How can I have my loop counter display on one line instead of printing carriage returns in MATLAB 7.8 (R2009a)?

I print a counter in my loop in the MATLAB command window to keep track of its progress while running. If I use the following code:

for i=1:10
i
end

there are several carriage returns in the command window in addition to the counter number. I would like to have the counter numbers displayed on one line.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

In MATLAB 7.8 (R2009a) loop counter values can be displayed in the command window without carriage returns by using the FPRINTF command.

The following code displays counter values with a space between each successive value instead of a carriage return.

for i=1:10
fprintf('%d ', i);
end

The following modified version of the code above uses the backspace escape command '\b' to delete the previous counter value. This increments the counter in place rather than in a line of increasing length.

fprintf('\nCounter: ')
for i=1:100
if i>1
for j=0:log10(i-1)
fprintf('\b'); % delete previous counter display
end
end
fprintf('%d', i);
pause(.05); % allows time for display to update
end
fprintf('\n')

An implementation of a redefinition of FPRINTF for carriage return without linefeed has been published on the following MATLAB Central file:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/27903-fprintf_r-carriage-return-without-linefeed

Note that MathWorks does not guarantee or warrant the use or content of these submissions. Any questions, issues, or complaints should be directed to the contributing author.