Matlab OOP

MATLAB®
Object-Oriented Programming
R2015a
How to Contact MathWorks
Latest news: www.mathworks.com
Sales and services: www.mathworks.com/sales_and_services
User community: www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral
Technical support: www.mathworks.com/support/contact_us
Phone: 508-647-7000
The MathWorks, Inc.

3 Apple Hill Drive
Natick, MA 01760-2098
Object-Oriented Programming
© COPYRIGHT 1984–2015 by The MathWorks, Inc.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. The software may be used
or copied only under the terms of the license agreement. No part of this manual may be photocopied or
reproduced in any form without prior written consent from The MathWorks, Inc.
FEDERAL ACQUISITION: This provision applies to all acquisitions of the Program and Documentation
by, for, or through the federal government of the United States. By accepting delivery of the Program
or Documentation, the government hereby agrees that this software or documentation qualifies as
commercial computer software or commercial computer software documentation as such terms are used
or defined in FAR 12.212, DFARS Part 227.72, and DFARS 252.227-7014. Accordingly, the terms and
conditions of this Agreement and only those rights specified in this Agreement, shall pertain to and
govern the use, modification, reproduction, release, performance, display, and disclosure of the Program
and Documentation by the federal government (or other entity acquiring for or through the federal
government) and shall supersede any conflicting contractual terms or conditions. If this License fails
to meet the government's needs or is inconsistent in any respect with federal procurement law, the
government agrees to return the Program and Documentation, unused, to The MathWorks, Inc.
Trademarks
MATLAB and Simulink are registered trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc. See
www.mathworks.com/trademarks for a list of additional trademarks. Other product or brand
names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Patents
MathWorks products are protected by one or more U.S. patents. Please see
www.mathworks.com/patents for more information.
Revision History
March 2008 Online only New for MATLAB 7.6 (Release 2008a)
October 2008 Online only Revised for MATLAB 7.7 (Release 2008b)
March 2009 Online only Revised for MATLAB 7.8 (Release 2009a)
September 2009 Online only Revised for MATLAB 7.9 (Release 2009b)
March 2010 Online only Revised for MATLAB 7.10 (Release 2010a)
September 2010 Online only Revised for Version 7.11 (Release 2010b)
April 2011 Online only Revised for Version 7.12 (Release 2011a)
March 2012 Online only Revised for Version 7.14 (Release 2012a)
October 2014 Online only Revised for Version 8.4 (Release 2014b)
Contents
Using Object-Oriented Design in MATLAB

1
Begin Using Object-Oriented Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Video Demo of MATLAB Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
MATLAB Programmer Without Object-Oriented Programming
Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
MATLAB Programmer with Object-Oriented Programming
Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Why Use Object-Oriented Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Approaches to Writing MATLAB Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
When Should You Start Creating Object-Oriented Programs . 1-7
Class Diagram Notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Handle Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

What Is a Handle Object? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Copying Handles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Modifying Handle Objects in Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
How to Determine If an Object Is a Handle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Deleted Handle Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Basic Example
2
A Simple Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Define a Simple Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Create an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Access Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Call Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Add a Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
v
Vectorize Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Overloading Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
BasicClass Code Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
MATLAB Classes Overview

3
Classes in the MATLAB Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Some Basic Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Developing Classes — Typical Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Formulating a Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Specifying Class Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
BankAccount Class Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Formulating the AccountManager Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Implementing the AccountManager Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
AccountManager Class Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Using BankAccount Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Class to Manage Writable Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19

Flexible Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Performing a Task with an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Defining the Filewriter Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Using Filewriter Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Class to Represent Structured Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24

Objects As Data Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Structure of the Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
The TensileData Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Create an Instance and Assign Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Restrict Properties to Specific Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Simplifying the Interface with a Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Calculate Data on Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Displaying TensileData Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Method to Plot Stress vs. Strain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
TensileData Class Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Class to Implement Linked Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36

Class Definition Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
vi Contents
dlnode Class Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Create Doubly Linked List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Why a Handle Class for Linked Lists? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
dlnode Class Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Specialize the dlnode Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51
Class for Graphing Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54

Class Definition Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54
Using the topo Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-55
Behavior of the Handle Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56
Class Definition—Syntax Reference

4
Class Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Options for Class Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Options for Class Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Grouping Classes with Package Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Class Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Class Building Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Class Definition Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Properties Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Methods Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Events Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Enumeration Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
Related Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
Classdef Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

Specifying Attributes and Superclasses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
Assigning Class Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
Specifying Superclasses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
What You Can Define . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Initializing Property Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Defining Default Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Assigning Property Values from the Constructor . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Initializing Properties to Unique Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Property Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
vii
Property Access Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Referencing Object Properties Using Variables . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Methods and Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

The Methods Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
Method Calling Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
Private Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
More Detailed Information On Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Class-Related Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Overloading Functions and Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19
Methods In Separate Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20

Methods In Class Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20
Define Method in Function File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21
Specify Method Attributes in classdef File . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21
Methods That You Must Define In the classdef File . . . . . 4-22
Events and Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24

Define and Trigger Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24
Listen for Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24
Attribute Specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-26

Attribute Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-26
Attribute Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-26
Attribute Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-27
Simpler Syntax for true/false Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-27
Call Superclass Methods on Subclass Objects . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29

Calling Superclass Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Calling Superclass Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30
Representative Class Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-31

Class Calculates Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-31
Description of Class Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33
MATLAB Code Analyzer Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36

Syntax Warnings and Property Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Warnings Caused by Variable/Property Name Conflicts . . . 4-36
Exception to Variable/Property Name Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-37
Objects In Switch Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-38

Evaluating the Switch Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-38
Defining the eq Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-40
viii Contents
Enumerations in Switch Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-42
Operations on Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-45

Object Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-45
Help on Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-46
Functions to Test Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-48
Functions to Query Class Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-48
Using the Editor and Debugger with Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-49

Referring to Class Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-49
Automatic Updates for Modified Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-50

When MATLAB Loads Class Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-50
Results of Automatic Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-50
Result of Changes to Class Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-51
Actions That Do Not Trigger Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-52
When Updates to Classes Fail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-52
Potential Side Effects from Class Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-52
When Updates of Existing Objects Are Not Possible . . . . . . 4-53
Updates to Property Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-53
Updates to Method Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-54
Updates to Event Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-55
Compatibility with Previous Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-56

New Class-Definition Syntax Introduced with MATLAB
Software Version 7.6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-56
Changes to Class Constructors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-57
New Features Introduced with Version 7.6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-57
Examples of Old and New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-58
Comparing MATLAB with Other OO Languages . . . . . . . . . 4-59

Some Differences from C++ and Java Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-59
Modifying Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-60
Common Object-Oriented Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-64
Defining and Organizing Classes

5
User-Defined Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
What is a Class Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
ix
Attributes for Class Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Kinds of Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Constructing Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Class Hierarchies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Class Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

classdef Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Class Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5

Specifying Class Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Specifying Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Expressions in Class Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Where to Use Expressions in Class Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
How MATLAB Evaluates Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
When MATLAB Evaluates Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Samples of Expression Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Class and Path Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14

Class and Path Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Path Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Class Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Access to Functions Defined in Private Folders . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Class Precedence and MATLAB Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Class Precedence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17

Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Why Mark Classes as Inferior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
InferiorClasses Attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Packages Create Namespaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19

Internal Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Package Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Referencing Package Members Within Packages . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Referencing Package Members from Outside the Package . . 5-21
Packages and the MATLAB Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Importing Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24

Syntax for Importing Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
x Contents
Value or Handle Class — Which to Use
6
Comparing Handle and Value Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Basic Difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Why Select Handle or Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Behavior of MATLAB Built-In Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Behavior of User-Defined Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Which Kind of Class to Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Examples of Value and Handle Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
When to Use Handle Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
When to Use Value Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
The Handle Superclass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11

Building on the Handle Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Handle Class Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Relational Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Testing Handle Validity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
When MATLAB Destroys Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
Handle Class Destructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16

Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16
Syntax of Class Destructor Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16
When to Define a Destructor Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-17
Destructors in Class Hierarchies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-17
Object Lifecycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-18
Restrict Explicit Object Deletion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
Nondestructor Delete Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
Finding Handle Objects and Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22

Finding Handle Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22
Finding Handle Object Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22
Implementing a Set/Get Interface for Properties . . . . . . . . 6-23

The Standard Set/Get Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Subclass matlab.mixin.SetGet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Get Method Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Set Method Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
Class Derived from matlab.mixin.SetGet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25
xi
Controlling the Number of Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30
Limiting Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30
Properties — Storing Class Data

7
How to Use Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
What Are Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Types of Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Defining Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4

Property Definition Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Access Property Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Inheritance of Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Specify Property Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Property Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7

Specifying Property Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Table of Property Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Mutable and Immutable Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13

Set Access to Property Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Property Access Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14

Property Setter and Getter Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Set and Get Method Execution and Property Events . . . . . . 7-16
Access Methods and Properties Containing Arrays . . . . . . . 7-17
Modify Property Values with Access Methods . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Property Set Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19

Overview of Property Access Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Property Set Method Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Validate Property Set Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Set Method Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Property Get Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22

Overview of Property Access Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Property Get Method Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Errors Not Returned from Get Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Get Method Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
xii Contents
Access Methods for Dependent Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24
Set and Get Methods for Dependent Properties . . . . . . . . . . 7-24
Get Method for Dependent Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
When to Use Set Methods with Dependent Properties . . . . . 7-25
When to Use Private Set Access with Dependent Properties 7-26
Properties Containing Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28

Assigning to Read-Only Properties Containing Objects . . . . 7-28
Assignment Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
Dynamic Properties — Adding Properties to an Instance . 7-30

What Are Dynamic Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Defining Dynamic Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
Responding to Dynamic-Property Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
Defining Property Access Methods for Dynamic Properties . 7-34
Dynamic Properties and ConstructOnLoad . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Methods — Defining Class Operations

8
How to Use Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Class Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Method Naming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Method Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5

Specifying Method Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Table of Method Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Ordinary Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7

Defining Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Multi-File Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Method Invocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9

Determining Which Method Is Invoked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Referencing Names with Expressions—Dynamic Reference . 8-11
Controlling Access to Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Invoking Superclass Methods in Subclass Methods . . . . . . . 8-13
Invoking Built-In Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-14
xiii
Class Constructor Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-15
Rules for Constructors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-15
Related Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Initializing Objects In Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
No Input Argument Constructor Requirement . . . . . . . . . . . 8-17
Constructing Subclasses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18
Errors During Class Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-20
Basic Structure of Constructor Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-21
Static Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-23

Why Define Static Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-23
Calling Static Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-23
Overload Functions for Your Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25

Overloading MATLAB Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25
Rules for Naming to Avoid Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-27
Class Support for Array-Creation Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28

Extend Array-Creation Functions for Your Class . . . . . . . . . 8-28
Which Syntax to Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-29
Implement Support for Array-Creation Functions . . . . . . . . 8-30
Object Precedence in Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-37

Specifying Precedence of User-Defined Classes . . . . . . . . . . 8-37
Dominant Argument in Overloaded Plotting Functions . . . 8-39

Graphics Object Precedence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-39
Dominant Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-39
Defining Class Precedence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-39
Calls to Inferior-Class Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-41
Class Methods for Graphics Callbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-42

Referencing the Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-42
Syntax for Method Callbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-42
How to Use a Class Method for a Slider Callback . . . . . . . . 8-43
xiv Contents
Object Arrays
9
Create Object Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Build Arrays in the Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Referencing Property Values in Object Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Related Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Initialize Object Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5

Calls to Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Initial Value of Object Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Empty Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8

Creating Empty Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Assigning Values to an Empty Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Initialize Arrays of Handle Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10

Related Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Object Arrays with Dynamic Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Concatenating Objects of Different Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15

Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
MATLAB Concatenation Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Concatenating Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Calling the Dominant-Class Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Converter Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Heterogeneous Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21

Why Heterogeneous Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Heterogeneous Array Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Nature of Heterogeneous Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Unsupported Hierarchies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Default Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Conversion During Assignment and Concatenation . . . . . . . 9-27
xv
Events — Sending and Responding to Messages
10
Learn to Use Events and Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Why Use Events and Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Events and Listeners Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Events and Listeners Syntax Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Class with Custom Event Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Class to Observe Property Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Property Set Listener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9

PushButton Class Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Events and Listeners — Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12

The Event Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Default Event Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Events Only in Handle Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Property-Set and Query Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Event Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17

Specifying Event Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Events and Listeners — Syntax and Techniques . . . . . . . . 10-19

Name Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Trigger Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Listen to Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Define Event-Specific Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Listener Lifecycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23

Control Listener Lifecycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Temporarily Deactivating Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Permanently Deleting Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Function Handle for Listener Callbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26

Specify Listener Callbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Callback Execution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Listen for Changes to Property Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29

Creating Property Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Property Event and Listener Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Aborting Set When Value Does Not Change . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
xvi Contents
Update Graphs Using Events and Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Example Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Techniques Demonstrated in This Example . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Summary of fcneval Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Summary of fcnview Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Methods Inherited from Handle Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Using the fcneval and fcnview Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Implementing the UpdateGraph Event and Listener . . . . . 10-42
The PostSet Event Listener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Enabling and Disabling the Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
@fcneval/fcneval.m Class Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
@fcnview/fcnview.m Class Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
Building on Other Classes

11
Hierarchies of Classes — Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Developing the Abstraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
Designing Class Hierarchies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Super and Subclass Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Implementation and Interface Inheritance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Creating Subclasses — Syntax and Techniques . . . . . . . . . . 11-7

Defining a Subclass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Initializing Superclasses from Subclasses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Calling Superclass Constructor Explicitly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
Constructor Arguments and Object Initialization . . . . . . . . 11-9
Call Only Direct Superclass from Constructor . . . . . . . . . . 11-10
Subclass Alias for Existing Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-11
Sequence of Constructor Calls in Class Hierarchy . . . . . . 11-13
Modify Superclass Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-15

When to Modify Superclass Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-15
Extend Superclass Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-15
Completing Superclass Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-16
Redefining Superclass Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-17
xvii
Modify Superclass Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-18
Allowed Superclass Property Modification . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-18
Private Local Property Takes Precedence in Method . . . . . 11-18
Subclassing Multiple Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-20

Class Member Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-20
Using Multiple Inheritance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-21
Specify Allowed Subclasses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-22

Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-22
Why Control Allowed Subclasses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-22
Specify Allowed Subclasses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-22
Define a Sealed Hierarchy of Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-24
Control Access to Class Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-25

Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-25
Applications for Access Control Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-26
Specify Access to Class Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-26
Properties with Access Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-28
Methods with Access Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-28
Abstract Methods with Access Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-32
Property Access List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-33
Method Access List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-34
Event Access List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-35
Supporting Both Handle and Value Subclasses . . . . . . . . . 11-36

Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-36
Handle Compatibility Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-36
Defining Handle-Compatible Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-37
Subclassing Handle-Compatible Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-39
Methods for Handle Compatible Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-41
Handle-Compatible Classes and Heterogeneous Arrays . . . 11-42
Subclassing MATLAB Built-In Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-44

MATLAB Built-In Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-44
Built-In Types You Cannot Subclass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-44
Why Subclass Built-In Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-45
Which Functions Work With Subclasses of Built-In Types . 11-45
Behavior of Built-In Functions with Subclass Objects . . . . 11-45
Built-In Subclasses That Define Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-46
xviii Contents
Behavior of Inherited Built-In Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-48
Subclass double . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-48
Built-In Data Value Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-49
Built-In Data Organization Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-50
Built-In Indexing Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-51
Built-In Concatenation Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-51
Built-In Subclass Without Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-53

A Class to Manage uint8 Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-53
Using the DocUint8 Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-54
Built-In Subclass With Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-61

Subclasses with Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-61
Property Added . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-61
Methods Implemented . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-61
Class Definition Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-62
Use ExtendDouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-63
Indexed Reference for ExtendDouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-64
Concatenating ExtendDouble Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-65
Understanding size and numel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-67

size and numel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-67
Subclasses Inherited Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-68
Classes Not Derived from Built-In Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-69
Changing the Behavior of size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-71
Avoid Overloading numel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-71
Class to Represent Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-73

Class Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-73
Why Derive from int32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-73
Class Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-73
Methods of int32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-74
Determine Array Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-76

Querying the Class Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-76
Testing for Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-76
Testing for Specific Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-77
Testing for Most Derived Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-78
Abstract Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-80

Abstract Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-80
Declaring Classes as Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-81
Determine If a Class Is Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-82
xix
Find Inherited Abstract Properties and Methods . . . . . . . . 11-83
Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-84
Interfaces and Abstract Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-84
An Interface for Classes Implementing Graphs . . . . . . . . . 11-84
Saving and Loading Objects

12
Save and Load Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Save and Load Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
What Information Is Saved? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
How Is the Property Data Loaded? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Errors During Load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-3
Reduce MAT-File Size for Saved Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4

Default Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
Dependent Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
Transient Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
Avoid Saving Unwanted Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
Save Object Data to Recreate Graphics Objects . . . . . . . . . 12-5

What to Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-5
Regenerate When Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-5
Change to a Stairstep Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-6
Improve Version Compatibility with Default Values . . . . . 12-7

Version Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-7
Using a Default Property Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-7
Avoid Property Initialization Order Dependency . . . . . . . . 12-9

Control Property Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-9
Dependent Property with Private Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-9
Property Value Computed from Other Properties . . . . . . . 12-11
Modify the Save and Load Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13

When to Modify the Save and Load Process . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13
How to Modify the Save and Load Process . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13
Implementing saveobj and loadobj Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-14
Additional Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-14
xx Contents
A Typical saveobj and loadobj Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15
Regenerating from Object or struct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-16
Related Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-17
Maintain Class Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-18

Rename Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-18
Update Property When Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-20
Maintaining Compatible Versions of a Class . . . . . . . . . . . 12-21
Version 2 of the PhoneBookEntry Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-22
Initialize Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-25

Calling Constructor When Loading Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-25
Initializing Objects in the loadobj Method . . . . . . . . . . . 12-25
Save and Load Objects from Class Hierarchies . . . . . . . . . 12-27

Saving and Loading Subclass Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-27
Reconstruct the Subclass Object from a Saved struct . . . 12-27
Restore Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-30

Create Listener with loadobj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-30
Use Transient Property to Load Listener . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-30
Using the BankAccount and AccountManager Classes . . . . 12-32
Save and Load Dynamic Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-33

Saving Dynamic Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-33
When You Need saveobj and loadobj Methods . . . . . . . 12-33
Implementing saveobj and loadobj Methods . . . . . . . . . 12-33
Enumerations
13
Defining Named Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-2
Kinds of Predefined Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-2
Working with Enumerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-3

Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-3
Using Enumeration Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4
Defining Methods in Enumeration Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-8
Defining Properties in Enumeration Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-9
Array Expansion Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-10
xxi
Constructor Calling Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-10
Restrictions Applied to Enumeration Classes . . . . . . . . . . 13-12
Techniques for Defining Enumerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-12
Enumerations Derived from Built-In Types . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14

Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14
Why Derive Enumerations from Built-In Types . . . . . . . . . 13-14
Aliasing Enumeration Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-16
Superclass Constructor Returns Underlying Value . . . . . . 13-17
Default Converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
Mutable (Handle) vs. Immutable (Value) Enumeration

Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
Selecting Handle- or Value-Based Enumerations . . . . . . . . 13-20
Value-Based Enumeration Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
Handle-Based Enumeration Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-22
Using Enumerations to Represent a State . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-25
Enumerations That Encapsulate Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-27

Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-27
Store Data in Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-27
Saving and Loading Enumerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-31

Basic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-31
Built-In and Value-Based Enumeration Classes . . . . . . . . 13-31
Simple and Handle-Based Enumeration Classes . . . . . . . . 13-31
Causes: Loading as Struct Instead of Object . . . . . . . . . . . 13-32
Constant Properties
14
Properties with Constant Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Defining Named Constants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Constant Property Assigned a Handle Object . . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
Constant Property Assigned Any Class Instance . . . . . . . . . 14-4
xxii Contents
Information from Class Metadata
15
Class Metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-2
What Is Class Metadata? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-2
The meta Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-2
Metaclass Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-3
Inspecting Class and Object Metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-5

Inspecting a Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-5
Metaclass EnumeratedValues Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-7
Finding Objects with Specific Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-8

Find Handle Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-8
Find by Attribute Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-9
Getting Information About Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-12

The meta.property object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-12
How to Find Properties with Specific Attributes . . . . . . . . 15-15
Find Default Values in Property Metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-18

meta.property Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-18
meta.property Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-18
Specializing Object Behavior

