Notes

Folders
Contents changed Pink The contents of the files
or folders differ. Click the
compare link to investigate.
Added or Removed Green File or folder only exists in
the left or right list.
Identical None

The following image shows an example of the Comparison tool when two folders are
compared. The results are sorted by Type.

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 Comparing Files and Folders

Next Steps Using the Report

To explore the report you can use the following tools:

• You can sort the results by name, type, size, or last modified timestamp by clicking
the column headers. For example, click the Type column header to sort by folder and
file type, as shown in the preceding figure.
• To open a new comparison of two files or folders with changed contents, click the
compare link next to file or folder names highlighted in pink.
• To open a file in the Editor, click the open link next to a file name.

If the file is present in both folders, you can click links to open the left or right file.
• If subfolders are very large and contain many files, analysis continues in the
background. The tool displays the number of items still to be compared at the top of
the report, as shown in the next figure. You can click the links to Skip Current item
or Cancel All to stop further analysis.

• For details on other comparison tool features, see “Using Comparison Tool Features”
on page 6-21.

Comparing Text and Live Scripts

• “Select Text Files to Compare” on page 6-11
• “Highlighting of Differences” on page 6-12
• “Step Through Differences” on page 6-14
• “Merge Differences” on page 6-14
• “View a Summary of Differences” on page 6-15
• “Ignore White-Space Differences in Text Comparisons” on page 6-16
• “Show Differences Only” on page 6-16
• “Change the Display Width of a Text Comparison” on page 6-16
• “Save HTML Report” on page 6-16

Select Text Files to Compare

To select files to compare, see “Select the Files or Folders to Compare” on page 6-6.

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

To view an example text comparison, enter:

visdiff(fullfile(matlabroot,'help','techdoc','matlab_env',...
'examples','lengthofline.m'), fullfile(matlabroot,'help',...
'techdoc','matlab_env','examples','lengthofline2.m'))

Highlighting of Differences

When you use the Comparison tool to compare two text files, a window opens and
presents the two files side by side. Symbols indicate how you can adjust the files to make
them match. This feature can be useful when you want to compare the latest version of a
text file to an autosave version.

Note: When you compare live scripts, the Comparison tool converts all formatted content
to publish markup. This generates the same code as when you save a live script as a
MATLAB Code file (.m). The files are then compared as text. The tool does not compare
stored output.

The Comparison tool report displays the files side by side and highlights lines that do not
match, as follows:

• Dark pink highlighting indicates changed characters within lines.

• Pink highlighting and an x between the two files indicate that the content of the lines
differs between the two files.
• Green highlighting and a right (>) or left (<) angle bracket between the two files
indicate a line that exists on one side only.

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 Comparing Files and Folders

The Comparison tool attempts to match lines and detects local text that is added, deleted,
or changed. It does not do a simple line-by-line comparison. In the previous image, for
example, the tool determines that lengthofline.m has a line of code that does not
exist in lengthofline2.m and highlights it (line 24) in green. Also, notice that the tool

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

takes the additional line into account and determines that the line containing the end
statement in each file matches, even though the end statement does not occur on the
same line number.

If the files you are comparing are extremely long, the tool could run out of memory while
attempting to perform the file comparison. In which case, the message,

Maximum file length exceeded.

Defaulting to line-by-line comparison.
appears. In a line-by-line comparison, the tool highlights the lines containing the end
statement because in performing this operation, it finds that the last line in one file does
not match the last line in the other file.

Step Through Differences

Because text files can be lengthy, the Comparison tool provides toolstrip buttons to help
you step through the results from one difference to the next.

To navigate through comparison results:

• Click the right arrow button to go to the next set of lines that differ.

If no additional sets of lines differ, the right arrow takes you to the end of the file.
• Click the left arrow button to go to a previous set of lines that differ.

If no previous set of lines differ, the left arrow takes you to the beginning of the file.

Merge Differences

When comparing text files you can merge changes from one file to the other. Merging
changes can be useful when resolving conflicts between different versions of files.
Merging is not available when comparing live scripts.

Tip You can only merge from left to right. If you want to merge into the other file, use
Swap Sides before you start merging. Swap Sides reverts any merges already made
and creates a new comparison report for the original files.

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 Comparing Files and Folders

1 Select a difference in the report and click the Merge button to copy the selected
difference from the left file to the right file.

Merged differences display gray row highlighting, and a green merge arrow.

The merged file name at the top of the report displays the dirty flag (filename.m*)
to show you that the file contains unsaved changes.
2 To revert the last merge operation, click Undo in the Merge section. You can click
Undo repeatedly, or Redo to reapply a merge.

Tip You can click Swap Sides to start again and revert all merges.
3 To save your changes, click Save Merged File. To save to a different name, select
Save Merged File > Save Merged File As.
4 If you want to inspect the files in the Editor, click the line number links in the
report.

Tip Save your merge changes from the comparison report before making any changes
in the Editor, otherwise the comparison report can become incorrect. The report does
not update to reflect changes you make in the Editor.

View a Summary of Differences

To see a summary of differences between two text files, scroll to the bottom of the
Comparison tool and view the list, which contains information such as:

• Number of matching lines: 51

• Number of unmatched lines in left-hand file: 13
• Number of unmatched lines in right-hand file: 16
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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

Ignore White-Space Differences in Text Comparisons

You may want to hide white-space differences to help you distinguish between functional
changes and changes to indentation.

On the View tab, click the Filter button, and check or uncheck the Ignore White
Space item to toggle the display of differences only involving white-space characters.

Show Differences Only

You can specify whether to show only differences or entire files. It can be useful to hide
unmodified lines in large text comparison reports. When you are showing differences
only and sections are hidden, the report displays messages like the following: 10
unmodified lines hidden.

On the View tab, click the Filter button, and check or uncheck the Show Differences
Only item to toggle the display of sections of the report that do not contain any
differences.

Change the Display Width of a Text Comparison

You can increase or decrease the line lengths of the text files in the comparison display.
On the View tab, in the Display section, edit the number in the Column Width edit
box. Resize the window, if necessary.

For details on other comparison tool features, see “Using Comparison Tool Features” on
page 6-21.

Save HTML Report

On the Comparison tab, in the Comparison section, click Save As > Save as HTML
to save a copy of the comparison report as an HTML file.

Comparing Files with Autosave Version or Version on Disk

From the Editor you can compare one open text file with another, or you can choose
to compare the latest version of a file in the Editor to an autosave version or a saved
version. For an example, follow these steps:

1 Open one of the text files you want to compare in the Editor.

To open the example file provided, lengthofline.m, run the following command in
the Command Window:

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 Comparing Files and Folders

open(fullfile(matlabroot,'help','techdoc','matlab_env',...
'examples','lengthofline.m'))
2 On the Editor or Live Editor tab, in the File section, click Compare. If your file is
modified, the Editor saves the file before comparing. Alternatively, under Compare,
select Save and Compare with.

Navigate to the file you want to compare against, select the file, and click Open. For
example, select the example file lengthofline2.m from the folder where you found
lengthofline.m.

Other options available are:

• To compare the open file to the Editor's automatic copy (filename.asv), under
Compare, select Save and Compare with Autosave. If your file is modified,
the Editor saves the file before comparing. For more information, see “Backing
Up Files”.
• To compare an open file that has been changed, but not saved, to the saved
version, under Compare, select Compare with Version on Disk.

Comparing MAT-Files

Note: To select files to compare, see “Select the Files or Folders to Compare” on page
6-6.

You can use the Comparison tool to compare two MAT-files. The tool presents the
variables in the two files side by side, which enables you to:

• View and sort by the name, size, class, and change summary of all variables.
• View details of differences between variables, to see which fields of a structure are
different, and view differences in individual elements of an array.
• Merge changes between files by copying modified variables from one file to the other
(Caution: No undo).
• See which variables are common to each file and which are unique.
• Load the contents of the variables into the Variable Editor by clicking the name of
that variable.
• Load the MAT-files into the workspace by clicking a Load link.

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

• Save a copy of the report as an HTML file. Click Save As > Save as HTML on the
toolstrip.

The Comparison tool report highlights changes in variables as follows.

Difference Summary Highlighting Notes

Modified Pink Values of the variable differ between the two
files.
Click the compare link to investigate. A new
variable comparison report opens to display
differences in individual array elements or
differing fields of a structure. Double-click pink
rows or cells to investigate further layers of
differences.
Added or Removed Green Variable only exists in left or right file.
Equivalent None The variables in both files are equivalent.
The tool ignores differences in NaN patterns,
field ordering in structs, and negative zero or
positive zero.
Class changed Pink (only in Variable data class changed. Click the
Class columns) compare link to investigate.

The report displays a message if the variables in both files are equivalent, but the files
are not identical. Possible causes of the differences between the files include: file formats,
file timestamps, the order in which the variables are stored, or variables contain ignored
differences.

In the Merge column, click the Merge button to copy modified variables from one
file to the other.

The following image shows the results when you compare two files, data1.mat and
data2.mat.

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Comparing Files and Folders

6-19
6 Managing Files in MATLAB

If values of the variable differ between the two files, you can click the compare link to
investigate. A new variable comparison report opens. See “Comparing Variables” on page
6-20.

