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| R2012a Documentation → MATLAB | |
Learn more about MATLAB |
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Where MATLAB Stores Preferences Preferences Folder and Files MATLAB Uses When Multiple MATLAB Releases Are Installed Confirmation Dialogs Preferences Keyboard Shortcuts Preferences |
MATLAB provides a variety of options called preferences for customizing MATLAB. To access and set preferences:
From the left pane of the Preferences dialog box, select a tool, product, or an entry revealed when you click a plus sign (+) preceding a tool or product name.
Change settings in the right pane of the Preferences dialog box.
Click Apply or OK.
Preferences take effect immediately. They remain persistent across sessions of MATLAB.
Open the Preferences dialog box using the preferences function.
MATLAB and other MathWorks products store their preferences in the file matlab.prf. This file loads when you start MATLAB. The folder containing this file is called the preferences folder. The preference folder also contains other related files.
To see the full path for the folder where matlab.prf and related files are located, type prefdir in the MATLAB Command Window.
On Apple Macintosh platforms, the folder can be in a hidden folder, for example, myname/.matlab/R2009b. If so, to access the hidden folder:
In the Apple Mac OS® Finder tool, select Go > Go to Folder.
In the resulting dialog box, type the path returned by prefdir, and then press Enter.
The name of the preferences folder, matches the name of the release. For instance, for MATLAB R2010b, the name of the preferences folder is R2010b.
When you change preferences using the MATLAB Desktop (File > Preferences), it updates matlab.prf. When you close MATLAB, it saves those changes to matlab.prf.
Installing MATLAB has no effect on the preferences folder. That is, MATLAB creates, checks, copies, and writes to the preferences folder when you start up MATLAB, not when you install it. When you deinstall MATLAB, there is an option in the uninstaller to remove the preferences folder. However, this option is not selected by default.
The files in the preferences folder that MATLAB uses depends on the version of MATLAB you are starting up. How and if MATLAB migrates (reuses) preferences files from one version to the next also depends on the version.
When you start it up, MATLAB looks for a preferences folder name that matches the release starting up, and then does one of the following:
If MATLAB finds a preferences folder name matching the release starting up, it uses that folder and the files within it.
If that folder is empty, MATLAB recreates the default files for the release starting up.
If MATLAB does not find a preferences folder name matching the release starting up, it creates one. Then, MATLAB checks to see if the release of MATLAB that immediately precedes the one you are starting up is installed.
If that previous release is not installed, MATLAB recreates the folder and default files for the version starting up.
For example, if you start up R2010b and R2010a is not installed, then MATLAB recreates the default files for the R2010b preferences folder. This is true even if R2009b or earlier is installed.
If that previous release is installed, MATLAB migrates the files from the preferences folder corresponding to that previous release to the preferences folder for the release starting up.
For example, if you start up R2010b and R2010a is installed, then MATLAB migrates the files from R2010a preferences folder to the R2010b preferences folder.
This table describes how to control which versions of preferences files MATLAB uses.
| To Use: | Do This: |
|---|---|
Default preference files for a given release of MATLAB | Make sure the preferences folder for that release exists, but is empty before starting up that MATLAB version. |
All the preference files from the release of MATLAB immediately preceding the release you plan to start up. | Ensure that the preferences folder exists for that preceding release. If so, delete the entire preferences folder for the release of MATLAB you plan to start up. |
The release-specific default for just a particular file in the preferences folder | Delete just that file from the preferences folder for the release of MATLAB you plan to start up. One file to consider keeping is history.m. For more information, see Command History File — history.m. |
You can set preferences for toolbox path caching, figure window printing, and deleting files.
Select File > Preferences > General, and then adjust preference options as described in this table.
| Preference | Usage |
|---|---|
| Toolbox path caching | Select Enable toolbox path caching to have MATLAB cache toolbox folder information across sessions for quicker startup performance. |
Select Enable toolbox path cache diagnostics to display information about startup time when you start MATLAB. | |
Click Update Toolbox Path Cache to add files to the toolbox folders under the matlabroot folder. (Use after you use tools not provided with MATLAB to create MATLAB files.) For details, see Toolbox Path Caching in the MATLAB Program. | |
| Figure window printing | Select an option to specify how colored lines and text appear in printed output. |
Deleting Files | Select an option to specify what MATLAB does with files you delete using the delete function. Selecting Delete permanently makes the delete function run faster. For details, see Deleting Files and Folders Using Functions. |
You can set the default MATLAB version for MAT-files and FIG-files. These preferences apply to both the save function and the Save menu options. However, the matfile function creates only Version 7.3 MAT-files.
To set MAT-Files preferences, select File > Preferences > General > MAT-Files, and then adjust preference options as described in the table below.