16
Methods That Modify Default Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-2
How to Customize Class Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-2
Which Methods Control Which Behaviors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-2
Overloading and Overriding Functions and Methods . . . . . . 16-3
Overloading numel, subsref, and subsasgn . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-5

Considerations for Overloading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-5
Syntax to Overload numel, subsref, and subsasgn . . . . . . . . 16-5
Concatenation Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-7

Default Concatenation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-7
Methods to Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-7
xxiii
Object Converters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-8
Why Implement a Converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-8
Converters for Package Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-8
Converters and Subscripted Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-9
Object Array Indexing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-11

Default Indexed Reference and Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . 16-11
What You Can Modify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-12
When to Modify Indexing Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-13
Built-In subsref and subsasgn Called In Methods . . . . . . . 16-13
Avoid Overriding Access Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-15
Indexed Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17

Understanding Indexed Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17
Compound Indexed References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-18
Writing subsref . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-19
Indexed Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-21

Understanding Indexed Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-21
Indexed Assignment to Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-23
Compound Indexed Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-23
Object end Indexing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-25

Define end Indexing for an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-25
The end Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-26
Objects In Index Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-27

Using Objects as Indices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-27
Scenarios for Implementing Objects as Indices . . . . . . . . . 16-27
subsindex Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-28
Class with Modified Indexing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-29

Modify Class Indexing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-29
Class Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-29
Specialize Subscripted Reference — subsref . . . . . . . . . . . 16-31
Specialize Subscripted Assignment — subsasgn . . . . . . . . 16-31
Implementing Addition for Object Data — double and plus 16-32
MyDataClass.m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-34
Class Operator Implementations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-37

Defining Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-37
MATLAB Operators and Associated Functions . . . . . . . . . 16-37
xxiv Contents
Customizing Object Display
17
Custom Display Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-2
Default Object Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-2
CustomDisplay Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-3
Methods for Customizing Object Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-3
How CustomDisplay Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-7

Steps to Display an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-7
Methods Called for a Given Object State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-8
Role of size Function in Custom Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-9

How size Is Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-9
Precautions When Overloading size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-9
Customize Display for Heterogeneous Arrays . . . . . . . . . . 17-10
Class with Default Object Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-12

The EmployeeInfo Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-12
Default Display — Scalar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-13
Default Display — Nonscalar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-13
Default Display — Empty Object Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-14
Default Display — Handle to Deleted Object . . . . . . . . . . . 17-15
Default Display — Detailed Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-15
Choose a Technique for Display Customization . . . . . . . . 17-16

Ways to Implement a Custom Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-16
Sample Approaches Using the Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-17
Customize Property Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-19

Change the Property Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-19
Change the Values Displayed for Properties . . . . . . . . . . . 17-20
Customize Header, Property List, and Footer . . . . . . . . . . 17-22

Design of Custom Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-22
getHeader Method Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-24
getPropertyGroups Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-25
getFooter Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-25
Customize Display of Scalar Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-28

Design Of Custom Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-28
xxv
displayScalarObject Method Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-29
getPropertyGroups Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-30
Customize Display of Object Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-32

Design of Custom Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-32
The displayNonScalarObject Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-33
The displayEmptyObject Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-34
Overload the disp Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-37

Display Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-37
Implement disp or disp and display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-37
Relationship Between disp and display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-37
Implementing a Class for Polynomials

18
Class Design for Polynomials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-2
Object Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-2
DocPolynom Class Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-2
DocPolynom Class Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-4
The DocPolynom Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-13
Remove Irrelevant Coefficients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-14
Convert DocPolynom Objects to Other Types . . . . . . . . . . 18-15
Overload disp for DocPolynom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-17
Display Evaluated Expression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-18
Redefine Indexed Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-18
Define Arithmetic Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-21
Designing Related Classes

19
A Simple Class Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-2
Shared and Specialized Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-2
Designing a Class for Financial Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-3
DocAsset Class Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-4
Summary of the DocAsset Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-4
The DocAsset Constructor Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-5
xxvi Contents
The DocAsset Display Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-6
Designing a Class for Stock Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-7
DocStock Class Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-7
Summary of the DocStock Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-7
Designing a Class for Bond Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-10
DocBond Class Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-10
Summary of the DocBond Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-10
Designing a Class for Savings Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-14
DocSavings Class Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-14
Summary of the DocSavings Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-14
DocAsset Class Code Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-17
DocStock Class Code Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-17
DocBond Class Code Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-18
DocSavings Class Code Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-19
Containing Assets in a Portfolio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-20

Kinds of Containment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-20
Designing the DocPortfolio Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-20
Displaying the Class Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-21
Summary of the DocPortfolio Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-21
The DocPortfolio Constructor Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-23
The DocPortfolio disp Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-24
The DocPortfolio pie3 Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-24
Visualizing a Portfolio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-25
DocPortfolio Class Code Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-26
xxvii
1
Using Object-Oriented Design in

MATLAB
• “Begin Using Object-Oriented Programming” on page 1-2

• “Why Use Object-Oriented Design” on page 1-3
• “Class Diagram Notation” on page 1-14
• “Handle Objects” on page 1-16
1 Using Object-Oriented Design in MATLAB
Begin Using Object-Oriented Programming

In this section...
“Video Demo of MATLAB Classes” on page 1-2
“MATLAB Programmer Without Object-Oriented Programming Experience” on page
1-2
“MATLAB Programmer with Object-Oriented Programming Experience” on page
1-2
Video Demo of MATLAB Classes

You can watch a brief presentation on MATLAB class development by clicking this link:
Play video
MATLAB Programmer Without Object-Oriented Programming Experience

If you create MATLAB programs, but are not defining classes to accomplish your tasks,
start with the following sections:
• “Why Use Object-Oriented Design” on page 1-3

• “Classes in the MATLAB Language” on page 3-2
• “Sample Classes”
• “Some Basic Relationships”
MATLAB Programmer with Object-Oriented Programming Experience

If have experience with both MATLAB programming and object-oriented techniques,
start with the following sections:
• “Class Syntax Fundamentals”

• “Class Files and Folders”
• “Compatibility with Previous Versions ”
• “Comparing MATLAB with Other OO Languages”
1-2
Why Use Object-Oriented Design

In this section...
“Approaches to Writing MATLAB Programs” on page 1-3
“When Should You Start Creating Object-Oriented Programs” on page 1-7
Approaches to Writing MATLAB Programs

Creating software applications typically involves designing how to represent the
application data and determining how to implement operations performed on that data.
Procedural programs pass data to functions, which perform the necessary operations
on the data. Object-oriented software encapsulates data and operations in objects that
interact with each other via the object's interface.
The MATLAB language enables you to create programs using both procedural and object-
oriented techniques and to use objects and ordinary functions in your programs.
Procedural Program Design
In procedural programming, your design focuses on steps that must be executed to

achieve a desired state. You typically represent data as individual variables or fields of a
structure and implement operations as functions that take the variables as arguments.
Programs usually call a sequence of functions, each one of which is passed data, and then
returns modified data. Each function performs an operation or perhaps many operations
on the data.
Object-Oriented Program Design
The object-oriented program design involves:
• Identifying the components of the system or application that you want to build
• Analyzing and identifying patterns to determine what components are used
repeatedly or share characteristics
• Classifying components based on similarities and differences
After performing this analysis, you define classes that describe the objects your
application uses.
1-3
Classes and Objects
A class describes a set of objects with common characteristics. Objects are specific
instances of a class. The values contained in an object's properties are what make an
object different from other objects of the same class (an object of class double might have
a value of 5). The functions defined by the class (called methods) are what implement
object behaviors that are common to all objects of a class (you can add two doubles
regardless of their values).
Using Objects in MATLAB Programs
The MATLAB language defines objects that are designed for use in any MATLAB code.
For example, consider the try/catch programming construct.
If the code executed in the try block generates an error, program control passes to the
code in the catch block. This behavior enables your program to provide special error
handling that is more appropriate to your particular application. However, you must
have enough information about the error to take the appropriate action.
MATLAB provides detailed information about the error by passing an MException

object to functions executing the try/catch blocks.
The following try/catch blocks display the error message stored in an MException
object when a function (surf in this case) is called without the necessary arguments:
try
surf
catch ME
disp(ME.message)
end
Not enough input arguments.
In this code, ME is an object of the MException class, which is returned by the catch
statement to the function's workspace. Displaying the value of the object's message
property returns information about the error (the surf function requires input
arguments). However, this is not all the information available in the MException object.
You can list the public properties of an object with the properties function:
properties(ME)
Properties for class MException:
1-4
identifier
message
cause
stack
Objects Organize Data
The information returned in an MException object is stored in properties, which

are much like structure fields. You reference a property using dot notation, as in
ME.message. This reference returns the value of the property. For example,
class(ME.message)
ans =
char
shows that the value of the message property is an array of class char (a text string).
The stack property contains a MATLAB struct:
ME.stack
ans =
file: [1x90 char]
name: 'surf'
line: 50
You can simply treat the property reference, ME.stack as a structure and reference its
fields:
ME.stack.file
ans =
D:\myMATLAB\matlab\toolbox\matlab\graph3d\surf.m
The file field of the struct contained in the stack property is a character array:
class(ME.stack.file)
ans =
char
You could, for example, use a property reference in MATLAB functions:
strcmp(ME.stack.name,'surf')
1-5
ans =
1
Object properties can contain any class of value and can even determine their value
dynamically. This provides more flexibility than a structure and is easier to investigate
than a cell array, which lacks fieldnames and requires indexing into various cells using
array dimensions.
Objects Manage Their Own Data
You could write a function that generates a report from the data returned by
MException object properties. This function could become quite complicated because
it would have to be able to handle all possible errors. Perhaps you would use different
functions for different try/catch blocks in your program. If the data returned by the
error object needed to change, you would have to update the functions you have written
to use the new data.
Objects provide an advantage in that objects define their own operations. A requirement
of the MException object is that it can generate its own report. The methods that
implement an object's operations are part of the object definition (i.e., specified by the
class that defines the object). The object definition might be modified many times, but the
interface your program (and other programs) use does not change. Think of your program
as a client of the object, which isolates your code from the object's code.
To see what methods exist for MException objects, use the methods function:
methods(ME)
Methods for class MException:
addCause getReport ne throw

eq isequal rethrow throwAsCaller
Static methods:
last
You can use these methods like any other MATLAB statement when there is an
MException object in the workspace. For example:
ME.getReport
ans =
Error using ==> surf
1-6
Objects often have methods that overload (redefined for the particular class of the object)
MATLAB functions (e.g., isequal, fieldnames, etc.). This enables you to use objects
just like other values. For example, MException objects have an isequal method.
This method enables you to compare these objects in the same way you would compare
variables containing doubles. If ME and ME2 are MException objects, you can compare
them with this statement:
isequal(ME,ME2)
However, what really happens in this case is MATLAB calls the MException isequal
method because you have passed MException objects to isequal.
Similarly, the eq method enables you to use the == operator with MException objects:
ME == ME2
Of course, objects should support only those methods that make sense. For example, it
would probably not make sense to multiply MException objects so the MException
class does not implement methods to do so.
When Should You Start Creating Object-Oriented Programs

Objects are well integrated into the MATLAB language, regardless of whether you are
writing simple functions, working interactively in the command window, or creating
large applications.
Simple programming tasks are easily implemented as simple functions, but as the
magnitude and complexity of your tasks increase, functions become more complex and
difficult to manage.
As functions become too large, you might break them into smaller functions and pass
data from one to the other. However, as the number of functions becomes large, designing
and managing the data passed to functions becomes difficult and error prone. At this
point, you should consider moving your MATLAB programming tasks to object-oriented
designs.
Understanding a Problem in Terms of Its Objects
Thinking in terms of things or objects is simpler and more natural for some problems.
You might think of the nouns in your problem statement as the objects you need to define
and the verbs as the operations you must perform.
1-7
For example, consider performing an analysis of economic institutions. It would be

difficult to represent the various institutions as procedures even though they are all
actors in the overall economy. Consider banks, mortgage companies, credit unions. You
can represent each institution as an object that performs certain actions and contains
certain data. The process of designing the objects involves identifying the characteristics
of these institutions that are important to your application.
Identify Commonalities
All of these institutions belong in the general class of lending institutions, so all objects
might provide a loan operation and have a Rate property that stores the current
interest rate.
Identify Differences
You must also consider how each institution differs. A mortgage company might provide
only home mortgage loans. Therefore, the loan operation might need be specialized
for mortgage companies to provide fixRateLoan and varRateLoan methods to
accommodate two loan types.
Consider Interactions
Institutions can interact, as well. For example, a mortgage company might sell a
mortgage to a bank. To support this activity, the mortgage company object would
support a sellMortgage operation and the bank object would support a buyMortgage
operation.
You might also define a loan object, which would represent a particular loan. It might
need Amount, Rate, and Lender properties. When the loan is sold to another institution,
the Lender property could be changed, but all other information is neatly packaged
within the loan object.
Add Only What Is Necessary
It is likely that these institutions engage in many activities that are not of interest to
your application. During the design phase, you need to determine what operations and
data an object needs to contain based on your problem definition.
Managing Data
Objects encapsulate the model of what the object represents. If the object represents a
kind of lending institution, all the behaviors of lending institutions that are necessary for
your application are contained by this object. This approach simplifies the management
of data that is necessary in a typical procedural program.
1-8
Objects Manage Internal State
In the simplest sense, objects are data structures that encapsulate some internal state,
which you access via its methods. When you invoke a method, it is the object that
determines exactly what code to execute. In fact, two objects of the same class might
execute different code paths for the same method invocation because their internal state
is different. The internal workings of the object need not be of concern to your program —
you simply use the interface the object provides.
Hiding the internal state from general access leads to more robust code. If a loan
object's Lender property can be changed only by the object's newLender method, then
inadvertent access is less likely than if the loan data were stored in a cell array where an
indexing assignment statement could damage the data.
Objects provide a number of useful features not available from structures and cell arrays.
For example, objects provide the ability to:
• Constrain the data assigned to any given property by executing a function to test
values whenever an assignment is made
• Calculate the value of a property only when it is queried and thereby avoid storing
data that might be dependent on the state of other data
• Broadcast notices when any property value is queried or changed, to which any
number of listeners can respond by executing functions
• Restrict access to properties and methods
Reducing Redundancy
As the complexity of your program increases, the benefits of an object-oriented design

become more apparent. For example, suppose you need to implement the following
procedure as part of your application:
1 Check inputs
2 Perform computation on the first input argument
3 Transform the result of step 2 based on the second input argument
4 Check validity of outputs and return values
This simple procedure is easily implemented as an ordinary function. But now suppose
you need to use this procedure again somewhere in your application, except that step
2 must perform a different computation. You could simply copy and paste the first
implementation, and then rewrite step 2. Or you could create a function that accepted an
1-9
option indicating which computation to make, and so on. However, these options lead to
more and more complicated code.
An object-oriented design could result in a simpler solution by factoring out the common
code into what is called a base class. The base class would define the algorithm used and
implement whatever is common to all cases that use this code. Step 2 could be defined
syntactically, but not implemented, leaving the specialized implementation to the classes
that you then derive from this base class.
Step 1
function checkInputs()
% actual implementation
end
Step 2
function results = computeOnFirstArg()
% specify syntax only
end
Step 3
function transformResults()
end
Step 4
function out = checkOutputs()
end
The code in the base class is not copied or modified, it is inherited by the various classes
you derive from the base class. This reduces the amount of code to be tested, and isolates
your program from changes to the basic procedure.
Defining Consistent Interfaces
The use of a class as the basis for similar, but more specialized classes is a useful
technique in object-oriented programming. This class is often called an interface class.
Incorporating this kind of class into your program design enables you to:
• Identify the requirements of a particular objective

• Encode these requirements into your program as an interface class
For example, suppose you are creating an object to return information about errors that
occur during the execution of specific blocks of code. There might be functions that return
1-10
special types of information that you want to include in an error report only when the
error is generated by these functions.
The interface class, from which all error objects are derived, could specify that all error
objects must support a getReport method, but not specify how to implement that
method. The class of error object created for the functions returning special information
could implement its version of the getReport method to handle the different data.
The requirement defined by the interface class is that all error objects be able to display
an error report. All programs that use this feature can rely on it being implement in a
consistent way.
All of the classes derived from the interface class can create a method called getReport
without any name conflicts because it is the class of the object that determines which
getReport is called.
Reducing Complexity
Objects reduce complexity by reducing what you need to know to use a component or
system. This happens in a couple of ways:
• Objects provide an interface that hides implementation details.

• Objects enforce rules that control how objects interact.
To illustrate these advantages, consider the implementation of a data structure called

a doubly linked list. See “Class to Implement Linked Lists” on page 3-36 for the
actually implementation.
Here is a diagram of a three-element list:
n1 n2 n3
Properties Properties Properties
Next Next Next
Prev Prev Prev
n2.Prev n2 n2.Next
To add a new node to the list, it is necessary to disconnect the existing nodes in the list,
insert the new node, and reconnect the nodes appropriately. Here are the basic steps:
First disconnect the nodes:
1-11
1 Unlink n2.Prev from n1

2 Unlink n1.Next from n2
Now create the new node, connect it, and renumber the original nodes:
1 Link new.Prev to n1
2 Link new.Next to n3 (was n2)
3 Link n1.Next to new (will be n2)
4 Link n3.Prev to new (will be n2)
n1 n2 n3 n4
Properties Properties Properties Properties
Next Next Next Next
Prev Prev Prev Prev
Newly inserted node
The details of how methods perform these steps are encapsulated in the class design.
Each node object contains the functionality to insert itself into or remove itself from the
list.
For example, in this class, every node object has an insertAfter method. To add a new
node to a list, create the node object and then call its insertAfter method:
nnew = NodeConstructor;
nnew.insertAfter(n1)
Because the node class defines the code that implements these operations, this code is:
• Implemented in an optimal way by the class author

• Always up to date with the current version of the class
• Well tested
• Can automatically update old-versions of the objects when they are loaded from MAT-
files.
The object methods enforce the rules for how the nodes interact. This design removes the
responsibility for enforcing rules from the applications that use the objects. It also means
the application is less likely to generate errors in its own implementation of the process.
1-12
Fostering Modularity
As you decompose a system into objects (car –> engine –> fuel system –> oxygen sensor),
you form modules around natural boundaries. These objects provide interfaces by which
they interact with other modules (which might be other objects or functions). Often the
data and operations behind the interface are hidden from other modules to segregate
implementation from interface.
Classes provide three levels of control over code modularity:
• Public — Any code can access this particular property or call this method.
• Protected — Only the object's own methods and those of the object's whose class has
been derived from this object's class can access this property or call this method.
• Private — Only the object's own methods can access this property or call this method.
Overloaded Functions and Operators
When you define a class, you can overload existing MATLAB functions to work with your
new object. For example, the MATLAB serial port class overloads the fread function to
read data from the device connected to the port represented by this object. You can define
various operations, such as equality (eq) or addition (plus), for a class you have defined
to represent your data.
Reduce Code Redundancy
Suppose your application requires a number of dialog windows to interact with users.
By defining a class containing all the common aspects of the dialog windows, and then
deriving the specific dialog classes from this base class, you can:
• Reuse code that is common to all dialog window implementations

• Reduce code testing effort due to common code
• Provide a common interface to dialog developers
• Enforce a consistent look and feel
• Apply global changes to all dialog windows more easily
Learning More
See “Classes in the MATLAB Language” on page 3-2 to learn more about writing
object-oriented MATLAB programs.
1-13
Class Diagram Notation

The diagrams representing classes that appear in this documentation follow the
conventions described in the following legend.
1-14
Class Diagram Notation
Concept Graphical representation Example
BankAccount
Object Properties
AccountNumber
AccountBalance
Employee
Class Properties
Name
Address
Asset
is_a
Stock
FileReader FileID
(aggregation)
has_a
Car Tire
(composition)
1-15
Handle Objects
In this section...
“What Is a Handle Object?” on page 1-16
“Copying Handles” on page 1-16
“Modifying Handle Objects in Functions” on page 1-17
“How to Determine If an Object Is a Handle” on page 1-19
“Deleted Handle Objects” on page 1-19
What Is a Handle Object?