To view an example MAT-file comparison, enter:

visdiff(fullfile(matlabroot,'toolbox','matlab','demos','gatlin.mat'), ...
fullfile(matlabroot,'toolbox','matlab','demos','gatlin2.mat'))

Comparing Variables
The variable comparison report displays differences in individual array elements or
differing fields of a structure. Double-click pink rows or cells to investigate further layers
of differences, as shown in the following example.

Comparing Binary Files

To select files to compare, see “Select the Files or Folders to Compare” on page 6-6.

Note: If you are comparing SLX files, and do not have Simulink Report Generator, you
see a binary comparison. For information on SLX comparison reports instead, see “Model
Comparison”.

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 Comparing Files and Folders

You can use the Comparison tool to compare two binary files such as DLL files or MEX-
files. Also, you can select the Binary comparison type for any pair of files with a choice
of comparison types.

• If the files are the same, the tool displays the message: The files are identical.
• If the files differ, the tool displays the message: The files are different.

If the files differ, you can click the Show Details link to view the binary files and the
byte offset of the first difference.

To view an example binary comparison, compare two example text files and specify
comparison type as binary:

visdiff(fullfile(matlabroot,'help','techdoc','matlab_env',...
'examples','lengthofline.m'), fullfile(matlabroot,'help',...
'techdoc','matlab_env','examples','lengthofline2.m'), 'binary')

Using Comparison Tool Features

You can use the Comparison tool for the following tasks:

• “Select Files or Folders to Compare from the Comparison Tool” on page 6-21
• “Exchange the Left and Right Sides of the Report” on page 6-22
• “Refresh the Report to Show Updated Files” on page 6-22
• “Find Text” on page 6-23
• “Create New Comparisons” on page 6-23
• “Change Color Preferences” on page 6-23

Select Files or Folders to Compare from the Comparison Tool

To compare two files or folders from the Comparison tool, follow these steps:

1 From the MATLAB desktop, on the Home tab, in the File section, click Compare.
Select the files or folders to compare.

If the Comparison tool is already open, compare files or folders by clicking the New
button.

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

The dialog box Select Files or Folders for Comparison appears.

2 In the dialog box, select two files or folders to compare. Use the drop-down lists to
select recent comparison items, or the Browse buttons to locate and select the
items that you want to compare.

You also can drag and drop a file or folder from Windows Explorer to the first and
second file and folder fields.
3 Optionally, choose the comparison type you want to use. Either use the default
Comparison type value, or if multiple comparison types are available, select a
different one from the list. For example, for text files you could select text or binary
comparison types.
4 Click Compare.

Exchange the Left and Right Sides of the Report

To move the file or folder on the left side to the right side and vice versa, on the
Comparison tab, in the Comparison section, click the Swap Sides button.

Refresh the Report to Show Updated Files

After making changes to and saving the files in the Editor, to update the results in
the Comparison tool, on the Comparison tab, in the Comparison section, click the
Refresh button.

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 Comparing Files and Folders

Find Text

To find a phrase in the current display, on the Comparison tab, in the Navigate
section, click the Find button.

The resulting Find dialog box is the same as the one you use in the Command Window.
For more information, see “Find Text in Command Window or History” on page 3-12.

Create New Comparisons

To perform another file or folder comparison, on the Comparison tab, in the

Comparison section, click the New button.

The dialog box Select Files or Folders for Comparison appears, with the last comparison
files preselected in the first and second file fields. Use the drop-down lists to select recent
comparison items, or the Browse buttons to locate and select the items that you
want to compare.

New comparisons open additional comparison reports.

Change Color Preferences

You can change and save your diff color preferences for the Comparison tool. You can
apply your color preferences to all comparison types.

1 On the MATLAB Home tab, click Preferences.

2 In the Preferences dialog box, under MATLAB, click Comparison.
3 Edit color settings as desired for differences, modified lines, modified contents, and
merged lines. View the colors in the Sample pane.

The Active Settings list displays Default (modified).

4 To use your modified settings in the comparison, click Apply and refresh the
comparison report.

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

5 To return to the default settings, in the Preferences dialog box, click Reset and click
Apply. Refresh the comparison report.
6 If you want to save your modified color preferences for use in future MATLAB
sessions, click Save As. Enter a name for your color settings profile and click OK.

After saving settings, you can select them in the Active Settings list.

Function Alternative for Comparing Files and Folders

Use the visdiff function to open the Comparison tool from the Command Window.

visdiff(fileorfoldername1, fileorfoldername2)

For example, type:

visdiff('lengthofline.m', 'lengthofline2.m')

See Also
visdiff

Related Examples
• “Model Comparison”

6-24
 Manage Files and Folders

Manage Files and Folders

This table shows how to create, open, move, and rename files and folders.

Action Tools Workflow Function Alternative

Create a new In the Current Folder browser, Use the mkdir function. For
folder right-click in white space, and example, create a subfolder
then select New Folder. named newdir in a parent folder
named parentFolder:
MATLAB creates and selects a
folder named New Folder in the mkdir('parentFolder','newdir');
current folder.
Move a file or In the Current Folder browser, Use the movefile function. For
folder click and drag the item. example, move the file named
myfile.m in the current folder to
You cannot move a folder while it the folder, d:/work:
is on the search path.
movefile('myfile.m','d:/work');
Rename a file or In the Current Folder browser, Use the movefile function.
folder right-click the item and select For example, in the current
Rename. folder, rename myfile.m to
oldfile.m:
File names must start with a
letter, and can contain letters, movefile('myfile.m','oldfile.m');
digits, or underscores.
Open a file in On the Home tab, in the File Use the open function. The
MATLAB file opens in MATLAB or in an
section, click Open , and then external application, depending
select a file to open. on the file extension.
To open a file in the Editor
as a text file, even if the file
type is associated with another
application or tool right-click the
file in the Current Folder browser
and select Open as Text.
Open a file in In the Current Folder browser,
another program right-click the file and select
Open Outside MATLAB. The

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

Action Tools Workflow Function Alternative

file opens in the application or
tool that the operating system
associates with the file type.
Preview file In the Current Folder browser, none
contents without right-click the file and select
opening the file Show Details. The Details Panel
expands. This feature is not
available in live scripts.
Delete a file or In the Current Folder browser, To delete a file, use the delete
folder select the file or folder and press function. For example, delete
Delete. a file named myfile.m in the
current folder:
By default, MATLAB deletes
or recycles files and folders delete('myfile.m');
according to your operating
system preferences. To By default, files are permanently
permanently remove the selection removed. To move deleted files to
when the system preference is set a temporary folder instead, use
to recycle, press Shift+Delete the recycle function or set the
Deleting files preference.
On Linux systems, you can
request that MATLAB move To delete a folder, use the rmdir
deleted files to a temporary function.
folder by setting the Deleting
files preference. Access this
Note: You cannot recover folders
preference on the Home tab, in
deleted using rmdir.
the Environment section, by
clicking Preferences. Select
MATLAB > General.

To open the Current Folder browser if it is not visible, do the following: on the Home tab,
in the Environment section, click Layout. Then, under Show, select Current Folder.
Double-clicking a subfolder displays its contents, and makes that folder the current
folder.

See Also
delete | edit | mkdir | movefile | open | recycle | rmdir

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 Manage Files and Folders

More About
• “Save and Load Workspace Variables” on page 5-15
• “Run Functions in the Editor”
• “Errors When Updating Folders on Search Path” on page 6-54

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

MathWorks File Extensions

This table lists some common MathWorks file extensions.

File Extension Description

.fig MATLAB Figure.
.m MATLAB Code — A MATLAB script, function, or class.
.mlx MATLAB Live Script — A MATLAB live script.
.mat MATLAB Data — Binary file that stores MATLAB variables.
.mdl Simulink Model.
.slx
.mdlp Simulink Protected Model.
.slxp
.mexa64 MATLAB MEX — Shared library files that can be dynamically loaded
.mexmaci64 into MATLAB. The MEX-file extensions are platform-dependent.
.mexw32
.mexw64
.mlapp MATLAB App File — App created using MATLAB App Designer.
.mlappinstallMATLAB App Installer File — Opens Installer for MATLAB app.
.mlpkginstallSupport Package Installer File — Opens Installer for a support
package.
.mltbx MATLAB Toolbox File — Opens Installer for a toolbox.
.mn MuPAD® Notebook
.mu MuPAD Code
.p MATLAB P-Code — Protected function file.
.sldd Simulink Data Dictionary.

More About
• “Associating Files with MATLAB on Windows Platforms” on page 1-4

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 Files and Folders that MATLAB Accesses

Files and Folders that MATLAB Accesses

In this section...
“Where Does MATLAB Look for Files?” on page 6-29
“Files and Folders You Should Add to the Search Path” on page 6-29
“When Multiple Files Have the Same Name” on page 6-30
“Locations of MathWorks Products” on page 6-30

Where Does MATLAB Look for Files?

When you do not specify a path to a file, MATLAB looks for the file in the current folder
or on the search path. Functions in the current folder take precedence over functions
with the same file name that reside anywhere on the search path. To identify the current
folder, type pwd in the Command Window.

To make files accessible to MATLAB, do one of the following:

• Change the current folder to the folder that contains the files. Use the cd function or
browse to a different folder in the current folder toolbar:

• Add the folder that contains the files to the search path. Changes you make to the
search path apply to the current MATLAB session. To reuse the modified search path
in future MATLAB sessions, save your changes.
• Store individual files in the userpath MATLAB folder, which is on the search path. To
determine the location of this folder, run the userpath function.

