MATLAB Release Notes

External Interfaces/API Features

Concatenation of Java Arrays

In MATLAB 6.1, you can concatenate arrays of Java objects that have unlike dimensions. The following example concatenates a 2-by-3 array of java.lang.Integer with a 4-by-3 array of the same class.

• A =
  java.lang.Integer[][]:
     [ 1]    [ 2]    [ 3]
     [ 4]    [ 5]    [ 6]
     [17]    [18]    [19]
     [20]    [21]    [22]
  
  B =
  java.lang.Integer[][]:
     [11]    [12]    [13]
     [14]    [15]    [16]
  

The vertical concatenation [A;B] is simple since both arrays have the same number of columns. The horizontal concatenation [A B] merges the two arrays into an irregularly shaped array having six columns in the first and second rows and three columns in the third and fourth rows.

• C = [A;B]                         C = [A B]
  C =                               C =
  java.lang.Integer[][]:            java.lang.Integer[][]:
      [ 1]    [ 2]    [ 3]             [6 element array]
      [ 4]    [ 5]    [ 6]             [6 element array]
      [11]    [12]    [13]             [3 element array]
      [14]    [15]    [16]             [3 element array]
      [17]    [18]    [19]
      [20]    [21]    [22]
  

Note    Concatenation of Java Objects discusses changes to how Java objects are concatenated.

New Fortran MX, MEX, MAT, and ENG Functions

The following functions have been added to the Fortran MX, MEX, MAT, and Engine external interface. Most of these functions already exist in the MATLAB C language API.

Table 2-1: New Fortran MX Functions  

mxAddField	mxCalcSingleSubscript
mxClassIDFromClassName	mxClearLogical
mxCopyComplex8ToPtr	mxCopyInteger1ToPtr
mxCopyInteger2ToPtr	mxCopyPtrToComplex8
mxCopyPtrToInteger1	mxCopyPtrToInteger2
mxCopyPtrToReal4	mxCopyReal4ToPtr
mxCreateCellArray	mxCreateCellMatrix
mxCreateCharArray	mxCreateCharMatrixFromStrings
mxCreateDoubleMatrix	mxCreateNumericArray
mxCreateNumericMatrix	mxCreateScalarDouble
mxCreateStructArray	mxCreateStructMatrix
mxDestroyArray	mxDuplicateArray
mxGetCell	mxGetClassID
mxGetClassName	mxGetData
mxGetDimensions	mxGetElementSize
mxGetEps	mxGetField
mxGetFieldByNumber	mxGetFieldNameByNumber
mxGetFieldNumber	mxGetImagData
mxGetInf	mxGetNaN
mxGetNumberOfDimensions	mxGetNumberOfElements
mxGetNumberOfFields	mxIsCell
mxIsChar	mxIsClass
mxIsEmpty	mxIsFinite
mxIsFromGlobalWS	mxIsInf
mxIsInt8	mxIsInt16
mxIsInt32	mxIsLogical
mxIsNaN	mxIsSingle
mxIsStruct	mxIsUint8
mxIsUint16	mxIsUint32
mxMalloc	mxRealloc
mxRemoveField	mxSetCell
mxSetData	mxSetDimensions
mxSetField	mxSetFieldByNumber
mxSetImagData	mxSetLogical

Table 2-2: New Fortran MEX Functions  

mexFunctionName	mexGetArray
mexGetArrayPtr	mexIsGlobal
mexIsLocked	mexLock
mexMakeArrayPersistant	mexMakeMemoryPersistant
mexPutArray	mexUnlock
mexWarnMsgTxt

Table 2-3: New Fortran MAT Functions  

matDeleteArray	matGetArray
matGetArrayHeader	matGetNextArray
matGetNextArrayHeader	matPutArray
matPutArrayAsGlobal

Table 2-4: New Fortran Engine Functions

engGetArray

engPutArray

Property Added to ActiveX and Engine Interfaces

For ActiveX automation server applications and MATLAB Engine applications running on Windows, you can control whether the application windows appear on the Windows desktop with a new property called Visible.

When Visible is set, the ActiveX application or engine server window is visible on the desktop, thus enabling user interaction with the server. This is the default. When Visible is cleared, the application or engine window is removed from the desktop.

ActiveX.   This example disables the visibility of an ActiveX automation server application by setting h.visible to 0. It checks the visibility setting in line 3 by examining h.visible.

• h = actxserver('Matlab.Application');
  h.visible = 0;
  
  h.visible
  ans =
       0
  

MATLAB Engine.   For a MATLAB engine session, use the engSetVisible and engGetVisible functions that are new in MATLAB 6.1. Line 4, below, disables the visibility of the MATLAB engine window using engSetVisible with an argument of 0. Line 5 checks this setting with engGetVisible.

• Engine *ep;
  bool vis;
  ep = engOpen(NULL);
  engSetVisible(ep, 0);
  engGetVisible(ep, &vis);
  

Serial I/O

The MATLAB serial port interface provides direct access to peripheral devices such as modems, printers, and scientific instruments that you connect to your computer's serial port. This interface is established through a serial port object, which you create with the serial function.

Freeing the Serial Port on Windows Platforms.   The serial port object uses the javax.comm package to communicate with the serial port. However, due to a memory leak in javax.comm, the serial port object is not released from memory. You can use the freeserial function to release the MATLAB hold on the serial port.

freeserial is necessary only on Windows platforms. You should use freeserial only if you need to connect to the serial port from another application after a serial port object has been connected to that port, and you do not want to exit MATLAB.

Events, Callbacks, and Function Handles.   Action properties and action functions are now referred to as callback properties and callback functions. This new terminology is reflected in new names for the associated properties and functions. The general rule for the name changes is to change "Action" to "Fcn" for properties, and "action" to "callback" for functions. For example, TimerAction has been renamed TimerFcn, and instraction has been renamed instrcallback.

Additionally, if you want to automatically pass the object and event information to the callback function, then you must specify the function as either a function handle or as a cell array. Note that you can also specify the callback function as a string. In this case, the callback is evaluated in the MATLAB workspace and no requirements are made on the function's input arguments.

Enhancements to Existing Properties.   

• Terminator Property - You can configure Terminator to a decimal value ranging from 0 to 127, to the equivalent ASCII character, to CR/LF or LF/CR, or to empty ('').
• Timer events - Some timer events may not be processed if your system is significantly slowed or if the TimerPeriod value is too small. The minimum TimerPeriod value is now 0.01 second.

OpenGL Renderer Feature -- Microsoft Windows

Creating Graphical User Interfaces -- GUIDE