MATLAB Compiler

Main Files

You can generate C or C++ application wrappers that are suitable for building C or C++ stand-alone applications, respectively. These POSIX-compliant main wrappers accept strings from the POSIX shell and return a status code. They are meant to translate "command-like" M-files into POSIX main applications.

POSIX Main Wrapper

The POSIX main() function wrapper behaves exactly the same as the command/function duality mode of MATLAB. That is, any command of the form

command argument

can also be written in the functional form

command('argument')

If you write a function that accepts strings in MATLAB, that function will compile to a POSIX main wrapper in such a way that it behaves the same from the DOS/UNIX command line as it does from within MATLAB.

The Compiler processes the string arguments passed to the main() function and sends them into the compiled M-function as strings.

For example, consider this M-file, sample.m.

function y = sample( varargin )
varargin{:}
y = 0;

You can compile sample.m into a POSIX main application. If you call sample from MATLAB, you get

sample hello world
ans =
hello

ans =
world

ans =
     0

If you compile sample.m and call it from the DOS shell, you get

C:\> sample hello world

ans =
hello

ans =
world

C:\>

The difference between the MATLAB and DOS/UNIX environments is the handling of the return value. In MATLAB, the return value is handled by printing its value; in the DOS/UNIX shell, the return value is handled as the return status code. When you compile a function into a POSIX main application, the first return value from the function is coerced to a scalar and is returned to the POSIX shell.

MEX-Files

Simulink S-Functions