Files and Folders You Should Add to the Search Path

The MATLAB search path should include:

• Folders containing files that you run.

• Folders containing files that are called by files you run.
• Subfolders containing files that you run. Making a folder accessible does not make its
subfolders accessible.

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

For files in @ (class) and + (package) folders, make the parent folder accessible. For
details, see “Folders Containing Class Definitions”.

If files call other files that are in multiple folders, determine the location of all the called
files by creating a Dependency Report. See “Dependencies Within a Folder”

When Multiple Files Have the Same Name

Name conflicts arise when MATLAB has access to multiple files with the same name,
and when a file has the same name as a variable in the base workspace or a built-in
function for a MathWorks product.

When there are name conflicts, MATLAB follows these precedence rules:

• “Function Precedence Order”

• “Class Precedence and MATLAB Path”

The file that MATLAB does not use is called a shadowed file. In some cases, MATLAB
warns you that a shadowed file exists.

Locations of MathWorks Products

Files and folders for products provided by MathWorks are in matlabroot/toolbox. The
files and folders under matlabroot are important to your installation. In particular:

• Do not store your personal files and folders in matlabroot/toolbox.

• Do not change files, folders, and subfolders in matlabroot/toolbox. The exception
is the pathdef.m file, which you can update and save in its default location,
matlabroot/toolbox/local.

To see a list of all toolbox folder names supplied with MathWorks products, run:
dir(fullfile(matlabroot,'toolbox'))

See Also
cd | pwd | userpath

More About
• “What Is the MATLAB Search Path?” on page 6-41

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 Files and Folders that MATLAB Accesses

• “MATLAB Startup Folder” on page 1-16

• “Toolbox Path Caching in MATLAB” on page 1-24

6-31
6 Managing Files in MATLAB

Current Folder Browser Preferences

You can specify the number of files that display in the Current Folder browser, and
customize their appearance.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Then, select
MATLAB > Current Folder.

Preference Usage
History Specify the number of recently used folders maintained in the
Current Folder Toolbar drop-down list.
Refresh Specify how frequently the Current Folder browser updates
to reflect changes to files made from programs and tools other
than MATLAB.

When you access files on a network, frequent refreshing of the

Current Folder browser can slow performance in MATLAB.
If this seems to be a problem, try increasing the value for
Number of seconds between auto-refresh. Alternatively,
clear the Auto-refresh view from file system selection to
disable automatic refresh.

To manually refresh the view at any time, right-click in the

Current Folder browser and select Refresh.
Path indication Control the appearance of folders and files that are inaccessible
to MATLAB, and whether to display tooltips describing their
status. MATLAB cannot access files if they are not on the
search path or, in some cases, if they are in a private folder.

Select the Indicate inaccessible files check box to dim the

display of files and folders inaccessible to MATLAB. Move the
Text and icon transparency slider to adjust the level of
dimming.

Select the Show tooltip explaining why files are

inaccessible check box to display a tooltip that provides
information on why a dimmed file is inaccessible, when you
hover over it.

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 Current Folder Browser Preferences

Preference Usage
If you do not select the Indicate inaccessible files check box,
then the Current Folder browser displays all files and folders
as undimmed and provides no tooltips.
Toolbar Access the Toolbars preferences to adjust the toolbar layout
and controls for Desktop tools, including the Current Folder
browser.
Initial working Access the General preferences to specify the current folder in
folder MATLAB when it starts.
Hidden Files Specify whether the Current Folder browser displays files
and folders that the operating system hides from system file
browsers and file-listing commands.

This preference does not apply to Microsoft Windows

platforms. On Windows platforms, the Current Folder browser
follows the Windows preference for showing hidden files.
To set or change the Windows preference, access the Folder
Options, and then select an option for viewing Hidden files
and folders.

To change how dates display in the Current Folder browser, change the short date format
for your operating system. Then, refresh the date display: right-click in the Current
Folder browser and select Refresh. MATLAB uses your operating system's short date
format to display dates in both the Current Folder browser and the Command History.

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

Specify File Names

In this section...
“Construct Valid Path and File Names” on page 6-34
“Case Sensitivity of File Names” on page 6-36

Construct Valid Path and File Names

Specify Path Names

A path name specifies file locations, for example, C:\work\my_data (on Microsoft
Windows platforms) or /usr/work/my_data (on Linux or Mac platforms). If you do not
specify a path name when accessing a file, MATLAB first searches in the current folder.
To indicate a file in a particular location, specify a path name.

Path name specifications differ, depending on the platform on which you are running
MATLAB. Use the fullfile function to construct path names in statements that work
on any platform. This function is particularly useful when you provide code to someone
using it on a platform other than your own.

fullfile inserts platform-specific file separators where necessary. The file separator
character is the symbol that distinguishes one folder level from another in a path name.
A forward slash (/) is a valid separator on any platform. A backward slash (\) is valid
only on Microsoft Windows platforms. In the full path to a folder, the final slash is
optional. Type filesep in the Command Window to determine the correct file separator
character to use on your platform.

To identify the platform on which MATLAB is currently running, use the ismac, ispc,
and isunix functions.

Characters Within File and Folder Names

File names must start with a letter, and can contain letters, digits, or underscores.

Avoid using accent characters such as umlauts or circumflexes in path names. MATLAB
might not recognize the path. In addition, attempts to save a file to such a path might
result in unpredictable behavior.

If a path or file name contains spaces, enclose the input in single quotes. For example:

6-34
 Specify File Names

load 'filename with space.mat'

or

load('filename with space.mat')

Absolute and Relative Path Names

MATLAB always accepts absolute path names (also called full path names), such as I:/
Documents/My_Files. An absolute path name can start with any of the following:

• UNC path '\\'.

• Drive letter, on Microsoft Windows platforms, such as C:\.
• '/' character on Linux platforms.

Some MATLAB functions also support relative path names. Unless otherwise noted, the
path name is relative to the current folder. For example:

• myfile.m refers to the myfile.m file in the current folder.

• /myfolder refers to the myfolder folder in the current folder.
• ../myfolder/myfile.m refers to the myfile.m file in the myfolder folder,
where myfolder is at same level as the current folder. Each repetition of ../ at the
beginning of the path moves up an additional folder level.

Tip If multiple documents are open and docked in the Editor, you can copy the absolute
path of any of these documents to the clipboard. This practice is useful if you need to
specify the absolute path in another MATLAB tool or an external application. Right-click
the document tab, and then select Copy Full Path to Clipboard

Partial Path Names in MATLAB

A partial path name is the last portion of a full path name for a location on the MATLAB
search path. Some functions accept partial path names.

Examples of partial path names are: matfun/trace, private/cancel, and demos/

clown.mat.

Use a partial path name to:

• Specify a location independent of where MATLAB is installed.

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

• Locate a function in a specific toolbox when multiple toolboxes contain functions

with that name. For example, to open the file for the set function in the Database
Toolbox™ product, type:
open database/set
• Locate method files. For example, to check if a plot method exists for the time series
object, type:
exist timeseries/plot

Specifying the at sign character (@) in method folder names is optional.

• Locate private and method files, which sometimes are hidden.

Be sure to specify enough of the path name to make the partial path name unique.

Maximum Length of Path Names in MATLAB

The maximum length allowed for a path name depends on your platform.

For example, on Microsoft Windows platforms:

• The maximum length is known as MAX_PATH.

• You cannot use an absolute path name that exceeds 260 characters.
• For a relative path name, you might need to use fewer than 260 characters. When the
Windows operating system processes a relative path name, it can produce a longer
absolute path name, possibly exceeding the maximum length.

If you get unexpected results when working with long path names, use absolute instead
of relative path names. Alternatively, use shorter names for folders and files.

Case Sensitivity of File Names

In general, it is best to specify path and case precisely when specifying a file name.

Case Sensitivity When Calling Functions

You call function files by specifying the file name without the file extension. MATLAB
returns an error if it cannot find a case-sensitive match on the search path. By default,
MATLAB suggests a function with the correct case.

When multiple files have the same name, MATLAB follows precedence rules to
determine which to call. For more information, see “Function Precedence Order”.

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 Specify File Names

Case Sensitivity When Loading and Saving Files

Linux platforms — File names are case sensitive.

• When loading or reading from a file, specify the file name using the correct case.
• When saving or writing to a file, MATLAB saves the file in the case you specify. Two
files with the same name, but different cases can exist in the same folder.

Windows platforms — File names are case insensitive. The Windows operating system
considers two files with the same name to be the same file, regardless of case. Therefore,
you cannot have two file names that differ only by case in the same folder.

• When loading or reading from a file, MATLAB accesses the file with the specified
name that is higher on the search path, regardless of case. For example, if you
attempt to load MYFILE and myfile.mat is higher on the search path than
MYFILE.MAT, then MATLAB loads myfile.mat without warning that there is a case
mismatch.
• When saving or writing to a file, if you specify a file name that already exists in the
folder, MATLAB accesses the existing file without warning. For example, if you save
data to a file named myfile using the save function, and MYFILE.mat already exists
in the folder, the data replaces the contents of MYFILE.mat. However, the file name
remains MYFILE.mat.

