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| Contents | Index |
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Viewing Status in the Status Bar Sizing, Arranging, and Sorting Columns in Desktop Tools Macintosh Platform — Differences Printing and Page Setup Options for Desktop Tools |
When you use a tool in the desktop, its menu appears at the top of the desktop. When you work in a different tool in the desktop, you still use the menu at the top of the desktop. However, the menu content changes to support that tool. When you undock a tool from the desktop, access its menu at the top of the undocked tool.
Many of the features in MATLAB desktop tools are available from context menus, also known as pop-up or right-click menus. To access a context menu, right-click a selection or an area. The context menu for the selection or tool appears, presenting the available actions. For example, following is the context menu for a selection in the Command History window.
If a context menu does not appear, try right-clicking in a different part of the tool. When a context menu item is gray, the item does not apply to the current selection or area.
The toolbar in the desktop provides easy access to frequently used operations. Some other tools also provide toolbars. The following illustration shows some key features of the desktop toolbar.
The following are the major toolbar features:
Tooltips — Position the pointer over a button for a couple seconds and a tooltip appears describing the item.
Customizing — You can customize the toolbar to show or remove controls, and to rearrange the controls. Use File > Preferences > Toolbars. For details, click Help in the resulting dialog box.
Toolbars in Tools — Some tools have their own toolbars, which are located within that tool's window. For example, the Current Folder browser has its own toolbar. When you undock one of these tools, the undocked tool includes the toolbar.
Hiding Toolbars — To hide a toolbar, or to show it again after previously hiding it, select Desktop > Toolbars, and select the toolbar of interest. As an alternative, right-click a toolbar or menu bar and select a toolbar from the context menu to hide or show it. In a figure window, use the View menu to select the toolbar of interest.
Repositioning Toolbars — If a tool has more than one toolbar, you can change the position of the toolbars. For example, in the Editor, the default is for the Editor toolbar to be above the Cell Mode toolbar. To move a toolbar, grab the toolbar anchor (at the left end) and drag the toolbar to a different location.
The current folder field in the desktop toolbar shows the current working folder in MATLAB. You can use this field to change the current folder. Click the down arrow in this field, for example, to select a folder that you previously used from the history.
Along the bottom of the desktop is the status bar. It provides status information, such as when MATLAB is busy executing statements or when the Profiler is on.
You can construct your own functions to provide status information. One method is the timer function. Use the Help browser search feature to find other specific terms describing the status you want.
Some desktop tools present information in columns, such as the Current Folder browser. The following table describes how you can resize and reposition the columns, as well as sort the information in the columns.
| To... | Do This... |
|---|---|
| Change the column width | Drag the separator bar between two column headings. |
| View all the information in a column that is too narrow to show it all | Position the pointer over an item to view the full value for that item. It displays like a tooltip. |
| Rearrange the columns | Drag a column header to a different position. |
| Sort the information by a particular column | Click the column header. For example, in the Current Folder browser, click the Date Modified date to sort the items in date order. In some columns, you also can reverse the sort order by clicking the column header again. A small gray arrow in the header indicates the current sort order. For example, a down arrow in the Date Modified column header indicates a descending sort order. The newest files are at the top of the list. |
In many desktop tools, you can select multiple items, and then select an action to perform on all the selected items. Select multiple items using the standard practices for your platform.
For example, if you run on a Microsoft Windows platform, do the following to select multiple items:
Hold the Ctrl key, and then click the next item you want to select. Repeat this step until you have selected all the items you want. To select contiguous items, select the first item, hold the Shift key, and then select the last item.
Now you can perform an action on the selected items, such as delete.
To clear one of multiple selected items, Ctrl+click that item. To clear all selected items, click outside of the selection.
See also, Performing Desktop Actions Using the Keyboard
You can cut and copy a selection from a desktop tool to the clipboard, and then paste it from the clipboard into another tool or application. You can use the Edit menu, toolbar, context menus, or standard keyboard shortcuts. For example, you can copy a selection of statements from the Command History window and paste them into appropriate MATLAB desktop tools, such as the Editor.
Use Paste to move items copied to the clipboard from other applications. The Paste to Workspace item in the Edit menu opens the selection on the clipboard in the Import Wizard. You can use this wizard to copy data from another application, such as the Microsoft® Excel® application, into MATLAB. For details, see Using the Import Wizard in the MATLAB Data Import and Export documentation.
When editing in the Command Window and the Editor, you can move text to a new location by selecting the text and dragging it. To copy text, press Ctrl and drag the selected text to the new location.
To undo the most recent cut, copy, or paste command, select Undo from the Edit menu. Use Redo to reverse the Undo. For some tools, you can undo multiple times in succession.
See also the clipboard function.
You also can move or copy a selection from one tool to another by dragging the selection. For example, make a selection in the Command History window and drag it to the Command Window, which pastes it there. Edit the lines in the Command Window, if needed, and then press the Enter key to run the lines from the Command Window.
