mexCallMATLAB (External Interfaces/API Reference)

Call a MATLAB function, or a user-defined M-file or MEX-file

C Syntax

#include "mex.h"
int mexCallMATLAB(int nlhs, mxArray *plhs[], int nrhs,
  mxArray *prhs[], const char *command_name);

Arguments
nlhs
Number of desired output arguments. This value must be less than or equal to 50.

plhs

Pointer to an array of mxArrays. The called command puts pointers to the resultant mxArrays into plhs. Note that the called command allocates dynamic memory to store the resultant mxArrays. By default, MATLAB automatically deallocates this dynamic memory when you clear the MEX-file. However, if heap space is at a premium, you may want to call mxDestroyArray as soon as you are finished with the mxArrays that plhs points to.

nrhs

Number of input arguments. This value must be less than or equal to 50.

prhs

Pointer to an array of input arguments.

command_name

Character string containing the name of the MATLAB built-in, operator, M-file, or MEX-file that you are calling. If command_name is an operator, just place the operator inside a pair of single quotes; for example, '+'.

Returns

0 if successful, and a nonzero value if unsuccessful.

Description

Call mexCallMATLAB to invoke internal MATLAB numeric functions, MATLAB operators, M-files, or other MEX-files. See mexFunction for a complete description of the arguments.

By default, if command_name detects an error, MATLAB terminates the MEX-file and returns control to the MATLAB prompt. If you want a different error behavior, turn on the trap flag by calling mexSetTrapFlag.

Note that it is possible to generate an object of type mxUNKNOWN_CLASS using mexCallMATLAB. For example, if you create an M-file that returns two variables but only assigns one of them a value,

function [a,b]=foo[c]
a=2*c;

you get this warning message in MATLAB:

Warning: One or more output arguments not assigned during 
call to 'foo'.

MATLAB assigns output b to an empty matrix. If you then call foo using mexCallMATLAB, the unassigned output variable is given type mxUNKNOWN_CLASS.

Examples

See mexcallmatlab.c in the mex subdirectory of the examples directory.

For additional examples, see sincall.c in the refbook subdirectory of the examples directory; see mexevalstring.c and mexsettrapflag.c in the mex subdirectory of the examples directory; see mxcreatecellmatrix.c and mxisclass.c in the mx subdirectory of the examples directory.

See Also

mexFunction, mexSetTrapFlag

mexAtExit mexErrMsgTxt