See Also
filesep | fullfile | ismac | ispc | isunix | which

More About
• “What Is the MATLAB Search Path?” on page 6-41

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

Create and Extract from Zip Archives

In this section...
“Create a Zip Archive” on page 6-38
“Add Files to a Zip Archive” on page 6-39
“Extract Files from a Zip Archive” on page 6-39
“Compare Zip Archive to Unzipped Files” on page 6-40

Create a Zip Archive

Create archives using zip files to back up files, conserve file storage space, or to share
collections of files with others. You can either create an empty archive, or select files and
folders to create an initial archive. In either case, you can add more files later.

Create zip archives interactively using the Current Folder browser:

• To create an empty zip file, right-click white space, and then select New File > Zip
File.
• To create a populated zip file from selected files and folders, select the folders and
files you want to archive, right-click, and then select Create Zip File.

MATLAB creates an archive with a default name of Untitledn.zip, where n is an

integer.

Type over the default file name to specify a descriptive name, for example
listmaster_export.zip, as shown here.

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 Create and Extract from Zip Archives

You also can create zip archives programmatically using the zip function. For example,
to zip all files with a .m and .mat extension in the current folder to a zip file archive
named backup.zip, call:
zip('backup',{'*.m','*.mat'});

Add Files to a Zip Archive

To add files and folders to a zip file archive in the Current Folder browser, do one of the
following:

• Select, and then drag the file that you want to add onto the archive.
• Copy the file that you want to add to the archive. Then, select the archive to which
you want to add the file and paste the file into the archive.

Extract Files from a Zip Archive

To extract a single file from within a zip file archive in the Current Folder browser:

1 Expand the zip file archive to view the archive contents, by clicking the associated +
(expand) button. By default, files within a zip file archive appear dimmed to indicate
that they are not on the MATLAB path.
2 Drag the file into a folder in the Current Folder browser.

MATLAB extracts the file and saves it to the folder where you dragged or pasted it.

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

To extract all the contents of a zip file, double-click the zip file in the Current Folder
browser. MATLAB creates a folder with the same name as the zip file, and extracts the
entire contents of the zip file into this folder.

To extract the contents of a zip file programmatically, use the unzip function. unzip
also allows you to specify a target folder. For example, to unzip the file, examples.zip,
to a folder named myfolder, call:

unzip('examples.zip','myfolder')

Note: Archives created outside of MATLAB can be encrypted or password-protected. You

cannot add files to, or extract files from, protected archives from within MATLAB.

Compare Zip Archive to Unzipped Files

To determine differences between archived and unarchived files, use the Comparison
Tool from within the Current Folder browser as you would for any other files and folders.

• Right-click a zip archive, and then from the context menu select Compare Against
and specify the folder to which you want to compare the contents of the zip archive.
• Expand a zip archive, right-click a file within it, and then from the context menu
select Compare Against. Specify the file to which you want to compare the archived
file.

See Also
unzip | zip

More About
• “Comparing Files and Folders” on page 6-6

6-40
 What Is the MATLAB Search Path?

What Is the MATLAB Search Path?

The MATLAB search path, is a subset of all the folders in the file system. MATLAB uses
the search path to locate files used with MathWorks products efficiently.

The order of folders on the search path is important. When files with the same name
appear in multiple folders on the search path, MATLAB uses the one found in the folder
nearest to the top of the search path.

By default, the search path includes

• The MATLAB userpath folder, which is added to the search path at startup, and is
the default location for storing user files
• The folders defined as part of the MATLABPATH environment variable
• The folders provided with MATLAB and other MathWorks products, which are under
matlabroot/toolbox, where matlabroot is the folder displayed when you run
matlabroot in the Command Window

Class, package, and private folders should not be specified explicitly as part of the
search path.

You can explicitly add folders to the search path for the files you run. For more
information about adding files to the search path, see “Change Folders on the Search
Path” on page 6-45.

userpath Folder on the Search Path

The userpath folder is first on the search path. By default, MATLAB adds the
userpath folder to the search path at startup. This folder is a convenient place for
storing files that you use with MATLAB.

The default userpath folder is platform-specific.

• Windows platforms — %USERPROFILE%/Documents/MATLAB.

• Mac platforms — $home/Documents/MATLAB.
• Linux platforms — $home/Documents/MATLAB if $home/Documents exists.

Alternatively, to determine or change the current userpath folder, call userpath.

6-41
6 Managing Files in MATLAB

By default, the userpath folder is also the startup folder when you start MATLAB
by double-clicking either the MATLAB shortcut on Windows systems or the MATLAB
application on Mac systems.

MATLABPATH Environment Variable

The MATLABPATH environment variable can contain a list of additional folders to
be added to the MATLAB search path at startup. These folders are placed after the
userpath folder, but ahead of the folders supplied by MathWorks. By default, the
MATLABPATH environment variable is not set. For more information on how to set the
MATLABPATH environment variable, see “Set the MATLABPATH Environment Variable” on
page 6-49.

Determine If Files and Folders Are on the Search Path

There are several ways to determine if files and folders are on the search path. You can
either check whether an individual file or folder is on the search path, or you can view
the entire search path.

Check Whether File or Folder on Search Path

To determine whether a file is on the search path, run which filename. If the file is on
the search path, MATLAB returns the full path to the file.

To determine whether a file or folder is on the search path, use the Current Folder
browser:

1 In the Current Folder browser, right-click any file or folder, and ensure that there is
a check mark next to Indicate Files Not on Path.
2 Hover the pointer over any dimmed file or folder in the Current Folder browser to
find out why it is dimmed.

A tooltip opens with an explanation. Frequently, the tooltip indicates that the
file or folder is not on the MATLAB path. If a tooltip does not appear, it may be
disabled. To enable it, go the Home tab and in the Environment section, click
Preferences. Then, select MATLAB > Current Folder. Select Show tooltip
explaining why files are inaccessible to display the tooltip.

View Entire Search Path

Run the path command to view all the folders on the MATLAB search path.

6-42
 What Is the MATLAB Search Path?

Alternatively, use the Set Path dialog box to view the entire MATLAB search path. On
the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Set Path. The Set Path dialog box
opens, listing all folders on the search path. For more information on using the Set Path
dialog box, see “Change Folders on the Search Path” on page 6-45.

The Search Path Is Not the System Path

The search path is not the same as the system path. Furthermore, there is no explicit
relationship between the MATLAB search path and the system path. However, both
paths help in locating files, as follows:

• MATLAB uses the search path to locate MATLAB files efficiently.

• The operating system uses a system path to locate operating system files efficiently.

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

How MATLAB Stores the Search Path

MATLAB saves search path information in the pathdef.m file. This file contains a series
of full path names, one for each folder on the search path.

By default, pathdef.m is in matlabroot/toolbox/local.

When you change the search path, MATLAB uses it in the current session, but does not
update pathdef.m. To use the modified search path in the current and future sessions,
save the changes using savepath or the Save button in the Set Path dialog box. This
updates pathdef.m.

See Also
userpath

More About
• “Add Folders to the MATLAB Search Path at Startup” on page 6-49
• “Change Folders on the Search Path” on page 6-45

6-44
 Change Folders on the Search Path

Change Folders on the Search Path

In this section...
“For Current and Future Sessions” on page 6-45
“For the Current Session Only” on page 6-47

For Current and Future Sessions

You can interactively add and remove folders, and change the order of folders on the
search path, for the current MATLAB session and for future MATLAB sessions. When
files with the same name appear in multiple folders on the search path, MATLAB uses
the one found in the folder nearest to the top of the search path.

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Set Path. The Set Path dialog
box appears.

6-45
6 Managing Files in MATLAB

2 Use the Set Path dialog box to modify the search path.
3 Apply or cancel the search path changes:

• To use the newly modified search path only in the current session, click Close.
• To reuse the newly modified search path in the current session and future
sessions, click Save, and then Close.
• To undo your changes, click Revert, and then Close.
• To restore the default search path, click Default, and then Close. The default
search path contains only folders provided by MathWorks.

6-46
 Change Folders on the Search Path

Note: The MATLAB (userpath) folder automatically moves to the top of the search path
the next time you start MATLAB. For more information about the userpath folder, see
“userpath Folder on the Search Path” on page 6-41

For the Current Session Only

There are three ways to change the folders on the search path for the current MATLAB
session only:

• Use the Set Path dialog box to make changes to the search path, and do not save the
changes.

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Set Path.

2 After making the changes, click Close.
• Use the Current Folder browser to add or remove folders from the search path.

1 From the Current Folder browser, select, and then right-click the folder or folders
to add or remove.
2 From the context menu, select Add to Path or Remove from Path, and then
select an option:

• Selected Folders
• Selected Folders and Subfolders
• In the Editor, you also can add or remove the folder that contains an Editor document
from the search path. Right-click the document tab, and then select an option to Add
or Remove the folder from the Search Path.

See Also
addpath | rmpath | savepath

6-47
6 Managing Files in MATLAB

Use Search Path with Different MATLAB Installations

The default search path changes for each MATLAB version because the default folders
that come with the products change. Different MATLAB versions cannot use the same
pathdef.m file.

To use your files with a new MATLAB version or with multiple versions, do one of the
following:

• For each version, add the folders containing your files to the search path. Save the
search path (that is, save the pathdef.m file) where that version of MATLAB can
access it.
• Include addpath statements in the startup.m file. Use the same startup.m file
with the multiple versions of MATLAB.

