Programming and Data Types

Programming and Data Types

MATLAB^® is a high-level language that includes data structures, functions, control flow statements, input/output, and object-oriented capabilities. This section presents the MATLAB programming features and techniques in the following chapters:

M-File Programming	Describes language constructs and how to create MATLAB programs (M-files). It covers data types, flow control, array indexing, optimizing performance, and other topics.
Character Arrays (Strings)	Covers MATLAB support for string data, including how to create character arrays and cell arrays of strings, ways to represent strings, how to perform common string operations, and conversion between string and numeric formats.
Multidimensional Arrays	Discusses the use of MATLAB arrays having more than two dimensions. It covers array creation, array indexing, data organization, and how MATLAB functions operate on these arrays.
Structures and Cell Arrays	Describes two MATLAB data types that provide hierarchical storage for dissimilar kinds of data. Structures contain different kinds of data organized by named fields. Cell arrays consist of cells that themselves contain MATLAB arrays.
Function Handles	Describes how to use the MATLAB function handle to capture certain information about a function, including function references, that you can then use to execute the function from anywhere in the MATLAB environment.
MATLAB Classes and Objects	Presents the MATLAB object-oriented programming capabilities. Classes and objects enable you to add new data types and new operations to MATLAB. This section also includes examples of how to implement well-behaved classes in MATLAB.
Maximizing MATLAB Performance	Explains techniques you can use to get the best performance and most efficient memory usage from your M-file programs. This includes a description of MATLAB performance acceleration, and explains what coding practices give you the greatest benefit from acceleration. This section also covers the MATLAB Profiler, and shows how to use this utility to measure and improve the performance of your programs.
MATLAB Programming Tips	Provides a resource for the MATLAB programmer to pick up hints on helpful and time-saving practices. This section covers a wide range of topics, and attempts to address questions often raised by intermediate to experienced MATLAB users.

Related Information

The following sections provide information that is also useful to MATLAB programmers. This documentation is available in MATLAB online help.

Graphics -- describes how to plot vector and matrix data in 2-D and 3-D representations, how to annotate, print, and export plots, and how to use graphics objects and their figure and axes properties.
Calling C and Fortran Programs from MATLAB -- describes how to build C and Fortran subroutines into callable MEX files.
Calling MATLAB from C and Fortran Programs -- discusses how to use the MATLAB engine library to call MATLAB from C and Fortran programs.
Calling Java from MATLAB -- describes how to use the MATLAB interface to Java classes and objects.
Importing and Exporting Data -- describes techniques for importing data to and exporting data from the MATLAB environment.
COM and DDE Support -- describes how to use Component Object Model (COM) and Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) with MATLAB.
Serial Port I/O -- describes how to communicate with peripheral devices such as modems, printers, and scientific instruments that you connect to your computer's serial port.

M-File Programming