M - FILES

Scripts and user-define functions

- Scripts or m-files are text files containing MATLAB code

- Use the MATLAB Editor or another text editor to create a

file containing the same statements you would type at the
MATLAB command line

- Save the file under a name that ends with “.m”

- We can either create a Script or a Function. The difference

between a script and a function will be explained below

- Both will be saved as m- files, but the usage will be slightly

different
Scripts Vs. Function Files
 Scripts
- A collection of commands that you would execute in the
Command Window
- Used for automating repetitive tasks
 Functions (user-defined functions)
- Operate on information (inputs) fed into them and return
outputs
- Have a separate workspace and internal variables that is only
valid inside the function
- Your own user-defined functions work the same way as the
built-in functions you use all the time, such as plot(), rand(),
mean(), std(), etc.
Script
 A Script is a collection of MATLAB commands and functions
that is bundled together in a m-file (are external file that contains
a sequence of MATLAB statements). When you run the Script, all
the commands are executed sequentially

 In the Editor you create a sequence of MATLAB commands that

you save as a m-file(the file extension ends with .m). Push the
“Run” button when you want to run your program
 Script side-effect is that variables already existing in the
workspace may be overwritten also the execution can be affected
by the state variables in the workspace
Notes About Script Files
 A script file is a sequence of MATLA commands, also called a
program

 When a script file runs (is executed), MATLAB executes the

commands in the order they are written, just as if they were typed
in the Command Window

 When a script file has a command that generates an output (e.g.,

assignment of a value to a variable without a semicolon at the
end), the output is displayed in the Command Window
Cont.. .

 Using a script file is convenient because it can be edited

(corrected or otherwise changed) and executed many times

 Script files can be typed and edited in any text editor and then
pasted into the MATLAB editor

 Script files are also called M-files because the extension .m is

used when they are saved
OUTPUT COMMANDS
 Two commands that are frequently used to generate output are
disp and fprintf

The disp Command

The disp command is used to display the elements of a variable
without displaying the name of the variable, and to display text

disp(name of a variable) or disp(‘text as string’)

Keep in mind !!!

Every time the disp command is executed, the display it generates
appears in a new line
Cont.. .
The fprintf Command

 The fprintf command can be used to display output (text and

data) on the screen or to save it to a file

 With this command (unlike with the disp command) the

output can be formatted

 With many available options, the fprintf command can be

long and complicated

 To avoid confusion, the command is presented gradually

 Using the fprintf command to display text

fprintf(‘text typed in as a string’)

Example
Cont.. .
 With the fprintf command it is possible to start a new line in the
middle of the string.
 This is done by inserting \n before the character that will start the
new line

 When a program has more than one fprintf command, the

display generated is continuous (the fprintf command does not
automatically start a new line)
 To start a new line with the fprintf command, \n must be typed at
the start of the string
Using the fprintf command to display a mix
of text and numerical data
Cont.. .
 The flag, which is optional, can be one of the following three
characters

Character Description
– (minus sign) : Left-justifies the number within the field
+ (plus sign) : Prints a sign character (+ or –) in front of the
number
0 (zero) : Adds zeros if the number is shorter than the
field
Here are some examples of flags in use:

- %-5.2f : Left-justifies the data

- %+5.2f : Always prints a sign character (+ or –)

for numeric values

- % 5.2f : Inserts a space before the value

- %05.2f : Pads to field width with zeros before

the value
Cont.. .
 The last element in the formatting elements, which is required, is
the conversion character, which specifies the notation in which
the number is displayed

Some of the common notations are:

e : Exponential notation using lowercase e

. . , 1.709098 001
E : Exponential notation using uppercase E
. . , 1.709098 001
f : Fixed-point notation . . , 17.090980
 Cont... .

Note!!

With the fprintf command it is possible to insert more than one number
(value of a variable) within the text

fprintf (‘..text...%g...%g...%f...’,variable1,variable2,variable3)
Additional remarks !!!
 To place a single quotation mark in the displayed text, type two
single quotation marks in the string inside the command

 To display the % character in the text, type %%

 The fprintf command is vectorized. This means that when a

variable that is a vector or a matrix is included in the command,
the command repeats itself until all the elements are displayed. If
the variable is a matrix, the data is used column by column.
Some common format options
- %s - print a string.

- %c - print a single character.

- %d - print a whole number.

- %f - print a floating point number.

- \n - print a new line

- \t - print a tab.
- \\ - print a slash
- %% - print a percent sign.
THE save AND load COMMANDS
IMPORTING AND EXPORTING DATA
 MATLAB is often used for analyzing data that was recorded in
experiments or generated by other computer programs. This can
be done by first importing the data into MATLAB

 Similarly, data that is produced by MATLAB sometimes needs

to be transferred to other computer applications

 There are various types of data (numerical, text, audio,

graphics, and images)

 Importing data can be done either by using commands or by

using the Import Wizard
Importing and exporting data into and from Excel
 Importing data from Excel is done with the xlsread command.
When the command is executed, the data from the spreadsheet is
assigned as an array to a variable

variable_name = xlsread(‘filename’)

 ‘filename’ (typed as a string) is the name of the Excel file

 The directory of the Excel file must be either the current

directory or listed in the search path.
Cont.. .
 If the Excel file has more than one sheet, the data will be
imported from the first sheet

 When an Excel file has several sheets, the xlsread command can
be used to import data from a specified sheet

variable_name = xlsread(‘filename’,‘sheet_name’)
Cont.. .
o Another option is to import only a portion of the data that is in
the spreadsheet. This is done by typing an additional argument in
the command

variable_name = xlsread(‘filename’,‘sheet_name’,‘range’)

o The ‘range’ (typed as a string) is a rectangular region of the

spreadsheet defined by the addresses (in Excel notation) of the
cells at opposite corners of the region
o For example, ‘C2:E5’ is a region of rows 2, 3, 4, and 5 and
columns C, D, and E
Cont.. .
 Exporting data from MATLAB to an Excel spreadsheet is done
by using the xlswrite command

xlswrite(‘filename’,variable_name)

 ‘filename’ (typed as a string) is the name of the Excel file to

which the data is exported

 The file must be in the current directory. If the file does not
exist, a new Excel file with the specified name will be created
Cont.. .
 variable_name is the name of the variable in MATLAB
with the assigned data that is being exported

 The arguments ‘sheet_name’ and ‘range’ can be added to

the xlswrite command to export to a specified sheet and to a
specified range of cells, respectively
Using the Import Wizard

On your night group

discussions practice on
how to use
Functions

 MATLAB includes more than 1000 built-in functions that you

can use, but sometimes you need to create your own functions

 Functions are programs ( or routines) that accept input arguments

and return output arguments. Each M-file function ( or function)
has its own area of workspace, separated from the MATLAB
base workspace
Functions
 To define your own function in MATLAB, use the following
syntax:-
- function output = function_name(input)
% function with one input and one output
- function [out1,out2] = function_name(in1,in2,..)
% function with multiple inputs and multiple outputs
Example:
Difference between scripts and Functions
SCRIPTS FUNCTIONS
• Do not accept input argument • Can accept input arguments
or return output arguments and return output arguments
• Store variables in a workspace • Store variables in a workspace
that is shared with other scripts internal to the function
• Are useful for automating a • Are useful for extending the
series of commands MATLAB language for your
application