Including addpath statements in the startup.m file also allows you to use your files
with MATLAB on different platforms.

See Also
addpath

More About
• “Startup Options in MATLAB Startup File” on page 1-22

6-48
 Add Folders to the MATLAB Search Path at Startup

Add Folders to the MATLAB Search Path at Startup

There are two ways to add folders to the MATLAB search path at startup. You can either
use a startup.m file or you can set the MATLABPATH environment variable.

Use a startup.m File

The startup.m file is for specifying startup options. You can add folders to the search
path by including addpath statements in a startup.m file. For example, to add the
specified folder, /home/username/mytools to the search path at startup, include this
statement in a startup.m file:
addpath /home/username/mytools

For more information on creating a startup.m file with addpath statements, see
“Startup Options in MATLAB Startup File” on page 1-22.

Set the MATLABPATH Environment Variable

You can also add folders to the search path at startup by setting the MATLABPATH
environment variable. :

Windows

To set the MATLABPATH environment variable in Windows, from the Windows

Control Panel, go to System and select Advanced system settings. Click the
Environment Variables... button. Click New... or Edit... to create or edit the
MATLABPATH environment variable. In the dialog box that appears, set the variable
name to MATLABPATH and the variable value to a semicolon-separated list of folders you
want to add to the search path. For example, to add two folders, c:\matlab_files
\myfolder1 and c:\matlab_files\myfolder2, to the MATLABPATH environment
variable, enter c:\matlab_files\myfolder1;c:\matlab_files\myfolder2 as the
variable value. Click OK to set the variable and exit the dialog box. Restart MATLAB for
the new settings to take effect.

To set the environment variable from a command window, run the command set
MATLABPATH=folders, where folders is a semicolon-separated list of folders. For
example, suppose that you want to add two folders, c:\matlab_files\myfolder1 and
c:\matlab_files\myfolder2, to the MATLABPATH environment variable. Run the
command

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

set MATLABPATH=c:\matlab_files\myfolder1;c:\matlab_files\myfolder2

Once the environment variable is set, you must start MATLAB from the same command
window for the settings to take effect. The environment variable persists only as long as
the command window is open.

UNIX and Mac

To set the MATLABPATH environment variable in UNIX and Mac, in a terminal, run the
command export MATLABPATH=folders, where folders is a colon-separated list of
folders.

For example, suppose that you want to add two folders, /home/j/Documents/MATLAB/
mine and /home/j/Documents/MATLAB/research, to the MATLABPATH environment
variable on a UNIX platform. Run the command
export MATLABPATH=/home/j/Documents/MATLAB/mine:/home/j/Documents/MATLAB/research

Once the environment variable is set, you must start MATLAB from the same shell for
the settings to take effect. The environment variable persists only as long as the shell
remains open.

Note: If you are using a C shell (csh or tcsh), the command for setting the MATLABPATH
environment variable is setenv MATLABPATH folders.

To add the folders for all future MATLAB sessions, set the MATLABPATH environment
variable as part of your shell configuration script.

More About
• “What Is the MATLAB Search Path?” on page 6-41
• “Change Folders on the Search Path” on page 6-45

6-50
 Assign userpath as Startup Folder (Macintosh or UNIX)

Assign userpath as Startup Folder (Macintosh or UNIX)

This example shows how to assign the userpath folder as the startup folder on
a Macintosh platform. The procedure is similar for UNIX platforms. Assume that
userpath is set to the default value on a Macintosh platform where smith is the home
folder.

Using a bash shell, set the MATLAB_USE_USERWORK environment variable so that

userpath will be used as the startup folder.

export MATLAB_USE_USERWORK=1

From that shell, start MATLAB. Next, verify the current folder in MATLAB.
pwd

/Users/smith/Documents/MATLAB

Confirm that this is the same as the folder defined for userpath.

userpath

/Users/smith/Documents/MATLAB;

Confirm that the userpath is at the top of the search path.

path
/Users/smith/Documents/MATLAB
/Users/smith/Applications/MATLAB/R2009a/toolbox/matlab/general
/Users/smith/Applications/MATLAB/R2009a/toolbox/matlab/ops

...

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

Path Unsuccessfully Set at Startup

When there is a problem with the search path, you cannot use MATLAB successfully.

Search path problems occur when:

• You save the search path on a Windows platform, and then try to use the same
pathdef.m file on a Linux platform.
• The pathdef.m file becomes corrupt, invalid, renamed, or deleted.
• MATLAB cannot locate the pathdef.m file.

When MATLAB starts, if there is a problem with the search path, a message such as the
following appears:
Warning: MATLAB did not appear to successfully set the search
path...

For problems with the search path, try these recovery steps. Proceed from one step to the
next only as necessary.

1 Ensure MATLAB is using the pathdef.m file you expect:

a Run
which pathdef
b If you want MATLAB to use the pathdef.m file at another location, make
corrections. For example, delete the incorrect pathdef.m file and ensure the
correct pathdef.m file is in a location that MATLAB can access.
2 Look for and correct problems with the pathdef.m and startup.m files:

a Open pathdef.m and startup.m in a text editor. Depending on the problem,

you might not be able to open the pathdef.m file.
b Look for obvious problems, such as invalid characters or path names.
c Make corrections and save the files.
d Restart MATLAB to ensure that the problem does not recur.
3 Try to correct the problem using the Set Path dialog box:

a Restore the default search path and save it. See “Change Folders on the Search
Path” on page 6-45. Depending on the problem, you might not be able to open
the dialog box.
b Restart MATLAB to ensure that the problem does not recur.
4 Restore the default search path using functions:

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 Path Unsuccessfully Set at Startup

a Run restoredefaultpath, which sets the search path to the default and
stores it in matlabroot/toolbox/local.
b If restoredefaultpath seems to correct the problem, run savepath.
c Restart MATLAB to ensure that the problem does not recur.

Depending on the problem, a message such as the following could appear:

The path may be bad. Please save your work (if desired), and quit.
5 Correct the search path problems encountered during startup:

a Run
restoredefaultpath; matlabrc

Wait a few minutes until it completes.

b If there is a pathdef.m file in the startup folder, it caused the problem. Either
remove the bad pathdef.m file or replace it with a good pathdef.m file. For
example, run:
savepath('path_to_your_startup_folder/pathdef.m')

See “MATLAB Startup Folder” on page 1-16.

c Restart MATLAB to ensure that the problem does not recur.

After correcting problems with the search path, make any changes to run your files. For
example, add the userpath folder or other folders to the search path.

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6 Managing Files in MATLAB

Errors When Updating Folders on Search Path

You can encounter errors or unexpected behavior when you try to delete, rename, or
move folders that:

• Are on the search path

• Contain subfolders that are on the search path

The behavior varies by platform because it depends on the behavior of similar features in
the operating system.

If your task fails and the error message indicates it is because the folder is on the search
path, then do the following:

1 Remove the folder from the search path.

2 Delete, rename, or move the folder.
3 Add the folder to the search path.

6-54
 7

Editor Preferences

• “Editor/Debugger Preferences” on page 7-2

• “Code Analyzer Preferences” on page 7-12
7 Editor Preferences

Editor/Debugger Preferences

In this section...
“General Preferences for the Editor/Debugger” on page 7-2
“Editor/Debugger Display Preferences” on page 7-3
“Editor/Debugger Tab Preferences” on page 7-4
“Editor/Debugger Language Preferences” on page 7-5
“Editor/Debugger Code Folding Preferences” on page 7-8
“Editor/Debugger Backup Files Preferences” on page 7-9
“Editor/Debugger Autoformatting Preferences” on page 7-10

You can customize the visual display and functionality of the Editor and Debugger using
Editor/Debugger preferences.

Note: Most preference changes do not apply in live scripts.

General Preferences for the Editor/Debugger

You can specify which editor MATLAB uses, as well as how the MATLAB Editor behaves
under various circumstances.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select Editor/
Debugger, and then adjust preference options as described in the table below.

Preference Usage
Editor Select which editor you want the MATLAB
desktop to use when you edit a file:

• MATLAB Editor
• Text editor

If you select Text editor, specify the full

path for the editor application you want to

7-2
 Editor/Debugger Preferences

Preference Usage
use, such as Emacs or vi. For example, c:/
Applications/Emacs.exe.
Most recently used file list In the Number of entries field, type the
number of files that you want to appear in the
list of recently used files at the bottom of the
File menu.
Opening files in editor Select On restart reopen files from previous
MATLAB sessions if you want the Editor and
the files it contained during your last MATLAB
session to reopen when you restart MATLAB.
Select Automatically open files when
MATLAB reaches a breakpoint to open a
running program file when MATLAB encounters
a breakpoint in that file.
Automatic file changes Select Save changes upon clicking
away from a file if you want the Editor to
automatically save changes to a file in the Editor
when you click away from the Editor. For the
changes to be automatically saved upon clicking
away from the Editor, you must have already
saved the file at least once.
Select Reload unedited files that have been
externally modified if you want the Editor to
automatically reload the version of a file that
you opened and edited outside of MATLAB
when the file currently open in the Editor has no
unsaved changes.
Select Add line termination at end of
file to have MATLAB add a new empty line
(sometimes referred to as a <CR>) to the end of a
file automatically if the last line in the file is not
empty.

