The Matlab Development
Environment
The most important features
of the Matlab development
environement are shown in
the image below, and
described in the bullet points
that follow. Note that the
Matlab environment is highly
configurable, which means
that it may not look exactly
like this on your machine.
( You can try selecting
Desktop -> Desktop Layout -
> Default from the menubar,
but that may still not give you
this exact configuration,
depending on your particular
version. )
R2009:
Five Important
Windows
The Command Window is
where you type in Matlab
commands. These can be
simple equations you want
evaluated, or more complex
expressions involving Matlab
scripts or functions.
The Command History
Window shows the
commands you
have entered in the past. You
can repeat any of these
commands by double-clicking
on them, or by dragging them
from the Command History
Window into the Command
Window. You can also scroll
back to previous commnads
by using the up arrow in the
Command Window. When
you learn how to edit Matlab
script files or functions, you
can also drag commands
from the Command History
Window into a file.
The Workspace shows the
list of variables that are
currently defined, and what
type of variable each is. ( I.e.
a simple scalar, a vector, or a
matrix, and the size of all
arrays. )
Depending on the size ( i.e.
type ) of the variable, its
value may also be shown.
If any of the variables in the
Workspace are plottable, they
may be plotted quickly and
easily by right-clicking on the
variable name and selecting
a plot type.
Use the control key to select
multiple variables for plotting.
The plot types shown on the
resulting menu will depend on
the ( dimensionality of ) the
variable(s) that are selected.
The Current Directory
Window shows the contents
of the current working
directory.
Double click on any file to
open it in a ( text ) editor
Right-click on Matlab scripts
and function files to execute
the commands contained
therein.
Right-click on data file to
import the data as Matlab
variables.
Change directories by
clicking on folders or use
the Current Working
Directory text box at the top
of the Matlab working
environment.
The File Details
Window shows full
details of the files in the
current working directory.
Windows may be re-arranged
according to your personal
preferences, including
dragging windows away from
the Matlab work environment.
Other Important
Features
The Getting Started link
leads to the Matlab tutorial
system. Although it is
tempting to jump ahead to
what you are most interested
in, new users are encouraged
to go through the tutorials in
the order in which they
are presented.
The Help menu also provides
a wide variety of useful
sources of help.
The Function Catalog ( if
available ) provides a full list
of every Matlab function,
including installed toolboxes,
in a neatly organized manner
complete with full pop-up help
descriptions of each function.
The menu bar and tool
bar are context-sensitive,
which means that they
change depending on which
of the five major windows is
active. ( They are also
configurable according to
your personal
preferences. )
R2015:
A few important changes
were made in version R2015:
