When You Start MATLAB

When you start MATLAB®, the desktop appears in its default layout.
The desktop includes these panels:

 Current Folder — Access your files.
 Command Window — Enter commands at the command line, indicated by the prompt
(>>).
 Workspace — Explore data that you create or import from files.
As you work in MATLAB, you issue commands that create variables and call functions. For
example, create a variable named a by typing this statement at the command line:
a = 1
MATLAB adds variable a to the workspace and displays the result in the Command Window.
a =
1
Create a few more variables.
b = 2
b =
2
c = a + b
c =
3
d = cos(a)
d =
0.5403
When you do not specify an output variable, MATLAB uses the variable ans, short for answer,
to store the results of your calculation.
sin(a)
ans =
0.8415
If you end a statement with a semicolon, MATLAB performs the computation, but suppresses
the display of output in the Command Window.
e = a*b;
You can recall previous commands by pressing the up- and down-arrow keys, ↑ and ↓. Press
the arrow keys either at an empty command line or after you type the first few characters of a
command. For example, to recall the command b = 2, type b, and then press the up-arrow key.
Next in Getting Started with MATLAB
Matrices and Arrays

Open Script
MATLAB is an abbreviation for "matrix laboratory." While other programming languages
mostly work with numbers one at a time, MATLAB® is designed to operate primarily on whole
matrices and arrays.
All MATLAB variables are multidimensional arrays, no matter what type of data. A matrix is a
two-dimensional array often used for linear algebra.
Array Creation
To create an array with four elements in a single row, separate the elements with either a
comma (,) or a space.
a = [1 2 3 4]
a =
1 2 3 4
This type of array is a row vector.

To create a matrix that has multiple rows, separate the rows with semicolons.
a = [1 2 3; 4 5 6; 7 8 10]
a =
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 10
Another way to create a matrix is to use a function, such as ones, zeros, or rand. For example,
create a 5-by-1 column vector of zeros.
z = zeros(5,1)
z =
0
0
0
0
0
Matrix and Array Operations

MATLAB allows you to process all of the values in a matrix using a single arithmetic operator or
function.
a + 10
ans =
11 12 13
14 15 16
17 18 20
sin(a)
ans =
0.8415 0.9093 0.1411

-0.7568 -0.9589 -0.2794
0.6570 0.9894 -0.5440
To transpose a matrix, use a single quote ('):

a'
ans =
1 4 7
2 5 8
3 6 10
You can perform standard matrix multiplication, which computes the inner products between
rows and columns, using the *operator. For example, confirm that a matrix times its inverse
returns the identity matrix:
p = a*inv(a)
p =
1.0000 0 -0.0000
0 1.0000 0
0 0 1.0000
Notice that p is not a matrix of integer values. MATLAB stores numbers as floating-point values,
and arithmetic operations are sensitive to small differences between the actual value and its
floating-point representation. You can display more decimal digits using the format command:
format long
p = a*inv(a)
p =
1.000000000000000 0 -0.000000000000000
0 1.000000000000000 0
0 0 0.999999999999998
Reset the display to the shorter format using

format short
format affects only the display of numbers, not the way MATLAB computes or saves them.
To perform element-wise multiplication rather than matrix multiplication, use the .* operator:
p = a.*a
p =
1 4 9
16 25 36
49 64 100
The matrix operators for multiplication, division, and power each have a corresponding array
operator that operates element-wise. For example, raise each element of a to the third power:
a.^3
ans =
1 8 27
64 125 216
343 512 1000
Concatenation
Concatenation is the process of joining arrays to make larger ones. In fact, you made your
first array by concatenating its individual elements. The pair of square brackets [] is the
concatenation operator.
A = [a,a]
A =
1 2 3 1 2 3
4 5 6 4 5 6
7 8 10 7 8 10
Concatenating arrays next to one another using commas is called horizontal concatenation.
Each array must have the same number of rows. Similarly, when the arrays have the same
number of columns, you can concatenate vertically using semicolons.
A = [a; a]
A =
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 10
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 10
Complex Numbers
Complex numbers have both real and imaginary parts, where the imaginary unit is the square
root of -1.
sqrt(-1)
ans =
0.0000 + 1.0000i
To represent the imaginary part of complex numbers, use either i or j .

c = [3+4i, 4+3j; -i, 10j]
c =
3.0000 + 4.0000i 4.0000 + 3.0000i

0.0000 - 1.0000i 0.0000 +10.0000i
Array Indexing
Open Script
Every variable in MATLAB® is an array that can hold many numbers. When you want to access
selected elements of an array, use indexing.
For example, consider the 4-by-4 magic square A:
A = magic(4)
A =
16 2 3 13
5 11 10 8
9 7 6 12
4 14 15 1
There are two ways to refer to a particular element in an array. The most common way is to
specify row and column subscripts, such as
A(4,2)
ans =
14
Less common, but sometimes useful, is to use a single subscript that traverses down each
column in order:
A(8)
ans =
14
Using a single subscript to refer to a particular element in an array is called linear indexing.
If you try to refer to elements outside an array on the right side of an assignment statement,
MATLAB throws an error.
test = A(4,5)
Index exceeds matrix dimensions.
However, on the left side of an assignment statement, you can specify elements outside the
current dimensions. The size of the array increases to accommodate the newcomers.
A(4,5) = 17
A =
16 2 3 13 0
5 11 10 8 0
9 7 6 12 0
4 14 15 1 17
To refer to multiple elements of an array, use the colon operator, which allows you to specify a
range of the form start:end. For example, list the elements in the first three rows and the
second column of A:
A(1:3,2)
ans =
2
11
7
The colon alone, without start or end values, specifies all of the elements in that dimension. For
example, select all the columns in the third row of A:
A(3,:)
ans =
9 7 6 12 0
The colon operator also allows you to create an equally spaced vector of values using the more
general form start:step:end.
B = 0:10:100
B =
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
If you omit the middle step, as in start:end, MATLAB uses the default step value of 1.
Workspace Variables
The workspace contains variables that you create within or import into MATLAB ® from data files
or other programs. For example, these statements create variables A and B in the workspace.
A = magic(4);
B = rand(3,5,2);
You can view the contents of the workspace using whos.
whos
Name Size Bytes Class Attributes
A 4x4 128 double

B 3x5x2 240 double
The variables also appear in the Workspace pane on the desktop.
Workspace variables do not persist after you exit MATLAB. Save your data for later use with
the save command,
save myfile.mat
Saving preserves the workspace in your current working folder in a compressed file with
a .mat extension, called a MAT-file.
To clear all the variables from the workspace, use the clear command.
Restore data from a MAT-file into the workspace using load.
load myfile.mat

Text and Characters
Text and Characters

Open Script
When you are working with text, enclose sequences of characters in single quotes. You can
assign text to a variable.
myText = 'Hello, world';
If the text includes a single quote, use two single quotes within the definition.
otherText = 'You''re right'
otherText =
You're right
myText and otherText are arrays, like all MATLAB® variables. Their class or data type
is char, which is short for character.
whos myText
Name Size Bytes Class Attributes
myText 1x12 24 char
You can concatenate character arrays with square brackets, just as you concatenate numeric
arrays.
longText = [myText,' - ',otherText]
longText =
Hello, world - You're right
To convert numeric values to characters, use functions, such as num2str or int2str.

f = 71;
c = (f-32)/1.8;
tempText = ['Temperature is ',num2str(c),'C']
tempText =
Temperature is 21.6667C

Calling Functions
Calling Functions
Open Script
MATLAB® provides a large number of functions that perform computational tasks. Functions
are equivalent to subroutines or methods in other programming languages.
To call a function, such as max, enclose its input arguments in parentheses:

A = [1 3 5];
max(A)
ans =
If there are multiple input arguments, separate them with commas:

B = [10 6 4];
max(A,B)
ans =
10 6 5
Return output from a function by assigning it to a variable:

maxA = max(A)
maxA =
5
When there are multiple output arguments, enclose them in square brackets:
[maxA,location] = max(A)
maxA =
location =
Enclose any character inputs in single quotes:

disp('hello world')
hello world
To call a function that does not require any inputs and does not return any outputs, type only the
function name:
clc
The clc function clears the Command Window.

2-D and 3-D Plots
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2-D and 3-D Plots
Line Plots
Open Script
To create two-dimensional line plots, use the plot function. For example, plot the value of the
sine function from 0 to :
x = 0:pi/100:2*pi;
y = sin(x);
plot(x,y)
You can label the axes and add a title.
xlabel('x')
ylabel('sin(x)')
title('Plot of the Sine Function')
By adding a third input argument to the plot function, you can plot the same variables using a
red dashed line.
plot(x,y,'r--')
The 'r--' string is a line specification. Each specification can include characters for the line
color, style, and marker. A marker is a symbol that appears at each plotted data point, such as
a +, o, or *. For example, 'g:*' requests a dotted green line with * markers.
Notice that the titles and labels that you defined for the first plot are no longer in the
current figure window. By default, MATLAB® clears the figure each time you call a plotting
function, resetting the axes and other elements to prepare the new plot.
To add plots to an existing figure, use hold.
x = 0:pi/100:2*pi;
y = sin(x);
plot(x,y)
hold on
y2 = cos(x);
plot(x,y2,':')
legend('sin','cos')
Until you use hold off or close the window, all plots appear in the current figure window.
3-D Plots
Open Script
Three-dimensional plots typically display a surface defined by a function in two variables, z =
f(x,y) .
To evaluate z, first create a set of (x,y) points over the domain of the function using meshgrid.
[X,Y] = meshgrid(-2:.2:2);
Z = X .* exp(-X.^2 - Y.^2);
Then, create a surface plot.
surf(X,Y,Z)
Both the surf function and its companion mesh display surfaces in three
dimensions. surf displays both the connecting lines and the faces of the surface in
color. mesh produces wireframe surfaces that color only the lines connecting the defining points.
Subplots
Open Script
You can display multiple plots in different subregions of the same window using
the subplot function.
The first two inputs to subplot indicate the number of plots in each row and column. The third
input specifies which plot is active. For example, create four plots in a 2-by-2 grid within a figure
window.
t = 0:pi/10:2*pi;
[X,Y,Z] = cylinder(4*cos(t));
subplot(2,2,1); mesh(X); title('X');
subplot(2,2,2); mesh(Y); title('Y');
subplot(2,2,3); mesh(Z); title('Z');
subplot(2,2,4); mesh(X,Y,Z); title('X,Y,Z');
Programming and Scripts
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Programming and Scripts
The simplest type of MATLAB® program is called a script. A script is a file with
a .m extension that contains multiple sequential lines of MATLAB commands and
function calls. You can run a script by typing its name at the command line.
Sample Script
To create a script, use the edit command,
edit plotrand
This opens a blank file named plotrand.m. Enter some code that plots a vector of
random data:
n = 50;
r = rand(n,1);
plot(r)
Next, add code that draws a horizontal line on the plot at the mean:
m = mean(r);
hold on
plot([0,n],[m,m])
hold off
title('Mean of Random Uniform Data')
Whenever you write code, it is a good practice to add comments that describe the
code. Comments allow others to understand your code, and can refresh your
memory when you return to it later. Add comments using the percent ( %) symbol.
% Generate random data from a uniform distribution
% and calculate the mean. Plot the data and the mean.
n = 50; % 50 data points

r = rand(n,1);
plot(r)
% Draw a line from (0,m) to (n,m)

m = mean(r);
hold on
plot([0,n],[m,m])
hold off
title('Mean of Random Uniform Data')
Save the file in the current folder. To run the script, type its name at the command
line:
plotrand
You can also run scripts from the Editor by pressing the Run button, .
Loops and Conditional Statements
Within a script, you can loop over sections of code and conditionally execute
sections using the keywords for, while, if, and switch.
For example, create a script named calcmean.m that uses a for loop to calculate the
mean of five random samples and the overall mean.
nsamples = 5;
npoints = 50;
for k = 1:nsamples
currentData = rand(npoints,1);
sampleMean(k) = mean(currentData);
end
overallMean = mean(sampleMean)
Now, modify the for loop so that you can view the results at each iteration. Display
text in the Command Window that includes the current iteration number, and
remove the semicolon from the assignment to sampleMean.
for k = 1:nsamples
iterationString = ['Iteration #',int2str(k)];
disp(iterationString)
currentData = rand(npoints,1);
sampleMean(k) = mean(currentData)
end
overallMean = mean(sampleMean)
When you run the script, it displays the intermediate results, and then calculates
the overall mean.
calcmean
Iteration #1
sampleMean =
0.3988
Iteration #2
sampleMean =
0.3988 0.4950
Iteration #3
sampleMean =
0.3988 0.4950 0.5365
Iteration #4
sampleMean =
0.3988 0.4950 0.5365 0.4870
Iteration #5
sampleMean =
0.3988 0.4950 0.5365 0.4870 0.5501
overallMean =
0.4935
In the Editor, add conditional statements to the end of calcmean.m that display a
different message depending on the value of overallMean.
if overallMean < .49
disp('Mean is less than expected')
elseif overallMean > .51
disp('Mean is greater than expected')
else
disp('Mean is within the expected range')
end
Run calcmean and verify that the correct message displays for the
calculated overallMean. For example:
overallMean =
0.5178
Mean is greater than expected
Script Locations
MATLAB looks for scripts and other files in certain places. To run a script, the file
must be in the current folder or in a folder on the search path.
By default, the MATLAB folder that the MATLAB Installer creates is on the search
path. If you want to store and run programs in another folder, add it to the search
path. Select the folder in the Current Folder browser, right-click, and then
select Add to Path.
Help and Documentation
Help and Documentation

All MATLAB® functions have supporting documentation that includes examples and describes
the function inputs, outputs, and calling syntax. There are several ways to access this
information from the command line:
 Open the function documentation in a separate window using the doc command.
doc mean
 Display function hints (the syntax portion of the function documentation) in the Command
Window by pausing after you type the open parentheses for the function input arguments.
mean(
 View an abbreviated text version of the function documentation in the Command Window using
the help command.
help mean
Access the complete product documentation by clicking the help icon .
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Entering Commands
Build and run MATLAB® statements
Functions
ans Most recent answer
clc Clear Command Window
diary Save Command Window text to file
format Set Command Window output display format
home Send cursor home
iskeyword Determine whether input is MATLAB keyword
more Control paged output for Command Window
Examples and How To

Enter Statements in Command Window
Enter individual statements in the Command Window while working in MATLAB.

Format Output
MATLAB displays output in both the Command Window and the Live Editor. You can format the
output display using several provided options.
Call Functions
These examples show the syntax to call a MATLAB function.

Continue Long Statements on Multiple Lines
Extend long program lines using ellipses (...).

Create Shortcuts to Rerun Commands
A MATLAB shortcut is an easy way to run a group of MATLAB language statements that you
use regularly.
Stop Execution
Stop the execution of a MATLAB command.

Find Functions to Use
Find the name and description of a MathWorks® function from the Command Window or Editor
using the Function browser.
Find Text in Command Window or History
Search text currently in the Command Window or Command History Window.

Check Syntax as You Type
Some entries appear in different colors in the Command Window and the Editor to help you
identify MATLAB elements. This is known as syntax highlighting.
Write to a Diary File
To keep an activity log of your MATLAB session, use the diary function.
Concepts
Variable Names
Create valid variable names and avoid potential naming conflicts.

Case and Space Sensitivity
MATLAB code is sensitive to casing, and insensitive to blank spaces except when defining
arrays.
Command vs. Function Syntax
If you do not require any outputs from a function, and all of the inputs are character vectors, you
can use command syntax. With command syntax, you omit parentheses in the function call and
separate the inputs with spaces.
Command History
The Command History window displays a log of statements that you ran in the current and
previous MATLAB sessions.
Set Command Window Preferences
Specify appearance of Command Window and its output.

Set Keyboard Preferences
Settings for Tab completion, function hints, and delimiter matching.
Troubleshooting
Common Errors When Calling Functions
Troubleshoot error message related to calling functions.
Enter Statements in Command Window

As you work in MATLAB®, you can enter individual statements in the Command Window. For
example, create a variable named a by typing this statement at the command line:
a = 1
MATLAB immediately adds variable a to the workspace and displays the result in the Command
Window.
a =
When you do not specify an output variable, MATLAB uses the variable ans, short for answer,
to store the results of your calculation.
sin(a)
ans =
0.8415
The value of ans changes with every command that returns an output value that is not assigned
to a variable.
If you end a statement with a semicolon, MATLAB performs the computation, but suppresses
the display of output in the Command Window.
b = 2;
To enter multiple statements on multiple lines before running any of the statements,
use Shift+Enter between statements. This action is unnecessary when you enter a paired
keyword statement on multiple lines, such as for and end.
You also can enter more than one statement on the same line by separating statements. To
distinguish between commands, end each one with a comma or semicolon. Commands that
end with a comma display their results, while commands that end with a semicolon do not. For
example, enter the following three statements at the command line:
A = magic(5), B = ones(5) * 4.7; C = A./B
A =
17 24 1 8 15
23 5 7 14 16
4 6 13 20 22
10 12 19 21 3
11 18 25 2 9
C =
3.6170 5.1064 0.2128 1.7021 3.1915
4.8936 1.0638 1.4894 2.9787 3.4043
0.8511 1.2766 2.7660 4.2553 4.6809
2.1277 2.5532 4.0426 4.4681 0.6383
2.3404 3.8298 5.3191 0.4255 1.9149
MATLAB displays only the values of A and C in the Command Window.

To recall previous lines in the Command Window, press the up- and down-arrow keys, ↑ and ↓.
Press the arrow keys either at an empty command line or after you type the first few characters
of a command. For example, to recall the command b = 2, type b, and then press the up-arrow
key.
To clear a command from the Command Window without executing it, press the Escape (Esc)
key.
You can evaluate any statement already in the Command Window. Select the statement, right-
click, and then select Evaluate Selection.
In the Command Window, you also can execute only a portion of the code currently at the
command prompt. To evaluate a portion of the entered code, select the code, and then
press Enter.
For example, select a portion of the following code:
hello
Format Output
MATLAB® displays output in both the Command Window and the Live Editor. You can format
the output display using several provided options.
 Format Line Spacing in Output
 Format Floating-Point Numbers
 Wrap Lines of Code to Fit Window Width
 Suppress Output
 View Output by Page
 Clear the Command Window
Format Line Spacing in Output
By default, MATLAB displays blanks lines in command window output.
You can select one of two numeric display options in MATLAB.
 loose — Keeps the display of blank lines (default).
 >> x = [4/3 1.2345e-6]
 x =

1.3333 0.0000
 compact — Suppresses the display of blank lines.

 >> x = [4/3 1.2345e-6]
 x =
1.3333 0.0000
To format the output display, do one of the following:
 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences.

Select MATLAB > Command Window, and then choose a Numeric display option.
 Use the format function at the command line, for example:
 format loose
format compact
Note: Line spacing display options do not apply in the Live Editor.
Format Floating-Point Numbers
You can change the way numbers display in both the Command Window and the Live Editor.
By default, MATLAB uses the short format (5-digit scaled, fixed-point values).
For example, suppose that you enter x = [4/3 1.2345e-6] in the Command Window. The
MATLAB output display depends on the format you selected. This table shows some of the
available numeric display formats, and their corresponding output.
Numeric Display Format Example Output

short (default) x = 1.3333 0.0000
short e x = 1.3333e+00 1.2345e-06
long x = 1.333333333333333 0.000001234500000
+ x = ++
Note: The text display format affects only how numbers are shown, not how MATLAB computes, or saves
them.
To format the way numbers display, do one of the following:
 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences.

Select MATLAB > Command Window, and then choose a Numeric format option.
 Use the format function, for example:
 format short
 format short e
format long
See the format reference page for a list and description of all supported numeric formats.
Wrap Lines of Code to Fit Window Width
A line of code or its output can exceed the width of the Command Window, requiring you to use
the horizontal scroll bar to view the entire line. To break a single line of input or output into
multiple lines to fit within the current width of the Command Window:
1. On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences.

Select MATLAB > Command Window.
2. Select Wrap Lines.
3. Click OK.
Note: Line wrapping options do not apply in the Live Editor.
Suppress Output
To suppress code output, add a semicolon (;) to the end of a command. This is useful when
code generates large matrices.
Running the following code creates A, but does not show the resulting matrix in the Command
Window or the Live Editor:
A = magic(100);
View Output by Page

Output in the Command Window might exceed the visible portion of the window. You can view
the output, one screen at a time:
1. In the Command Window, type more on to enable paged output.
2. Type the command that generates large output.
3. View the output:
 Advance to the next line by pressing Enter.
 Advance to the next page by pressing Space Bar.
 Stop displaying the output by pressing q.
To disable paged output, type more off.
Note: Paged output options do not apply in the Live Editor.

Clear the Command Window
If the Command Window seems cluttered, you can clear all the text (without clearing the
workspace) by doing one of the following:
 On the Home tab, in the Code section, select Clear Commands > Command Window to clear
the Command Window scroll buffer.
 Use the clc function to clear the Command Window scroll buffer.
 Use the home function to clear your current view of the Command Window, without clearing the
scroll buffer.
See Also
clc | format | home | more
clc
Clear Command Window
Syntax
clc
Description
clc clears all input and output from the Command Window display, giving you a "clean screen."
After using clc, you cannot use the scroll bar to see the history of functions, but you still can
use the up arrow key, ↑, to recall statements from the command history.
Examples
Use clc in a MATLAB® code file to always display output in the same starting position on the
screen.
See Also
clear | clf | close | home
Introduced before R2006a
clf
Clear current figure window
Syntax
clf
clf('reset')
clf(fig)
clf(fig,'reset')
figure_handle = clf(...)
Description
clf deletes from the current figure all graphics objects whose handles are not hidden (i.e.,
their HandleVisibilityproperty is set to on).
clf('reset') deletes from the current figure all graphics objects regardless of the setting of
their HandleVisibilityproperty and resets all figure properties
except Position, Units, PaperPosition, and PaperUnits to their default values.
clf(fig) or clf(fig,'reset') clears the single figure with handle fig.
figure_handle = clf(...) returns the handle of the figure. This is useful when the
figure IntegerHandle property is off because the noninteger handle becomes invalid when
the reset option is used (i.e., IntegerHandle is reset to on, which is the default).
Alternatives
Use Clear Figure from the figure window's Edit menu to clear the contents of a figure. You can
also create a desktop shortcut to clear the current figure with one mouse click. See Create
Shortcuts to Rerun Commands.
More About
collapse all
Tips
The clf command behaves the same way when issued on the command line as it does in
callback routines — it does not recognize the HandleVisibility setting of callback. This
means that when issued from within a callback routine, clf deletes only those objects
whose HandleVisibility property is set to on.
See Also
cla | clc | hold | reset
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hold
Retain current plot when adding new plots
collapse all in page
Syntax
 hold on
example
 hold off
 hold all
 hold
 hold(ax,'on')
example
 hold(ax,'off')
 hold(ax)
Description
example
hold on retains plots in the current axes so that new plots added to the axes do not delete
existing plots. New plots use the next colors and line styles based on
the ColorOrder and LineStyleOrder properties of the axes. MATLAB® adjusts axes limits, tick
marks, and tick labels to display the full range of data.
hold off sets the hold state to off so that new plots added to the axes clear existing plots and
reset all axes properties. The next plot added to the axes uses the first color and line style
based on the ColorOrderand LineStyleOrder properties of the axes. This is the default
behavior.
hold all is the same as hold on.
Note: This syntax will be removed in a future release. Use hold on instead.
hold toggles the hold state between on and off.

example
hold(ax,'on') sets the hold state to on for the axes specified by ax instead of the current
axes.
hold(ax,'off') sets the hold state to off for the specified axes.
hold(ax) toggles the hold state for the specified axes.
Examples
collapse all
Add Line Plot to Existing Graph
Open Script
Create a line plot. Then, use hold on to add a second line plot without deleting the existing
plot. The new plot uses the next color and line style based on
the ColorOrder and LineStyleOrder properties of the axes.
x = linspace(-pi,pi);
y1 = sin(x);
y2 = cos(x);
plot(x,y1)
hold on
plot(x,y2)
Reset the hold state to off so that new plots delete existing plots. New plots start from the
beginning of the color order and line style order.
hold off
y3 = sin(2*x);
plot(x,y3)
Specify Hold State for Specific Axes
Open Script
Create a figure with two subplots and add a line plot to each subplot.
ax1 = subplot(2,1,1);
x = linspace(0,2*pi);
y1 = sin(x);
plot(x,y1)
y2 = cos(x);
plot(x,y2)
Add a second line plot to the upper subplot.
hold(ax1,'on')
y3 = sin(2*x);
plot(ax1,x,y3)
Reset the hold state to off for the upper subplot so that new plots replace the existing plots,
which is the default behavior.
hold(ax1,'off')
y4 = sin(4*x);
plot(ax1,x,y4)
Input Arguments
collapse all
ax — Axes object
axes object
Axes object. Use ax to set the hold state for a specific axes, instead of the current axes.
More About
collapse all
Tips
 Use the ishold function to test the hold state.
 The hold function toggles the NextPlot property of
the axes between 'add' and 'replace'.
 If an axes does not exist, then the hold command
creates one.
See Also
axes | cla | figure | ishold | newplot | subplot