Another example is to open a file in the Editor by dragging the file name from the Current Folder browser to the Editor. If you drag editable text (for example, text in the Editor), the text is cut rather than copied. Use Ctrl and drag to copy rather than cut editable text.
On Windows platforms, you can drag items from external applications into MATLAB. For example, dragging text from a document created using the Microsoft Word application into the Editor cuts and pastes it into the open file. Dragging an M-file from Windows Explorer tool to the Command Window runs the file. Similarly, you can drag selections from desktop tools to other applications. For example, you can drag text from the Editor to the Word application.
MATLAB on the Apple Macintosh platform sometimes uses conventions that are standard for the Macintosh platform, but might be different from what the MATLAB documentation states. The documentation typically presents conventions for Microsoft Windows platforms. The intended action for the Macintosh platform is typically obvious. For example, the documentation might instruct you to do the following, which is the convention on Windows platforms:
Select File > Save.
SelectYes, No, or Cancel from the Save dialog box.
However, on Macintosh platforms, the Save dialog box presents the options Don't Save and Save.
The standard mouse for Macintosh platforms is a single-button device. Other platforms use a mouse with more than one button. MATLAB takes advantage of these buttons. The documentation does not usually present the equivalent instructions for the Macintosh platform. When the documentation instruction is right-click, use Ctrl+click on the Macintosh platform. When the documentation instruction is middle-click, use Command+click on the Macintosh platform.
On Macintosh platforms, you cannot use a file browser GUI to navigate directly to a file or folder within the MATLAB root folder. (The MATLAB root folder also called matlabroot, which is the folder where MATLAB is installed). When you use the Macintosh Finder or a file browser GUI in MATLAB and select Applications/R2009b_MATLAB, no contents appear. On Macintosh platforms, the MATLAB root folder is R2009b_MATLAB.app, and the Macintosh operating system does not display the contents of applications (items with the .app extension).
Here are some ways to view or open the contents of the MATLAB root folder via a file browser GUI:
In the Macintosh Finder, right-click (or Ctrl+click) MATLAB_R2008b, and from the context menu, select Show Package Contents.
In a MATLAB GUI where you cannot access the contents of MATLAB_R2008b, press Command+Shift+G, which opens the Go To Folder dialog box. In the Go To Folder dialog box, enter the full path to matlabroot, for example, /Applications/MATLAB_R2008b.app/. While typing the path in the Go To Folder dialog box, you can use autocomplete. That is, you can type the first few characters in the path or file name, and pause; the remaining characters matching an existing name appear. For example, type /App and autocompletion displays /Applications. Then add /MAT, and autocompletion displays /Applications/MATLAB_R2008b.app/. After entering the path, press OK in the Go To Folder dialog box. The MATLAB GUI then displays the contents of the MATLAB root folder.
Use an alternative to the GUI. For example, instead of using File > Open to open an M-file in the Editor, use the edit function.
In the Command Window, change the current folder to matlabroot by running cd(matlabroot), and then open the GUI. Some GUIs then display the contents of matlabroot.
You can print from all desktop tools, except the Current Folder browser, but there are some differences in usage.
To print, select File > Print from the tool. A Print dialog box opens. The Properties button in the Print dialog box is enabled for the Web browser, the Help browser, and the Profiler. However, it is not enabled for the other desktop tools.
To specify standard page setup options for your platform when you print from the Command History, Workspace browser, and Variable Editor, select File > Page Setup. A standard page setup dialog box for your platform opens.
MATLAB provides special page setup options for printing from the Command Window and Editor. The setup options are essentially the same for both tools, with minor variations. This section covers their use:
To specify page setup options, perform these steps:
In the tool you want to print from, for example, the Command Window, select File > Page Setup.
The Page Setup dialog box opens for that tool.
Click the Layout, Header, or Fonts tab in the dialog box and set those options for that tool, as detailed in subsequent sections.
After specifying the options, select File > Print in the tool you want to print from, for example, the Command Window.
The contents from the tool print, using the options you specified in Page Setup.
You can specify the following layout options. A preview area shows you the effects of your selections.
Print header — Print the header specified in the Header pane.
Print line numbers — Print line numbers.
Wrap lines — Wrap any lines that are longer than the printed page width.
Syntax highlighting — For keywords and comments that are highlighted in the Command Window, specify how they are to appear in print. Options are black and white text (that is, no highlighting), colored text (for use with a color printer), or styled text. For styled text, keywords appear in bold, comments appear in italics, and all other text appears in the normal style. Only keywords and comments you input in the Command Window are highlighted; output is not highlighted.
If you want to print a header, select the Layout tab and then select Print header. Next, select the Header tab and specify how the elements of the header are to appear. A preview area shows you the effects of your selections:
Page number — Format for the page number, for example # of n
Border — Border style for the header, for example, Shaded box
Layout — Layout style for the header. For example, Standard one line includes the date, time, and page number all on one line
Specify the font to use for the printed contents:
From Choose font, select the element, either Body or Header, where Body text is everything except the Header.