Certain kinds of MATLAB objects are handles. When a variable holds a handle, it
actually holds a reference to the object.
Handle objects enable more than one variable to refer to the same information. Handle-
object behavior affects what happens when you copy handle objects and when you pass
them to functions.
Copying Handles
All copies of a handle object variable refer to the same underlying object. This means that
if h identifies a handle object, then,
h2 = h;
Creates another variable, h2, that refers to the same object as h.
For example, the MATLAB audioplayer function creates a handle object that contains
the audio source data to reproduce a specific sound segment. The variable returned by
the audioplayer function identifies the audio data and enables you to access object
functions to play the audio.
MATLAB software includes audio data that you can load and use to create an
audioplayer object. This sample load audio data, creates the audio player, and plays
the audio:
load gong Fs y
gongSound = audioplayer(y,Fs);
1-16
Handle Objects
play(gongSound)
Suppose you copy the gongSound object handle to another variable (gongSound2):
gongSound2 = gongSound;
The variables gongSound and gongSound2 are copies of the same handle and, therefore,
refer to the same audio source. Access the audioplayer information using either
variable.
For example, set the sample rate for the gong audio source by assigning a new value to
the SampleRate property. First get the current sample rate and then set a new sample
rate:
sr = gongSound.SampleRate
sr =
8192
gongSound.SampleRate = sr*2;
You can use gongSound2 to access the same audio source:

gongSound2.SampleRate
ans =
16384
Play the gong sound with the new sample rate:

play(gongSound2)
Modifying Handle Objects in Functions

When you pass an argument to a function, the function copies the variable from the
workspace in which you call the function into the parameter variable in the function’s
workspace.
Passing a nonhandle variable to a function does not affect the original variable that is
in the caller’s workspace. For example, myFunc modifies a local variable called var, but
when the function ends, the local variable var no longer exists:
function myFunc(var)
1-17
var = var + 1;
end
Define a variable and pass it to myfunc:
x = 12;
myFunc(x)
The value of x has not changed after executing myFunc(x):
x =
12
The myFunc function can return the modified value, which you could assign to the same
variable name (x) or another variable.
function out = myFunc(var)

out = var + 1;
end
Modify a value in myfunc:
x = 12;
x = myFunc(x)
x =
13
When the argument is a handle variable, the function copies only the handle, not the
object identified by that handle. Both handles (original and local copy) refer to the same
object.
When the function modifies the data referred to by the object handle, those changes are
accessible from the handle variable in the calling workspace without the need to return
the modified object.
For example, the modifySampleRate function changes the audioplayer sample rate:
function modifySampleRate(audioObj,sr)
audioObj.SampleRate = sr;
end
1-18
Handle Objects
Create an audioplayer object and pass it to the modifySampleRate function:

load gong Fs y
gongSound.SampleRate
ans =
8192
modifySampleRate(gongSound,16384)
ans =
16384
The modifySampleRate function does not need to return a modified gongSound object
because audioplayer objects are handle objects.
How to Determine If an Object Is a Handle

Handle objects are members of the handle class. Therefore, you can always identify an
object as a handle using the isa function. isa returns logical true (1) when testing for a
handle variable:
load gong Fs y00
isa(gongSound,'handle')
ans =
To determine if a variable is a valid handle object, use isa and isvalid:

if isa(gongSound,'handle') && isvalid(gongSound)
...
end
Deleted Handle Objects

When a handle object has been deleted, the handle variables that referenced the object
can still exist. These variables become invalid because the object they referred to no
1-19
longer exists. Calling delete on the object removes the object, but does not clear handle
variables.
For example, create an audioplayer object:

load gong Fs y
The output argument, gongSound, is a handle variable. Calling delete deletes the
object along with the audio source information it contains:
delete(gongSound)
However, the handle variable still exists:

gongSound
gongSound =
handle to deleted audioplayer
The whos command shows gongSound as an audioplayer object:

whos
Name Size Bytes Class Attributes
Fs 1x1 8 double
gongSound 1x1 104 audioplayer
y 42028x1 336224 double
The handle gongSound no longer refers to a valid object:

isvalid(gongSound)
ans =
You cannot call functions on the invalid handle variable:

play(gongSound)
Invalid or deleted object.
You cannot access properties with the invalid handle variable:
1-20
Handle Objects
To remove the variable, gongSound, use clear:
clear gongSound
whos
Fs 1x1 8 double
y 42028x1 336224 double
1-21
2
Basic Example
2 Basic Example
A Simple Class
In this section...
“Define a Simple Class” on page 2-2
“Create an Object” on page 2-3
“Access Properties” on page 2-3
“Call Methods” on page 2-3
“Add a Constructor” on page 2-4
“Vectorize Methods” on page 2-5
“Overloading Functions” on page 2-6
“BasicClass Code Listing” on page 2-6
Define a Simple Class

The basic purpose of a class is to define an object that encapsulates data and the
operations performed on that data. For example, BasicClass defines a property and two
methods that operate on the data in that property:
• Value — Property that contains the data stored in an object of the class
• roundOff — Method that rounds the value of the property to two decimal places
• multiplyBy — Method that multiplies the value of the property by the specified
number
Here is the definition of BasicClass:

classdef BasicClass
properties
Value
end
methods
function r = roundOff(obj)
r = round([obj.Value],2);
end
function r = multiplyBy(obj,n)
r = [obj.Value] * n;
end
end
end
2-2
A Simple Class
To use the class, create an object of the class, assign the class data, and call operations on
that data.
Related Information
For more information on defining classes, see classdef.
Create an Object
Create an object of the class using the class name:
a = BasicClass
a =
BasicClass with properties:
Value: []
Initially, the property value is empty.
Access Properties
Assign a value to the OriginalValue property using the object variable and a dot before
the property name:
a.Value = pi/3;
To access a property value, use dot notation without the assignment:

a.Value
ans =
1.0472
Related Information
For more information on class properties, see “Defining Properties”
Call Methods
Call the roundOff method on object a:
2-3
2 Basic Example
a = BasicClass(pi/3);
roundOff(a)
ans =
1.0500
Pass the object as the first argument to a method that takes multiple arguments:
multiplyBy(a,3)
ans =
3.1416
You can also call a method using dot notation:

a.multiplyBy(3)
It is not necessary to pass the object explicitly as an argument when using dot notation.
The notation uses the object to the left of the method name.
Related Information
For more information on class methods, see “Ordinary Methods”
Add a Constructor
Classes can define a special method to create objects, called a constructor. Constructor
methods enable you to validate and assign property values. Here is a constructor for the
BasicClass class:
methods
function obj = BasicClass(val)
if nargin > 0
if isnumeric(val)
obj.Value = val;
else
error('Value must be numeric')
end
end
end
end
The constructor enables you to create an object in one step:
2-4
A Simple Class
a = BasicClass(pi/3)
a =
BasicClass with properties:
Value: 1.0472
This constructor also performs type checking on the input argument. For example:
a = BasicClass('A character array')
Error using BasicClass (line 11)

Value must be numeric
Related Information
For more information on constructors, see “Class Constructor Methods”
Vectorize Methods
MATLAB enables you to vectorize operations. For example, you can add a number to a
vector:
[1 2 3] + 2
ans =
3 4 5
MATLAB adds the number 2 to each of the elements in the array [1 2 3]. To vectorize
the arithmetic operator methods, enclose the Value property reference in brackets.
[obj.Value] + 2
By using vector notation, a can be an array:

a(1) = BasicClass(2.7984);
a(2) = BasicClass(sin(pi/3));
a(3) = BasicClass(7);
roundOff(a)
ans =
2.8000 0.8700 7.0000
2-5
2 Basic Example
Overloading Functions
Classes can implement existing functionality, such as addition, by defining a method
with the same name as the existing MATLAB function. For example, suppose you want
to add two BasicClass object. It makes sense to add the values of the ObjectValue
properties of each object.
Here is an overload of the MATLAB plus function. It defines addition for this class as
adding the property values:
method
function r = plus(o1,o2)
r = [o1.Value] + [o2.Value];
end
end
By implementing a method called plus, you can use the “+” operator with objects of
BasicClass.
a = BasicClass(pi/3);
b = BasicClass(pi/4);
a + b
ans =
1.8326
Related Information
For information on overloading functions, see “Overload Functions for Your Class”.
For information on overloading operators, see “Class Operator Implementations”.
BasicClass Code Listing

Here is the BasicClass definition after adding the features discussed in this topic:
classdef BasicClass
properties
Value
end
methods
function obj = BasicClass(val)
2-6
A Simple Class
if nargin == 1
if isnumeric(val)
obj.Value = val;
else
error('Value must be numeric')
end
end
end
function r = roundOff(obj)
r = round([obj.Value],2);
end
function r = multiplyBy(obj,n)
r = [obj.Value] * n;
end
function r = plus(o1,o2)
r = [o1.Value] + [o2.Value];
end
end
end
2-7
3
MATLAB Classes Overview
• “Classes in the MATLAB Language” on page 3-2

• “Developing Classes — Typical Workflow” on page 3-8
• “Class to Manage Writable Files” on page 3-19
• “Class to Represent Structured Data” on page 3-24
• “Class to Implement Linked Lists” on page 3-36
• “Class for Graphing Functions” on page 3-54
3 MATLAB Classes Overview
Classes in the MATLAB Language

In this section...
“Classes” on page 3-2
“Some Basic Relationships” on page 3-4
Classes
In the MATLAB language, every value is assigned to a class. For example, creating a
variable with an assignment statement constructs a variable of the appropriate class:
a = 7;
b = 'some text';
s.Name = 'Nancy';
s.Age = 64;
whos
whos
a 1x1 8 double
b 1x9 18 char
s 1x1 370 struct
Basic commands like whos display the class of each value in the workspace. This
information helps MATLAB users recognize that some values are characters and display
as text while other values are double precision numbers, and so on. Some variables can
contain different classes of values like structures.
Predefined Classes
MATLAB defines fundamental class that comprise the basic types used by the language.
For more information, see “Fundamental MATLAB Classes”.
User-Defined Classes
You can create your own MATLAB classes. For example, you could define a class to
represent polynomials. This class could define the operations typically associated with
MATLAB classes, like addition, subtraction, indexing, displaying in the command
window, and so on. These operations would need to perform the equivalent of polynomial
addition, polynomial subtraction, and so on. For example, when you add two polynomial
objects:
3-2
p1 + p2
the plus operation must be able to add polynomial objects because the polynomial class
defines this operation.
When you define a class, you can overload special MATLAB functions (such as plus.m
for the addition operator). MATLAB calls these methods when users apply those
operations to objects of your class.
See “Class Design for Polynomials” on page 18-2 for an example that creates just
such a class.
MATLAB Classes — Key Terms
MATLAB classes use the following words to describe different parts of a class definition
and related concepts.
• Class definition — Description of what is common to every instance of a class.

• Properties — Data storage for class instances
• Methods — Special functions that implement operations that are usually performed
only on instances of the class
• Events — Messages that are defined by classes and broadcast by class instances when
some specific action occurs
• Attributes — Values that modify the behavior of properties, methods, events, and
classes
• Listeners — Objects that respond to a specific event by executing a callback function
when the event notice is broadcast
• Objects — Instances of classes, which contain actual data values stored in the objects'
properties
• Subclasses — Classes that are derived from other classes and that inherit the
methods, properties, and events from those classes (subclasses facilitate the reuse of
code defined in the superclass from which they are derived).
• Superclasses — Classes that are used as a basis for the creation of more specifically
defined classes (i.e., subclasses).
• Packages — Folders that define a scope for class and function naming
These are general descriptions of these components and concepts. This documentation
describes all of these components in detail.
3-3
Some Basic Relationships

This section discusses some of the basic concepts used by MATLAB classes.
Classes
A class is a definition that specifies certain characteristics that all instances of the class
share. These characteristics are determined by the properties, methods, and events that
define the class and the values of attributes that modify the behavior of each of these
class components. Class definitions describe how objects of the class are created and
destroyed, what data the objects contain, and how you can manipulate this data.
Class Hierarchies
It sometimes makes sense to define a new class in terms of existing classes. This
enables you to reuse the designs and techniques in a new class that represents a similar
entity. You accomplish this reuse by creating a subclass. A subclass defines objects
that are a subset of those defined by the superclass. A subclass is more specific than its
superclass and might add new properties, methods, and events to those inherited from
the superclass.
Mathematical sets can help illustrate the relationships among classes. In the following
diagram, the set of Positive Integers is a subset of the set of Integers and a subset of
Positive numbers. All three sets are subsets of Real numbers, which is a subset of All
Numbers.
The definition of Positive Integers requires the additional specification that members of
the set be greater than zero. Positive Integers combine the definitions from both Integers
and Positives. The resulting subset is more specific, and therefore more narrowly defined,
than the supersets, but still shares all the characteristics that define the supersets.
3-4
All
Numbers
Integers
Positive
Integers
Positives
Reals
The “is a” relationship is a good way to determine if it is appropriate to define a

particular subset in terms of existing supersets. For example, each of the following
statements makes senses:
• A Positive Integer is an Integer

• A Positive Integer is a Positive number
If the “is a” relationship holds, then it is likely you can define a new class from a class or
classes that represent some more general case.
Reusing Solutions
Classes are usually organized into taxonomies to foster code reuse. For example, if
you define a class to implement an interface to the serial port of a computer, it would
probably be very similar to a class designed to implement an interface to the parallel
port. To reuse code, you could define a superclass that contains everything that is
common to the two types of ports, and then derive subclasses from the superclass in
which you implement only what is unique to each specific port. Then the subclasses
would inherit all of the common functionality from the superclass.
3-5
Objects
A class is like a template for the creation of a specific instance of the class. This instance
or object contains actual data for a particular entity that is represented by the class. For
example, an instance of a bank account class is an object that represents a specific bank
account, with an actual account number and an actual balance. This object has built into
it the ability to perform operations defined by the class, such as making deposits to and
withdrawals from the account balance.
Objects are not just passive data containers. Objects actively manage the data contained
by allowing only certain operations to be performed, by hiding data that does not need
to be public, and by preventing external clients from misusing data by performing
operations for which the object was not designed. Objects even control what happens
when they are destroyed.
Encapsulating Information
An important aspect of objects is that you can write software that accesses the
information stored in the object via its properties and methods without knowing
anything about how that information is stored, or even whether it is stored or calculated
when queried. The object isolates code that accesses the object from the internal
implementation of methods and properties. You can define classes that hide both data
and operations from any methods that are not part of the class. You can then implement
whatever interface is most appropriate for the intended use.
References
[1] Shalloway, A., J. R. Trott, Design Patterns Explained A New Perspective on Object-
Oriented Design.. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley 2002.
[2] Gamma, E., R. Helm, R. Johnson, J. Vlissides, Design Patterns Elements of Reusable
Object-Oriented Software. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley 1995.
[3] Freeman, E., Elisabeth Freeman, Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates, Head First Design
Patterns. Sebastopol, CA 2004.
Related Examples
• “A Simple Class”
3-6

• “Class to Manage Writable Files” on page 3-19
• “Class to Implement Linked Lists” on page 3-36
External Web Sites

• Object Oriented Programming
3-7
Developing Classes — Typical Workflow

In this section...
“Formulating a Class” on page 3-8
“Specifying Class Components” on page 3-9
“BankAccount Class Implementation” on page 3-10
“Formulating the AccountManager Class” on page 3-14
“Implementing the AccountManager Class” on page 3-15
“AccountManager Class Synopsis” on page 3-15
“Using BankAccount Objects” on page 3-17
Formulating a Class
This example discusses how to approach the design and implementation of a class. The
objective of this class is to represent a familiar concept (a bank account). However, you
can apply the same approach to most class designs.
To design a class that represents a bank account, first determine the elements of data
and the operations that form your abstraction of a bank account. For example, a bank
account has:
• An account number
• An account balance
• A status (open, closed, etc.)
You must perform certain operations on a bank account:
• Create an object for each bank account

• Deposit money
• Withdraw money
• Generate a statement
• Save and load the BankAccount object
If the balance is too low and you attempt to withdraw money, the bank account
broadcasts a notice. When this event occurs, the bank account broadcasts a notice to
other entities that are designed to listen for these notices. In this example, a simplified
version of an account manager program performs this task.
3-8
In this example, an account manager program determines the status of all bank
accounts. This program monitors the account balance and assigns one of three values:
• open — Account balance is a positive value

• overdrawn — Account balance is overdrawn, but by $200 or less.
• closed — Account balance is overdrawn by more than $200.
These features define the requirements of the BankAccount and AccountManager

classes. Include only what functionality is required to meet your specific objectives.
Support special types of accounts by subclassing BankAccount and adding more specific
features to the subclasses. Extend the AccountManager as required to support new
account types.
Specifying Class Components

Classes store data in properties, implement operations with methods, and support
notifications with events and listeners. Here is how the BankAccount and
AccountManager classes define these components.
Class Data
The class defines these properties to store the account number, account balance, and the
account status:
• AccountNumber — A property to store the number identifying the specific account.

MATLAB assigns a value to this property when you create an instance of the class.
Only BankAccount class methods can set this property. The SetAccess attribute is
private.
• AccountBalance — A property to store the current balance of the account. The
class operation of depositing and withdrawing money assigns values to this property.
Only BankAccount class methods can set this property. The SetAccess attribute is
private.
• AccountStatus — The BankAccount class defines a default value for this property.
The AccountManager class methods change this value whenever the value of
the AccountBalance falls below 0. The Access attribute specifies that only the
AccountManager and BankAccount classes have access to this property.
• AccountListener — Storage for the InsufficentFunds event listener. Saving
a BankAccount object does not save this property because you must recreate the
listener when loading the object.
3-9
Class Operations
These methods implement the operations defined in the class formulation:
• BankAccount — Accepts an account number and an initial balance to create an

object that represents an account.
• deposit — Updates the AccountBalance property when a deposit transaction
occurs
• withdraw — Updates the AccountBalance property when a withdrawal transaction
occurs
• getStatement — Displays information about the account
• loadobj — Recreates the account manager listener when you load the object from a
MAT-file.
Class Events
The account manager program changes the status of bank accounts that have
negative balances. To implement this action, the BankAccount class triggers an event
when a withdrawal results in a negative balance. Therefore, the triggering of the
InsufficientsFunds event occurs from within the withdraw method.
To define an event, specify a name within an events block. Trigger the event by a call
to the notify handle class method. Because InsufficientsFunds is not a predefined
event, you can name it with any string and trigger it with any action.
BankAccount Class Implementation

It is important to ensure that there is only one set of data associated with any object of
a BankAccount class. You would not want independent copies of the object that could
have, for example, different values for the account balance. Therefore, implement the
BankAccount class as a handle class. All copies of a given handle object refer to the
same data.
BankAccount Class Synopsis
BankAccount Class Discussion

classdef BankAccount < handle Handle class because
there should be only one
copy of any instance of
3-10

BankAccount.“Comparing
Handle and Value Classes”
properties (SetAccess = private) AccountStatus property access
by AccountManager class
AccountNumber
AccountBalance
end methods.
properties (Transient)
AccountNumber and
AccountListener
end
AccountBalance properties
have private set access.
AccountListener property
is transient so the listener
handle is not saved.
See “Specify Property

Attributes”.
events Class defines event called
InsufficientFunds
end InsufficentFunds. withdraw
method triggers event when
account balance becomes
negative.
For information on events and

listeners, see “Events” .
methods Block of ordinary methods. See
“Methods and Functions” for
syntax.
Constructor initializes property
function BA = BankAccount(AccountNumber,InitialBalance)
values with input arguments.