Editor/Debugger Display Preferences

You can change the appearance of the Editor.

7-3
7 Editor Preferences

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select Editor/
Debugger > Display, and then adjust preference options as described in the table
below.

Preference Usage
General display option Select Highlight Current Line and select a
color to highlight the row with the cursor (also
called the caret).
Select Show line numbers to display line
numbers along the left edge of the Editor
window.
Select Enable data tips in edit mode to
display data tips when you are editing a
MATLAB code file. (Data tips are always
enabled in debug mode.)

For details, see “View Variable Value”.

Right-hand text limit Select Show line to display a vertical line with
the specified Width and Color at the specified
column (Placement) in the Editor.

For details, see “Right-Side Text Limit

Indicator”.

Editor/Debugger Tab Preferences

You can specify the size of tabs and indents and details about how tabs behave in the
Editor.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select Editor/
Debugger > Tab, and then adjust preference options as described in the table below.

7-4
 Editor/Debugger Preferences

Option Usage
Tab size Specify the amount of space inserted when you
press the Tab key.

When you change the Tab size, it changes the

tab size for existing lines in that file, unless you
also select Tab key inserts spaces.
Indent size Specify the indent size for smart indenting.
Smart indenting is one of the “Editor/Debugger
Language Preferences” on page 7-5.
Tab key inserts spaces Select to insert a series of spaces when you press
the Tab key. Otherwise, a tab acts as one space
whose length is equal to the Tab size.
Emacs-style Tab key smart indenting Specifies an indenting style similar to the style
that the Emacs editor uses.

Lines indent according to smart indenting

preferences when you position the cursor in a
line or select a group of lines, and then press the
Tab key.

Smart indenting is one of the “Editor/Debugger

Language Preferences” on page 7-5.

If you select this preference, you cannot insert

tabs within a line.

Editor/Debugger Language Preferences

You can specify how various languages appear in the Editor. MATLAB applies language
preferences based on the file extension of the file open in the Editor.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select Editor/
Debugger > Language, and then adjust preference options as described in the table
below.

Note: Not all preferences are available for all languages.

7-5
7 Editor Preferences

Preference Usage
Language Select the language for which you want to set
preferences.
Syntax highlighting Select Enable syntax highlighting to have the
Editor use different colors for different language
constructs. Then, adjust the colors you want to use for
each language element.

Access color options for the MATLAB language by

clicking Set syntax colors.

For all other languages, color options appear under

Enable syntax highlighting.

For details, see “Syntax Highlighting” on page 3-22.

Variable and function renaming Select Enable automatic variable and function
renaming to have MATLAB prompt you to rename all
MATLAB Language only instances of a function or variable in a file when you
rename a function or variable.

For details on when MATLAB prompts you, see

“Automatically Rename All Functions or Variables in
a File”.

7-6
 Editor/Debugger Preferences

Preference Usage
Comment formatting In the Maximum column width field, enter the
maximum number of characters you want to allow in
MATLAB Language only a line of comments, and then select where you want
counting to begin.

Consider selecting:

• Start from beginning of line when the absolute

width of the comments is important. For example,
set 75 columns from the start of the line to match
the width that fits on a printed page when you use
the default font for the Editor.
• Start from beginning of comment when
comments are indented, and you want each block of
comments to have a consistent indent and width.
Select Wrap comments automatically while
typing to automatically wrap comments at the
Maximum column width value when you type
comments in an Editor document.

If you clear this option, you can still wrap comments

manually, as described in “Add Comments to
Programs”.
Indenting Select Apply smart indenting while typing to
automatically:

• Indent the body of loops within the start and end of

the loop statement.
• Align subsequent lines with lines you indent using
tabs or spaces.
• Indent functions as specified with the Function
indenting format option.

This is called smart indenting. You also can manually

apply smart indenting after you type the code.

For more information, see “Indenting Code”.

7-7
7 Editor Preferences

Preference Usage
Select an option from Function Indenting Format
(MATLAB Language only) to specify how functions
indent in the Editor, as follows:

• Classic — The Editor aligns the function code with

the function declaration.
• Indent nested functions — The Editor indents
the function code within a nested function.
• Indent all functions — The Editor indents the
function code for both main and nested functions.

For more information and examples of each indenting

format, see “Indenting Code”.
File extensions Add one or more file extensions to associate with the
Language. The preferences you set for that language
apply to all files with the listed extensions.

Editor/Debugger Code Folding Preferences

Code folding enables you to expand and collapse blocks of MATLAB code that you want to
hide when you are not currently working on them.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select Editor/
Debugger > Code Folding, and then adjust preference options as described in the table
below.

For examples and detailed information about code folding, see “Code Folding — Expand
and Collapse Code Constructs”.

Option Usage
Enable Code Folding Specifies whether you want code folding enabled
for the programming constructs that have their
corresponding Enable check box selected.
Enable Specifies whether you want code folding
enabled for the corresponding Programming
Construct.

7-8
 Editor/Debugger Preferences

Option Usage
If you select this option for any construct, but
clear the Enable Code Folding option, the
construct will not have code folding enabled.
Fold Initially Specifies whether the corresponding
Programming Construct displays collapsed
(folded) the first time that you open a MATLAB
file.

Editor/Debugger Backup Files Preferences

You can specify if, when, and how you want MATLAB to automatically back up files that
are open in the Editor.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select Editor/
Debugger > Backup Files, and then adjust preference options as described in the table
below.

Preference Usage
Automatically create backup files while Select to have MATLAB automatically save a
working in the MATLAB Editor copy of the files you are currently editing.
Save options Save the backup every: n minutes specifies
how often you want MATLAB to save a copy of
the file you are editing.
Save untitled files saves a copy of new,
untitled, files to Untitled.asv.

When there is more than one untitled file, each

additional file is saved to Untitledn.asv
(where n is an integer value).

For details, see “Backing Up Files”.

Close options Automatically delete backup files when the
Editor closes directs MATLAB to delete the
backup file when you close the source file in the
Editor.

7-9
7 Editor Preferences

Preference Usage
File name Select the naming convention you want
MATLAB to use for autosave files. For example:

• If you specify Replace extension with:

asv, the backup file for filename.m is
filename.asv
• If you specify Append file name with:
~, the backup file for filename.m is
filename.m~
Location Source file directories specifies that you want
backup files stored in the same folder as the files
being edited.

Single directory specifies that you want

autosave files stored in a single folder. Specify
the full path to that folder and be sure you have
write permissions for it.

Editor/Debugger Autoformatting Preferences

You can quickly format live scripts using autoformatting markup in the Live Editor. You
can enable and disable autoformatting as a whole, or as individual options.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select Editor/
Debugger > Autoformatting, and then adjust preference options as described in the
table below.

For more information about autoformatting in live scripts, see “Autoformatting”.

Preference Usage
Enable autoformatting in Live Editor Select to enable autoformatting options in the
Live Editor. Once enabled, options can then be
enabled or disabled individually.
Text format Select *italic*, **bold** to enable bold and
italic formatting using asterisks (*).
Select _italic_, __bold__ to enable bold and
italic formatting using underscores (_).

7-10
 Editor/Debugger Preferences

Preference Usage
Select `monospace`, |monospace| to enable
monospace autoformatting.
Section break Select %%, ***, or --- for section break to
enable inserting section breaks by entering %%,
***, or --- and then Enter.
Select %% text for section break and
heading to enable inserting section breaks with
headings by entering %%text and the Enter.
Insert Options Select $LaTeX$ for LaTeX equation to enable
converting LaTeX expressions into equations
using the format $LaTeX$.
Select URL for hyperlink to enable converting
internet paths automatically to hyperlinks.
Select <URL> for hyperlink to enable
converting internet paths to hyperlinks using
the format <URL>.
Select [Label](URL) for labeled hyperlink
to enable converting internet paths to labeled
hyperlinks using the format [Label](URL).
Text Style Select #text for title to enable inserting titles
using the format #text.
Select ##text for heading to enable inserting
headings using the format ##text.
Select Automatic bulleted lists (*, +, or -) to
enable creating bulleted lists by entering *, +, or
- followed by a space.
Select Automatic numbered lists (1., 2., etc.)
to enable creating numbered lists by entering
1., 2., and so on, followed by a space.

7-11
7 Editor Preferences

Code Analyzer Preferences

In this section...
“Code Analyzer Preferences” on page 7-12
“Searching Messages in the Code Analyzer Preferences Dialog Box” on page 7-13

Code Analyzer Preferences

You can change how Code Analyzer messages appear in the Editor. With a few
exceptions, these preferences apply to messages in the Editor, the MATLAB Function
Block Editor (if your products use that tool), and the Code Analyzer Report.

Note: Code Analyzer preference changes do not apply in live scripts.

On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences. Select Code
Analyzer, and then adjust preference options as described in the table below.

Option Usage
Enabled Integrated Warning and Error Specify whether you want to display Code
Messages Analyzer message indicators, such as the
underlining of code and the message indicator
bar, for documents open in the Editor.

For more information, see “Automatically Check

Code in the Editor — Code Analyzer”.
Underlining Specify the type of coding issues that you want
to have underlined.

