MATLAB Environment Programming

Objective: To study MATLAB environment and to familiarize with command window, history, workspace, current directory, figure window, edit window, shortcuts, helplines.

MATLAB is a particular computer program optimized to perform engineering and scientific calculations.

Advantages:

• Ease of use.
• Platform independence.
• Predefined functions.
• Device-independent plotting.
• GUI.
• MATLAB compiler.

Disadvantages:

MATLAB Environment

• Command Window: It is the space where commands may be entered.

• Figure Window: It displays plots and graphs.
• Edit Window: It permits a user to create and modify MATLAB programs by creating new M files or to modify existing ones.
• Current Directory Window: It shows the path of the current directory.

• Command History: It displays a list of commands that the user has entered in the command window.

• Workspace: It is a collection of all the variables and array that can be used by MATLAB when a particular command, M file, or function is executed.

• Help Files: A user can get help from MATLAB through MATLAB documentation.

Shortcuts of MATLAB:

In MATLAB, if the statement is too long to type on a single line, it may be continued on successive lines by typing an ellipsis (...) at the end of the first line and then continuing on the next line.

Ex: a=1/2+3/2-2/3 ...
           +4/5-2/3;

Shortcuts:

• clc: clear command window.

• clf: clear contents of the current figure window.
• clear: clears variables in workspace
• abort: (ctrl+C) For M files that appears running too long may contain an infinite loop that never terminates. To terminate, we use abort.
• !: It is a special character, after which any character or command will be sent to the operating system and executed as they had been types in operating system command prompt.
• diary: (diary filename)
  After this command, a copy of all inputs and most of the outputs typed in the command window will be echoed in the diary file.
• diary off: It suspends input into the diary file.
• diary on: It resumes input again.
• which: It tells which version of a file is being executed and where it is located.

Note

• Never use a variable with the same name as MATLAB function or command.
• Never create an M file with the same name as MATLAB function or command.