open external programs via matlab

h = actxserver('WScript.Shell');
h.Run('notepad'); %Invokes notepad.exe
pause(3); %Waits for the application to load.
h.AppActivate('Notepad'); %Brings notepad to focus
h.SendKeys('hello world~'); %Sends keystrokes
h.SendKeys('^s'); % save file
pause(3);
h.SendKeys('test.txt~'); % save as 'test.txt' and return
h.SendKeys('%{F4}'); % close Notepad Alt+F4

The above example illustrates that you can send keystrok

The above code allows me to open an external application like notepad. However, I want to try the above code with microsoft word or adobe. How can I implement those changes?

thanks

Answer 1

[AA]

h = actxserver('WScript.Shell');
pause(3); %Waits for the application to load.
h.AppActivate('Notepad'); %Brings notepad to focus

The above code gets notepad into focus and then I can send hotkeys and other commands to it.

How can I get microsoft word or excel into focus in order to the same thing to it?

Answer 2

[Zoltán Csáti]

If you want to open an external file outside MATLAB, use the exclamation mark operator. In your case:

!notepad.exe

All you have to do is search on the internet how to open those applications from the command line.

[Jung Sunghun]

Good. Thx.