BA.AccountNumber = AccountNumber;
BA.AccountBalance = InitialBalance;
BA.AccountListener = AccountManager.addAccount(BA);
end AccountManager.addAccount
is static method of
AccountManager class.
Creates listener for
InsufficientFunds event
and stores listener handle in
AccountListener property.
3-11

function deposit(BA,amt) deposit adjusts value of
AccountBalance property.
BA.AccountBalance = BA.AccountBalance + amt;
if BA.AccountBalance > 0
BA.AccountStatus = 'open';
end If AccountStatus is closed
and subsequent deposit brings
end
AccountBalance into positive

range, then AccountStatus is
reset to open.
function withdraw(BA,amt) Updates AccountBalance
property. If value of account
if (strcmp(BA.AccountStatus,'closed')&& ...
BA.AccountBalance < 0)
disp(['Account ',num2str(BA.AccountNumber),... balance is negative as result of
' has been closed.'])
return
the withdrawal, notify triggers
end InsufficentFunds event.
newbal = BA.AccountBalance - amt;
BA.AccountBalance = newbal;
if newbal < 0
For more information on
notify(BA,'InsufficientFunds') listeners, see “Events and
end Listeners — Syntax and
Techniques”.
end
function getStatement(BA) Display selected information

about the account.
disp('-------------------------')
disp(['Account: ',num2str(BA.AccountNumber)])
ab = sprintf('%0.2f',BA.AccountBalance);
disp(['CurrentBalance: ',ab])
disp(['Account Status: ',BA.AccountStatus])
disp('-------------------------')
end
end End of ordinary methods block.
methods (Static)
Beginning of static methods

block. See “Static Methods”
3-12

function obj = loadobj(s) loadobj method:
if isstruct(s)
• If the load operation fails,

accNum = s.AccountNumber;
initBal = s.AccountBalance;
obj = BankAccount(accNum,initBal); create the object from a
else
obj.AccountListener = AccountManager.addAccount(s);
struct.
end • Recreates the listener
using the newly created
end
BankAccount object as the

source.
For more information on saving

and loading objects, see “Save
and Load Process”
end End of static methods block
end
End of classdef
Expand for Class Code

classdef BankAccount < handle
properties (Access = ?AccountManager)
AccountStatus = 'open';
end
properties (SetAccess = private)
AccountNumber
AccountBalance
end
AccountListener
end
events
InsufficientFunds
end
methods
function BA = BankAccount(accNum,initBal)
BA.AccountNumber = accNum;
BA.AccountBalance = initBal;
BA.AccountListener = AccountManager.addAccount(BA);
end
function deposit(BA,amt)
BA.AccountBalance = BA.AccountBalance + amt;
3-13
if BA.AccountBalance > 0
end
end
function withdraw(BA,amt)
if (strcmp(BA.AccountStatus,'closed')&& BA.AccountBalance <= 0)
disp(['Account ',num2str(BA.AccountNumber),' has been closed.'])
return
end
newbal = BA.AccountBalance - amt;
BA.AccountBalance = newbal;
if newbal < 0
notify(BA,'InsufficientFunds')
end
end
function getStatement(BA)
disp('-------------------------')
disp(['Account: ',num2str(BA.AccountNumber)])
ab = sprintf('%0.2f',BA.AccountBalance);
disp(['CurrentBalance: ',ab])
disp(['Account Status: ',BA.AccountStatus])
disp('-------------------------')
end
end
methods (Static)
function obj = loadobj(s)
if isstruct(s)
accNum = s.AccountNumber;
initBal = s.AccountBalance;
obj = BankAccount(accNum,initBal);
else
obj.AccountListener = AccountManager.addAccount(s);
end
end
end
end
Formulating the AccountManager Class

The purpose of the AccountManager class is to provide services to accounts. For the
BankAccount class, the AccountManager class listens for withdrawals that cause the
balance to drop into the negative range. When the BankAccount object triggers the
InsufficientsFunds event, the AccountManager resets the account status.
3-14
The AccountManager class stores no data so it does not need properties. The
BankAccount object stores the handle of the listener object.
The AccountManager performs two operations:
• Assign a status to each account as a result of a withdrawal

• Adds an account to the system by monitoring account balances.
Class Components
The AccountManager class implements two methods:
• assignStatus — Method that assigns a status to a BankAccount object. Serves as

the listener callback.
• addAccount — Method that creates the InsufficientFunds listener.
Implementing the AccountManager Class

The AccountManager class implements both methods as static because there is no need
for an AccountManager object. These methods operate on BankAccount objects.
The AccountManager is not intended to be instantiated. Separating the functionality of

the AccountManager class from the BankAccount class provides greater flexibility and
extensibility. For example, doing so enables you to:
• Extend the AccountManager class to support other types of accounts while keeping
the individual account classes simple and specialized.
• Change the criteria for the account status without affecting the compatibility of saved
and loaded BankAccount objects.
• Develop an Account superclass that factors out what is common to all accounts
without requiring each subclass to implement the account management functionality
AccountManager Class Synopsis

AccountManager Class Discussion
classdef AccountManager This class defines the
InsufficentFunds event
listener and the listener
callback.
3-15
AccountManager Class Discussion

methods (Static) There is no need to create an
instance of this class so the
methods defined are static. See
“Static Methods”.
function assignStatus(BA) The assignStatus method
is the callback for the
if BA.AccountBalance < 0
if BA.AccountBalance < -200
BA.AccountStatus = 'closed'; InsufficentFunds event
else
BA.AccountStatus = 'overdrawn';
listener. It determines the
end value of a BankAccount object
end AccountStatus property
based on the value of the
end
AccountBalance property.
The BankAccount class

constructor calls the
AccountManager addAccount
method to create and store this
listener.
function lh = addAccount(BA) addAccount creates the listener
for the InsufficentFunds
lh = addlistener(BA, 'InsufficientFunds', ...
@(src, ~)AccountManager.assignStatus(src));
end event that the BankAccount
class defines.
See “Control Listener Lifecycle”

end end statements for methods
and for classdef.
end

classdef AccountManager
methods (Static)
function assignStatus(BA)
if BA.AccountBalance < 0
if BA.AccountBalance < -200
BA.AccountStatus = 'closed';
else
end
end
3-16
end
function lh = addAccount(BA)
lh = addlistener(BA, 'InsufficientFunds', ...
@(src, ~)AccountManager.assignStatus(src));
end
end
end
Using BankAccount Objects

The BankAccount class, while overly simple, demonstrates how MATLAB classes
behave. For example, create a BankAccount object with an account number and an
initial deposit of $500:
BA = BankAccount(1234567,500)
BA =
BankAccount with properties:
AccountNumber: 1234567
AccountBalance: 500
AccountListener: [1x1 event.listener]
Use the getStatement method to check the status:
getStatement(BA)
-------------------------
Account: 1234567
CurrentBalance: 500.00
Account Status: open
-------------------------
Make a withdrawal of $600, which results in a negative account balance:
withdraw(BA,600)
getStatement(BA)
-------------------------
Account: 1234567
CurrentBalance: -100.00
Account Status: overdrawn
-------------------------
3-17
The $600 withdrawal triggered the InsufficientsFunds event. The current criteria
defined by the AccountManager class results in a status of overdrawn.
Make another withdrawal of $200:

withdraw(BA,200)
getStatement(BA)
-------------------------
Account: 1234567
CurrentBalance: -300.00
Account Status: closed
-------------------------
Now the AccountStatus has been set to closed by the listener and further attempts to
make withdrawals are blocked without triggering the event:
withdraw(BA,100)
Account 1234567 has been closed.
If the AccountBalance is returned to a positive value by a deposit, then the

AccountStatus is returned to open and withdrawals are allowed again:
deposit(BA,700)
getStatement(BA)
-------------------------
Account: 1234567
CurrentBalance: 400.00
Account Status: open
-------------------------
3-18
Class to Manage Writable Files

In this section...
“Flexible Workflow” on page 3-19
“Performing a Task with an Object” on page 3-19
“Defining the Filewriter Class” on page 3-19
“Using Filewriter Objects” on page 3-21
Flexible Workflow
The MATLAB language does not require you to define classes for all the code you write.
You can use objects along with ordinary functions. This section illustrates the use of an
object that implements the basic task of writing text to a file.
Performing a Task with an Object

One of the advantages of an object instead of writing a function to perform a task is that
objects can encapsulate related data. For example, consider the task of writing data to a
file. It involves the following steps:
• Opening a file for writing and saving the file identifier

• Using the file identifier to write data to the file
• Using the file identifier to close the file
Defining the Filewriter Class

This class writes text to a file. The advantage of using a class for this purpose is to:
• Hide private data — The caller does not need to manage the file identifier.
• Ensure only one file identifier is in use at any time — Copies of handle objects
reference the same file identifier as the original.
• Provide automatic file closing when the object is deleted — the object's delete
method takes care of cleanup without needing to be called explicitly.
The Filewriter class derives from the handle class. Therefore, a Filewriter object
is a handle object. All copies of handle objects reference the same internal data. There is
only one file identifier in use, even if you make copies of the object.
3-19
Also, handle classes define a delete method, which is called automatically when
MATLAB destroys a handle object. This example overrides the delete method. This
method closes the file before deleting the object and losing file identifier.
The Filewriter Class
classdef Filewriter < handle

properties (Access = private)
FileID
end
methods
function obj = Filewriter(filename)
obj.FileID = fopen(filename,'a');
end
function writeToFile(obj,text_str)
fprintf(obj.FileID,'%s\n',text_str);
end
function delete(obj)
fclose(obj.FileID);
end
end
end
Filewriter Class Synopsis
Filewriter Class Discussion

classdef Filewriter < handle This class derives from handle
to provide a single reference to
the file identifier and use the
class destructor to close the file.
For general information on class

destructors, see “Handle Class
Destructor”
properties (Access = private) Only Filewriter class methods
can access file identifier.
FileID
end
“Property Attributes”
3-20
Filewriter Class Discussion

methods For method syntax, see
“Methods and Functions”
function obj = Filewriter(filename) Class constructor opens file for
writing and saves file identifier
if nargin < 1
error('You must specify a filename')
else in private property. See fopen
end
obj.FileID = fopen(filename,'a');
and “Rules for Constructors”
end
function writeToFile(obj,text_str) Write a text string to open file.
See ferror and fseek.
fprintf(obj.FileID,'%s\n',text_str);
end
function delete(obj) delete method closes file before
destroying Filewriter object.
fclose(obj.FileID);
end
See “Handle Class Destructor”

and for classdef.
end
Using Filewriter Objects

Provides a file name to create a Filewriter object. Use the writeToFile method to
write text to the file. The following statements create a file named mynewclass.m and
write one line to it. The clear all command deletes the Filewriter object. Clearing
the object variable calls its delete method, which closes the file.
fw = Filewriter('MyNewClass.m');
writeToFile(fw,'classdef < handle')
clear fw
type MyNewClass
classdef MyNewClass < handle
Filewriter objects provide functionality that you can use from functions and
within other classes. You can create an ordinary function that uses this object, as the
writeClassFile function does below.
This example creates only one simple class template, but another version could accept a
cell array of attribute name/value pairs, method names, and so on.
function writeClassFile(classname,superclass)
3-21
fw = Filewriter([classname '.m']);
if nargin > 1
writeToFile(fw,['classdef ' classname ' < ' superclass])
else
writeToFile(fw,['classdef ' classname])
end
writeToFile(fw,' properties ')
writeToFile(fw,' ')
writeToFile(fw,' end')
writeToFile(fw,' ')
writeToFile(fw,' methods ')
writeToFile(fw,' function')
writeToFile(fw,' ')
writeToFile(fw,'end')
end
To create a class file template, call writeClassFile with the name of the new class and
its superclass. Use the type command to display the contents of the file:
writeClassFile('MyNewClass','handle')
edit MyNewClass
Here is the template file in the editor ready to add code:
3-22
See Also
fclose | fopen | fprintf
More About
• “Handle Class Destructor”
3-23
Class to Represent Structured Data
In this section...
“Objects As Data Structures” on page 3-24
“Structure of the Data” on page 3-24
“The TensileData Class” on page 3-25
“Create an Instance and Assign Data” on page 3-25
“Restrict Properties to Specific Values” on page 3-26
“Simplifying the Interface with a Constructor” on page 3-27
“Calculate Data on Demand” on page 3-28
“Displaying TensileData Objects” on page 3-29
“Method to Plot Stress vs. Strain” on page 3-30
“TensileData Class Synopsis” on page 3-31
Objects As Data Structures

This example defines a class for storing data with a specific structure. Using a consistent
structure for data storage makes it easier to create functions that operate on the data.
A MATLAB struct with field names describing the particular data element is a useful
way to organize data. However, a class can define both the data storage (properties) and
operations that you can perform on that data (methods). This example illustrates these
advantages.
Background for the Example
For this example, the data represents tensile stress/strain measurements. These data
are used to calculate the elastic modulus of various materials. In simple terms, stress is
the force applied to a material and strain is the resulting deformation. Their ratio defines
a characteristic of the material. While this is an over simplification of the process, it
suffices for this example.
Structure of the Data

This table describes the structure of the data.
3-24
Data Description
Material Character string identifying the type of material tested
SampleNumber Number of a particular test sample
Stress Vector of numbers representing the stress applied to
the sample during the test.
Strain Vector of numbers representing the strain at the
corresponding values of the applied stress.
Modulus Number defining an elastic modulus of the material
under test, which is calculated from the stress and
strain data
The TensileData Class

This example begins with a simple implementation of the class and builds on this
implementation to illustrate how features enhance the usefulness of the class.
The first version of the class provides only data storage. The class defines a property for
each of the required data elements.
classdef TensileData
properties
Material
SampleNumber
Stress
Strain
Modulus
end
end
Create an Instance and Assign Data

The following statements create a TensileData object and assign data to it:
td = TensileData;
td.Material = 'Carbon Steel';
td.SampleNumber = 001;
td.Stress = [2e4 4e4 6e4 8e4];
td.Strain = [.12 .20 .31 .40];
td.Modulus = mean(td.Stress./td.Strain);
3-25
Advantages of a Class vs. a Structure
Treat the TensileData object (td in the statements above) much as you would any
MATLAB structure. However, defining a specialized data structure as a class has
advantages over using a general-purpose data structure, like a MATLAB struct:
• Users cannot accidentally misspell a field name without getting an error. For
example, typing the following:
td.Modulis = ...
would simply add a new field to a structure, but returns an error when td is an
instance of the TensileData class.
• A class is easy to reuse. Once you have defined the class, you can easily extend it with
subclasses that add new properties.
• A class is easy to identify. A class has a name so that you can identify objects with the
whos and class functions and the Workspace browser. The class name makes it easy
to refer to records with a meaningful name.
• A class can validate individual field values when assigned, including class or value.
• A class can restrict access to fields, for example, allowing a particular field to be read,
but not changed.
Restrict Properties to Specific Values

Restrict properties to specific values by defining a property set access method. MATLAB
calls the set access method whenever setting a value for a property.
Material Property Set Function
The Material property set method restricts the assignment of the property to one of the
following strings: aluminum, stainless steel, or carbon steel.
Add this function definition to the methods block.
properties
Material
SampleNumber
Stress
Strain
3-26
Modulus
end
methods
function obj = set.Material(obj,material)
if (strcmpi(material,'aluminum') ||...
strcmpi(material,'stainless steel') ||...
strcmpi(material,'carbon steel'))
obj.Material = material;
else
error('Invalid Material')
end
end
end
end
When there is an attempt to set the Material property, MATLAB calls the
set.Material method before setting the property value.
If the value matches the acceptable values, the function set the property to that value.
The code within set method can access the property directly to avoid calling the property
set method recursively.
For example:
td = TensileData;
td.Material = 'brass';
Error using TensileData/set.Material

Invalid Material
Simplifying the Interface with a Constructor

Simplify the interface to the TensileData class by adding a constructor that:
• Enables you to pass the data as arguments to the constructor

• Assigns values to properties
The constructor is a method having the same name as the class.
methods
function td = TensileData(material,samplenum,stress,strain)
if nargin > 0
td.Material = material;
3-27
td.SampleNumber = samplenum;
td.Stress = stress;
td.Strain = strain;
end
end
end
Create a TensileData object fully populated with data using the following statement:
td = TensileData('carbon steel',1,...
[2e4 4e4 6e4 8e4],...
[.12 .20 .31 .40]);
Calculate Data on Demand

If the value of a property depends on the values of other properties, define that property
using the Dependent attribute. MATLAB does not store the values of dependent
properties. The dependent property get method determines the property value when the
property is queried.
Calculating Modulus
TensileData objects do not store the value of the Modulus property. The constructor
does not have an input argument for the value of the Modulus property. The value of the
Modulus:
• Is calculated from the Stress and Strain property values

• Needs to change if the value of the Stress or Strain property changes
Therefore, it is better to calculate the value of the Modulus property only when its value
is requested. Use a property get access method to calculate the value of the Modulus.
Modulus Property Get Method
The Modulus property depends on Stress and Strain, so its Dependent attribute
is true. Place the Modulus property in a separate properties block and set the
Dependent attribute.
The get.Modulus method calculates and returns the value of the Modulus property.
properties (Dependent)
3-28
Modulus
end
Define the property get method in a methods block using only default attributes.
methods
function modulus = get.Modulus(obj)
ind = find(obj.Strain > 0);
modulus = mean(obj.Stress(ind)./obj.Strain(ind));
end
end
This method calculates the average ratio of stress to strain data after eliminating zeros
in the denominator data.
MATLAB calls the get.Modulus method when the property is queried. For example,
[2e4 4e4 6e4 8e4],...
[.12 .20 .31 .40]);
td.Modulus
ans =
1.9005e+005
Modulus Property Set Method
To set the value of a Dependent property, the class must implement a property set
method. There is no need to allow explicit setting of the Modulus property. However, a
set method enables you to provide a customized error message. The Modulus set method
references the current property value and then returns an error:
methods
function obj = set.Modulus(obj,~)
fprintf('%s%d\n','Modulus is: ',obj.Modulus)
error('You cannot set the Modulus property');
end
end
Displaying TensileData Objects

The TensileData class overloads the disp method. This method controls object display
in the command window.
3-29
The disp method displays the value of the Material, SampleNumber, and Modulus
properties. It does not display the Stress and Strain property data. These properties
contain raw data that is not easily viewed in the command window.
The disp method uses fprintf to display formatted text in the command window:
methods
function disp(td)
fprintf(1,...
'Material: %s\nSample Number: %g\nModulus: %1.5g\n',...
td.Material,td.SampleNumber,td.Modulus);
end
end
Method to Plot Stress vs. Strain

It is useful to view a graph of the stress/strain data to determine the behavior of the
material over a range of applied tension. The TensileData class overloads the MATLAB
plot function.
The plot method creates a linear graph of the stress versus strain data and adds a title
and axis labels to produce a standardized graph for the tensile data records:
methods
function plot(td,varargin)
plot(td.Strain,td.Stress,varargin{:})
title(['Stress/Strain plot for Sample',...
num2str(td.SampleNumber)])
ylabel('Stress (psi)')
xlabel('Strain %')
end
end
The first argument to this method is a TensileData object, which contains the data.
The method passes a variable list of arguments (varargin) directly to the built-in plot
function. The TensileData plot method allows you to pass line specifier arguments or
property name/value pairs.
For example:
[2e4 4e4 6e4 8e4],[.12 .20 .31 .40]);
plot(td,'-+b','LineWidth',2)
3-30
TensileData Class Synopsis

Example Code Discussion
classdef TensileData Value class enables independent
copies of object. For more
information, see “Comparing
Handle and Value Classes”
properties See “Structure of the Data” on
page 3-24
Material
SampleNumber
Stress
Strain
end
3-31

properties (Dependent) Calculate Modulus when
queried. For information about
Modulus
end
this code, see “Calculate Data on
Demand” on page 3-28
For general information, see