Regardless of the underlining menu option you

choose, the Editor marks errors and warnings in
the message indicator bar.
Autofix Provides a link to a preference panel that
enables you to adjust the color highlighting
errors and warnings that MATLAB can autofix.

7-12
 Code Analyzer Preferences

Option Usage
You trigger autofix by clicking the Fix button in
a Code Analyzer message.
Active Settings Select the set of message settings to use.
Click the down arrow to select or browse to a
previously saved settings file.
Actions button Click to open a menu that enables you to select:

• Save as — Saves the current Code Analyzer

message settings to a file.

The default location for settings is the

MATLAB preferences folder (the folder
returned when you run prefdir).
• Restore Defaults — Restores default Code
Analyzer message settings.
Search field Searches the list of Code Analyzer messages
that display below the search field. For details,
see “Searching Messages in the Code Analyzer
Preferences Dialog Box” on page 7-13.
Code Analyzer message settings Select or clear messages to enable or suppress
their appearance in your Editor documents.

To suppress a message on a line-by-line or file-

by-file basis, see “Adjust Code Analyzer Message
Indicators and Messages”.

Searching Messages in the Code Analyzer Preferences Dialog Box

You can search the list of Code Analyzer messages in the Preferences dialog box to
display only those messages that are currently of interest to you. Use any combination of
the methods that the following table presents.

Note: If you do not have the MATLAB Compiler™ installed, the Code Analyzer
preferences pane does not display the MATLAB Compiler (deployment) messages
category.

7-13
7 Editor Preferences

To See a List of Messages ... Perform this action... Example Scenario

Containing specified text Type the text in the search field. You recall seeing a message
in the: containing some text that you
want to review, but you cannot
• Short message remember the exact message text.
• Extended message
For example, type com in the
• Message category
search field to display those
• Message ID messages that contain that text
in the short message, extended
message, or message ID.
Corresponding to a given Type msgid: followed by the You are reviewing the code that
message ID message ID in the search field. someone else wrote and you want
to see the message that corresponds
to a suppressed one using the
%#ok<AGROW> directive.

Type msgid:agrow in the search

field. Messages IDs containing
AGROW display as links. Click each
link for more information about the
message.

Not all Code Analyzer messages

have additional information. These
messages do not appear as links.
That you can set Click the down arrow to the right You want to see the complete list of
using Code Analyzer of the search field, and then click messages after you have searched
preferences Show All. the messages for some text or a
given search menu option.

7-14
 Code Analyzer Preferences

To See a List of Messages ... Perform this action... Example Scenario

Different from the default Click the down arrow to the right A coworker gave you a settings
setting (of enabled or of the search field, and then click file and you want to review each
disabled) Show Messages Modified from message that the coworker changed
Default. from its default setting.

A gray dot precedes a message

with a setting different from the
default. For example:

In a given category Click the down arrow to the right You want to review messages that
of the search field, click Show describe coding practices that make
Messages in Category, and then it difficult for others to use your
click the category you want. code.

Click the down arrow to the

right of the search field, select
Show Messages in Category,
and then select Aesthetics and
Readability.

Click the messages that appear as

links for more information. Not all
messages appear as links.
That are warnings Click the down arrow to the right You recall previous warnings
of the search field, and then that your code generated, but you
select Show All Warnings. An cannot remember enough details
exclamation point in a yellow to use the search field to find it.
triangle indicates a warning You want to skim all the warning
message. messages to find a particular one of
interest.

7-15
7 Editor Preferences

To See a List of Messages ... Perform this action... Example Scenario

Are errors Click the down arrow to the right You want to find a message
of the search field, and then select elicited by a script you worked on
Show All Errors. By default, an previously. All you can recall is
X in a red dot indicates an error that it was an error and it involved
message, . parfor.

Click the down arrow to the right

of the search field, and then select
Show All Errors. Then, type a
space and parfor in the search
field.

The Code Analyzer preference pane

displays only error messages that
contain the word parfor.
Are disabled Click the down arrow to the right You want to see the messages that
of the search field, and then select are disabled by default or you have
Show Disabled Messages. previously disabled.

Example of Searching Messages

To display Code Analyzer error messages that contain the word variable and are
disabled:

1 Click the down arrow in the search field, and then select Show All Errors.

The search field contains severity:error.

2 At the end of the text severity:error, press the Space key, and then type
variable.
3 Click the down arrow in the search field and select Show Disabled Messages.

The search field now contains severity:error variable enabled:false. Only the
messages that fulfill those requirements appear in the Preferences pane.

To restore the list of all messages, click the clear search button .

7-16
 8

Add-Ons

• “Get Add-Ons” on page 8-2

• “Manage Your Add-Ons” on page 8-3
8 Add-Ons

Get Add-Ons
To extend the capabilities of MATLAB and gain additional functionality for specific
tasks and application, use add-ons. You can find and install add-ons using the Add-On
Explorer. To open the Add-On Explorer, go to the Home tab and in the Environment

section, click the Add-Ons icon.

Find add-ons by browsing through available categories located on the left side of the Add-
On Explorer window, or by using the search bar.

Click an add-on to open its detailed information page. From this page you can:

• View additional information about the add-on, such as included files and available
documentation.
• Install the add-on.

After you install an add-on, MATLAB manages the MATLAB path for you. Therefore,
you can start using an add-on without making adjustments to your desktop environment.

Note: When installing a MathWorks product add-on, additional required products are
installed automatically. For all other add-ons, you must install additional required
products manually.

Install an Add-On Manually

You can install some add-ons manually. This is helpful if the add-on is not available for
installation through the Add-On Explorer. For example, you could create a custom add-
on yourself or receive one from someone else.

To install the add-on manually, double click the add-on installation file in the MATLAB
Current Folder browser. An installer launches to guide you through the installation
process.

Valid installation files include .mltbx files (toolboxes), .mlappinstall files (apps), and
.mlpkginstall files (hardware support packages).

Related Examples
• “Manage Your Add-Ons” on page 8-3

8-2
 Manage Your Add-Ons

Manage Your Add-Ons

You can view and manage installed add-ons using the Add-On Manager. To open the
Add-On Manager, go to the Home tab, and select Add-Ons > Manage Add-Ons.

From the Add-On Manager you can:

• Open the installed location for add-ons installed in the add-ons installation folder.
• Open documentation for MathWorks products.
• View additional details such as a list of included files for apps and toolboxes.
• Uninstall add-ons.

The Add-On Manager displays all add-ons that are properly installed in the add-ons
installation folder, as well as MATLAB products and hardware support packages. If you
have an app or toolbox installed prior to R2015b, import it for use with R2015b and later
by opening the Add-On Manager and clicking Import.

To run an app after you install it, go to the Apps tab and expand the apps gallery by
clicking the down arrow to the far right. Then, navigate to your installed app and
click the icon. Custom apps that you write or receive from someone else appear in the
My Apps section. You can run multiple custom apps concurrently, including multiple
instances of the same app.

Change Add-Ons Installation Folder

By default, MATLAB installs

• MATLAB product add-ons in matlabroot.

• Hardware support package add-ons and some additional package add-ons in their own
custom location. For more information, see “Support Package Installation”.
• All other add-ons in the userpath\Add-Ons folder. The userpath is the path returned
by the userpath command.

To change the add-ons installation folder:

1 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences > MATLAB
> Add-Ons.
2 In the Installation Folder field, specify a folder name to which you have write
access.

8-3
8 Add-Ons

Note: If you change your installation folder, add-ons installed in the previously selected
folder are no longer accessible from within MATLAB.

Related Examples
• “Get Add-Ons” on page 8-2

8-4
 9

Internationalization

• “Locale Settings for MATLAB Process” on page 9-2

• “Limitations to International Character Support” on page 9-4
• “Set Locale on Windows Platforms” on page 9-5
• “Set Locale on Mac Platforms” on page 9-7
• “Set Locale on Linux Platforms” on page 9-8
• “Unexpected Behavior on Mac Platforms” on page 9-9
• “Characters Incorrectly Displayed on Windows Systems” on page 9-10
• “datenum Might Not Return Correct Value” on page 9-11
• “Numbers Display Period for Decimal Point” on page 9-12
• “File or Folder Names Incorrectly Displayed” on page 9-13
• “Script Compatibility” on page 9-14
• “MATLAB Desktop Language Preference” on page 9-15
9 Internationalization

Locale Settings for MATLAB Process

In this section...
“Default Locale Setting” on page 9-3
“Supported Character Set” on page 9-3
“Platform-Specific Localized Formats for Current Folder Browser” on page 9-3

The locale setting defines the language of your user interface and the display formats for
information like time, date, and currency. MATLAB uses the user-specified locale on all
platforms.

If MATLAB does not correctly display characters in your language, you might have a
locale setting problem. Locale is composed of individual settings which you can control.
Each platform uses different parameters to specify the locale setting. The following terms
are relevant to understanding locale settings.