axes
Create axes graphics object
Syntax
axes
axes('PropertyName',propertyvalue,...)
axes(parent,...)
axes(h)
h = axes(...)
Properties
For a list of properties, see Axes Properties.
Description
axes creates an axes graphics object in the current figure using default property values. axes is
the low-level function for creating axes graphics objects. MATLAB® automatically creates an
axes, if one does not already exist, when you issue a command that creates a graph.
axes('PropertyName',propertyvalue,...) creates an axes object having the specified
property values. For a description of the properties, see Axes Properties. MATLAB uses default
values for any properties that you do not explicitly define as arguments. The axes function
accepts property name/property value pairs, structure arrays, and cell arrays as input
arguments (see the set and get commands for examples of how to specify these data types).
While the basic purpose of an axes object is to provide a coordinate system for plotted data,
axes properties provide considerable control over the way MATLAB displays data.
axes(parent,...) creates the axes in the figure, uipanel, or uitab specified by parent, instead
of in the current figure.
axes(h) makes existing axes h the current axes and brings the figure containing it into focus. It
also makes h the first axes listed in the figure's Children property and sets the
figure's CurrentAxes property to h. The current axes is the target for functions that draw image,
line, patch, rectangle, surface, and text graphics objects.
If you want to make an axes the current axes without changing the state of the parent figure, set
the CurrentAxes property of the figure containing the axes:
set(figure_handle,'CurrentAxes',axes_handle)
This command is useful if you want a figure to remain minimized or stacked below other figures,
but want to specify the current axes.
h = axes(...) returns the handle of the created axes object.
Use the set function to modify the properties of an existing axes or the get function to query
the current values of axes properties. Use the gca command to obtain the handle of the current
axes.
The axis (not axes) function provides simplified access to commonly used properties that
control the scaling and appearance of axes.
Set default axes properties on the figure and root levels:
set(groot,'DefaultAxesPropertyName',PropertyValue,...)
set(gcf,'DefaultAxesPropertyName',PropertyValue,...)
PropertyName is the name of the axes property and PropertyValue is the value you are
specifying. Use set and get to access axes properties.
Stretch-to-Fill
By default, MATLAB stretches the axes to fill the axes position rectangle (the rectangle defined
by the last two elements in the Position property). This results in graphs that use the available
space in the rectangle. However, some 3-D graphs (such as a sphere) appear distorted
because of this stretching, and are better viewed with a specific three-dimensional aspect ratio.
Stretch-to-fill is active when the DataAspectRatioMode, PlotBoxAspectRatioMode,
and CameraViewAngleMode are all auto (the default). However, stretch-to-fill is turned off when
the DataAspectRatio, PlotBoxAspectRatio, or CameraViewAngle is user-specified, or when
one or more of the corresponding modes is set to manual (which happens automatically when
you set the corresponding property value).
This picture shows the same sphere displayed both with and without the stretch-to-fill. The
dotted lines show the axes rectangle.
When stretch-to-fill is disabled, MATLAB sets the size of the axes to be as large as possible
within the constraints imposed by the Position rectangle without introducing distortion. In the
picture above, the height of the rectangle constrains the axes size.
Examples
collapse all
Position Multiple Axes in Figure
Open Script
Create a figure with two axes. Specify the position of the first axes so that it has a lower left
corner at the point (0.1 0.1) with a width and height of 0.7. Specify the position of the second
axes so that it has a lower left corner at the point (0.65 0.65) with a width and height of 0.28. By
default, the values are normalized to the figure. Return the axes objects as ax1 and ax2.
figure
ax1 = axes('Position',[0.1 0.1 0.7 0.7]);
ax2 = axes('Position',[0.65 0.65 0.28 0.28]);
Add a plot to each axes. Specify the axes for the plot by passing the axes object as the first
input argument to the graphics function. Most graphics functions reset some axes properties,
such as the tick values and labels. However, they do not reset the axes position.
contour(ax1,peaks(20))
surf(ax2,peaks(20))
Alternatives
To create a figure select New > Figure from the figure window File menu. To add an axes to a
figure, click one of the New Subplots icons in the Figure Palette, and slide right to select an
arrangement of new axes. For details, see Customize Graph Using Plot Tools.
See Also
Functions
 axis | cla | clf | figure | gca | grid | subplot | title | view | xlabel | ylabel | zlabel
Properties
 Axes Properties
Axes Properties
Control axes appearance and behavior
expand all in page
Axes properties control the appearance and behavior of an axes object. By changing property
values, you can modify certain aspects of the axes.
Starting in R2014b, you can use dot notation to query and set properties.
ax = gca;
c = ax.Color;
ax.Color = 'blue';
If you are using an earlier release, use the get and set functions instead.
Appearance
expand all
Color — Color of axes back planes
[1 1 1] (default) | RGB triplet | character vector | 'none'
Box — Axes box outline
'off' (default) | 'on'
BoxStyle — Style of axes box outline
'back' (default) | 'full'
LineWidth — Width of axes outline, tick marks, and grid lines
0.5 (default) | scalar value
Individual Axis Appearance and Scale
expand all
XAxis, YAxis, ZAxis — Component that controls appearance and behavior of each axis
numeric ruler object | datetime ruler object | duration ruler object
XAxisLocation — Location of x-axis
'bottom' (default) | 'top' | 'origin'
YAxisLocation — Location of y-axis
'left' (default) | 'right' | 'origin'
XColor, YColor, ZColor — Color of axis line, tick values, and labels
[0.15 0.15 0.15] (default) | RGB triplet | character vector | 'none'
XColorMode, YColorMode, ZColorMode — Selection mode for axis line color
'auto' (default) | 'manual'
XDir, YDir, ZDir — Direction of increasing values along axis
'normal' (default) | 'reverse'
XScale, YScale, ZScale — Scale of values along axis
'linear' (default) | 'log'
XLim, YLim, ZLim — Minimum and maximum axis limits
[0 1] (default) | two-element vector of the form [min max]
XLimMode, YLimMode, ZLimMode — Selection mode for axis limits
Tick Values and Labels
expand all
XTick, YTick, ZTick — Tick mark locations
[] (default) | vector of increasing values
XTickMode, YTickMode, ZTickMode — Selection mode for tick mark locations
XTickLabel, YTickLabel, ZTickLabel — Tick mark labels
'' (default) | cell array of character vectors | string array
XTickLabelMode, YTickLabelMode, ZTickLabelMode — Selection mode for tick mark
labels
TickLabelInterpreter — Interpretation of characters in tick labels
'tex' (default) | 'latex' | 'none'
XTickLabelRotation, YTickLabelRotation, ZTickLabelRotation — Rotation of tick
labels
0 (default) | scalar value in degrees
XMinorTick, YMinorTick, ZMinorTick — Display of minor tick marks
'off' | 'on'
TickLength — Tick mark length
[0.01 0.025] (default) | two-element vector
TickDir — Tick mark direction
'in' (default) | 'out' | 'both'
TickDirMode — Selection mode for TickDir
Grid Lines
expand all
XGrid, YGrid, ZGrid — Display of grid lines
XMinorGrid, YMinorGrid, ZMinorGrid — Display of minor grid lines
GridLineStyle — Line style for grid lines
'-' (default) | '--' | ':' | '-.' | 'none'
MinorGridLineStyle — Line style for minor grid lines
':' (default) | '-' | '--' | '-.' | 'none'
GridColor — Color of grid lines
[0.15 0.15 0.15] (default) | RGB triplet | character vector | 'none'
GridColorMode — Selection mode for GridColor
MinorGridColor — Color of minor grid lines
[0.1 0.1 0.1] (default) | RGB triplet | character vector
MinorGridColorMode — Selection mode for MinorGridColor
GridAlpha — Grid-line transparency
0.15 (default) | value in the range [0,1]
GridAlphaMode — Selection mode for GridAlpha
MinorGridAlpha — Minor grid line transparency
0.25 (default) | value in the range [0,1]
MinorGridAlphaMode — Selection mode for MinorGridAlpha
Layer — Placement of grid lines and tick marks in relation to graphic objects
'bottom' (default) | 'top'
Font Style
expand all
FontName — Font name
system supported font name | 'FixedWidth'
FontSize — Font size
10 (default) | scalar numeric value
TitleFontSizeMultiplier — Scale factor for title font size
1.1 (default) | numeric value greater than 0
LabelFontSizeMultiplier — Scale factor for label font size
1.1 (default) | numeric value greater than 0
FontUnits — Font size units
'points' (default) | 'inches' | 'centimeters' | 'characters' | 'normalized' | 'pixels'
FontAngle — Character slant
'normal' (default) | 'italic'
FontWeight — Thickness of text characters
'normal' (default) | 'bold'
TitleFontWeight — Thickness of title text
'bold' (default) | 'normal'
FontSmoothing — Text smoothing
'on' (default) | 'off'
Title, Axis Labels, and Legend
expand all
Title — Text object for axes title
text object (default)
XLabel, YLabel, ZLabel — Text object for axis label
text object (default)
Legend — Legend associated with axes
empty GraphicsPlaceholder (default) | legend object
Line Colors and Line Styles
expand all
ColorOrder — Colors for multiline plots
seven predefined colors (default) | three-column matrix of RGB triplets
ColorOrderIndex — Next color to use in color order
1 (default) | positive integer
LineStyleOrder — Line styles and markers for multiline plots
'-' solid line (default) | cell array of line styles
LineStyleOrderIndex — Next line style to use in line style order
1 (default) | positive integer
Color and Transparency Mapping
expand all
CLim — Color limits for objects using colormap
[0 1] (default) | two-element vector of the form [cmin cmax]
CLimMode — Selection mode for CLim
ALim — Alpha limits for images, patches, and surfaces with transparency
[0 1] (default) | two-element vector of the form [amin amax]
ALimMode — Selection mode for ALim
AmbientLightColor — Background light color
[1 1 1] (default) | RGB triplet | character vector | 'none'
Multiple Plots
expand all
NextPlot — Properties to reset when adding new plot
'replace' (default) | 'add' | 'replacechildren' | 'replaceall'
SortMethod — Order for rendering objects
'depth' (default) | 'childorder'
Visibility
expand all
Visible — State of visibility
Clipping — Clipping of objects to axes limits
ClippingStyle — Boundaries used for clipping
'3dbox' (default) | 'rectangle'
Location and Size
expand all
Position — Size and position of axes within figure or uipanel
[0.1300 0.1100 0.7750 0.8150] (default) | four-element vector
TightInset — Margins for text labels
four-element vector of the form [left bottom right top]
OuterPosition — Size and location of axes, including labels and margins
[0 0 1 1] (default) | four-element vector
ActivePositionProperty — Position property to hold constant during resize operation
'outerposition' (default) | 'position'
Units — Position units
'normalized' (default) | 'inches' | 'centimeters' | 'points' | 'pixels' | 'characters'
Aspect Ratio
expand all
Projection — Type of projection onto 2-D screen
'orthographic' (default) | 'perspective'
DataAspectRatio — Relative length of data units along each axis
[1 1 1] (default) | three-element vector of the form [dx dy dz]
DataAspectRatioMode — Selection mode for DataAspectRatio
PlotBoxAspectRatio — Relative length of each axis
[1 1 1] (default) | three-element vector of the form [px py pz]
PlotBoxAspectRatioMode — Selection mode for PlotBoxAspectRatio
View
expand all
CameraPosition — Location of camera
three-element vector of the form [x y z]
CameraPositionMode — Selection mode for CameraPosition
CameraTarget — Point used as camera target
three-element vector of the form [x y z]
CameraTargetMode — Selection mode for CameraTarget
CameraUpVector — Vector defining upwards direction
[0 1 0] (default for 2-D view) | [0 0 1] (default for 3-D view) | three-element direction
vector of the form [x y z]
CameraUpVectorMode — Selection mode for CameraUpVector
CameraViewAngle — Field of view
6.6086 (default) | scalar angle in range [0,180)
CameraViewAngleMode — Selection mode for CameraViewAngle
View — Azimuth and elevation of view
[0 90] (default) | two-element vector of the form [azimuth elevation]
Identifiers
expand all
Type — Type of graphics object
'axes'
Tag — Tag to associate with axes
'' (default) | character vector
UserData — Data to associate with axes
[] (default) | any MATLAB data
Parent/Child
expand all
Parent — Parent of axes
figure object | uipanel object | uitab object
Children — Children of axes
empty GraphicsPlaceholder array | array of graphics objects
HandleVisibility — Visibility of object handle
'on' (default) | 'off' | 'callback'
Interactive Control
expand all
CurrentPoint — Location of mouse pointer
2-by-3 array
ButtonDownFcn — Mouse-click callback
'' (default) | function handle | cell array | character vector
UIContextMenu — Context menu
uicontextmenu object
Selected — Selection state
SelectionHighlight — Display of selection handles when selected
Callback Execution Control
expand all
PickableParts — Ability to capture mouse clicks
'visible' (default) | 'all' | 'none'
HitTest — Response to captured mouse clicks
Interruptible — Callback interruption
BusyAction — Callback queuing
'queue' (default) | 'cancel'
Creation and Deletion Control
expand all
CreateFcn — Creation callback
DeleteFcn — Deletion callback
BeingDeleted — Deletion status of axes
See Also
axes | axis | box | caxis | cla | gca | grid
More About
 Access Property Values
 Graphics Object Properties

 Object Properties and Dot Notation
 Graphing functions return the object or objects created by the function. For example:
 h = plot(1:10);
 h refers to the line drawn in the graph of the values 1 through 10.
 Dot notation is a new syntax to access object properties starting in R2014b. This syntax
uses the object variable and the case-sensitive property name connected with a dot (.)
to form an object dot property name notation:
 object.PropertyName
 If the object variable is nonscalar, use indexing to refer to a single object:
 object(n).PropertyName
 Scalar Object Variable
 If h is the line created by the plot function, the expression h.Color is the value of this
particular line's Color property:
 h.Color
 ans =

 0 0.4470 0.7410
 If you assign the color value to a variable:
 c = h.Color;
 The variable c is a double.
 whos
 Name Size Bytes Class

 c 1x3 24 double
 h 1x1 112
matlab.graphics.chart.primitive.Line
 You can change the value of this line's Color property with an assignment statement:
 h.Color = [0 0 1];
 Use dot notation property references in expressions:
 meanY = mean(h.YData);
 Or to change the property value:
 h.LineWidth = h.LineWidth + 0.5;
 Reference other objects contained in properties with multiple dot references:
 h.Annotation.LegendInformation.IconDisplayStyle
 ans =

 on
 Set the properties of objects contained in properties:
 ax = gca;
 ax.Title.FontWeight = 'normal';
 Nonscalar Object Variable
 Graphics functions can return an array of objects. For example:
 y = rand(5);
 h = plot(y);
 size(h)
 ans =

 5 1
 Access the line representing the first column in y using the array index:
 h(1).LineStyle = '--';
 Use the set function to set the LineStyle of all the lines in the array:
 set(h,'LineStyle','--')
 Appending Data to Property Values
 With dot notation, you can use "end" indexing to append data to properties that contain
data arrays, such as line XDataand YData. For example, this code updates the
line XData and YData together to grow the line. You must ensure the size of line's x-
and y-data are the same before rendering with the call to drawnow or returning to the
MATLAB® prompt.
 h = plot(1:10);
 for k = 1:5
 h.XData(end + 1) = h.XData(end) + k;
 h.YData(end + 1) = h.YData(end) + k;
 drawnow
 end
 Graphics Object Variables Are Handles
 The object variables returned by graphics functions are handles. Handles are
references to the actual objects. Object variables that are handles behave in specific
ways when copied and when the object is deleted.
 Copy Object Variable
 For example, create a graph with one line:
 h = plot(1:10);
 Now copy the object variable to another variable and set a property value with the new
object variable:
 h2 = h;
 h2.Color = [1,0,0]
 Assigning the object variable h to h2 creates a copy of the handle, but not the object
referred to by the variable. The value of the Color property accessed from variable h is
the same as that accessed from variable h2.
 h.Color
 ans =

