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New features and changes introduced in this version are organized by these topics:
When you start MATLAB using -nodisplay (UNIX) or -noFigureWindows (Microsoft Windows) startup options, running a built-in GUI (predefined dialog boxes) generates this warning:
This functionality is no longer supported under the -nodisplay and -noFigureWindows startup options.
If the GUI is modal, MATLAB execution suspends, and you need to type Ctrl+C for the Command Window prompt to reappear.
This change affects predefined dialog boxes, such as dialog, msgbox, printpreview, uigetfile, uisetcolor, waitfor, waitbar, and more. For a list of predefined dialog boxes, see Predefined Dialog Boxes. For more information on startup options, see the matlab (UNIX) and matlab (Windows) reference pages, respectively.
In a future release, instead of a warning, MATLAB will generate an error when you use such a dialog box under the -nodisplay or -noFigureWindows options.
Compatibility Considerations. To avoid generating the warning, start MATLAB without the -nodisplay or -noFigureWindows startup options. To avoid warnings while continuing to use these startup options, remove the code that is now producing the warnings.
Version 7.9 removes support for the -memmgr and -check_malloc command line arguments and the MATLAB_MEM_MGR environment variable.
Compatibility Considerations. MATLAB ignores any memory manager options.
New features and changes introduced in Version 7.9 (R2009b) are:
MATLAB supports customizing keyboard shortcuts for desktop tools. Press combinations of keyboard keys to perform a desktop action, instead of using the mouse to select items from menus. For example, press Ctrl+N to open a blank file in the Editor.
The ability to customize keyboard shortcuts enables you to:
Modify keyboard shortcuts across desktop tools on an action-by-action basis.
Modify keyboard shortcuts to match other applications you use or to match your personal preferences.
Share your keyboard shortcuts with others, or use shortcuts created by someone else.
Create keyboard shortcuts for some actions that currently have no shortcut.
Use your preferred keyboard shortcuts when you use MATLAB on a different system than you typically use.
To customize keyboard shortcuts, choose File > Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
MATLAB does not support customizing keyboard shortcuts for Figure Windows, dialog boxes, or toolboxes. For details, see Customize Keyboard Shortcuts. For a video demo, see Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts.
The method for specifying keyboard shortcuts differs from previous versions.
In previous versions, you chose File > Preferences > Keyboard, and then chose a set of key bindings. MATLAB no longer limits your choices to either platform-specific settings or Emacs settings.
Some default keyboard shortcuts differ from the previous defaults.
Defaults changed in Version 7.9 (R2009b) to be more consistent across the MATLAB desktop. Previously, you could specify keyboard shortcut preferences for the Command Window and Editor/Debugger only. For instance, on Windows, default keyboard shortcut preferences appeared as follows:

To restore keyboard shortcuts that were the default before Version 7.9 (R2009b):
Choose File > Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts.
From the Active settings drop-down menu, choose R2009a Windows Default Set, R2009a Macintosh Default Set, or R2009a UNIX Default Set, depending on the platform on which MATLAB is installed.
MATLAB now supports setting the font size and type for extended M-Lint messages and the function browser. In previous releases, changes to HTML Proportional Text affected only the display in the MATLAB Web browser, the Profiler, and Help topics. To set font preferences:
Choose File > Preferences > Fonts > Custom.
Under Desktop tools, select HTML Proportional Text, and then specify the font size and type you want to use.
For more information, see Fonts.
To save a file being displayed in the MATLAB Web Browser, select File > Save As.
For a demonstration of enhancements to the Help browser, watch the Help Browser Enhancements video.
When you expand a product in the Contents pane, you now can view the following:
Function and block names with brief descriptions — Expand Functions or Blocks, and then expand a category to see the list and descriptions. Select a function or block to view its reference page.
If you provide your own HTML help files for use in the Help browser, you now can include Functions and Blocks entries for your toolbox.
Demos — Expand Demos, and then select a demo from the list to view or run it.

Each search result includes:
A preview of where the search words were found within the page.
An icon representing the type of document, such as a reference page or demo.
Use new sorting and grouping features to arrange results:
Sort results by Relevance, in addition to sorting by Type and Product, which were available in previous versions.
After sorting by Type or Product, you now can collapse and expand results for each type or product. To expand or collapse all groups, right-click in the results pane and select the option you want from the context menu.
The following example of Search Results in the Help browser illustrates grouping, previews, and the block reference page icon.