“Access Methods for Dependent
Properties”
methods For general information
about methods, see “Ordinary
Methods”
function td = TensileData(material,samplenum,... For information about this code,
see “Simplifying the Interface
stress,strain)
if nargin > 0
td.Material = material; with a Constructor” on page
td.Stress = stress;
3-27
td.Strain = strain;
end For general information
end about constructors, see “Class
Constructor Methods”
function obj = set.Material(obj,material) Restrict possible values for
Material property.
obj.Material = material; For information about this
code, see “Restrict Properties
else
end to Specific Values” on page
end
3-26.
For general information about

property set methods, see
“Property Set Methods”.
3-32

function m = get.Modulus(obj) Calculate Modulus property
when queried.
m = mean(obj.Stress(ind)./obj.Strain(ind));
end
For information about this code,
see “Modulus Property Get
Method” on page 3-28.

property get methods, see
“Property Get Methods”.
function obj = set.Modulus(obj,~) Add set method for Dependent
Modulus property. For
error('You cannot set Modulus property);
end information about this code, see
“Modulus Property Set Method”
on page 3-29

property set methods, see
“Property Set Methods”.
function disp(td) Overload disp method to
display certain properties.
sprintf(1,'Material: %s\nSample Number: %g\nModulus: %1.5g\n',...
td.Material,td.SampleNumber,td.Modulus)
end
For information about this code,
see “Displaying TensileData
Objects”

overloading disp, see “Overload
the disp Function”
function plot(td,varargin) Overload plot function to accept
TensileData objects and graph
title(['Stress/Strain plot for Sample',...
num2str(td.SampleNumber)]) stress vs. strain.
“Method to Plot Stress vs.
xlabel('Strain %')
end
Strain”
end end statements for methods and
for classdef.
end
3-33
properties
Material
SampleNumber
Stress
Strain
end
Modulus
end
methods
function td = TensileData(material,samplenum,stress,strain)
if nargin > 0
td.Material = material;
td.Stress = stress;
td.Strain = strain;
end
end
function obj = set.Material(obj,material)

obj.Material = material;
else
end
end
function m = get.Modulus(obj)
m = mean(obj.Stress(ind)./obj.Strain(ind));
end
function obj = set.Modulus(obj,~)

error('You cannot set Modulus property');
end
function disp(td)
3-34
sprintf('Material: %s\nSample Number: %g\nModulus: %1.5g\n',...

td.Material,td.SampleNumber,td.Modulus)
end
function plot(td,varargin)
title(['Stress/Strain plot for Sample ',...
num2str(td.SampleNumber)])
xlabel('Strain %')
end
end
end
More About
3-35
Class to Implement Linked Lists

In this section...
“Class Definition Code” on page 3-36
“dlnode Class Design” on page 3-36
“Create Doubly Linked List” on page 3-37
“Why a Handle Class for Linked Lists?” on page 3-38
“dlnode Class Synopsis” on page 3-39
“Specialize the dlnode Class” on page 3-51
Class Definition Code

For the class definition code listing, see “dlnode Class Synopsis” on page 3-39.
To use the class, create a folder named @dlnode and save dlnode.m to this folder. The
parent folder of @dlnode must be on the MATLAB path. Alternatively, save dlnode.m
to a path folder.
dlnode Class Design

dlnode is a class for creating doubly linked lists in which each node contains:
• Data array
• Handle to the next node
• Handle to the previous node
Each node has methods that enables the node to be:
• Inserted before a specified node in a linked list

• Inserted after a specific node in a linked list
• Removed from a list
Class Properties
The dlnode class implements each node as a handle object with three properties:
• Data — Contains the data for this node

• Next — Contains the handle of the next node in the list (SetAccess = private)
3-36
• Prev — Contains the handle of the previous node in the list (SetAccess =
private)
This diagram shows a list with three-nodes n1, n2, and n3. It also shows how the nodes
reference the next and previous nodes.
n1 n2 n3
Next Next Next
Prev Prev Prev
n2.Prev n2 n2.Next
Class Methods
The dlnode class implements the following methods:
• dlnode — Construct a node and assign the value passed as an input to the Data
property
• insertAfter — Insert this node after the specified node
• insertBefore — Insert this node before the specified node
• removeNode — Remove this node from the list and reconnect the remaining nodes
• clearList — Remove large lists efficiently
• delete — Private method called by MATLAB when deleting the list.
Create Doubly Linked List

Create a node by passing the node's data to the dlnode class constructor. For example,
these statements create three nodes with data values 1, 2, and 3:
n1 = dlnode(1);
n2 = dlnode(2);
n3 = dlnode(3);
Build these nodes into a doubly linked list using the class methods designed for this
purpose:
n2.insertAfter(n1) % Insert n2 after n1
n3.insertAfter(n2) % Insert n3 after n2
3-37
Now the three nodes are linked:

n1.Next % Points to n2
ans =
dlnode with properties:
Data: 2
Next: [1x1 dlnode]
Prev: [1x1 dlnode]
n2.Next.Prev % Points back to n2
ans =
Data: 2
Next: [1x1 dlnode]
Prev: [1x1 dlnode]
n1.Next.Next % Points to n3
ans =
Data: 3
Next: []
Prev: [1x1 dlnode]
n3.Prev.Prev % Points to n1
ans =
Data: 1
Next: [1x1 dlnode]
Prev: []
Why a Handle Class for Linked Lists?

Each node is unique in that no two nodes can be previous to or next to the same node.
3-38
For example, a node object, node, contains in its Next property the handle of the
next node object, node.Next. Similarly, the Prev property contains the handle of the
previous node, node.Prev. Using the three-node linked list defined in the previous
section, you can demonstrate that the following statements are true:
n1.Next == n2
n2.Prev == n1
Now suppose you assign n2 to x:

x = n2;
The following two equalities are then true:

x == n1.Next
x.Prev == n1
But each instance of a node is unique so there is only one node in the list that can satisfy
the conditions of being equal to n1.Next and having a Prev property that contains a
handle to n1. Therefore, x must point to the same node as n2.
This means there has to be a way for multiple variables to refer to the same object. The
MATLAB handle class provides a means for both x and n2 to refer to the same node.
The handle class defines the eq method (use methods('handle') to list the handle
class methods), which enables the use of the == operator with all handle objects.
Related Information
For more information on handle classes, see “Comparing Handle and Value Classes” on
page 6-2.
dlnode Class Synopsis

This section describes the implementation of the dlnode class.

classdef dlnode < handle “dlnode Class Design”
“Why a Handle Class for Linked Lists?”
“Comparing Handle and Value Classes”

properties “dlnode Class Design” on page 3-36
3-39

Data
end
properties (SetAccess = private) “Property Attributes”: SetAccess.
Next = dlnode.empty;
Prev = dlnode.empty;
end Initialize these properties to empty
dlnode objects.
For general information about properties,

see “Defining Properties”
methods For general information about methods,
see“How to Use Methods”
function node = dlnode(Data) Creating an individual node (not
connected) requires only the data.
if (nargin > 0)
node.Data = Data;
end
end For general information about
constructors, see “Rules for Constructors”
function insertAfter(newNode, nodeBefore) Insert node into a doubly linked list
after specified node, or link the two
removeNode(newNode);
newNode.Next = nodeBefore.Next;
newNode.Prev = nodeBefore; specified nodes if there is not already a
if ~isempty(nodeBefore.Next)
nodeBefore.Next.Prev = newNode;
list. Assigns the correct values for Next
end and Prev properties.
nodeBefore.Next = newNode;
end
“Insert Nodes”
function insertBefore(newNode, nodeAfter) Insert node into doubly linked list before
specified node, or link the two specified
newNode.Next = nodeAfter;
newNode.Prev = nodeAfter.Prev; nodes if there is not already a list. This
if ~isempty(nodeAfter.Prev)
nodeAfter.Prev.Next = newNode;
method assigns correct values for Next
end and Prev properties.
nodeAfter.Prev = newNode;
end
See “Insert Nodes”
3-40

function removeNode(node) Remove node and fix the list so that
remaining nodes are properly connected.
if ~isscalar(node)
error('Nodes must be scalar')
end node argument must be scalar.
prevNode = node.Prev;
Once there are no references to node,
nextNode = node.Next;
if ~isempty(prevNode)
prevNode.Next = nextNode; MATLAB deletes it.
end
if ~isempty(nextNode)
nextNode.Prev = prevNode;
“Remove a Node”
end
node.Next = = dlnode.empty;
node.Prev = = dlnode.empty;
end
function clearList(node) Avoid recursive calls to destructor as a
result of clearing the list variable. Loop
prev = node.Prev;
next = node.Next;
removeNode(node) through list to disconnect each node.
while ~isempty(next)
node = next;
When there are no references to a node,
next = node.Next; MATLAB calls the class destructor (see
removeNode(node); the delete method) before deleting it.
end
while ~isempty(prev)
node = prev;
prev = node.Prev;
removeNode(node)
end
end
methods (Access = private) Class destructor method. MATLAB calls
the delete method you delete a node
function delete(node)
clearList(node)
end that is still connected to the list.
end End of private methods and end of class
definition.
end

classdef dlnode < handle
% dlnode A class to represent a doubly-linked node.
% Link multiple dlnode objects together to create linked lists.
properties
Data
end
properties(SetAccess = private)
3-41
end
methods
function node = dlnode(Data)
% Construct a dlnode object
if nargin > 0
node.Data = Data;
end
end
function insertAfter(newNode, nodeBefore)

% Insert newNode after nodeBefore.
newNode.Prev = nodeBefore;
end
end
function insertBefore(newNode, nodeAfter)

% Insert newNode before nodeAfter.
newNode.Next = nodeAfter;
newNode.Prev = nodeAfter.Prev;
if ~isempty(nodeAfter.Prev)
nodeAfter.Prev.Next = newNode;
end
nodeAfter.Prev = newNode;
end
function removeNode(node)
% Remove a node from a linked list.
if ~isscalar(node)
error('Input must be scalar')
end
prevNode.Next = nextNode;
end
3-42
end
node.Next = dlnode.empty;
node.Prev = dlnode.empty;
end
function clearList(node)
% Clear the list before
% clearing list variable
prev = node.Prev;
next = node.Next;
removeNode(node)
node = next;
next = node.Next;
removeNode(node);
end
node = prev;
prev = node.Prev;
removeNode(node)
end
end
end
methods (Access = private)

clearList(node)
end
end
end
Class Properties
Only dlnode class methods can set the Next and Prev properties because these
properties have private set access (SetAccess = private). Using private set access
prevents client code from performing any incorrect operation with these properties. The
dlnode class methods perform all the operations that are allowed on these nodes.
The Data property has public set and get access, allowing you to query and modify the
value of Data as required.
Here is how the dlnode class defines the properties:
properties
3-43
Data
end
end
Construct a Node Object
To create a node object, specify the node's data as an argument to the constructor:
function node = dlnode(Data)

if nargin > 0
node.Data = Data;
end
end
Insert Nodes
There are two methods for inserting nodes into the list — insertAfter and
insertBefore. These methods perform similar operations, so this section describes only
insertAfter in detail.
function insertAfter(newNode, nodeBefore)

newNode.Prev = nodeBefore;
end
end
How insertAfter Works
First, insertAfter calls the removeNode method to ensure that the new node is not
connected to any other nodes. Then, insertAfter assigns the newNode Next and Prev
properties to the handles of the nodes that are after and before the newNode location in
the list.
For example, suppose you want to insert a new node, nnew, after an existing node, n1, in
a list containing n1—n2—n3.
First, create nnew:
3-44
nnew = dlnode(rand(3));
Next, call insertAfter to insert nnew into the list after n1:
nnew.insertAfter(n1)
The insertAfter method performs the following steps to insert nnew in the list
between n1 and n2:
• Set nnew.Next to n1.Next (n1.Next is n2):
nnew.Next = n1.Next;
• Set nnew.Prev to n1
nnew.Prev = n1;
• If n1.Next is not empty, then n1.Next is still n2, so n1.Next.Prev is n2.Prev,
which is set to nnew
n1.Next.Prev = nnew;
• n1.Next is now set to nnew
n1.Next = nnew;
Remove a Node
The removeNode method removes a node from a list and reconnects the remaining
nodes. The insertBefore and insertAfter methods always call removeNode on the
node to insert before attempting to connect it to a linked list.
3-45
Calling removeNode ensures the node is in a known state before assigning it to the Next
or Prev property:
function removeNode(node)
if ~isscalar(node)
end
prevNode.Next = nextNode;
end
end
node.Next = dlnode.empty;
node.Prev = dlnode.empty;
end
For example, suppose you remove n2 from a three-node list (n1–n2–n3):
n2.removeNode;
n1 n2 n3
Next Next Next
Prev Prev Prev
Disconnect the nodes
removeNode removes n2 from the list and reconnects the remaining nodes with the
following steps:
n1 = n2.Prev;
n3 = n2.Next;
if n1 exists, then
n1.Next = n3;
if n3 exists, then
3-46
n3.Prev = n1
The list is rejoined because n1 connects to n3 and n3 connects to n1. The final step is to
ensure that n2.Next and n2.Prev are both empty (i.e., n2 is not connected):
n2.Next = dlnode.empty;
n2.Prev = dlnode.empty;
Removing a Node From a List
Suppose you create a list with ten nodes and save the handle to the head of the list:
head = dlnode(1);
for i = 10:-1:2
new = dlnode(i);
insertAfter(new,head);
end
Now remove the third node (Data property assigned the value 3):
removeNode(head.Next.Next)
Now the third node in the list has a data value of 4:
head.Next.Next
ans =
Data: 4
Next: [1x1 dlnode]
Prev: [1x1 dlnode]
And the previous node has a Data value of 2:
head.Next
ans =
Data: 2
Next: [1x1 dlnode]
Prev: [1x1 dlnode]
3-47
Delete a Node
To delete a node, call the removeNode method on that node. The removeNode method
disconnects the node and reconnects the list before allowing MATLAB to destroy the
removed node. MATLAB destroys the node once references to it by other nodes are
removed and the list is reconnected.
n1 n2 n3
Next Next Next
Prev Prev Prev
>> removeNode(n2)
n2
Properties
Next
Prev
>> clear(n2)
MATLAB calls delete(n2)
Delete the List
When you create a linked list and assign a variable that contains, for example, the
head or tail of the list, clearing that variable causes the destructor to recurse through
the entire list. With large enough list, clearing the list variable can result in MATLAB
exceeding its recursion limit.
The clearList method avoids recursion and improves the performance of deleting large
lists by looping over the list and disconnecting each node. clearList accepts the handle
of any node in the list and removes the remaining nodes.
function clearList(node)
if ~isscalar(node)
3-48

end
prev = node.Prev;
next = node.Next;
removeNode(node)
node = next;
next = node.Next;
removeNode(node);
end
node = prev;
prev = node.Prev;
removeNode(node)
end
end
For example, suppose you create a list with a large number of nodes:
head = dlnode(1);
for k = 100000:-1:2
nextNode = dlnode(k);
insertAfter(nextNode,head)
end
The variable head contains the handle to the node at the head of the list:
head
head =
Data: 1
Next: [1x1 dlnode]
Prev: []
head.Next
ans =
Data: 2
Next: [1x1 dlnode]
3-49
Prev: [1x1 dlnode]
You can call clearList to remove the whole list:

clearList(head)
The only nodes that have not been deleted by MATLAB are those for which there exists
an explicit reference. In this case, those references are head and nextNode:
head
head =
Data: 1
Next: []
Prev: []
nextNode
nextNode =
Data: 2
Next: []
Prev: []
You can removed these nodes by clearing the variables:

clear head nextNode
The delete Method
The delete method simply calls the clearList method:

clearList(node)
end
end
The delete method has private access to prevent users from calling delete when
intending to delete a single node. MATLAB calls delete implicitly when the list is
destroyed.
3-50
To delete a single node from the list, use the removeNode method.
Specialize the dlnode Class

The dlnode class implements a doubly linked list and provides a convenient starting
point for creating more specialized types of linked lists. For example, suppose you want
to create a list in which each node has a name.
Rather than copying the code used to implement the dlnode class, and then expanding
upon it, you can derive a new class from dlnode (i.e., subclass dlnode). You can create
a class that has all the features of dlnode and also defines its own additional features.
And because dlnode is a handle class, this new class is a handle class too.
NamedNode Class Definition
To use the class, create a folder named @NamedNode and save NamedNode.m to this
folder. The parent folder of @NamedNode must be on the MATLAB path. Alternatively,
save NamedNode.m to a path folder.
The following class definition shows how to derive the NamedNode class from the dlnode
class:
classdef NamedNode < dlnode

properties
Name = '';
end
methods
function n = NamedNode (name,data)
if nargin == 0
name = '';
data = [];
end
n = n@dlnode(data);
n.Name = name;
end
end
end
The NamedNode class adds a Name property to store the node name.
The constructor calls the class constructor for the dlnode class, and then assigns a value
to the Name property.
3-51
Use NamedNode to Create a Doubly Linked List
Use the NamedNode class like the dlnode class, except that you specify a name for each
node object. For example:
n(1) = NamedNode('First Node',100);
n(2) = NamedNode('Second Node',200);
n(3) = NamedNode('Third Node',300);
Now use the insert methods inherited from dlnode to build the list:
n(2).insertAfter(n(1))
n(3).insertAfter(n(2))
A single node displays its name and data when you query its properties:
n(1).Next
ans =
NamedNode with properties:
Name: 'Second Node'

Data: 200
Next: [1x1 NamedNode]
Prev: [1x1 NamedNode]
n(1).Next.Next
ans =
Name: 'Third Node'

Data: 300
Next: []
Prev: [1x1 NamedNode]
n(3).Prev.Prev
ans =
Name: 'First Node'

Data: 100
3-52
Next: [1x1 NamedNode]

Prev: []
More About
• “The Handle Superclass”
3-53
Class for Graphing Functions

In this section...
“Class Definition Block” on page 3-54
“Using the topo Class” on page 3-55
“Behavior of the Handle Class” on page 3-56
The class block is the code that starts with the classdef key word and terminates with
the end key word. The following example illustrated a simple class definition that uses:
• Handle class
• Property set and get functions
• Use of a delete method for the handle object
• Static method syntax
Class Definition Block

The following code defines a class called topo. It is derived from handle so it is a handle
class, which means it references the data it contains. See “Using the topo Class” on page
3-55 for information on how this class behaves.
classdef topo < handle
% topo is a subclass of handle
properties
FigHandle % Store figure handle
FofXY % function handle
Lm = [-2*pi 2*pi]; % Initial limits
end % properties
properties (Dependent, SetAccess = private)

Data
end % properties Dependent = true, SetAccess = private
methods
function obj = topo(fnc,limits)
% Constructor assigns property values
obj.FofXY = fnc;
obj.Lm = limits;
end % topo
function set.Lm(obj,lim)
% Lm property set function
if ~(lim(1) < lim(2))
error('Limits must be monotonically increasing')
else
3-54
obj.Lm = lim;
end
end % set.Lm
function data = get.Data(obj)

% get function calculates Data
% Use class name to call static method
[x,y] = topo.grid(obj.Lm);
matrix = obj.FofXY(x,y);
data.X = x;
data.Y = y;
data.Matrix = matrix;% Return value of property
end % get.Data
function surflight(obj)
% Graph function as surface
obj.FigHandle = figure;
surfc(obj.Data.X,obj.Data.Y,obj.Data.Matrix,...
'FaceColor',[.8 .8 0],'EdgeColor',[0 .2 0],...
'FaceLighting','gouraud');
camlight left; material shiny; grid off
colormap copper
end % surflight method
% Delete the figure
h = obj.FigHandle;
if ishandle(h)
delete(h);
else
return
end
end % delete
end % methods
methods (Static = true) % Define static method

function [x,y] = grid(lim)
inc = (lim(2)-lim(1))/35;
[x,y] = meshgrid(lim(1):inc:lim(2));
end % grid
end % methods Static = true
end % topo class
Using the topo Class

