MATLAB Programming

Program Development
Program Development
This section explains the basic steps in developing an M-file program in
MATLAB. Associated with each step in this process are certain MATLAB tools
and utilities that are fully documented in the Desktop Tools and Development
Environment documentation.
This section covers
• “Creating a Program” on page 4-3
• “Getting the Bugs Out” on page 4-4
• “Cleaning Up the Program” on page 4-5
• “Improving Performance” on page 4-6
• “Checking It In” on page 4-7
For more ideas on good programming style, see “Program Development”
on page 12-19 in the MATLAB Programming Tips documentation. The
Programming Tips section is a compilation of useful pieces of information that
can show you alternate and often more efficient ways to accomplish common
programming tasks while also expanding your knowledge of MATLAB.
Creating a Program
You can type in your program code using any text editor. This section focuses
on using the MATLAB Editor/Debugger for this purpose. The Editor/Debugger
is fully documented in Ways to Edit and Debug Files in the Desktop Tools and
Development Environment documentation.
The first step in creating a program is to open an editing window. To create a
new M-file, type the word edit at the MATLAB command prompt. To edit an
existing M-file, type edit followed by the filename:
edit drawPlot.m
MATLAB opens a new window for entering your program code. As you type in
your program, MATLAB keeps track of the line numbers in the left column.
4-3