Programming and Data Types

Global Variables

If several functions, and possibly the base workspace, all declare a particular name as global, then they all share a single copy of that variable. Any assignment to that variable, in any function, is available to all the other functions declaring it global.

Suppose, for example, you want to study the effect of the interaction coefficients, and , in the Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model.

Create an M-file, lotka.m.

• function yp = lotka(t,y)
  %LOTKA   Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model.
  global ALPHA BETA
  yp = [y(1) - ALPHA*y(1)*y(2); -y(2) + BETA*y(1)*y(2)];
  

Then interactively enter the statements

• global ALPHA BETA
  ALPHA = 0.01
  BETA = 0.02
  [t,y] = ode23('lotka',0,10,[1; 1]);
  plot(t,y)
  

The two global statements make the values assigned to ALPHA and BETA at the command prompt available inside the function defined by lotka.m. They can be modified interactively and new solutions obtained without editing any files.

Creating Global Variables

Each function that uses a global variable must first declare the variable as global. It is usually best to put global declarations toward the beginning of the function. You would declare global variable MAXLEN as follows:

• global MAXLEN
  

If the M-file contains subfunctions as well, then each subfunction requiring access to the global variable must declare it as global. To access the variable from the MATLAB command line, you must declare it as global at the command line.

MATLAB global variable names are typically longer and more descriptive than local variable names, and often consist of all uppercase characters. These are not requirements, but guidelines to increase the readability of MATLAB code, and to reduce the chance of accidentally redefining a global variable.

Displaying Global Variables

To see only those variables you have declared as global, use the who or whos functions with the literal, global:

• global MAXLEN MAXWID
  MAXLEN = 36;  MAXWID = 78;
  len = 5;  wid = 21;
  
  whos global
    Name         Size                   Bytes  Class
  
    MAXLEN       1x1                        8  double array (global)
    MAXWID       1x1                        8  double array (global)
  
  Grand total is 2 elements using 16 bytes
  

Suggestions for Using Global Variables

There is a certain amount of risk associated with using global variables and, because of this, it is recommended that you use them sparingly. You might, for example, unknowingly give a global variable in one function a name that is already used for a global variable in another function. When you run your application, one function may unintentionally overwrite the variable used by the other. This can be a difficult error to track down.

Another problem comes when you want to change the variable name. To make a change without introducing an error into the application, you must find every occurrence of that name in your code (and other people's code, if you share functions).

Alternatives to Using Global Variables.   Instead of using a global variable, you may be able to

• Pass the variable to other functions as an additional argument. In this way, you make sure that any shared access to the variable is intentional.

• If this means that you have to pass a number of additional variables, you can put them into a structure or cell array and just pass it as one additional argument.

• Use a persistent variable (described in the next section), if you only need to make the variable persist in memory from one function call to the next.

Local Variables

Persistent Variables