This class is designed to display a combination surface/contour graph of mathematical
functions of two variables evaluated on a rectangular domain of x and y. For example,
any of the following functions can be evaluated over the specified domain (note that x
and y have the same range of values in this example just for simplicity).
x.*exp(-x.^2 - y.^2); [-2 2]
sin(x).*sin(y); [-2*pi 2*pi]
3-55
sqrt(x.^2 + y.^2); [-2*pi 2*pi]
To create an instance of the class, passing a function handle and a vector of limits to the
constructor. The easiest way to create a function handle for these functions is to use an
anonymous function:
tobj = topo(@(x,y) x.*exp(-x.^2-y.^2),[-2 2]);
The class surflight method uses the object to create a graph of the function. The actual
data required to create the graph is not stored. When the surflight method accesses
the Data property, the property's get function performs the evaluation and returns the
data in the Data property structure fields. This data is then plotted. The advantage of
not storing the data is the reduced size of the object.
Behavior of the Handle Class

The topo class is defined as a handle class. This means that instances of this class are
handle objects that reference the underlying data store created by constructing the
object. For example, suppose you create an instance of the class and create a copy of the
object:
tobj = topo(@(x,y) x.*exp(-x.^2-y.^2),[-2 2]);
a = tobj;
surflight(a)
3-56
Now suppose you change the FofXY property so that it contains a function handle that
points to another function:
tobj.FofXY = @(x,y) y.*exp(-x.^2-y.^2);
surflight(a)
Because a is a copy of the handle object tobj, changes to the data referenced by tobj
also change the data referenced by a.
How a Value Class Differs
If topo were a value class, the objects tobj and a would not share data; each would have
its own copy of the property values.
3-57
4
Class Definition—Syntax Reference
• “Class Files and Folders” on page 4-2

• “Class Components” on page 4-5
• “Classdef Block” on page 4-9
• “Properties” on page 4-11
• “Methods and Functions” on page 4-16
• “Methods In Separate Files” on page 4-20
• “Events and Listeners” on page 4-24
• “Attribute Specification” on page 4-26
• “Call Superclass Methods on Subclass Objects” on page 4-29
• “Representative Class Code” on page 4-31
• “MATLAB Code Analyzer Warnings” on page 4-36
• “Objects In Switch Statements” on page 4-38
• “Operations on Objects” on page 4-45
• “Using the Editor and Debugger with Classes” on page 4-49
• “Automatic Updates for Modified Classes” on page 4-50
• “Compatibility with Previous Versions ” on page 4-56
• “Comparing MATLAB with Other OO Languages” on page 4-59
4 Class Definition—Syntax Reference
Class Files and Folders

In this section...
“Options for Class Folders” on page 4-2
“Options for Class Files” on page 4-2
“Grouping Classes with Package Folders ” on page 4-3
Options for Class Folders

There are two ways create folders that contain class-definition files:
• Path folder — a folder that is on the MATLAB path.

• Class folder — a folder that is in a path folder and is name with the @ character and
the class name. For example:
@MyClass
Class folders are not directly on the MATLAB path. The path folder that contains the
class folder is on the MATLAB path.
Options for Class Files

There are two ways to specify classes with respect to files and folders:
• Create a single, self-contained class definition file in a path folder or a class folder
• Define a class in multiple files, which requires you to use a class folder inside a path
folder
Creating a Single, Self-Contained Class Definition File
Create a single, self-contained class definition file in a folder on the MATLAB® path.
The name of the file must match the class (and constructor) name and must have the .m
extension. Define the class entirely in this file. You can put other single-file classes in
this folder.
The following diagram shows an example of this folder organization. pathfolder is a

folder on the MATLAB path.
4-2
Class Files and Folders
pathfolder
ClassNameA.m Contains classdef and methods for ClassNameA
ClassNameB.m Contains classdef and methods for ClassNameB
ClassNameC.m Contains classdef and methods for ClassNameC
...
ordinaryFunction.m A function on the path
Distributing the Class Definition to Multiple Files
If you use multiple files to define a class, put all the class-definition files (the file
containing the classdef and all class method files) in a single @ClassName folder. That
class folder must be inside a folder that is on the MATLAB path. You can define only one
class in a class folder.
pathfolder
@ClassNameA
ClassNameA.m Contains classdef
classMethod.m Class method in separate file
ClassNameB.m Contains entire class definition
A path folder can contain classes defined in both class folders and single files without a
class folder.
Grouping Classes with Package Folders

The parent folder to a package folder is on the MATLAB path, but the package folder
is not. Package folders (which always begin with a + character) can contain multiple
class definitions, package-scoped functions, and other packages. A package folder
defines a new name space in which you can reuse class names. Use the package
name to refer to classes and functions defined in package folders (for example,
packagefld1.ClassNameA(), packagefld2.packageFunction()).
4-3
pathfolder
+packagefld1
@ClassNameA
ClassNameA.m Contains classdef
classMethod.m Class method in separate file
ClassNameB.m Contains entire class definition
+packagefld2 Defines a new name space
packageFunction.m
ClassNameA.m
ClassNameB.m
More About
• “Class and Path Folders” on page 5-14
• “Packages Create Namespaces” on page 5-19
• “Methods In Separate Files” on page 4-20
4-4
Class Components
Class Components
In this section...
“Class Building Blocks” on page 4-5
“Class Definition Block” on page 4-5
“Properties Block” on page 4-6
“Methods Block” on page 4-6
“Events Block” on page 4-7
“Enumeration Block” on page 4-8
“Related Information” on page 4-8
Class Building Blocks

MATLAB organizes class definition code into modular blocks, delimited by keywords. All
keywords have an associated end statement:
• classdef...end — Definition of all class components

• properties...end — Declaration of property names, specification of property
attributes, assignment of default values
• methods...end — Declaration of method signatures, method attributes, and
function code
• events...end — Declaration of event name and attributes
• enumeration...end — Declaration of enumeration members and enumeration
values
properties, methods, events, and enumeration are keywords only within a

classdef block.
Class Definition Block

The classdef block contains the class definition within a file that starts with the
classdef keyword and terminates with the end keyword.
classdef (ClassAttributes) ClassName < SuperClass
4-5
...
end
For example, this classdef defines a class called MyClass that sublcasses the handle
class, but cannot be used to derive subclasses:
classdef (Sealed) MyClass < handle

...
end
For more syntax information, see “Classdef Block” on page 4-9.
Properties Block
The properties block (one for each unique set of attribute specifications) contains
property definitions, including optional initial values. The properties block starts with
the properties keyword and terminates with the end keyword.
classdef ClassName
properties (PropertyAttributes)
...
end
...
end
For example, this class defines a property called Prop1 that has private access and has a
default value equal to the output of the date function.
classdef MyClass
Prop1 = date;
end
...
end
For more information, see “Properties” on page 4-11.
Methods Block
The methods block (one for each unique set of attribute specifications) contains function
definitions for the class methods. The methods block starts with the methods keyword
and terminates with the end keyword.
4-6
Class Components
classdef ClassName
methods (MethodAttributes)
...
end
...
end
For example:
classdef MyClass
function obj = myMethod(obj)
...
end
end
end
For more information, see “Methods and Functions” on page 4-16.
Events Block
The events block (one for each unique set of attribute specifications) contains the names
of events that this class declares. The events block starts with the events keyword and
terminates with the end keyword.
classdef ClassName
events (EventAttributes)
EventName
end
...
end
For example, this class defined an event called StateChange with a ListenAccess set
to protected:
classdef EventSource
events (ListenAccess = protected)
StateChanged
end
...
end
For more information, see “Events and Listeners” on page 4-24.
4-7
Enumeration Block
The enumeration block contains the enumeration members defined by the class. The
enumeration block starts with the enumeration keyword and terminates with the end
keyword.
classdef ClassName < SuperClass
enumeration
EnumerationMember
end
...
end
For example, this class defines two enumeration members that represent logical false
and true:
classdef Boolean < logical

enumeration
No (0)
Yes (1)
end
end
For more information, see “Working with Enumerations”.
Related Information
“Class and Path Folders”
4-8
Classdef Block
Classdef Block
In this section...
“Specifying Attributes and Superclasses” on page 4-9
“Assigning Class Attributes” on page 4-9
“Specifying Superclasses” on page 4-10
Specifying Attributes and Superclasses

The classdef block contains the class definition. The classdef line is where you
specify:
• Class attributes
• Superclasses
The classdef block contains the properties, methods, and events subblocks.
Assigning Class Attributes

Class attributes modify class behavior in some way. Assign values to class attributes only
when you want to change their default value.
No change to default attribute values:
classdef ClassName
...
end
One or more attribute values assigned:
classdef (attribute1 = value,...)

...
end
For example, the TextString class specifies that it cannot be used to derive subclasses:
classdef TextString (Sealed)

...
end
4-9
For a list of attributes and a discussion of the behaviors they control, see “Class
Attributes” on page 5-5 .
Specifying Superclasses
Derive a class from one or more other classes by specifying the superclasses on the
classdef line:
classdef ClassName < SuperclassName

...
end
For example, the LinkedList class inherits from classes called Array and handle:
classdef LinkedList < Array & handle

...
end
For more information on superclasses, see “Creating Subclasses — Syntax and

Techniques” on page 11-7
4-10
Properties
Properties
In this section...
“What You Can Define” on page 4-11
“Initializing Property Values” on page 4-11
“Defining Default Values” on page 4-12
“Assigning Property Values from the Constructor” on page 4-12
“Initializing Properties to Unique Values” on page 4-13
“Property Attributes” on page 4-13
“Property Access Methods” on page 4-14
“Referencing Object Properties Using Variables” on page 4-15
What You Can Define

You can control aspects of property definitions in the following ways:
• Specify a default value for each property individually

• Assign property values in a class constructor
• Assign property attribute values on a per block basis
• Define methods that execute when the property is set or queried
Note: Always use case sensitive property names in your MATLAB code. Properties
cannot have the same name as the class.
Initializing Property Values
There are two basic approaches to initializing property values:
• In the property definition — MATLAB evaluates the expression only once and assigns
the same value to the property of every instance.
• In a class constructor — MATLAB evaluates the assignment expression for each
instance, which ensures that each instance has a unique value.
4-11
Defining Default Values

Within a properties block, you can control an individual property's default value.
Default values can be constant values or MATLAB expressions. Expressions cannot
reference variables. For example:
classdef ClassName
properties
Prop1 % No default value assigned
Prop2 = 'some text';
Prop3 = sin(pi/12); % Expression returns default value
end
end
MATLAB sets property values not specified in the class definition to empty ([]).
Note: Evaluation of property default values occurs only when the value is first needed,
and only once when MATLAB first initializes the class. MATLAB does not reevaluate the
expression each time you create a class instance.
Related Information
For more information on the evaluation of expressions that you assign as property
default values, see “When MATLAB Evaluates Expressions” on page 5-10 .
Assigning Property Values from the Constructor

To assign values to a property from within the class constructor, reference the object that
the constructor returns (the output variable obj):
classdef MyClass
properties
Prop1
end
methods
function obj = MyClass(intval)
obj.Prop1 = intval;
end
end
end
4-12
Properties
When you assign a property in the class constructor, MATLAB evaluates the assignment
statement for each object you create. Assign property values in the constructor if you
want each object to contain a unique value for that property.
For example, suppose you want to assign a unique handle object to the property of
another object each time you create one of those objects. Assign the handle object to the
property in the constructor. Call the handle object constructor to create a unique handle
object with each instance of your class.
Related Information
See “Referencing the Object in a Constructor” on page 8-17 for more information on
constructor methods.
Initializing Properties to Unique Values

MATLAB assigns properties to the specified default values only once when MATLAB
loads the class definition. Therefore, if you initialize a property value with a handle-class
constructor, MATLAB calls this constructor only once and every instance references the
same handle object. If you want a property value to be initialized to a new instance of a
handle object each time you create an object, assign the property value in the constructor.
Property Attributes
All properties have attributes that modify certain aspects of the property's behavior.
Specified attributes apply to all properties in a particular properties block. For example:
classdef ClassName
properties (PropertyAttribute = value)
Prop1
Prop2
end
end
For example, only methods in the same class definition can modify and query the Salary
and Password properties.
classdef EmployeeInfo
Salary
Password
end
end
4-13
This restriction exists because the class defines these properties in a properties block
with the Access attribute set to private.
Property Attributes
For a description of property attributes, see “Property Attributes”.
Property Access Methods

You can define methods that MATLAB calls whenever setting or querying a property
value. Define property set access or get access methods in methods blocks that specify no
attributes and have the following syntax:
methods
function obj = set.PropertyName(obj,value)

...
end
function value = get.PropertyName(obj)

...
end
end
MATLAB does not call the property set access method when assigning the default value
specified in the property's definition block.
For example, the set.Password method tests the length of the character array assigned
to a property named Password. If there are less than seven characters in the value
assigned to the property, MATLAB returns the error. Otherwise, MATLAB assigns the
specified value to the property.
function obj = set.Password(obj,pw)
if numel(pw) < 7
error('Password must have at least 7 characters')
else
obj.Password = pw;
end
Related Information
For more information on these methods, see “Property Access Methods”.
4-14
Properties
Referencing Object Properties Using Variables

MATLAB can resolve a property name from a char variable using an expression of the
form:
object.(PropertyNameVar)
where PropertyNameVar is a variable containing the name of a valid object property.

Use this syntax when passing property names as arguments. For example, the
getPropValue function returns the value of the KeyType property:
PropName = 'KeyType';
function o = getPropValue(obj,PropName)
o = obj.(PropName);
end
More About
• “How to Use Properties”
4-15
Methods and Functions

In this section...
“The Methods Block” on page 4-16
“Method Calling Syntax” on page 4-16
“Private Methods” on page 4-18
“More Detailed Information On Methods” on page 4-18
“Class-Related Functions” on page 4-18
“Overloading Functions and Operators” on page 4-19
The Methods Block

Define methods as MATLAB functions within a methods block, inside the classdef
block. The constructor method has the same name as the class and returns an object. You
can assign values to properties in the class constructor. Terminate all method functions
with an end statement.
classdef ClassName
properties
PropertyName
end
methods
function obj = ClassName(arg1,...)
obj.PropertyName = arg1;
...
end
function ordinaryMethod(obj,arg1,...)
...
end
end
methods (Static)
function staticMethod(arg1,...)
...
end
end
end
Method Calling Syntax

MATLAB differs from languages like C++ and Java® in that there is no special hidden
class object passed to all methods. You must pass an object of the class explicitly to the
4-16
method. The left most argument does not need to be the class object, and the argument
list can have multiple objects.
Note: Always use case sensitive method names in your MATLAB code.
Ordinary Methods
Call ordinary methods using MATLAB function syntax or dot notation. For example,
suppose you have a class that defines ordinaryMethod. Pass an object of the defining
class and whatever arguments are required.
classdef MyClass
methods
function out = ordinaryMethod(obj,arg1)
...
end
end
end
Call ordinaryMethod using the object obj of the class and either syntax:
obj = MyClass;
r = ordinaryMethod(obj,arg1);
r = obj.ordinaryMethod(arg1);
Static Methods
Static methods do not require an object of the class. To call a static method, prefix the
method name with the class name so that MATLAB can determine what class defines the
method.
classdef MyClass
methods (Static)
function out = staticMethod(arg1)
...
end
end
end
Call staticMethod using the syntax classname.methodname:
r = MyClass.staticMethod(arg1);
4-17
Related Information
For information on methods that do not require objects of their class, see “Static
Methods” on page 8-23.
Private Methods
Use the Access method attribute to create a private method. You do not need to use a
private folder.
See “Method Attributes” on page 8-5 for a list of method attributes.
More Detailed Information On Methods

“Methods”
Class-Related Functions
You can define functions that are not class methods in the file that contains the class
definition (classdef). Define local functions outside of the classdef - end block, but
in the same file as the class definition. Functions defined in classdef files work like
local functions. You can call these functions from anywhere in the same file, but they are
not visible outside of the file in which you define them.
Local functions in classdef files are useful for utility functions that you use only within
that file. These functions can take or return arguments that are instances of the class
but, it is not necessary, as in the case of ordinary methods. For example, the following
code defines myUtilityFcn outside the classdef block:
classdef MyClass
properties
PropName
end
methods
function obj = MyClass(arg1)
obj.PropName = arg1;
end
end
end % End of classdef
function myUtilityFcn
4-18
...
end
You also can create package functions, which require the use of the package name when
calling these functions.
Overloading Functions and Operators

Overload MATLAB functions for your class by defining a class method with the same
name as the function that you want to overload. MATLAB dispatches to the class method
when the function is called with an instance of the class.
You can overload MATLAB arithmetic, logical, relational, and indexing operators by
defining class methods with the appropriate names.
See the handle class for a list of operations defined for that class, which are inherited by
all classes deriving from handle.
More About
• “Packages Create Namespaces”
• “Class Operator Implementations”
4-19
Methods In Separate Files
In this section...
“Methods In Class Folders” on page 4-20
“Define Method in Function File” on page 4-21
“Specify Method Attributes in classdef File” on page 4-21
“Methods That You Must Define In the classdef File” on page 4-22
Methods In Class Folders

You can define class methods in files that are separate from the class definition file, with
certain exceptions (see “Methods That You Must Define In the classdef File” on page
4-22).
To use multiple files for class definitions, put the class files in a folder having a name
beginning with the @ character followed by the name of the class (this is called a class
folder). Ensure that the parent folder of the class folder is on the MATLAB path.
If the class folder is contained in one or more package folders, then the top-level package
folder must be on the MATLAB path.
For example, the folder @MyClass must contain the file MyClass.m (which contains the
classdef block) and can contain other methods and function defined in files having a .m
extension. The folder @MyClass can contain a number of files:
@MyClass/MyClass.m
@MyClass/subsref.m
@MyClass/subsasgn.m
@MyClass/horzcat.m
@MyClass/vertcat.m
@MyClass/myFunc.m
Note: MATLAB treats any .m file in the class folder as a method of the class. The base
name of the file must be a valid MATLAB function name. Valid function names begin
with an alphabetic character, and can contain letters, numbers, or underscores.
4-20
Define Method in Function File

To define a method in a separate file in the class folder, create the function in a file with
the .m extension. Do not use the method-end keywords in that file. Name the file with
the function name, as with any function.
In the myFunc.m file, implement the method:
function output = myFunc(obj,arg1,arg2)

...% code here
end
It is a good practice to declare the function signature in the classdef file in a methods
block:
classdef MyClass
methods
output = myFunc(obj,arg1,arg2)
end
...
end
If you want to use nondefault method attributes for a method implemented in a

separate file, you must add the function signature to a methods block with the attribute
specification.
Specify Method Attributes in classdef File

If you specify method attributes for a method that you define in a separate function file,
include the method signature in a methods block in the classdef file. This methods
block specifies the nondefault attributes that apply to the method.
For example, the following code shows a method with Access set to private in the
methods block. The method implementation resides in a separate file. Do not include the
function or end keywords in the methods block. Include only the function signature
showing input and output arguments.
classdef MyClass
output = myFunc(obj,arg1,arg2)
end
end
4-21
In a file named myFunc.m, in the @MyClass folder, define the function:
function output = myFunc(obj,arg1,arg2)

...
end
If you specify nondefault attributes for a method, include the method signature in the file
with the classdef block
Static Methods in Separate Files
To create a static method, set the method Static attribute to true and list the function
signature in a static methods block in the classdef file. Include the input and output
arguments with the function name. For example:
classdef MyClass
...
methods (Static)
output = staticFunc1(arg1,arg2)
staticFunc2
end
...
end
Define the functions in separate files using the same function signature. For example, in
the file @MyClass/staticFunc1.m:
function output = staticFunc1(arg1,arg2)

...
end
and in @Myclass/staticFunc2.m:
function staticFunc2
...
end
Methods That You Must Define In the classdef File

You must define the following methods in the classdef file. You cannot defines these
methods in separate files:
• Class constructor
4-22
• Delete method
• All functions that use dots in their names, including:
• Converter methods that must use the package name as part of the class name
because the class is contained in packages
• Property set and get access methods
Related Information
• “Converters for Package Classes”.