 1 0 0
 h and h2 refer to the same object. Copying a handle object variable does not copy the
object.
 Delete Object Variables
 There are now two object variables in the workspace that refer to the same line.
 whos
 h 1x1 112
 h2 1x1 112
 Now close the figure containing the line graph:
 close gcf
 The line object no longer exists, but the object variables that referred to the line do still
exist:
 whos
 h 1x1 112
 h2 1x1 112
 However, the object variables are no longer valid:
 h.Color
 Invalid or deleted object.
 h2.Color = 'blue'
 Invalid or deleted object.
 To remove the invalid object variables, use clear:
 clear h h2
 Listing Object Properties
 To see what properties an object contains, use the get function:
 get(h)
 MATLAB returns a list of the object properties and their current value:
 AlignVertexCenters: 'off'
 Annotation: [1x1 matlab.graphics.eventdata.Annotation]
 BeingDeleted: 'off'
 BusyAction: 'queue'
 ButtonDownFcn: ''
 Children: []
 Clipping: 'on'
 Color: [0 0.4470 0.7410]
 ...
 LineStyle: '-'
 LineWidth: 0.5000
 Marker: 'none'
 ...
 You can see the values for properties with an enumerated set of possible values using
the set function:
 set(h,'LineStyle')
 '-'
 '--'
 ':'
 '-.'
 'none'
 To display all settable properties including possible values for properties with an
enumerated set of values, use set with the object variable:
 set(h)
 Modify Properties with set and get
 You can also access and modify properties using the set and get functions.
 The basic syntax for setting the value of a property on an existing object is:
 set(object,'PropertyName',NewPropertyValue)
 To query the current value of a specific object property, use a statement of the form:
 returned_value = get(object,'PropertyName');
 Property names are always character vectors. You can use single quotes or a variable
that is a character vector. Property values depend on the particular property.
 Multi Object/Property Operations

 If the object argument is an array, MATLAB sets the specified value on all identified
objects. For example:
 y = rand(5);
 h = plot(y);
 Set all the lines to red:
 set(h,'Color','red')
 To set the same properties on a number of objects, specify property names and
property values using a structure or cell array. For example, define a structure to set
axes properties appropriately to display a particular graph:
 view1.CameraViewAngleMode = 'manual';
 view1.DataAspectRatio = [1 1 1];
 view1.Projection = 'Perspective';
 To set these values on the current axes, type:
 set(gca,view1)
 Query Multiple Properties
 You can define a cell array of property names and use it to obtain the values for those
properties. For example, suppose you want to query the values of the axes "camera
mode" properties. First, define the cell array:
 camModes = {'CameraPositionMode','CameraTargetMode',...
 'CameraUpVectorMode','CameraViewAngleMode'};
 Use this cell array as an argument to obtain the current values of these properties:
 get(gca,camModes)
 ans =
 'auto' 'auto' 'auto' 'auto'
 Graphics Object Properties
 View and set graphics object properties, define default values
 You can control the behavior and appearance of a particular graphics object by setting
its properties. To set properties, return the object as an output argument from the
function that creates it. For example, the plot function returns a chart line object. Then,
use dot notation to view and set properties. Dot notation works in R2014b and later. If
you are using an earlier release, use the get and set functions instead. For more
information, see Access Property Values.
 p = plot(1:10,1:10);
 p.LineWidth = 3;
 Alternatively, you can set properties using name-value pair arguments when creating
the object, such as plot(1:10,1:10,'LineWidth',3). Most plotting functions support
name-value pair arguments.
 Properties
 Top-Level Objects
 Chart Objects
 Primitive Objects
 Function Objects
 Group Objects
 Illustration Objects
 Ruler Objects
 Annotation Objects
 Functions
get Query graphics object properties
set Set graphics object properties
reset Reset graphics object properties to their defaults
inspect Open Property Inspector
 Topics
 Graphics Objects
 Graphics objects are the visual components used by MATLAB® to display data
graphically.
 You can set and query property values or return them to their original (factory default)
values.
 Features Controlled by Graphics Objects
 Graphics objects represent data in intuitive and meaningful ways, such as line graphs,
images, text, and combinations of these objects.
 Automatically Calculated Properties
 When plotting functions create graphs, many of the axes properties that are under
automatic control adjust to best display the graph.
 Default Property Values
 Nearly all graphics object properties have predefined values, but you can define default
property values.
 Define Default Line Styles
 This example shows how to set default line styles.
 Multilevel Default Values
 This example sets default values on more than one level in the hierarchy.
 Default Values for Automatically Calculated Properties
 When you create a graph, MATLAB sets certain property values appropriately for the
particular graph.
 How MATLAB Finds Default Values
 All graphics object properties have values built into MATLAB. You can also define your
own default values.
 Factory-Defined Property Values
 Plotting functions use factory-defined property values if you do not specify values as
arguments or as defaults.
 DPI-Aware Behavior in MATLAB
 Learn about DPI-aware behavior that improves the appearance of graphical elements
on high-resolution systems.
Call Functions
These examples show how to call a MATLAB® function. To run the examples, you must first
create numeric arrays A and B, such as:
A = [1 3 5];
B = [10 6 4];
Enclose inputs to functions in parentheses:
max(A)
Separate multiple inputs with commas:
max(A,B)
Store output from a function by assigning it to a variable:
maxA = max(A)
Enclose multiple outputs in square brackets:
[maxA, location] = max(A)
Call a function that does not require any inputs, and does not return any outputs, by typing only
the function name:
clc
Enclose text inputs in single quotation marks:
disp('hello world')
Related Examples
 Ignore Function Outputs
Ignore Function Outputs

Open Script
This example shows how to request specific outputs from a function.
Request all three possible outputs from the fileparts function.
helpFile = which('help');
[helpPath,name,ext] = fileparts(helpFile);
The current workspace now contains three variables from fileparts: helpPath, name,
and ext. In this case, the variables are small. However, some functions return results that use
much more memory. If you do not need those variables, they waste space on your system.
Request only the first output, ignoring the second and third.
helpPath = fileparts(helpFile);
For any function, you can request only the first outputs (where is less than or equal to the
number of possible outputs) and ignore any remaining outputs. If you request more than one
output, enclose the variable names in square brackets, [].
Ignore the first output using a tilde (~).
[~,name,ext] = fileparts(helpFile);
You can ignore any number of function outputs, in any position in the argument list. Separate
consecutive tildes with a comma, such as
[~,~,ext] = fileparts(helpFile);
Continue Long Statements on Multiple Lines

This example shows how to continue a statement to the next line using ellipsis (...).
s = 1 - 1/2 + 1/3 - 1/4 + 1/5 ...
- 1/6 + 1/7 - 1/8 + 1/9;
Build a long character vector by concatenating shorter vectors together:
mytext = ['Accelerating the pace of ' ...
'engineering and science'];
The start and end quotation marks for a character vector must appear on the same line. For
example, this code returns an error, because each line contains only one quotation mark:
mytext = 'Accelerating the pace of ...
engineering and science'
An ellipsis outside a quoted text is equivalent to a space. For example,
x = [1.23...
4.56];
is the same as
x = [1.23 4.56];
Create Shortcuts to Rerun Commands

This example shows how to create, run, edit, and organize MATLAB® shortcuts. A MATLAB
shortcut is an easy way to run a group of MATLAB language statements that you use regularly.
For example, use a shortcut to set up your environment when you start working, or to set the
same properties for figures you create.
1. On the Home tab, click New, and then select Command Shortcut.
If the Shortcuts tab is on the desktop, you can also click New Shortcut in
the Manage section.
2. Complete the Shortcut Editor dialog box:
1. In the Label field, enter a name for the shortcut.
For this example, enter my_Shortcut.
2. In the Callback field, type statements you want the shortcut to run.
You also can drag and drop statements from the Command Window, Command History
Window, or a file.
For this example, enter these statements:
format compact
clear
workspace
filebrowser
clc
Tip If command prompts (>>) appear, MATLAB automatically removes them from the Callback field when you save the shortcut
3. In the Category field, type the name of a new category or select an existing category
from the drop-down list. If you leave this field blank, the shortcut appears in
the General section of the toolbar.
4. In the Icon field, select an icon.
5. Select both the Add to quick access toolbar and Show label on quick access
toolbar options.
6. Click Save.
The shortcut icon and label appear on the quick access toolbar. If the shortcut icon does not
appear on the quick access toolbar, use the drop-down to see the full list.
To organize and edit shortcuts, on the Shortcuts tab, in the Manage section,
click Organize Shortcuts to open the Shortcuts Organizer dialog box. If the Shortcuts tab
is not visible, go to the Home tab, and in the Environment section, click Layout. Then,
under Show, select Shortcuts Tab.
3. Run a shortcut by clicking its icon on the Shortcuts tab.
All the statements in the shortcut Callback field execute as if you ran those statements
from the Command Window, although they do not appear in the Command History window.
Stop Execution
To stop execution of a MATLAB® command, press Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Break.
On Apple Macintosh platforms, you also can use Command+. (the Command key and the
period key).
Ctrl+C does not always stop execution for files that run a long time, or that call built-ins or MEX-
files that run a long time. If you experience this problem, include a drawnow, pause,
or getframe function in your file, for example, within a large loop.
Also, Ctrl+C might be less responsive if you start MATLAB with the -nodesktop option.
Note: For certain operations, stopping the program might generate errors in the Command Window.
See Also
drawnow | getframe | pause
drawnow
Update figures and process callbacks
Syntax
 drawnow
example
 drawnow limitrate
example
 drawnow nocallbacks
 drawnow limitrate nocallbacks
 drawnow update
 drawnow expose
Description
example
drawnow updates figures and processes any pending callbacks. Use this command if you
modify graphics objects and want to see the updates on the screen immediately.
example
drawnow limitrate limits the number of updates to 20 frames per second. If it has been fewer
than 50 milliseconds since the last update, or if the graphics renderer is busy with the previous
change, then drawnow discards the new updates. Use this command if you are updating
graphics objects in a loop and do not need to see every update on the screen. Skipping updates
can create faster animations. Pending callbacks are processed, so you can interact with figures
during animations.
drawnow nocallbacks defers callbacks, such as mouse clicks, until the next
full drawnow command. Use this option if you want to prevent callbacks from interrupting your
code. For more information, see Actions Equivalent to drawnow.
drawnow limitrate nocallbacks limits the number of updates to 20 frames per second,
skips updates if the renderer is busy, and defers callbacks.
drawnow update skips updates if the renderer is busy and defers callbacks.
Note: This syntax is not recommended. Use the limitrate option instead.
drawnow expose updates figures, but defers callbacks.
Note: This syntax is not recommended. Use the nocallbacks option instead.
Examples
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Create Animation of Streaming Data
Open Script
Create an animation of a line growing as it accumulates 2,000 data points. Use drawnow to
display the changes on the screen after each iteration through the loop.
h = animatedline;
axis([0 4*pi -1 1])
x = linspace(0,4*pi,2000);
for k = 1:length(x)
y = sin(x(k));
addpoints(h,x(k),y);
drawnow
end
Skip Updates for Faster Animation
Open Script
Create an animation of a line growing as it accumulates 10,000 points. Since there are 10,000
points, drawing each update on the screen is slow. Create a faster, smooth animation by limiting
the number of updates using drawnow limitrate. Then, display the final updates on the
screen by calling drawnow after the loop ends.
h = animatedline;
axis([0 4*pi -1 1])
for k = 1:length(x)
y = sin(x(k));
addpoints(h,x(k),y);
drawnow limitrate
end
drawnow
Precompute Data, Then Create Animation
Open Script
Compute all the data before the animation loop.
h = animatedline;
axis([0 4*pi -1 1])
y = sin(x);
for k = 1:length(x)
addpoints(h,x(k),y(k));
drawnow limitrate
end
drawnow
If you have long computations, precomputing the data can improve perfomance. Precomputing
minimizes the computation time by letting the computation run without interruptions.
Additionally, it helps ensure a smooth animation by focusing on only graphics code in the
animation loop.
More About
collapse all
Actions Equivalent to drawnow