Select the font to use for that element. For example, select Use Command Window font for Body text if you want the printed text to be the same as the Command Window font. This is the font specified in File > Preferences > Fonts > Custom for the Command Window.
Repeat for the other element. If you did not select Print header on the Layout pane, you do not need to specify the Header font. As an example, for Header text, select Use custom font and then specify the font characteristics—type, style, and size. After you specify a custom font, the Sample area shows how the font will look.
You can access popular pages on the MathWorks Web site from the MATLAB desktop.
To download trial versions of products that you do not have, select Help > Get Product Trials.
For access to other popular Web site pages, select one of the following items from the Help > Web Resources menu. The selected Web page opens in your system Web browser:
The MathWorks Web Site — Home page of the MathWorks Web site (http://www.mathworks.com).
Products & Services — MathWorks Products and Services page (http://www.mathworks.com/products/) with information about the full family of products.
Support — MathWorks Support page (http://www.mathworks.com/support) where you can look for solutions to problems, or report new problems.
Training — List of courses for learning to use MathWorks products (http://www.mathworks.com/services/training/courses/).
MathWorks Account — Login page for MathWorks Account (http://www.mathworks.com/accesslogin/). If you are registered, your main account page displays. Otherwise, you are directed to a page where you register online. Registration allows you to view your product registration and license information and helps you stay up to date on the latest developments for MATLAB.
MATLAB Central — The user community for MATLAB (http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/) for . It includes contests for MATLAB users and a screen saver with the logo for MATLAB.
MATLAB File Exchange — Code library of files contributed by MathWorks customers and employees, available for free download and use with MathWorks products. You can also access the repository using the File Exchange desktop tool. For more information, see File Exchange — Finding and Getting Files Created by Other Users.
MATLAB Newsgroup Access — Provides access to the Usenet newsgroup for MATLAB and related products, comp.soft-sys.matlab, where you can post and answer questions, as well as view the archives.
MATLAB Newsletters — Access to online versions of News and Notes and MATLAB Digest. News and Notes is published twice a year and contains feature articles, technical notes, and product information for users of MATLAB. MATLAB Digest, an electronic bulletin consisting of technical notes, solutions, and timely announcements to the user community, is issued more frequently. See http://www.mathworks.com/company/newsletters.
You can use the MATLAB licensing features to perform license management activities, such as activating licenses, deactivating licenses, or updating licenses. You also can visit the License Center at the MathWorks Web site to perform other license-related activities.
To access the licensing feature:
Select Help > Licensing.
Select the activity you want to perform from the Licensing menu. The following table describes the options. Depending on your license type, the Licensing menu on your system might not include all options.
Note Some options require an Internet connection. If your Internet connection requires a proxy server, use MATLAB Web preferences to specify the server host and port. See Specifying Proxy Server Settings for more information. |
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Activate Software | Starts the activation application, which walks you through the activation process. Answer the questions on each dialog box, select the license you want to activate, and click Activate. |
| Deactivate Software | Displays a list of all your MathWorks licenses on this computer, with their current status. When you select a license and click Deactivate Selected License, MATLAB deactivates all releases on this computer associated with the license, and updates the licensing information at the MathWorks Web site. You will not be able to use MathWorks software with that license on this computer. If you are not connected to the Internet, MATLAB deactivates the licences on your computer but cannot update the corresponding license information stored at the MathWorks Web site. In this scenario, MATLAB returns a deactivation string. To complete deactivation, save a copy of this string, go to a computer with an Internet connection, and visit the License Center at the MathWorks Web site. There you can login to your MathWorks Account and enter the deactivation string. |
| Update Current Licenses | Displays a list of all your MathWorks licenses on this computer, with their current status. When you select a license and click Update Selected License, MATLAB contacts The MathWorks to retrieve the most current version of the License File for the license. The update process overwrites the current License File on your system. You will need to restart MATLAB. |
| Manage Licenses | Starts a Web browser, opening the My Licenses page associated with your MathWorks Account. You can use this page, called the License Center, to perform many licensing activities. |
To determine if more recent versions of your MathWorks products are available, and to view latest version numbers for all MathWorks products, use the Check for Updates feature.
To access the Check for Updates feature, you must have an active Internet connection. Then, follow these steps:
Select Help > Check for Updates. The Check for Updates dialog box displays.
From the Select View list, choose to view the latest version numbers for all MathWorks products installed on your system, or all MathWorks products. The latest versions are displayed.
Click any column heading to sort or reverse the sort order by that column.
Use the What's New column to access the release notes for a product. Release notes document new features and changes, bug reports, and compatibility considerations.
To upgrade to the most recent version, click Download Products at MathWorks.com, which links to the Downloads area of the MathWorks Web site. If you do not want to upgrade at this time, click Close.
 | Using Web Browsers from MATLAB | Specifying Options for MATLAB Using Preferences |  |
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