• “Property Access Methods”
Related Examples
• “Update Graphs Using Events and Listeners”
4-23
Events and Listeners

In this section...
“Define and Trigger Events” on page 4-24
“Listen for Events” on page 4-24
Define and Trigger Events

To define an event, declare a name for the event in an events block. Trigger the event
using the handle class notify method. Only classes derived from the handle class can
define events.
For example, MyClass class:
• Subclasses handle
• Defines an event named StateChange
• Triggers the event using the inherited notify method in its upDateUI method.
classdef MyClass < handle
events
StateChange
end
...
methods
function upDateUI(obj)
...
notify(obj,'StateChange');
end
end
end
Listen for Events

Any number of objects can listen to the StateChange event. When notify executes,
MATLAB calls all registered listener callbacks. MATLAB passes the handle of the object
generating the event and event data to the callback functions. To create a listener, use
the addlistener method of the handle class.
addlistener(event_obj,'StateChange',@myCallback)
Related Examples
• “Learn to Use Events and Listeners”
4-24
Events and Listeners
• “Events and Listeners — Syntax and Techniques”
4-25
Attribute Specification
In this section...
“Attribute Syntax” on page 4-26
“Attribute Descriptions” on page 4-26
“Attribute Values” on page 4-27
“Simpler Syntax for true/false Attributes” on page 4-27
Attribute Syntax
Attributes modify the behavior of classes and class components (properties, methods, and
events). Attributes enable you to define useful behaviors without writing complicated
code. For example, you can create a read-only property by setting its SetAccess
attribute to private, but leaving its GetAccess attribute set to public:

ScreenSize = getScreenSize;
end
All class definition blocks (classdef, properties, methods, and events) support
specific attributes. All attributes have default values. Specify attribute values only in
cases where you want to change from the default value to another predefined value.
Note: Specify the value of a particular attribute only once in any component block.
Attribute Descriptions
For lists of supported attributes, see:
• “Class Attributes” on page 5-5

• “Property Attributes” on page 7-7
• “Method Attributes” on page 8-5
• “Event Attributes” on page 10-17
4-26
Attribute Specification
Attribute Values
When you specify attribute values, those values affect all the components defined within
the defining block. For example, the following property definition blocks set the:
• AccountBalance property SetObservable attribute to true

• SSNumber and CreditCardNumber properties' Hidden attribute to true and
SetAccess attribute to private.
Defining properties with different attribute settings requires multiple properties

blocks.
properties (SetObservable = true)
AccountBalance
end
properties (SetAccess = private, Hidden = true)
SSNumber
CreditCardNumber
end
Specified multiple attributes in a comma-separated list, as shown in the previous

example.
When specifying class attributes, place the attribute list directly after the classdef
keyword:
classdef (AttributeName = attributeValue) ClassName
...
end
Simpler Syntax for true/false Attributes

You can use a simpler syntax for attributes whose values are true or false — the
attribute name alone implies true and adding the not operator (~) to the name implies
false. For example:
methods (Static)
...
end
Is the same as:

methods (Static = true)
...
4-27
end
Use the not operator before an attribute name to define it as false:
methods (~Static)
...
end
Is the same as:

methods (Static = false)
...
end
All attributes that take a logical value (that is, true or false) have a default value of
false. Therefore, specify an attribute only if you want to set it to true.
4-28
Call Superclass Methods on Subclass Objects
Call Superclass Methods on Subclass Objects

In this section...
“Calling Superclass Constructor” on page 4-29
“Calling Superclass Methods” on page 4-30
Calling Superclass Constructor

If you create a subclass object, MATLAB calls the superclass constructor to initialize
the superclass part of the subclass object. By default, MATLAB calls the superclass
constructor without arguments. If you want the superclass constructor called with
specific arguments, explicitly call the superclass constructor from the subclass
constructor. The call to the superclass constructor must come before any other references
to the object.
The syntax for calling the superclass constructor uses an @ symbol:
obj = obj@MySuperClass(SuperClassArguments);
Object returned Name of superclass

from superclass
Object being Superclass constructor
constructed arugment list
In the following class, the MySub object is initialized by the MySuperClass constructor.
The superclass constructor constructs the MySuperClass part of the object using the
specified arguments.
classdef MySub < MySuperClass
methods
function obj = MySub(arg1,arg2,...)
obj = obj@MySuperClass(SuperClassArguments);
...
end
4-29
end
end
See “Constructing Subclasses” on page 8-18 for more information.
Calling Superclass Methods

Subclass methods can call superclass methods if both methods have the same name.
From the subclass, reference the method name and superclass name with the @ symbol.
This diagram illustrates how to call the superMethod defined by MySuperClass.
superMethod@MySuperClass(obj)
Superclass name
Superclass method Object passed to the

superclass method
For example, a subclass can call a superclass disp method to implement the display of
the superclass part of the object. Then the subclass adds code to display the subclass part
of the object:
classdef MySub < MySuperClass

methods
function disp(obj)
disp@MySuperClass(obj)
...
end
end
end
Related Information
For more information on when to call superclass methods, see .“Modify Superclass
Methods”
4-30
Representative Class Code

In this section...
“Class Calculates Area” on page 4-31
“Description of Class Definition” on page 4-33
Class Calculates Area

The CircleArea class shows the syntax of a typical class definition. This class stores a
value for the radius of a circle and calculates the area of the circle when you request this
information. CircleArea also implements methods to graph, display, and create objects
of the class.
To use the CircleArea class, copy this code into a file named CircleArea.m and save
this file in a folder that is on the MATLAB path.
classdef CircleArea
properties
Radius
end
properties (Constant)
P = pi;
end
Area
end
methods
function obj = CircleArea(r)
if nargin > 0
obj.Radius = r;
end
end
function val = get.Area(obj)
val = obj.P*obj.Radius^2;
end
function obj = set.Radius(obj,val)
if val < 0
error('Radius must be positive')
end
obj.Radius = val;
end
function plot(obj)
4-31
r = obj.Radius;
d = r*2;
pos = [0 0 d d];
curv = [1 1];
rectangle('Position',pos,'Curvature',curv,...
'FaceColor',[.9 .9 .9])
line([0,r],[r,r])
text(r/2,r+.5,['r = ',num2str(r)])
title(['Area = ',num2str(obj.Area)])
axis equal
end
function disp(obj)
rad = obj.Radius;
disp(['Circle with radius: ',num2str(rad)])
end
end
methods (Static)
function obj = createObj
prompt = {'Enter the Radius'};
dlgTitle = 'Radius';
rad = inputdlg(prompt,dlgTitle);
r = str2double(rad{:});
obj = CircleArea(r);
end
end
end
Use the CircleArea Class
Create an object using the dialog box:

ca = CircleArea.createObj
Add a value for radius and click OK.
Query the area of the defined circle:
4-32
ca.Area
ans =
164.2202
Call the overloaded plot method:

plot(ca)
Description of Class Definition

Class definition code begins with the classdef keyword followed by the class name:
classdef CircleArea
4-33
Define the Radius property within the properties-end keywords. Use default
attributes:
properties
Radius
end
Define the P property as Constant (“Properties with Constant Values”). Call the pi
function only once when class is initialized.
P = pi;
end
Define the Area property as Dependent because its value depends on the Radius
property.
Area
end
methods % Begin defining methods
The CircleArea class constructor method has the same name as the class and
accepts the value of the circle radius as an argument. This method also allows no input
arguments. (“Class Constructor Methods”)
function obj = CircleArea(r)
if nargin > 0
obj.Radius = r;
else
obj.Radius = 0;
end
end
Because the Area property is Dependent, it does not store its value. The get.Area
method calculates the value of the Area property whenever it is queried. (“Access
Methods for Dependent Properties”)
function val = get.Area(obj)
val = obj.P*obj.Radius^2;
end
The set.Radius method tests the value assigned to the Radius property to ensure
the value is not less than zero. MATLAB calls set.Radius to assign a value to Radius.
(“Property Set Methods”.
4-34
function obj = set.Radius(obj,val)

if val < 0
error('Radius must be positive')
end
obj.Radius = val;
end
The CircleArea class overloads the plot function. The plot method uses the
rectangle function to create a circle and draws the radius. (“Overload Functions for
Your Class”
function plot(obj)
r = obj.Radius;
d = r*2;
pos = [0 0 d d];
curv = [1 1];
rectangle('Position',pos,'Curvature',curv)
line([0,r],[r,r])
text(r/2,r+.5,['r = ',num2str(r)])
axis equal
end
The CircleArea class overloads the disp function to change the way MATLAB
displays objects in the command window.
function disp(obj)
rad = obj.Radius;
disp(['Circle with radius: ',num2str(rad)])
end
end
methods (Static)
The CircleArea class defines a Static method that uses a dialog box to create an
object. (“Static Methods”
function obj = createObj
prompt = {'Enter the Radius'};
dlgTitle = 'Radius';
rad = inputdlg(prompt,dlgTitle);
r = str2double(rad{:});
obj = CircleArea(r);
end
End of Static methods block and end of classdef block.
end
end
4-35
MATLAB Code Analyzer Warnings

In this section...
“Syntax Warnings and Property Names” on page 4-36
“Warnings Caused by Variable/Property Name Conflicts” on page 4-36
“Exception to Variable/Property Name Rule” on page 4-37
Syntax Warnings and Property Names

The MATLAB Code Analyzer helps you optimize your code and avoid syntax errors
while you write code. It is useful to understand some of the rules that the Code Analyzer
applies in its analysis of class definition code. This understanding helps you avoid
situations in which MATLAB allows code that is undesirable.
Warnings Caused by Variable/Property Name Conflicts

The Code Analyzer warns about the use of variable names in methods that match
the names of properties. For example, suppose a class defines a property called
EmployeeName and in this class, there is a method that uses EmployeeName as a
variable:
properties
EmployeeName
end
methods
function someMethod(obj,n)
EmployeeName = n;
end
end
While the previous function is legal MATLAB code, it results in Code Analyzer warnings
for two reasons:
• The value of EmployeeName is never used

• EmployeeName is the name of a property that is used as a variable
If the function someMethod contained the following statement instead:
obj.EmployeeName = n;
4-36
MATLAB Code Analyzer Warnings
The Code Analyzer generates no warnings.
If you change someMethod to:
function EN = someMethod(obj)
EN = EmployeeName;
end
The Code Analyzer returns only one warning, suggesting that you might actually want to
refer to the EmployeeName property.
While this version of someMethod is legal MATLAB code, it is confusing to give a

property the same name as a function. Therefore, the Code Analyzer provides a warning
suggesting that you might have intended the statement to be:
EN = obj.EmployeeName;
Exception to Variable/Property Name Rule

Suppose you define a method that returns a value of a property and uses the name of the
property for the output variable name. For example:
function EmployeeName = someMethod(obj)
EmployeeName = obj.EmployeeName;
end
The Code Analyzer does not warn when a variable name is the same as a property name
when the variable is:
• An input or output variable

• A global or persistent variable
In these particular cases, the Code Analyzer does not warn you that you are using a
variable name that is also a property name. Therefore, a coding error like the following:
function EmployeeName = someMethod(obj)
EmployeeName = EmployeeName; % Forgot to include obj.
end
does not trigger a warning from the Code Analyzer.
4-37
Objects In Switch Statements

In this section...
“Evaluating the Switch Statement” on page 4-38
“Defining the eq Method” on page 4-40
“Enumerations in Switch Statements” on page 4-42
Evaluating the Switch Statement

MATLAB enables you to use objects in switch and case statements if the object’s class
defines an eq method. The eq method implements the == operation on objects of that
class.
For objects, switch_expression == case_expression defines how MATLAB

evaluates switch and cases statements.
Note: You do not need to define eq methods for enumeration classes. See “Enumerations
in Switch Statements” on page 4-42.
Handle Objects in Switch Statements
All classes derived from the handle class inherit an eq method. The expression,
h1 == h2
is true if h1 and h2 are handles for the same object.
For example, the BasicHandle class derives from handle:
classdef BasicHandle < handle

properties
Prop1
end
methods
function obj = BasicHandle(val)
if nargin > 0
obj.Prop1 = val;
end
4-38
end
end
end
Create a BasicHandle object and use it in a switch statement:
h1 = BasicHandle('Handle Object');
h2 = h1;
Here is the switch statement code:
switch h1
case h2
disp('h2 is selected')
otherwise
disp('h2 not selected')
end
The result is:
h2 is selected
Object Must Be Scalar
The switch statements work only with scalar objects. For example:
h1(1) = BasicHandle('Handle Object');

h2 = h1;
switch h1
case h2
disp('h2 is selected')
otherwise
disp('h2 not selected')
end
The result is:
SWITCH expression must be a scalar or string constant.
In this case, h1 is not scalar. Use isscalar to determine if an object is scalar before
entering a switch statement.
4-39
Defining the eq Method

To enable the use of value-class objects in switch statements, implement an eq method
for the class. Use the eq method to determine what constitutes equality of two object of
the class.
Behave Like a Built-in Type

Some MATLAB functions also use the built-in == operator in their implementation.
Therefore, your implementation of eq should be replaceable with the built-in eq to enable
objects of your class work like built-in types in MATLAB code.
Design of eq
Implement the eq method to returns a logical array representing the result of the ==
comparison.
For example, the SwitchOnVer class implements an eq method that returns true
for the == operation if the value of the Version property is the same for both objects.
In addition, eq works with arrays the same way as the built-in eq. For the following
expression:
obj1 == obj2
The eq method works like this:
• If both obj1 and obj2 are scalar, eq returns a scalar value.

• If both obj1 and obj2 are nonscalar arrays, then these arrays must have the same
dimensions, and eq returns an array of the same size.
• If one input argument is scalar and the other is a nonscalar array, then eq treats the
scalar object as if it is an array having the same dimensions as the nonscalar array.
Implementation of eq
Here is a class that implements an eq method. Ensure your implementation contains
appropriate error checking for the intended use.
classdef SwitchOnVer
properties
Version
end
methods
function obj = SwitchOnVer(ver)
if nargin > 0
4-40
obj.Version = ver;
end
end
function bol = eq(obj1,obj2)
if ~strcmp(class(obj1),class(obj2))
error('Objects are not of the same class')
end
s1 = numel(obj1);
s2 = numel(obj2);
if s1 == s2
bol = false(size(obj1));
for k=1:s1
if obj1(k).Version == obj2(k).Version
bol(k) = true;
else
bol(k) = false;
end
end
elseif s1 == 1
bol = scalarExpEq(obj2,obj1);
elseif s2 == 1
bol = scalarExpEq(obj1,obj2);
else
error('Dimension missmatch')
end
function ret = scalarExpEq(ns,s)
% ns is nonscalar array
% s is scalar array
ret = false(size(ns));
n = numel(ns);
for kk=1:n
if ns(kk).Version == s.Version
ret(kk) = true;
else
ret(kk) = false;
end
end
end
end
end
end
Use SwitchOnVer objects in switch statements:

% Create known versions of objects
4-41
ov1 = SwitchOnVer(1.0);
...
...
if isscalar(objIn)
switch(objIn)
case ov1
disp('This is version 1.0')
case ov2
case ov3
otherwise
disp('There is no version')
end
else
error('Input object must be scalar')
end
Enumerations in Switch Statements

MATLAB enables you to use enumerations in switch statements without requiring an
explicitly defined eq method for the enumeration class.
For example, the WeeklyPlanner class defines enumerations for five days of the week.
The switch/case statements in the todaySchedule static method dispatch on the
enumeration member corresponding to the current day of the week. The date and
datestr functions return a character string with the name of the current day.
classdef WeeklyPlanner
enumeration
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
end
methods (Static)
function todaySchedule
dayName = datestr(date,'dddd');
dayEnum = WeeklyPlanner.(dayName);
switch dayEnum
case WeeklyPlanner.Monday
disp('Monday schedule')
case WeeklyPlanner.Tuesday
4-42
disp('Tuesday schedule')
case WeeklyPlanner.Wednesday
disp('Wednesday schedule')
case WeeklyPlanner.Thursday
disp('Thursday schedule')
case WeeklyPlanner.Friday
disp('Friday schedule')
end
end
end
end
Call todaySchedule to display today’s schedule:
WeeklyPlanner.todaySchedule
Enumerations Derived from Built-In Types
Enumeration classes that derived from built-in types inherit the superclass eq method.
For example, the FlowRate class derives from int32:
classdef FlowRate < int32

enumeration
Low (10)
Medium (50)
High (100)
end
end
The switchEnum function switches on the input argument, which can be a FlowRate
enumeration value.
function switchEnum(inpt)
switch inpt
case 10
disp('Flow = 10 cfm')
case 50
case 100
end
end
Call switchEnum with an enumerated value:
4-43
switchEnum(FlowRate.Medium)
Flow = 50 cfm
4-44
Operations on Objects
In this section...
“Object Operations” on page 4-45
“Help on Objects” on page 4-46
“Functions to Test Objects” on page 4-48
“Functions to Query Class Components” on page 4-48
Object Operations
Objects often define their own version of ordinary MATLAB functions that work with the
object. For example, you can create a timeseries object and pass the object to plot:
ts = timeseries(rand(100,1),.01:.01:1,'Name','Data1');
plot(ts)
4-45
However, MATLAB does not call the standard plot function. MATLAB calls the
timeseries plot method, which can extract the data from the timeseries object and
create a customized graph.
Help on Objects
Suppose you use an audioplayer object to play audio with MATLAB. To do this, load
audio data into MATLAB and create an audioplayer:
load('handel','Fs','y')
chorus = audioplayer(y,Fs);
4-46
The audioplayer function creates an object that you access using the object variable
chorus. MATLAB stores the audio source and other information in the object properties.
Here are the properties and values for thechorus instance of the audioplayer:
chorus
chorus =
Click the link to get the documentation on audioplayer objects.
The object’s documentation discusses the purpose of the object and describes the
properties and methods that you use when working with objects of that class.
You can also list the methods to see what operations you can perform. Pass the object to
the methods function to see the list:
methods(chorus)
Methods for class audioplayer:
audioplayer getdisp pause resume stop
4-47
delete horzcat play set vertcat

get isplaying playblocking setdisp
To play the audio, use the play method:
play(chorus)
Functions to Test Objects

These functions provide logical tests, which are useful when using objects in ordinary
functions.
Function Description
isa Determine whether an argument is an object of specific class.
isequal Determine if two objects are equal, which means both objects are of
the same class and size and their corresponding property values are
equal.
isobject Determine whether input is a MATLAB object
Functions to Query Class Components

These functions provide information about object class components.
Function Description
class Return class of object.
enumeration Display class enumeration members and names.
events List event names defined by the class.
methods List methods implemented by the class.
methodsview List methods in separate window.
properties List class property names.
4-48
Using the Editor and Debugger with Classes
Using the Editor and Debugger with Classes
Referring to Class Files

Define classes in files just like scripts and functions. To use the editor or debugger with a
class file, use the full class name. For example, suppose the file for a class, myclass.m is
in the following location:
+PackFld1/+PackFld2/@myclass/myclass.m
To open myclass.m in the MATLAB editor, you could reference the file using dot-
separated package names:
edit PackFld1.PackFld2.myclass
You could also use path notation:

edit +PackFld1/+PackFld2/@myclass/myclass
If myclass.m is not in a class folder, then enter:
edit +PackFld1/+PackFld2/myclass
To refer to functions inside a package folder, use dot or path separators:

edit PackFld1.PackFld2.packFunction
edit +PackFld1/+PackFld2/packFunction
To refer to a function defined in its own file inside of a class folder, use:
edit +PackFld1/+PackFld2/@myclass/myMethod
Debugging Class Files
For debugging, dbstop accepts any of the file specifications used by the edit command.
See “Automatic Updates for Modified Classes” on page 4-50 for information about
clearing class.
4-49
Automatic Updates for Modified Classes

In this section...
“When MATLAB Loads Class Definitions” on page 4-50
“Results of Automatic Update” on page 4-50
“Result of Changes to Class Definitions” on page 4-51
“Actions That Do Not Trigger Updates” on page 4-52
“When Updates to Classes Fail” on page 4-52
“Potential Side Effects from Class Updates” on page 4-52
“When Updates of Existing Objects Are Not Possible” on page 4-53
“Updates to Property Definitions” on page 4-53
“Updates to Method Definitions” on page 4-54
“Updates to Event Definitions” on page 4-55
When MATLAB Loads Class Definitions

MATLAB loads a class definition:
• The first time the class is referenced.