For more details on the features supported in each version, see the save reference page.
| Option | Use to: |
|---|---|
| MATLAB Version 7.3 or later (save -v7.3) | Load or save parts of variables, or save variables larger than 2 GB on 64-bit systems. As with Version 7, files are compressed and use Unicode® character encoding. |
| MATLAB Version 7 or later (save -v7) | Save compressed MAT-files that use Unicode character encoding. This is the default on new installations of MATLAB software and upgrades from versions earlier than 7.3. |
| MATLAB Version 5 or later (save -v6) | Save MAT-files for use with versions prior to MATLAB Version 7, or create uncompressed files. |
You can specify whether or not MATLAB displays specific confirmation dialog boxes.
Select File > Preferences > General > Confirmation Dialogs, and then adjust preference options as described in the table below.
This table summarizes the core MATLAB confirmation dialog boxes. There might be additional confirmation dialog boxes for other products you install.
Option | Confirmation Dialog Box Appears |
|---|---|
Warn before deleting Command History items | When you delete entries from the Command History window. For details, see Delete Entries from the Command History Window . |
Warn before clearing the Command Window | When you clear the Command Window content by selecting Edit > Clear Command Window. Does not appear when you use the clc function. |
Confirm when overwriting variables in MAT-files | When you save variables by dragging them from the Workspace browser onto a MAT-file in the Current Folder browser. For details, see Creating and Updating MAT-Files with the Current Folder Browser. |
Prompt when editing files that do not exist | When you type edit filename and filename does not exist in the current folder or on the search path. |
Prompt to exit debug mode when saving file | When you try to save a modified file while in debug mode. For details, see End Debugging. |
Prompt to save on activate | When you have unsaved changes to a figure and program file and you activate the GUI by clicking the Run button, for example. For details, see GUIDE Preferences. |
Prompt to save on export | When you have unsaved changes to a figure and program file and you select File > Export. For details, see GUIDE Preferences. |
Confirm changing default callback implementation | When you have modified a callback signature in GUIDE. For details, see GUIDE Preferences. |
Confirm before exiting MATLAB | When you quit MATLAB. |
Warn about missing search databases | When you have help files in the Help browser for products not produced by MathWorks and the search database for those files has not been updated for the version of MATLAB you are running. For more information, contact the provider of the help files to obtain the correct version of the search database. Without the most current version, you can use the help files in the Help browser, but the Help browser search will not include those files in search results. |
Confirm when deleting variables | When you delete variables from the workspace using menu items. Does not appear with the clear function. For details, see Deleting Workspace Variables. |
You can select which previously installed and configured source control system to use with MATLAB.
Select File > Preferences > General > Source Control, and then select an option from the drop-down menu.
For detailed information on setting up and using a source control system with MATLAB, see Setting Up the Source Control Interface on Microsoft Windows and Source Control Interface on UNIX Platforms.
You can adjust the amount of memory that MATLAB software allocates for Java objects.
To adjust the Java heap size:
Select File > Preferences > General > Java Heap Memory.
Select a Java heap size value using the slider or spin box.
Click OK.
Restart MATLAB.
If the amount of memory you specified is not available upon restart, MATLAB resets the value to the default, and displays an error dialog box. To readjust the value, repeat the previous steps.
If increasing the heap size does not eliminate memory errors, check your Java code for memory leaks. Eliminate references to objects that are no longer useful. For more information, see the Java SE Troubleshooting guide at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/index-138283.html.
You can set keyboard shortcuts for actions you perform using MathWorks software. You can specify or import sets of predefined keyboard shortcuts, set individual shortcuts on an action-by-action basis, or use a combination of both approaches.
Select File > Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts, and then adjust preference options as described in the table below.
For step-by-step instructions, see Customize Keyboard Shortcuts.
| Preference | Usage |
|---|---|
| Active settings | Select or import a set of predefined keyboard shortcuts. For details, see Choose a Set of Keyboard Shortcuts and Use Keyboard Shortcuts Settings Files Created on Other Systems. |
 | Select any one of these options:
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| Search by action name or shortcut | Search the list of displayed actions. |
| Shortcuts for <action-name> | View the keyboard shortcut assigned to a selected action. |
 | Add or delete a keyboard shortcut to a selected action. For details, see,Examples of Creating, Modifying, and Deleting Keyboard Shortcuts. |
| All possible conflicts | Display conflicts when two or more different actions have the same shortcut. For details, see Evaluate and Resolve Keyboard Shortcut Conflicts. |
 | Remove the keyboard shortcut from the selection in the All possible conflicts list. For details, see Evaluate and Resolve Keyboard Shortcut Conflicts. |
You an set and specify different fonts for desktop tools.
Select File > Preferences > Fonts, and then set options as described in the table below.
