Call MATLAB Functions from C Applications

Note

The MATLAB® Engine API for C++ is recommended over the Engine API for C. The MATLAB Engine API for C++ includes modern C++ features for writing engine applications. For more information, see Call MATLAB from C++. There are no plans to remove the Engine API for C.

The program engdemo.c in the matlabroot/extern/examples/eng_mat folder illustrates how to call the engine functions from a standalone C program. This example uses the C Matrix API.

For a Microsoft® Windows® version of this program, open engwindemo.c in the matlabroot\extern\examples\eng_mat folder. For a C++ version, open engdemo.cpp.

The first part of this program starts MATLAB and sends it data. MATLAB analyzes the data and plots the results.

Plot from engdemo engine application.

The program continues with:

Press Return to continue

Pressing Return continues the program:

Done for Part I.
Enter a MATLAB command to evaluate.  This command should
create a variable X.  This program will then determine
what kind of variable you created.
For example: X = 1:5

Entering X = 17.5 continues the program execution.

X = 17.5
 
X =
 
   17.5000
 
 
Retrieving X...
X is class double
Done!

Finally, the program frees memory, closes the MATLAB engine, and exits.

See Also

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