These actions are equivalent to calling a full drawnow command:
 Returning to the MATLAB® prompt.

 Using the figure, getframe, input, pause, and keyboard functions.
 Using functions that wait for user input, such as waitforbuttonpress, waitfor, or ginput.
Tips
 The nocallbacks option always adds interrupting callbacks to the queue. If you want to discard
interrupting callbacks, then use the Interruptible and BusyAction properties instead.
See Also
pause | refreshdata | waitfor
pause
Stop MATLAB execution temporarily
Syntax
 pause
 pause(n)
example
 pause(state)
example
 oldState = pause(state)
example
Description
pause temporarily stops MATLAB® execution and waits for the user to press any key.
The pause function also temporarily stops the execution of Simulink ® models, but does not
pause their repainting.
Note: If you previously disabled the pause setting, reenable it using pause('on') for this call to take effect.
example
pause(n) pauses execution for n seconds before continuing. Pausing must be enabled for this
call to take effect.
example
pause(state) enables, disables, or displays the current pause setting.
example
oldState = pause(state) returns the current pause setting and sets the pause state as
indicated by state. For example, if pausing is enabled, oldState =
pause('off') returns 'on' in oldState and disables pausing.
Examples
collapse all
Pause Execution
Open Script
Pause execution for 5 seconds. MATLAB blocks, or hides, the command prompt (>>) while it
pauses execution.
n = 5;
pause(n)
Disable Pause Setting
Open Script
Disable the pause setting and query the current state.
pause('off')
pause('query')
ans =
off
Pause execution for 100 seconds. Since the pause setting is off, MATLAB ignores the request
to pause execution, and immediately returns the command prompt.
pause(100)
Enable the pause setting.
pause('on')
Save and Restore Pause State
Open Script
Store the current pause setting and then disable the ability to pause execution.
oldState = pause('off')
oldState =
on
Query the current pause setting.

pause('query')
ans =
off
Restore the initial pause state.

pause(oldState)
pause('query')
ans =
on
Alternatively, you can store the queried value of the pause state and then disable the ability to
pause execution.
oldState = pause('query');
pause('off')
Restore the initial pause state.
pause(oldState)
Input Arguments
collapse all
n — Number of seconds
nonnegative, real number
Number of seconds to pause execution specified as a nonnegative, real number.
Typing pause(inf) puts you into an infinite loop. To return to the MATLAB prompt,
type Ctrl+C.
Example: pause(3) pauses for 3 seconds.
Example: pause(5/1000) pauses for 5 milliseconds.
Data
Types: single | double | int8 | int16 | int32 | int64 | uint8 | uint16 | uint32 | uint64
state — Pause setting
'on' | 'off' | 'query'
Pause control indicator specified as 'on', 'off', or 'query'. Use 'on' or 'off' to control
whether the pausefunction is able to pause MATLAB execution. Use 'query' to query the
current state of the pause setting.
To run interactive code unattended, disable the pause setting.
More About
collapse all
Tips
 The accuracy of the pause function is subject to the scheduling resolution of your operating
system, and to other concurrent system activity. The accuracy is not guaranteed, and finer
resolution results in higher relative error.
 While MATLAB is paused, the following continue to execute:
o Repainting of figure windows, Simulink block diagrams, and Java® windows
o HG callbacks from figure windows
o Event handling from Java windows
See Also
drawnow | input | keyboard
refreshdata
Refresh data in graph when data source is specified
Syntax
refreshdata
refreshdata(figure_handle)
refreshdata(object_handles)
refreshdata(object_handles,'workspace')
Description
refreshdata evaluates any data source properties (XDataSource, YDataSource,
or ZDataSource) on all objects in graphs in the current figure. If the specified data source has
changed, the MATLAB® software updates the graph to reflect this change.
Note: The variable assigned to the data source property must be in the base workspace or you must specify the workspace option
as 'caller'.
refreshdata(figure_handle) refreshes the data of the objects in the specified figure.
refreshdata(object_handles) refreshes the data of the objects specified
in object_handles or the children of those objects. Therefore, object_handles can contain
figure, axes, or plot object handles.
refreshdata(object_handles,'workspace') enables you to specify whether the data
source properties are evaluated in the base workspace or the workspace of the function in
which refreshdata was called. 'workspace' is can be one of these values:
 'base' — Evaluate the data source properties in the base workspace.

 'caller' — Evaluate the data source properties in the workspace of the function that called
refreshdata.
Examples
collapse all
Refresh Graph with Updated Data
Open Script
Plot a sine wave and return the chart line handle, h.
x = linspace(0,8);
y = sin(x);
figure
h = plot(x,y);
Identify the data sources for the plot by setting the XDataSource and YDataSource properties
of the line to x and y, respectively. Then, modify y. Call refreshdata so that the graph updates
with the changes to y.
h.XDataSource = 'x';
h.YDataSource = 'y';
y = sin(x.^3);
refreshdata
More About
collapse all
Tips
The Linked Plots feature (see documentation for linkdata) sets up data sources for graphs
and synchronizes them with the workspace variables they display. When you use this feature,
you do not also need to call refreshdata, as it is essentially automatically triggered every time
a data source changes.
If you are not using the Linked Plots feature, you need to set the XDataSource, YDataSource,
and/or ZDataSourceproperties of a graph in order to use refreshdata. You can do that
programmatically or use the Property Editor, one of the plotting tools. In the Property Editor,
select the graph (e.g., a chart line object) and type in (or select from the drop-down choices) the
name(s) of the workspace variable(s) from which you want the plot to refresh, in the fields
labelled X Data Source, Y Data Source, and/or Z Data Source. The call
to refreshdata causes the graph to update.
See Also
linkaxes | linkdata | linkprop
 Trial Software
 Product Updates

 MATLAB
 App Building
 GUIDE or Programmatic Workflow
 Coding App Behavior
 MATLAB
 Functions
 waitfor
 ON THIS PAGE
 Syntax
 Description
 Examples
 See Also
waitfor
Block execution and wait for condition
Syntax
waitfor(h)
waitfor(h,PropertyName)
waitfor(h,PropertyName,PropertyValue)
Description
waitfor(h) blocks the caller from executing statements until the MATLAB ® object
identified by h closes (is deleted). When object h no longer exists, waitfor returns,
enabling execution to resume. If the object does not exist, waitfor returns
immediately without processing any events.
waitfor(h,PropertyName) blocks the caller from executing until the value
of PropertyName (any property of the object h) changes or h closes (is deleted).
If PropertyName is not a valid property for the object, MATLAB returns an error.
waitfor(h,PropertyName,PropertyValue) blocks the caller from executing until the
value of PropertyName for the object h changes to the specific
value PropertyValue or h closes (is deleted). If the value of PropertyName is
already PropertyValue, waitfor returns immediately without processing any events.
Here are some important characteristics of the waitfor function:
 The waitfor function prevents its caller from
continuing, but callbacks that respond to
various user actions (for example, pressing a
mouse button) can still run.
 The waitfor function also blocks
Simulink® models from executing, but
callbacks do still execute.
 The waitfor function can block nested
function calls. For example, a callback that
executes while the waitforfunction is running
can call waitfor.
 If a callback function of a UI component is
currently executing the waitfor function, then
that callback can be interrupted regardless of
that component's Interruptible property
value.
 If you type Ctrl+C in the Command Window
while the waitfor function is executing, the
executing program terminates. To avoid
terminating, the program can call
the waitfor function within a try/catch block
that handles the exception that
typing Ctrl+C generates.
Examples
Create a plot and pause execution of the rest of the statements until you close the
figure window:
f = warndlg('This is a warning.', 'A
Warning Dialog');
disp('This prints immediately');
drawnow % Necessary to print the
message
waitfor(f);
disp('This prints after you close the
warning dialog');
Suspend execution until name of figure changes:

f = figure('Name', datestr(now));
h = uicontrol('String','Change
Name',...
'Position',[20 20 100
30],...
'Callback', 'set(gcbf, ''Name'',
datestr(now))');
disp('This prints immediately');
drawnow % Necessary to print the
message
waitfor(f, 'Name');
disp('This prints after clicking the
push button');
Display text object and wait for user to edit it:

figure;
textH = text(.5, .5, 'Edit me and
click away');
set(textH,'Editing','on',
'BackgroundColor',[1 1 1]);
disp('This prints immediately.');
drawnow
waitfor(textH,'Editing','off');
set(textH,'BackgroundColor',[1 1 0]);
disp('This prints after text editing
is complete.');
If you close the figure while waitfor is executing, an error occurs because the code
attempts to access handles of objects that no longer exist. You can handle the error
by enclosing code starting with the call to waitfor in a try/catch block, as follows:
figure;
textH = text(.5, .5, 'Edit me and
click away');
set(textH,'Editing','on',
'BackgroundColor',[1 1 1]);
disp('This prints immediately.');
drawnow
% Use try/catch block to handle
errors,
% such as deleting figure
try
waitfor(textH,'Editing','off');
set(textH,'BackgroundColor',[1 1
0]);
disp('This prints after text
editing is complete.');
catch ME
disp('This prints if figure is
deleted:')
disp(ME.message)
% You can place other code
to respond to the error here
end
The ME variable is a MATLAB Exception object that you can use to determine the
type of error that occurred. For more information, see Respond to an Exception.
See Also
drawnow | keyboard | pause | uiresume | uiwait | waitforbuttonpress
getframe
Capture axes or figure as movie frame
Syntax
 F = getframe
example
 F = getframe(ax)
example
 F = getframe(fig)
example
 F = getframe(___,rect)
Description
example
F = getframe captures the current axes as it appears on the screen as a movie frame. F is a
structure containing the image data. getframe captures the axes at the same size that it
appears on the screen. It does not capture tick labels or other content outside the axes outline.
example
F = getframe(ax) captures the axes identified by ax instead of the current axes.
example
F = getframe(fig) captures the figure identified by fig. Specify a figure if you want to
capture the entire interior of the figure window, including the axes title, labels, and tick marks.
The captured movie frame does not include the figure menu and tool bars.
F = getframe(___,rect) captures the area within the rectangle defined by rect.
Specify rect as a four-element vector of the form [left bottom width height]. Use this
option with either the ax or fig input arguments in the previous syntaxes.
Examples
collapse all
Capture Contents of Current Axes
Create a plot of random data. Capture the axes and return the image data. getframe captures
the interior of the axes and the axes outline. It does not capture content that extends beyond the
axes outline.
plot(rand(5))
F = getframe;
F is a structure with the field cdata that contains the captured image data.
Display the captured image data using imshow.
figure
imshow(F.cdata)
Capture Contents of Figure
Create a surface plot. Capture the interior of the figure window, excluding the menu and tool
bars.
surf(peaks)
F = getframe(gcf);
F is a structure with the field cdata that contains the captured image data.
figure
imshow(F.cdata)
Specify Rectangular Region to Capture
Capture the interior of an axes plus a margin of 30 pixels in each direction. The added margin is
necessary to include the tick labels in the capture frame. Depending on the size of the tick
labels, the margin might need to be adjusted.
Create a plot of random data.
plot(rand(5))
Change the axes units to pixels and return the current axes position. The third and fourth
elements of the position vector specify the axes width and height in pixels.
drawnow
ax = gca;
ax.Units = 'pixels';
pos = ax.Position
pos =
73.8000 47.2000 434.0000 342.3000

Create a four-element vector, rect, that defines a rectangular area covering the axes plus the
desired margin. The first two elements of rect specify the lower left corner of the rectangle
relative to the lower left corner of the axes. The last two elements of rect specify the width and
height of the rectangle. Reset the axes units to the default value of 'normalized'.
marg = 30;
rect = [-marg, -marg, pos(3)+2*marg, pos(4)+2*marg];
F = getframe(gca,rect);
ax.Units = 'normalized';
figure
imshow(F.cdata)
Calculate Region to Include Title and Labels
Calculate a margin around the axes so that the captured image data includes the title, axis
labels, and tick labels.
Create a plot with a title and an x-axis label.
plot(rand(5))
xlabel('x values')
title('Plot of Random Data')
Change the axes units to pixels and store the Position and TightInset property values for
the axes. The TighInset property is a four-element vector of the form [left bottom right
top]. The values are the margins used around the axes for the tick values and text labels.
drawnow
ax = gca;
ax.Units = 'pixels';
pos = ax.Position;
ti = ax.TightInset;
Create a four-element vector, rect, that defines a rectangular area covering the axes plus the
automatically calculated margin. The first two elements of rect specify the lower left corner of
the rectangle relative to the lower left corner of the axes. The last two elements of rect specify
the width and height of the rectangle.
rect = [-ti(1), -ti(2), pos(3)+ti(1)+ti(3), pos(4)+ti(2)+ti(4)];
F = getframe(ax,rect);
figure
imshow(F.cdata)
Capture Specific Subplot Axes
Create a figure with two subplots. In the upper subplot, plot a blue line. In the lower subplot, plot
a red line.
plot(1:10,'b')
plot(1:10,'r')
Capture the contents of the lower subplot. getframe captures the interior and border of the
subplot. It does not capture tick values or labels that extend beyond the outline of the subplot.
F = getframe(ax2);
figure
imshow(F.cdata)
Record Frames and Play Movie

Record frames of the peaks function vibrating by using getframe in a loop. Preallocate an
array to store the movie frames.
Z = peaks;
surf(Z)
axis tight manual
ax = gca;
ax.NextPlot = 'replaceChildren';
loops = 40;
F(loops) = struct('cdata',[],'colormap',[]);
for j = 1:loops
X = sin(j*pi/10)*Z;
surf(X,Z)
drawnow
F(j) = getframe(gcf);
end
Playback the movie two times.
fig = figure;
movie(fig,F,2)
Input Arguments
collapse all
ax — Axes to capture
axes object
Axes to capture, specified as an axes object. Use this option if you want to capture an axes that
is not the current axes.
getframe captures the content within the smallest rectangle that encloses the axes outline. If
you want to capture all the tick values and labels, then use the fig input argument instead.
Example: F = getframe(ax);
fig — Figure to capture
figure object
Figure to capture, specified as a figure object. Use gcf to capture the current figure.
Example: F = getframe(gcf);
rect — Rectangular area to capture
four-element vector of the form [left bottom width height]
Rectangular area to capture, specified as a four-element vector of the form [left bottom
width height] in pixels. The left and bottom elements define the position of the lower left
corner of the rectangle. The position is relative to the figure or axes that is specified as the first
input argument to getframe. The width and height elements define the dimensions of the
rectangle.
Specify a rectangle that is fully contained within the figure window.
Example: F = getframe(gcf,[0 0 560 420]);
Output Arguments
collapse all
F — Movie frame
structure
Movie frame, returned as a structure with two fields:
 cdata — The image data stored as an array of uint8 values. The size of the image data array
depends on your screen resolution.
 colormap — The colormap. On true color systems, this field is empty.
Note: These are some important considerations about the size of cdata:
 If you query the size of the region that getframe captures (either the figure, the axes, or the region specified by rect), the size
in pixels might not match the number of elements in cdata. This difference is because the number of elements in cdatadepends on
your screen resolution (and operating system settings), but pixels in MATLAB® might not correspond to the actual pixels on your
screen.
 Starting in R2015b, if you are using a high-resolution system, then the size of cdata might be larger than in previous releases or on
other systems.
More About
collapse all
Pixels
Distances in pixels are independent of your system resolution on Windows ® and Macintosh
systems:
 On Windows systems, a pixel is 1/96th of an inch.
 On Macintosh systems, a pixel is 1/72nd of an inch.
On Linux® systems, the size of a pixel is determined by your system resolution.
Tips
 For the fastest performance when using getframe, make sure that the figure is visible on the
screen. If the figure is not visible, getframe can still capture the figure, but performance can be
slower.
 For more control over the resolution of the image data, use the print function instead.
The cdata output argument with print returns the image data. The resolution input argument
controls the resolution of the image.
See Also
frame2im | im2frame | image | imshow | movie | print
Find Functions to Use

This example shows how to find the name and description of a MathWorks ® function from the
Command Window or Editor using the Function browser. The Function browser is not supported
in live scripts.
1. Click the Browse for functions button, . In the Command Window, this button is to the left
of the prompt. In the Editor, the button is on the Editor tab, in the Edit section. The
Function browser opens.
Tip The Function browser closes when you move the pointer outside of it. To keep the browser open, drag it by the top edge to a
different location.
2. Optionally, select a subset of products to display in the list. Click the product area at the
bottom of the browser (where the text All installed products appears by default), and then
set the Selected Products preference and click OK. This preference also applies to the
Help browser.
3. Find functions by browsing the list or by typing a search term. For example, search for the
term fourier.
In the search results, a parenthetical term after a function name indicates either that the
function is in a product folder other than MATLAB®, or that there are multiple functions with
the same name. For example, fft (comm) corresponds to the fft function in the
Communications System Toolbox™ folder.
4. Select a function that you would like to use or learn more about, as follows.
 Insert the function name into the current window by double-clicking the name. Alternatively,
drag and drop the function name into any tool or application.
 View syntax information for the function by single-clicking its name. A brief description for
each of the syntax options displays in a yellow pop-up window.
Tip The pop-up window automatically closes when you move your pointer to a new item in the results list. To keep the pop-up
window open, drag it by the top edge to a different location.
You can change the font that the Function browser uses by setting preferences. On
the Home tab, in the Environmentsection, select Preferences > Fonts. By default, the
Function browser uses the desktop text font and the pop-up window uses the Profiler font.
To search for the specified text in other MATLAB desktop tools, change the selection in
the Look in field.
You can increase the amount of information available in the Command Window so that more
text is available for searching. Doing so requires more memory. On the Home tab, in
the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB >Command Window, and
then increase the setting for Number of lines in the command window scroll buffer.
Clearing the command window (for example, with the clc function), empties the scroll buffer.
The cleared text is no longer available for searching. To clear your display in the Command
Window without clearing the buffer, use the home function.
Search Using Keyboard Shortcuts
You can also perform an incremental search in the Command Window using keyboard
shortcuts.
1. Begin an incremental search by using one of the defined keyboard shortcuts.
Action Windows® Default Shortcut Macintosh or Emacs Default Shortcut
Initiate a forward incremental search. Ctrl+Shift+S Ctrl+S
Initiate a backward incremental search. Ctrl+Shift+R Ctrl+R
2. An incremental search field appears in the bottom right corner of the MATLAB Desktop
window. For a forward search, the text F Inc Search appears. The F indicates a forward
search.
3. Begin typing your search term.
When you enter lowercase letters in the incremental search field, MATLAB looks for both
lowercase and uppercase instances of the letters. For example, if you enter b, MATLAB
looks for b and B. However, if you enter uppercase letters, MATLAB only looks for instances
that match the case you entered.
4. Perform incremental search actions using these keyboard shortcuts:
Action Keyboard Shortcut
Complete a partially highlighted set of characters. Ctrl+W
Find the next occurrence of a set of characters. Ctrl+S
Remove characters from the incremental search field, back to the last successful search Ctrl+G
5. If you search for a set of characters that does not appear in the Command Window
text, Failing appears in the incremental search field.
6. End incremental searching by pressing Esc (escape), Enter, or any other key that is not a
character or number.
The incremental search field disappears. The cursor remains at the position where the text
was last found, with the search text highlighted.
Find Text in the Command History Window
You can search for text in the Command History Window. You can search for text either at the
beginning of a command, or anywhere within a command.
1. In the Command History window, type in the Search field. To display the Search field if is
not visible, click , and then select Find.
2. Begin typing your search term.