To see where the current page is located within the documentation, use the navigation bar at the top of the display pane. To go to another topic in the documentation, select an entry from the navigation bar.
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Use the new Actions button
on the display pane toolbar
to access features such as Refresh, which clears the search results
highlighting for the current page.
Get links to reference pages for overloaded functions. When you run doc foo, if foo is an overloaded function, a message appears at the top of the display pane that provides links to the other foo reference pages.
To use the Help browser alongside other tools, dock it in the desktop. When docked in a narrow area of the desktop, the pane for Contents and Search Results moves above the display pane.

The Index and Demos tabs are no longer in the Help browser:
To find terms that were in the Index, use the search feature instead.
To access demos for a product, go to the Contents pane and expand the Demos entry for the product.
The Actions button on the toolbar provides access to features for the displayed page. Previously, some of these features were available on individual toolbar buttons. To add individual toolbar buttons, right-click the toolbar and select Customize.
If you provide your own files for use in the Help browser:
Remove the helpindex.xml entry from the info.xml file for your toolbox. MATLAB no longer supports the Index.
Demos you add now appear in the Contents pane under Other Demos, which is after the entries for all MathWorks products.
For more information about the new Help browser features, see Help and Product Information.
The Plot Selector button on
the
Workspace Browser and Variable Editor toolbars has a new look and
added capabilities, options, and help. The tool now displays larger
icons, includes many more graphing functions, summarizes each function,
and displays pop-up windows with syntax descriptions (function
hints). You can customize the tool by rearranging and categorizing
functions, and by creating a list of "favorites".
For further details, see this video demo and the release note Enhanced Plot Selector Simplifies Data Display.
The Current Directory browser is now the Current Folder browser.
For an overview of the enhancements, watch this video, Current Folder Browser Enhancements, or review the following summary:
Use the expandable tree structure to view the contents of the current folder. Double-click a subfolder to make it the current folder.
Display the file type in a column.
Distinguish types of MATLAB program files using new icons:
class
function
script
View file descriptions below file names. To show or hide descriptions, select View > Show > Description.
Display hidden files a new way:
On Windows platforms, MATLAB follows your Windows preference for hidden files.
On other platforms, MATLAB uses the new setting in Current Folder preferences.
Find files and folders within the current folder and its subfolders:
To access the search feature, click the Search button
on
the address bar, and then enter the string you want to find.
To clear the results and display all files and folders
in the current folder, click the Clear button
.
The following illustration shows the new Current Folder browser, including the tree view, new icons for program files, and the search button.

With the new tree structure, you now see all files, including those in subfolders. You might not be able to run the files you see in the subfolders. To run a file from a subfolder, the subfolder must be on the search path or the subfolder must become the current folder. In previous versions, you could only see files in the current folder, so you could run every file you could see.
You now search for files by clicking the search button in the address bar. In previous versions, the search feature, referred to as the filter field, appeared if your preference was set to display it.
File descriptions now appear below the file name. In previous versions, they displayed in a column.
For more information about the new features, see Managing Files in MATLAB.
Watch this video, MATLAB File Exchange Access, or review the following summary of what you can do with the new File Exchange desktop tool:
Access user-created files from the File Exchange repository. The files are at MATLAB Central, the community area of the MathWorks Web site.
Use the files in your own work to save time and get new ideas.
Work with the file repository from within the MATLAB desktop.
Use features like those found in the Web site interface to the File Exchange repository.
The File Exchange desktop tool offers these main features:
Find files by searching and by selecting tags (keywords associated with files).
Sort results. For example, show the most highly rated or the most recent files first.
View details about a file.
Download files to use in MATLAB.
Provide feedback about files.
To open the File Exchange tool, select Desktop > File Exchange.

If you have questions while you work, access the File Exchange
FAQ by clicking the Help button
. For full documentation,
see File Exchange — Finding and Getting Files Created by
Other Users.
New features and changes introduced in Version 7.9 (R2009b) are:
The MATLAB Editor now supports syntax highlighting for VHDL and Verilog code. For details see, Highlight Syntax to Help Ensure Correct Entries in the Editor.
When you use the File and Folders Comparisons tool to compare folders, it now includes the following information about each file in each folder:
The file size, in bytes
The date the file was last modified
In addition, the File and Folders Comparisons tool enables you
to reload the information by clicking the refresh button
or
selecting File > Refresh. For details see, Comparing Files and Folders.
MATLAB now supports PDF as the output format for publishing MATLAB code files. For instructions on how to publish to .pdf files, watch the Publishing Features video demo. For details, see Steps for Publishing sine_wave_f.m to PDF.
If you use the Customize option to modify the locale setting, MATLAB ignores the customized portion. For example, if you select the euro currency symbol for a locale set to the United Kingdom, the locale name is:
en_GB@currency=EUR
MATLAB uses the locale name:
en_GB
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