Programming and Data Types

M-File Programming

MATLAB provides a full programming language that enables you to write a series of MATLAB statements into a file and then execute them with a single command. You write your program in an ordinary text file, giving the file a name of filename.m. The term you use for filename becomes the new command that MATLAB associates with the program. The file extension of .m makes this a MATLAB M-file.

This chapter explains the basics of how to write script and function programs in M-files. It covers the following topics:

• MATLAB Programming: A Quick Start
• Scripts
• Functions
• Local and Global Variables
• Data Types
• Operators
• Flow Control
• Subfunctions
• Private Functions
• Subscripting and Indexing
• String Evaluation
• Command/Function Duality
• Empty Matrices
• Errors and Warnings
• Dates and Times
• Obtaining User Input
• Shell Escape Functions
• Optimizing MATLAB Code

Programming and Data Types

MATLAB Programming: A Quick Start