The Command History window searches backward and selects the previous entry that
contains the sequence of letters you typed.
3. Select from the different search options using the buttons to the right of the search field.
Options include (match case), (match anywhere within command),
and (match at beginning of command).

4. Find the previous or next occurrence of the entry with the up and down arrow keys,
respectively.
5. Press Esc to clear the search.
Check Syntax as You Type

Syntax Highlighting
To help you identify MATLAB® elements, some entries appear in different colors in the
Command Window and the Editor. This is known as syntax highlighting. By default:
 Keywords are blue.
 Character vectors are purple.
 Unterminated character vectors are maroon.
 Comments are green.
if A > B
'greater'
elseif A < B
'less'
end
Except for errors, output in the Command Window does not appear with syntax highlighting.
When you paste or drag a selection from the Editor to another application, such as
Microsoft® Word, the pasted text maintains the syntax highlighting colors and font characteristics
from the Editor. MATLAB software pastes the selection to the Clipboard in RTF format, which
many Microsoft Windows® and Macintosh applications support.
You can change syntax highlighting preferences. On the Home tab, in
the Environment section, click Preferences.
Select MATLAB > Editor/Debugger > Languages. Preference changes do not apply in live
scripts.
Delimiter Matching
MATLAB indicates matched and mismatched delimiters, such as parentheses, brackets, and
braces, to help you avoid syntax errors. MATLAB also indicates paired language keywords,
such as for, if, while, else, and end statements.
By default, MATLAB indicates matched and mismatched delimiters and paired language
keywords as follows:
 Type a closing delimiter—MATLAB briefly highlights or underlines the corresponding opening
delimiter.
 Type more closing delimiters than opening delimiters—MATLAB puts a strike line through or
underlines the unmatched delimiter.
 Use the arrow keys to move the cursor over one delimiter—MATLAB briefly underlines both
delimiters in a pair. If no corresponding delimiter exists, MATLAB puts a strike line through the
unmatched delimiter.
If a matching delimiter exists, but it is not visible on the screen, a pop-up window appears and
shows the line containing the matching delimiter. Click in the pop-up window to go to that line.
The pop-up window for delimiter matching is not supported in live scripts.
You can change delimiter matching indicators, and when and if they appear. On the Home tab,
in the Environmentsection, click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Keyboard. Preference
changes do not apply in live scripts.
Tab Completion
MATLAB can help you avoid typographical errors by completing the names of functions,
models, MATLAB objects, files, folders, variables, structures, graphics properties, parameters,
and options.
To complete names in the Command Window, type the first few characters of the name you
want to complete, and then press the Tab key.
If MATLAB presents a list of possible matches, use the arrow keys to select the name you want,
and then press the Tab key.
In addition, you can:

 Clear the list without selecting anything, by pressing the Esc (escape) key.
 Search a long list before making a selection, by adding additional characters to your original
term.
 Complete parts of a name that use dot notation by adding a dot, and then pressing the Tab key.
 Complete the names and values of graphics properties. Begin typing the first part of a property,
and then press the Tabkey. Type a comma after each property.
 Complete parameter names and options for certain functions. When entering a command, at the
location of a parameter or option, type ', and then press the Tab key. Completion of parameters
and options is not available for all functions.
For MATLAB to complete a file or folder name, it must be on the search path or in the current
folder. Variables and properties must be in the current workspace.
In the Editor, MATLAB completes:
 Nested functions only when they are available at the current location of the cursor. Not
supported in live scripts.
 Names of variables defined in the active document. The variable must be valid at the current
location of the cursor (that is, already defined).
 Names of class properties and methods in class definition files. Not supported in live scripts.
In the Editor, MATLAB does not complete field names of structure arrays defined only within the
active file.
Note: To add spaces within statements using the Tab key in the Editor, first add a space, and then press Tab. Otherwise, when tab
completion is enabled, MATLAB attempts to complete a name.
Tab completion is enabled by default. To change this setting, on the Home tab, in
the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Keyboard. Preference
changes do not apply in live scripts.
Example of Name Completion
This example shows how to complete the name for the containers.Map.keys method.
1. In the Command Window, type help cont, and then press Tab.
MATLAB displays a list of selections.
2. Select containers, and then press Tab.

The Command Window displays help containers.
3. At the command prompt, add a dot after containers, and then press Tab.
The Command Window displays:
help containers.Map
4. At the command prompt, add a dot after Map, and then press Tab.
MATLAB displays a new list.
5. Scroll down the list, select keys, and then press the Tab key.
The Command Window displays help containers.Map.keys.
Function Syntax Hints
As you enter a function in the Command Window or Editor, syntax hints open in a pop-up
window to display allowable input arguments for a function.
Function hints appear for both MATLAB installed functions and functions you create. The syntax
hints for MATLAB functions comes from the documentation. The syntax for functions you create
comes from the function definition statement (first executable line) in the MATLAB program file.
That file must be on the search path or in the current folder.
To use function syntax hints, type a function name with an opening parenthesis, and then
pause. A tooltip opens showing the basic syntax for the function.
You can type a variable for any argument that appears in blue. Enter your variable names, and
not the argument names shown in the window.
The displayed syntax options change, based on the argument you just entered.
Some function names are overloaded. That is, there are methods with the same name as a
function that support different types of inputs. Overloaded methods require that you pass an
object as the first input. When you specify the object name, the syntax hints update to reflect the
associated method, as shown.
Function syntax hints are suggestions only. Some allowable arguments might not appear, or
could be in black text when they should be blue.
Function hints are enabled by default. To change this setting, on the Home tab, in
the Environment section, click Preferences. Select MATLAB > Keyboard, and then set the
options for Function hints. Preference changes do not apply in live scripts.
Write to a Diary File

To keep an activity log of your MATLAB® session, use the diary function. diary creates a
verbatim copy of your MATLAB session in a disk file (excluding graphics).
For example, if you have the array A in your workspace,

A = [ 1 2 3 4; 5 6 7 8 ];
execute these commands at the MATLAB prompt to export this array using diary:
1. Turn on the diary function. Optionally, you can name the output file diary creates:
2. diary my_data.out
3. Display the contents of the array you want to export. This example displays the array A. You
could also display a cell array or other MATLAB class:
4. A =
5. 1 2 3 4
6. 5 6 7 8
7. Turn off the diary function:

8. diary off
diary creates the file my_data.out and records all the commands executed in the
MATLAB session until you turn it off:
A =
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
diary off
9. Open the diary file my_data.out in a text editor and remove the extraneous text, if
desired.

When You Start MATLAB

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When You Start MATLAB

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When you start MATLAB®, the desktop appears in its default layout.

The desktop includes these panels:

Next in Getting Started with MATLAB

Matrices and Arrays

This type of array is a row vector.

Matrix and Array Operations

0.8415 0.9093 0.1411

To transpose a matrix, use a single quote ('):

Reset the display to the shorter format using

To represent the imaginary part of complex numbers, use either i or j .

3.0000 + 4.0000i 4.0000 + 3.0000i

A 4x4 128 double

Next in Getting Started with MATLAB

Text and Characters

Hello, world - You're right

To convert numeric values to characters, use functions, such as num2str or int2str.

Next in Getting Started with MATLAB

To call a function, such as max, enclose its input arguments in parentheses:

If there are multiple input arguments, separate them with commas:

Return output from a function by assigning it to a variable:

Enclose any character inputs in single quotes:

The clc function clears the Command Window.

Next in Getting Started with MATLAB

 Translate This Page

 Translate This Page

n = 50; % 50 data points

% Draw a line from (0,m) to (n,m)

0.3988 0.4950 0.5365

0.3988 0.4950 0.5365 0.4870

0.3988 0.4950 0.5365 0.4870 0.5501

Mean is greater than expected

Help and Documentation

Access the complete product documentation by clicking the help icon .

 Translate This Page

Examples and How To

Enter individual statements in the Command Window while working in MATLAB.

These examples show the syntax to call a MATLAB function.

Extend long program lines using ellipses (...).

Stop the execution of a MATLAB command.

Search text currently in the Command Window or Command History Window.

Create valid variable names and avoid potential naming conflicts.

Specify appearance of Command Window and its output.

Settings for Tab completion, function hints, and delimiter matching.

Troubleshoot error message related to calling functions.

Enter Statements in Command Window

MATLAB displays only the values of A and C in the Command Window.

 compact — Suppresses the display of blank lines.

 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences.

Numeric Display Format Example Output

 On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences.

1. On the Home tab, in the Environment section, click Preferences.

View Output by Page

Note: Paged output options do not apply in the Live Editor.

Introduced before R2006a

clf(fig) or clf(fig,'reset') clears the single figure with handle fig.

Introduced before R2006a

 Translate This Page

hold toggles the hold state between on and off.

Introduced before R2006a

Introduced before R2006a

 Access Property Values

 To remove the invalid object variables, use clear:

 Multi Object/Property Operations