Installation guide

Running Functions and Programs, and Entering Variables
the MATLAB current directory or on the MATLAB search path — for details,
see “Search Path” on page 5-23. You can also use the
run function and specify
the full pathname to an M-file script.
To determ ine the name of the M-file currently running, use
mfilename.
Examining Errors
If an error message appears when you run an M-file, click the underlined
portion of the error message, or position the cursor within the filename
and press Ctrl+Enter. The offending M-file opens in the Editor/Debugger,
scrolled to the line containing the error.
Processing Order
In MATLAB, you can only run one process at a tim e. If MATLAB is busy
running one function, any further statements you issue are buffered in a
queue. The next statement will run when the previous one finishes.
Interrupting a Running Program
Yo u can stop a running program by pressing Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Break at any
time. On Macintosh platforms, you can also use Command+. (the Command
key and the p eriod key) to stop the program. For certain operations, stopping
the program might generate errors in the Command Window.
For M-files that run a long time, or that call built-ins or MEX-files that run a
long time, Ctrl+C does not always effectively stop execution. Typically, this
happens on Windows rather than UNIX platforms. If you experience this
problem, you can help MATLAB break execution by including a
drawnow,
pause,orgetframe fu n c tion in your M -f ile, for exampl e, w ith in a lar ge loop.
Note that Ctrl+C mightbelessresponsiveifyoustartedMATLABwiththe
-nodesktop option (an option only f or UNIX p latforms).
Running External Programs
The exclam ation point character, !, sometimes called bang, is a shell escape
and indicates that the rest of the input line is a command to the operating
system. Use it to invoke utilities or call other executable programs without
quitting MATLAB. On UNIX, for example,
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