For step-by-step instructions on setting these preferences, see Fonts.
| Preference | Usage |
|---|---|
Desktop code font | Specify the font (type, style, and size in points) for tools assigned to use the desktop code font. To change the list of tools that use the desktop code font, see Fonts Custom Preferences. |
Desktop text font | Specify the font (type, style, and size in points) for tools assigned to use the desktop text font. To have the desktop text font use the same font as your system, select Use system font. Otherwise, clear Use system font and specify the type, style, and size in points in the fields provided. To change the list of tools that use the desktop text font, see Fonts Custom Preferences. |
Custom fonts | See which tools currently do not use the desktop text font or the desktop code font. By default, HTML proportional text uses a custom font. |
Use antialiasing to smooth desktop fonts | Give the desktop a smoother appearance. This option is not provided on Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh platforms, because MATLAB follows the operating system's font settings on these platforms. |
[a] Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. [b] UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries. | |
You can specify the font for HTML Proportional Text, and to override font settings for individual desktop tools, as described in the table that follows. Desktop tools otherwise use the settings that the Fonts Preferences specify.
Select File > Preferences > Fonts > Custom, and then set options as described in the table below.
For step-by-step instructions on setting these preferences, see Fonts.
| Preference | Usage |
|---|---|
| Desktop tools | Select HTML Proportional Text or the desktop tool for which you want to view or customize fonts.
|
| Font to use | Indicates the font currently being used in the selected desktop
tool. Use one of these fonts to change it.
If you change the font style (for example, to bold or italic) for HTML Proportional Text, it has no effect. However, if you change the font size HTML Proportional Text, it affects both code and text for tools using the HTML Proportional Text font. |
You can specify the text and background color for desktop tools, as well as colors for highlighting syntax elements of MATLAB code.
Select File > Preferences > Colors, and then set options as described in the table below.
| Preference | Usage | |
|---|---|---|
| Specify that desktop tools use the same text and background colors that your platform uses for other applications by selecting Use system colors.. Customize colors by clearing Use system colors, and then choose Text and Background colors from the drop-down menus . These colors do not apply to the Help display pane, nor to the Web Browser. For details, see Changing Text, Background, and Hyperlink Colors in Desktop Tools. | |
| MATLAB syntax highlighting colors | Set colors to help you quickly identify elements of MATLAB syntax in the Editor, Command Window, Command History window, and the MATLAB shortcuts callback area. For details, see Changing Syntax Highlighting Colors. | |
| MATLAB Command Window colors | Set colors to help you quickly identify errors, warnings, and hyperlinks in the Command Window. |
You can specify options used for editing and debugging code, including code analysis colors, variable and function colors, and cell display options.
Select File > Preferences > Colors > Programming, and then set options as described in the table below.
| Preference | Usage | |
|---|---|---|
| Code analyzer colors |
For details, see, Automatically Check Code in the Editor — Code Analyzer. | |
| Variable and function colors |
| |
| Cell display options | Highlight cells—Specifies the color the Editor uses to shade code cells. Show lines between cells—Specifies that code cells divisions appear with a gray line between each cell in the Editor. These lines do not appear in the published or printed file. | |
You can customize some toolbars in the MATLAB application.
Select File > Preferences > Toolbars, and then set options as described in the table below.
For step-by-step instructions on setting these preferences, see Toolbar Customization.
| Preference | Usage |
|---|---|
| Toolbar | Select the toolbar you want to customize. |
| Layout | Rearrange the order of controls in the toolbar by dragging and dropping them to a new location in the Layout. |
| Controls | Select which buttons appear on the selected toolbar. |
Web preferences enable you to specify Internet connection information to MATLAB.
Note Limitations
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To set Web preferences, select File > Preferences > Web, and then adjust preference options as described in the table below.
| Preference | Usage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Use a proxy server to connect to the Internet | Provide information that MATLAB needs to access the internet when your network uses a firewall or another method of protection that restricts Internet access. | ||
| Proxy host | Specify a value for the Proxy host. For example, 172.16.10.8 or ourproxy. If you do not know the values for your proxy server, ask your system or network administrator for the information. | ||
| Proxy port | Specify an integer value for the Proxy port. For example, 22. If you do not know the values for your proxy server, ask your system or network administrator for the information. | ||
| Use a proxy with authentication | Specifies that your proxy server requires a user name and password. | ||
| Proxy username | Specify the proxy server user name. | ||
| Proxy password | Specify the proxy server password. | ||
| Test connection | Ensure that your settings work. If MATLAB cannot access the Internet, Failed! appears next to the button. Correct the values you entered and try again. If you still cannot connect, try using the values you used when you authenticated your MATLAB license. | ||
| System Web browserUNIX[a]
platforms only — excluding Macintosh |
| ||
[a] UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries. | |||
[a] Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
[b] UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries.
[a] UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries.
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