• locale — Format: language_territory.codeset

For example, for the U.S. English locale setting en_US.US-ASCII, en means that
the display language is English. US indicates that time and date displays use U.S.
conventions. US-ASCII is the coded character set (codeset) used to display text.
• character set — Set of characters that make up a language used by a region. The
MATLAB supported character set is the character set specified by the user locale
setting.
• codeset — Abbreviation for coded character set. A set of characters with a unique
numerical value assigned to each character.
• encoding — Scheme for assigning numerical values to a character set to create a
codeset.
• 7-bit ASCII — Either the codeset or the characters contained in that codeset. There
are 128 characters, which include letters, digits, symbols, control characters, and
graphics characters. The term ASCII in MathWorks documentation is the same as 7-
bit ASCII.
• Unicode — Character codeset. Excerpt from the unicode.org website: “Unicode®
provides a unique number for every character, no matter what the platform, no
matter what the program, no matter what the language.”
• user locale setting — Setting on your computer that specifies the locale that you
want to use when running MATLAB. If your user-specified locale is not supported,
MATLAB uses the default locale en_US_POSIX.US-ASCII.

9-2
 Locale Settings for MATLAB Process

• system locale setting — Setting on Microsoft Windows platforms. The user locale and
system locale must be the same value. If these values are not the same, you might see
garbled text or incorrectly displayed characters.
• i18n — Short for the word internationalization, where 18 stands for the number
of letters between the letters i and n.

Default Locale Setting

MATLAB does not support every locale setting. If the user-specified locale is
unsupported, MATLAB uses the default locale en_US_POSIX.US-ASCII, also known as
C locale.

Supported Character Set

MATLAB supports the character set specified by the user locale setting.

Platform-Specific Localized Formats for Current Folder Browser

In the Current Folder Browser, MATLAB usually uses platform-neutral localized formats
and rules. You can, however, use the operating system short date format to control the
format for displaying file date and time data.

Related Examples
• “Set Locale on Windows Platforms” on page 9-5
• “Set Locale on Mac Platforms” on page 9-7
• “Set Locale on Linux Platforms” on page 9-8

9-3
9 Internationalization

Limitations to International Character Support

MATLAB does not support non 7-bit ASCII characters in the following features:

• MATLAB C/C++ and Fortran engine library functions and the loadlibrary function
cannot find files located in folder names that contain non 7-bit ASCII characters.
• MATLAB C/C++ and Fortran engine library functions and the calllib function used
to call C library functions cannot convert Unicode-compatible input arguments of type
char* to MATLAB character arrays.
• The matlab.wsdl.createWSDLClient function cannot read non 7-bit ASCII
characters in Web Services Description Language (WSDL) documents.

When you have a file containing text that has characters in a different encoding than
that of your platform, when you save or publish your file, MATLAB displays those
characters as garbled text.

9-4
 Set Locale on Windows Platforms

Set Locale on Windows Platforms

MATLAB reads the user locale and system locale on Windows platforms. The user locale
and system locale must be the same value. If these values are not the same, you might
see garbled text or incorrectly displayed characters.

MATLAB does not support every locale setting. If your locale is not supported, MATLAB
uses the default locale en_US_POSIX.US-ASCII, also known as C locale.

When you change the system locale, restart your system; otherwise, you might see
unexpected behaviors.

Locale on Windows 10 Platforms

To open the Control Panel, use Microsoft Windows 10 documentation.

1 From Clock, Language, and Region, select Change date, time or number
formats.
2 On the Formats tab, select a target locale from the Format drop-down list and then
click Apply. This action sets the user locale.
3 On the Administrative tab, click the Change system locale... button.
4 Select a target locale from the Current system locale drop-down list. This action
sets the system locale.
5 Exit each dialog box by clicking the Ok buttons.
6 Restart the system.

Locale on Windows 8 Platforms

To open the Control Panel, use Microsoft Windows 8 documentation.

User Locale

1 From the Control Panel, select Clock, Language, and Region > Region.
2 Open Formats tab.
3 Select a target locale from the Format drop-down list.

System Locale

1 From the Control Panel, select Clock, Language, and Region > Region.

9-5
9 Internationalization

2 Open Administrative tab.

3 Look in the Language for non-Unicode programs section.
4 Click Change system locale... button.
5 Select a target locale from the Current system locale drop-down list.
6 Restart the system.

Locale on Windows 7 Platforms

User Locale

1 Select Start > Control Panel > Clock, Language, and Region > Region and
Language.
2 Open Formats tab.
3 Select a target locale from the Format drop-down list.

System Locale

1 Select Start > Control Panel > Clock, Language, and Region > Region and
Language.
2 Open Administrative tab.
3 Look in the Language for non-Unicode programs section.
4 Click Change system locale... button.
5 Select a target locale from the Current system locale drop-down list.
6 Restart the system.

9-6
 Set Locale on Mac Platforms

Set Locale on Mac Platforms

On the Apple Mac OS X platform, MATLAB reads the user locale setting. MATLAB
automatically chooses a codeset for each combination of language and territory.

If you customize the locale setting, MATLAB ignores the customized portion. MATLAB
ignores the LANG environment variable and the Terminal application locale setting.

MATLAB does not support every locale setting. If your locale is not supported, MATLAB
uses the default locale en_US_POSIX.US-ASCII, also known as C locale.

To view or set the region on Mac OS X 10.10:

1 Select System Preferences >Language & Region.

2 Select a region and country from Region.

To set the Primary language:

1 In the Language & Region dialog box, either drag an existing item to the top of the
Preferred languages list, or select the + button to add a language and then drag
the language to the top.
2 MATLAB detects the latest setting; you do not need to restart your system.

Changing the preferred language might change the locale to a value that MATLAB does
not support. When this happens, you might see garbled text or incorrect characters. To
fix this problem, change the Format language value:

1 In the Language & Region dialog box, change the Preferred languages value to
the original value.
2 Click the Advanced... button, and make note of the Format language value.
3 Click OK.
4 Change the Preferred languages value back to your preferred language.
5 Click the Advanced... button again. If the Format language value changed,
reselect the original language value.

9-7
9 Internationalization

Set Locale on Linux Platforms

Use the LANG environment variable to specify the locale to be used by MATLAB.

MATLAB does not support every locale setting. If your locale is not supported, MATLAB
uses the default locale en_US_POSIX.US-ASCII, also known as C locale.

More About
• “Numbers Display Period for Decimal Point” on page 9-12

9-8
 Unexpected Behavior on Mac Platforms

Unexpected Behavior on Mac Platforms

If you customize the locale setting, MATLAB ignores the customized portion.

MATLAB ignores the LANG environment variable and the Terminal application locale
setting.

Related Examples
• “Set Locale on Mac Platforms” on page 9-7

9-9
9 Internationalization

Characters Incorrectly Displayed on Windows Systems

The user locale and system locale must be the same value on the Microsoft Windows
platform. If these values are not the same, you might see garbled text or incorrect
characters.

Related Examples
• “Set Locale on Windows Platforms” on page 9-5

9-10
 datenum Might Not Return Correct Value

datenum Might Not Return Correct Value

The results of the datenum function vary depending on the locale. To ensure the correct
calculation of functions using date values associated with files and folders, replace
datenum function calls with the use of the dir function datenum field.

For example, look at the modification date of your MATLAB license_agreement.txt

file:
cd(matlabroot)
f = dir('license_agreement.txt')

MATLAB displays information similar to:

f =

name: 'license_agreement.txt'
date: '10-May-2015 17:48:22'
bytes: 5124
isdir: 0
datenum: 7.3317e+005

If your code uses the date field of the dir command, similar to:

n = datenum(f.date);

replace it with the datenum field:

n = f.datenum;

See Also
dir

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9 Internationalization

Numbers Display Period for Decimal Point

MATLAB reads the user locale for all categories except for the numeric category (which
is equivalent with LC_NUMERIC). This category controls numeric data formatting and
parsing. MATLAB always sets LC_NUMERIC to the C locale.

MATLAB uses a period for a decimal point, regardless of the format specified by the user
locale. For example, the value of pi can be displayed as 3,1416 or 3.1416, depending on
the format used by a locale. MATLAB always displays 3.1416.

The MATLAB language reserves the use of commas to the cases described in the Symbol
Reference topic.

More About
• Symbol Reference: Comma

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 File or Folder Names Incorrectly Displayed

File or Folder Names Incorrectly Displayed

On Windows and Linux platforms, characters used in file or folder names must be in the
supported character set.

On Mac platforms, for files and folders used by MATLAB, characters in the file or folder
name must be in the 7-bit ASCII character set.

More About
• “Locale Settings for MATLAB Process” on page 9-2

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9 Internationalization

Script Compatibility
Non-7-bit ASCII characters in plain text files, such as MATLAB scripts or functions,
created with one locale setting might not be compatible with a different locale setting.
This can happen when a script written on a Windows platform is run on a Linux
platform, because the platforms use different default locale settings.

For example, if you create a script with the ja_JP.UTF-8 locale setting on a Linux
system, the script might not be compatible when executed on a Windows platform with
the Japanese_Japan.932 locale setting.

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 MATLAB Desktop Language Preference

MATLAB Desktop Language Preference

MathWorks provides localized versions of MATLAB for selected non-English platforms.
For these products only, you can choose the language in which the MATLAB desktop
appears. Desktop items (such as dialog boxes, button names, and menu items) and error
and warning messages appear in the language that you select. For information about this
preference, see the Desktop language (selected non-English systems only) option in the
General Preferences panel. If you change the preference, the change applies only to the
MATLAB desktop.

Most desktop elements and Apps use the language selected in the Desktop language
preference. However, system dialog messages, such as file selectors or color pickers, use
the operating system display language.

More About
• “General Preferences” on page 2-51

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