Is there a way to store my m code in a MAT file along with the data? If these were first on my path, it would provide a very convenient way to bundle my one-offs. Thanks!

I'm sure this has been asked many times before. My usage over the past fifteen years has created a large code base true, but now I use Matlab everywhere. The only solution I have for keeping things together is to use the OS to make a folder, then to make mfiles for a particular problem set there. I have gone back an re-read the release notes since Matlab6, but I feel I must be missing something. Thanks

Answer 1

[Clark Dunson]

Really great answers, thanks!

I just did a review through a number of recent projects, and found that most of my one-offs are plot specializations, with only a few analysis hacks. Most of it I'd label some form of pasta, perhaps spaghetti-os. Perhaps rather than having plot methods on my data classes, I should create classes for plots. Hmmm.

Answer 2

[Jan]

No, this has not been asked before [EDITED: at least not many times]. It is a good programming practice to separate code and data, because this makes is easier to re-use code.

But of course it works. M-code files are just text files and you can store the contents together with the data:

function bundle(M, MAT)
% Input: M:    Name of the M-function
%        MAT:  Struct containing the data or name of the MAT file.
Code = type([M, '.m']);
if ischar(MAT)
  save(MAT, 'Code', '-append');
else
  MAT.Code = Code;
  save('Test.mat', 'MAT', '-struct');
end

Well, I admit I did not consider defining the name of the MAT-file, if a struct is used as input. But perhaps this helps you already to create the wanted function by your own.

I would not do this.

[Walter Roberson]

Actually it has been asked before, in slightly different contexts.

[Jan]

Thanks Walter. I appreciate your capabilities as an Asnwers database.

Answer 3

[Walter Roberson]

The current recommended approach is to Package an app . That puts everything related to the tool into one file for easy transportation and initialization.