Learn more about MATLAB

Desktop Overview

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About the Desktop Summary of Desktop Tools

About the Desktop

In general, when you start the MATLAB program, it displays the MATLAB desktop, a set of tools (graphical user interfaces or GUIs) for managing files, variables, and applications associated with MATLAB.

The first time you start MATLAB, the desktop appears with the default layout, as shown in the following illustration.

You can change the desktop arrangement to meet your needs, including resizing, moving, and closing tools. The desktop manages tools differently from documents. The Command History and Editor are examples of tools, and an M-file is an example of a document, which appears in the Editor tool. For details, see Opening and Arranging Desktop Tools and Opening and Arranging Desktop Documents.

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Summary of Desktop Tools

The MATLAB desktop manages the following tools, although not all of them appear by default when you first start. If you prefer a command-line interface, you can often use functions to accomplish the same results. To perform the equivalent of the GUI tasks in M-files, use the equivalent functions. The documentation for each tool provides instructions for using equivalent functions to perform the task. These instructions are typically labeled as Function Alternatives.

Desktop Tool	Description
Command History	View a log of or search for the statements you entered in the Command Window, copy them, execute them, and more.
Command Window	Run MATLAB language statements.
Using the Current Folder Browser to Manage Files	View files, perform file operations such as open, find files and file content, and manage and tune your files.
Editor	Create, edit, debug, and analyze M-files (files containing MATLAB language statements).
File Exchange	Access a repository of files, created by users for sharing with other users, at the MathWorks Web site.
Figures	Create, modify, view, and print figures generated with MATLAB.
File and Folder Comparisons	View line-by-line differences between two files.
Help Browser	View and search the documentation and demos for all your MathWorks products.
Profiler	Improve the performance of your M-files.
Start Button	Run tools and access documentation for all your MathWorks products, and create and use toolbar shortcuts for MATLAB.
Variable Editor	View array contents in a table format and edit the values.
Web Browser	View HTML and related files produced by MATLAB.
Workspace Browser	View and change the contents of the workspace.

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Desktop

Opening and Arranging Desktop Tools

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