A pointer (or reference) in Matlab

Get the behavior of a pointer.

You are now following this Submission

Create a pointer:
o = ptr();
Do anything you want with it:
o.d.msg = 'hi';
o.d.A = randn(10);
p = o;
p.d.msg = 'hello';
disp(o.d.msg); % 'hello'
Think of '.d.' as the C language's '->' operator. Write a function that acts on it:
function DoSomething(o)
o.d.A(end,end) = 10;
end
Make sure to delete it:
delete(o);
Since o and p point to the same object, p is now invalid just like o.

Cite As

Andrew (2026). A pointer (or reference) in Matlab (https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/40907-a-pointer-or-reference-in-matlab), MATLAB Central File Exchange. Retrieved .

General Information

MATLAB Release Compatibility

  • Compatible with any release

Platform Compatibility

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
Version Published Release Notes Action
1.0.0.0