• Whenever the definition of a loaded class changes and MATLAB returns to the
command prompt.
MATLAB allows only one definition for a class to exist at any time. Therefore, all existing
objects of a class are updated automatically to conform to the new class definition. You do
not need to call clear classes to remove existing objects when changing their defining
class.
Note: Using an editor other than the MATLAB editor can result in delays to automatic
updating.
Results of Automatic Update

MATLAB follows a set of basic rules when updating existing objects. An automatic
update can result in existing objects being:
4-50
• Successfully updated to the new class definition.

• Converted to instances of matlab.lang.ObjectUpdateFailure if MATLAB cannot
convert the objects to the new class definition.
Suppose you create an instance of a concrete class, and then edit the class definition to
make the class abstract.
>> a = MyClass;
% Edit MyClass to make it Abstract
>> a
a =
ObjectUpdateFailure with no properties.
The object display provides information on the specific reason that the objects are not
updated.
a =
This array was created with a previous version of the MyClass class. MATLAB is unable t
The new class is abstract which means objects must now belong to a concrete subclass.
Note: MATLAB does not update meta-class instances when you change the definition of a
class. You need to retrieve new meta-class data after updating a class definition.
Result of Changes to Class Definitions

MATLAB updates existing objects when a class definition changes, including the
following situations:
• Value to handle — Existing objects become independent handles referring to different

objects.
• Enumeration member added — Existing objects preserve the enumeration members
they had before, even if the underlying value has changed.
• Enumeration member removed — Existing objects that are not using the removed
member have the same enumeration members that they had previously. Existing
4-51
objects using the removed member have the removed member replaced with the
default member of the enumeration.
• Enumeration block removed — Enumeration members are removed from all existing
objects.
• Superclass definition changed — Changes applied to all subclasses of that superclass.
• Superclass added or removed — Change of superclass applied to all existing objects.
Actions That Do Not Trigger Updates

Existing objects are not updated by these actions:
• Calling the class function on an out of date object does not cause an update.
• Assigning an out of date object to a variable does not cause an update.
• Calling a method that does not access class data does not cause an update.
The Workspace browser does not display changes to an object class (for example, objects
changed to matlab.lang.ObjectUpdateFailure) until after the update has been
triggered.
Objects do not update until referenced in a way that exposes the change, such as
invoking the object display. Updates do not occur incrementally. Updates conform to the
latest version of the class.
When Updates to Classes Fail

Some class updates result in an invalid class definition. In these cases, objects do not
update until the error is resolved. For example:
• Adding a superclass can result in a property or method being defined twice.

• Changing a superclass to be Sealed when objects of one of its subclasses exists
results in an invalid subclass definition.
Potential Side Effects from Class Updates

• Following an update, existing objects might not be fully compatible with the new
class definition. For example, a newly added property might require execution of the
constructor to be valid.
4-52
• Removing or renaming properties can lose the data held in the property. For example,
if a property holds the only reference to another object and is removed from a class,
the object is deleted because there are no references to it.
• Removing a class from a heterogeneous class hierarchy can result in invalid
heterogeneous array elements. In this case, the default object for the heterogeneous
hierarchy replaces these array elements.
When Updates of Existing Objects Are Not Possible

If MATLAB cannot update existing objects to conform to a modified class
definition, then the existing objects of that class are converted to instances of
matlab.lang.ObjectUpdateFailure. This conversion occurs when:
• An enumeration block is added to a non-enumeration class.

• A class is redefined to be Abstract.
• A class is removed from a heterogeneous hierarchy and there is no way to replace
existing objects in a heterogeneous array with default objects.
• A class is updated to restrict array formation behavior, such as overloading array
indexing and concatenation.
• A handle class is redefined to be a value class.
Updates to Property Definitions

When you change the definition of class properties, MATLAB applies the changes in
existing objects of the class.
If You Make This Change Effect on Existing Objects of the Class

Add property Adds the new property to existing objects of the class.
Sets the property values to the default value (which is
[] if the class definition does not specify a default).
Remove property Removes the property from existing objects of the class.
Attempts to access the removed property fail.
Change property default value Does not apply the new default value to existing objects
of the class.
Move property between Does not apply different default value when property
subclass and superclass definition moves between superclass and subclass.
4-53

Change property attribute Applies changes to existing objects of the class.
value
Some cases require transitional steps:
• Abstract — Existing objects of a class

that become abstract are converted to
matlab.lang.ObjectUpdateFailure objects.
• Access — Changes to the access lists do not change
existing instances. However, if classes are added to
the access list, instances of those classes have access
to this property. If classes are removed from the
access list, instances of those classes no longer have
access to this property.
• Dependent — If changed to true, existing objects
no longer store property values. You must add a
property get method for the property if you want to
query the property value.
• Transient — If changed to true, objects already
saved reload this property value. If changed to
false, objects already saved reload this property
using the default value.
Updates to Method Definitions

When you change the definition of class methods, the affected class member is changed in
existing objects as follows.

Add method New method is callable on existing objects of the class.
Modify method Modifications are visible to existing objects.
Remove method Deleted method is no longer callable on existing objects.
Change method attribute Apply changes to existing objects of the class.
value
4-54

• Abstract — Existing objects of a class
that become abstract are converted to
matlab.lang.ObjectUpdateFailure objects.
• Access — Changes to the access lists do not change
existing instances. However, if classes are added
to the access list, instances of those classes have
access to this method. If classes are removed from
the access list, instances of those classes no longer
have access to this method.
• Sealed — If changed to true and existing
subclasses already have defined the method,
MATLAB returns an error because the new class
definition cannot be applied to existing subclasses.
Updates to Event Definitions

Add event New event is supported on existing objects of the class.
Modify event Modifications are visible to existing objects.
Remove event Deleted event is no longer supported on existing objects.
Change event attribute value Apply changes to existing objects of the class.
• ListenAccess — Changes to the access list does

not change existing objects. However, if you add
classes to the access list, objects of those classes can
create listeners for this event. If you remove classes
from the access list, objects of those classes are not
allowed to create listeners for this event.
• NotifyAccess — Changes to the access list does
not change existing objects. However, if you add
classes to the access list, instances of those classes
can trigger this event. If you remove classes, objects
of those classes are not able to trigger this event.
4-55
Compatibility with Previous Versions

In this section...
“New Class-Definition Syntax Introduced with MATLAB Software Version 7.6” on page
4-56
“Changes to Class Constructors” on page 4-57
“New Features Introduced with Version 7.6” on page 4-57
“Examples of Old and New” on page 4-58
New Class-Definition Syntax Introduced with MATLAB Software Version

7.6
MATLAB software Version 7.6 introduces a new syntax for defining classes. This new
syntax includes:
• The classdef keyword begins a block of class-definitions code. An end statement

terminates the class definition.
• Within the classdef code block, properties, methods, and events are also
keywords delineating where you define the respective class members.
Cannot Mix Class Hierarchy
It is not possible to create class hierarchies that mix classes defined before Version 7.6
and current class definitions that use classdef. Therefore, you cannot subclass an old
class to create a version of the new class.
Only One “@” Class Folder per Class
For classes defined using the new classdef keyword, a class folder shadows all class
folders that occur after it on the MATLAB path. Classes defined in class folders must
locate all class files in that single folder. However, classes defined in class folders
continue to take precedence over functions and scripts having the same name, even those
function and scripts that come before them on the path.
Private Methods
You do not need to define private folders in class folders in Version 7.6. You can set the
method's Access attribute to private instead.
4-56
Compatibility with Previous Versions
Changes to Class Constructors

Class constructor methods have two major differences. Class constructors:
• Do not use the class function.

• Must call the superclass constructor only if you want to pass arguments to its
constructor. Otherwise, no call to the superclass constructor is necessary.
Example of Old and New Syntax
Compare the following two Stock constructor methods. The Stock class is a subclass of
the Asset class, which requires arguments passed to its constructor.
Constructor Function Before Version 7.6

function s = Stock(description,num_shares,share_price)
s.NumShares = num_shares;
s.SharePrice = share_price;
% Construct Asset object
a = Asset(description,'stock',share_price*num_shares);
% Use the class function to define the stock object
s = class(s,'Stock',a);
Write the same Stock class constructor as shown here. Define the inheritance on the
classdef line and define the constructor within a methods block.
Constructor Function for Version 7.6

classdef Stock < Asset
...
methods
function s = Stock(description,num_shares,share_price)
% Call superclass constructor to pass arguments
s = s@Asset(description,'stock',share_price*num_shares);
end % End of function
end % End of methods block

end % End of classdef block
New Features Introduced with Version 7.6
4-57
• Properties: “How to Use Properties” on page 7-2

• Handle classes: “Comparing Handle and Value Classes” on page 6-2
• Events and listeners: “Events and Listeners — Concepts” on page 10-12
• Class member attributes: “Attribute Specification” on page 4-26
• Abstract classes: “Abstract Classes” on page 11-80
• Dynamic properties: “Dynamic Properties — Adding Properties to an Instance” on
page 7-30
• Ability to subclass MATLAB built-in classes: “Creating Subclasses — Syntax and
Techniques” on page 11-7
• Packages for scoping functions and classes: “Packages Create Namespaces” on page
5-19. MATLAB does not support packages for classes created before MATLAB
Version 7.6 (that is, classes that do not use classdef).
• The JIT/Accelerator supports objects defined only by classes using classdef.
Examples of Old and New

The MATLAB Version 7.6 implementation of classes uses different syntax from previous
releases. However, classes written in previous versions continue to work. Most of the code
you use to implement the methods is likely to remain the same, except where you take
advantage of new features.
The following sections reimplement examples using the latest syntax. The original
MATLAB Classes and Objects documentation implemented these same examples and
provide a comparison of old and new syntax.
“Class Design for Polynomials” on page 18-2
“A Simple Class Hierarchy” on page 19-2
“Containing Assets in a Portfolio” on page 19-20
4-58
Comparing MATLAB with Other OO Languages
In this section...
“Some Differences from C++ and Java Code” on page 4-59
“Modifying Objects” on page 4-60
“Common Object-Oriented Techniques” on page 4-64
Some Differences from C++ and Java Code

The MATLAB programming language differs from other object-oriented languages, such
as C++ or Java in some important ways.
Public Properties
Unlike fields in C++ or the Java language, you can use MATLAB properties to define
a public interface separate from the implementation of data storage. You can provide
public access to properties because you can define set and get access methods that
execute automatically when assigning or querying property values. For example, the
following statement:
myobj.Material = 'plastic';
assigns the string plastic to the Material property of myobj. Before making the
actual assignment, myobj executes a method called set.Material (assuming the
class of myobj defines this method), which can perform any necessary operations. See
“Property Access Methods” on page 7-14 for more information on property access
methods.
You can also control access to properties by setting attributes, which enable public,
protected , or private access. See “Property Attributes” on page 7-7 for a full list of
property attributes.
No Implicit Parameters
In some languages, one object parameter to a method is always implicit. In MATLAB,

objects are explicit parameters to the methods that act on them.
4-59
Dispatching
In MATLAB classes, method dispatching is not based on method signature, as it is in C+

+ and Java code. When the argument list contains objects of equal precedence, MATLAB
uses the left-most object to select the method to call.
However, if the class of an argument is superior to the class of the other arguments,
MATLAB dispatches to the method of the superior argument, regardless of its position
within the argument list.
See “Class Precedence” on page 5-17 for more information.
Calling Superclass Method
• In C++, you call a superclass method using the scoping operator:

superclass::method
• In Java code, you use: superclass.method
The equivalent MATLAB operation is method@superclass.
Other Differences
In MATLAB classes, there is no equivalent to C++ templates or Java generics. However,

MATLAB is weakly typed and it is possible to write functions and classes that work with
different types of data.
MATLAB classes do not support overloading functions using different signatures for the
same function name.
Modifying Objects
MATLAB classes can define public properties, which you can modify by explicitly
assigning values to those properties on a given instance of the class. However, only
classes derived from the handle class exhibit reference behavior. Modifying a property
value on an instance of a value classes (classes not derived from handle), changes the
value only within the context in which the modification is made.
The sections that follow describe this behavior in more detail.
Passing Objects to Functions
MATLAB passes all variables by value. When you pass an object to a function, MATLAB
copies the value from the caller into the parameter variable in the called function.
4-60
However, MATLAB supports two kinds of classes that behave differently when copied:
• Handle classes — a handle class instance variable refers to an object. A copy of a

handle class instance variable refers to the same object as the original variable. If
a function modifies a handle object passed as an input argument, the modification
affects the object referenced by both the original and copied handles.
• Value classes — the property data in an instance of a value class are independent of
the property data in copies of that instance (although, a value class property could
contain a handle). A function can modify a value object that is passed as an input
argument, but this modification does not affect the original object.
See “Comparing Handle and Value Classes” on page 6-2 for more information on the
behavior and use of both kinds of classes.
Passing Value Objects
When you pass a value object to a function, the function creates a local copy of the
argument variable. The function can modify only the copy. If you want to modify the
original object, return the modified object and assign it to the original variable name. For
example, consider the value class, SimpleClass :
classdef SimpleClass
properties
Color
end
methods
function obj = SimpleClass(c)
if nargin > 0
obj.Color = c;
end
end
end
end
Create an instance of SimpleClass, assigning a value of red to its Color property:

obj = SimpleClass('red');
Pass the object to the function g, which assigns blue to the Color property:
function y = g(x)
x.Color = 'blue';
y = x;
end
4-61
y = g(obj);
The function g modifies its copy of the input object and returns that copy, but does not
change the original object.
y.Color
ans =
blue
obj.Color
ans =
red
If the function g did not return a value, the modification of the object Color property
would have occurred only on the copy of obj within the function workspace. This copy
would have gone out of scope when the function execution ended.
Overwriting the original variable actually replaces it with a new object:

obj = g(obj);
Passing Handle Objects
When you pass a handle to a function, the function makes a copy of the handle variable,
just like when passing a value object. However, because a copy of a handle object refers to
the same object as the original handle, the function can modify the object without having
to return the modified object.
For example, suppose you modify the SimpleClass class definition to make a class
derived from the handle class:
classdef SimpleHandleClass < handle
properties
Color
end
methods
function obj = SimpleHandleClass(c)
if nargin > 0
obj.Color = c;
end
end
end
4-62
end
Create an instance of SimpleHandleClass, assigning a value of red to its Color

property:
obj = SimpleHandleClass('red');
Pass the object to the function g, which assigns blue to the Color property:
y = g(obj);
The function g sets the Color property of the object referred to by both the returned
handle and the original handle:
y.Color
ans =
blue
obj.Color
ans =
blue
The variables y and obj refer to the same object:

y.Color = 'yellow';
obj.Color
ans =
yellow
The function g modified the object referred to by the input argument (obj) and returned
a handle to that object in y.
MATLAB Passes Handles by Value
A handle variable is a reference to an object. MATLAB passes this reference by value.
Handles do not behave like references in C++. If you pass an object handle to a function
and that function assigns a different object to that handle variable, the variable in the
caller is not affected. For example, suppose you define a function g2:
function y = g2(x)
4-63
x = SimpleHandleClass('green');
y = x;
end
Pass a handle object to g2:
obj = SimpleHandleClass('red');
y = g2(obj);
y.Color
ans =
green
obj.Color
ans =
red
The function overwrites the handle passed in as an argument, but does not overwrite
the object referred to by the handle. The original handle obj still references the original
object.
Common Object-Oriented Techniques

This table provides links to sections that discuss object-oriented techniques commonly
used by other object-oriented languages.
Technique How to Use in MATLAB

Operator overloading “Class Operator Implementations” on page 16-37
Multiple inheritance “Subclassing Multiple Classes” on page 11-20
Subclassing “Creating Subclasses — Syntax and Techniques” on page
11-7
Destructor “Handle Class Destructor” on page 6-16
Data member scoping “Property Attributes” on page 7-7
Packages (scoping “Packages Create Namespaces” on page 5-19
classes)
Named constants See “Properties with Constant Values” on page 14-2 and
“Defining Named Values” on page 13-2
4-64
Technique How to Use in MATLAB

Enumerations “Working with Enumerations” on page 13-3
Static methods “Static Methods” on page 8-23
Static properties Not supported. See persistent variables. For the equivalent
of Java static final or C++ static const properties, use
Constant properties. See “Properties with Constant Values”
on page 14-2
Constructor “Class Constructor Methods” on page 8-15
Copy constructor No direct equivalent
Reference/reference “Comparing Handle and Value Classes” on page 6-2
classes
Abstract class/Interface “Abstract Classes” on page 11-80
Garbage collection “Object Lifecycle” on page 6-18
Instance properties “Dynamic Properties — Adding Properties to an Instance” on
page 7-30
Importing classes “Importing Classes” on page 5-24
Events and Listeners “Events and Listeners — Concepts” on page 10-12
4-65
5
Defining and Organizing Classes
• “User-Defined Classes” on page 5-2

• “Class Definition” on page 5-4
• “Expressions in Class Definitions” on page 5-8
• “Class and Path Folders” on page 5-14
• “Class Precedence” on page 5-17
• “Importing Classes” on page 5-24
5 Defining and Organizing Classes
In this section...
“What is a Class Definition” on page 5-2
“Attributes for Class Members” on page 5-2
“Kinds of Classes” on page 5-3
“Constructing Objects” on page 5-3
“Class Hierarchies” on page 5-3
What is a Class Definition

A MATLAB class definition is a template whose purpose is to provide a description of
all the elements that are common to all instances of the class. Class members are the
properties, methods, and events that define the class.
MATLAB classes are defined in code blocks, with sub-blocks delineating the definitions
of various class members. See “classdef Syntax” on page 5-4 for details on the
classdef block.
Attributes for Class Members

Attributes modify the behavior of classes and the members defined in the class-definition
block. For example, you can specify that methods are static or that properties are
abstract, and so on. The following sections describe these attributes:

Class definitions can provide information, such as inheritance relationships or the names
of class members without actually constructing the class. See “Class Metadata” on page
15-2.
See “Specifying Attributes” on page 5-6 for more on attribute syntax.
5-2
Kinds of Classes
There are two kinds of MATLAB classes—handle and value classes.
• Handle classes create objects that reference the data contained. Copies refer to the
same data.
• Value classes make copies of the data whenever the object is copied or passed to a
function. MATLAB numeric types are value classes.
See “Comparing Handle and Value Classes” on page 6-2 for a more complete
discussion.
Constructing Objects
For information on class constructors, see “Class Constructor Methods” on page 8-15
For information on creating arrays of objects, see “Create Object Arrays” on page 9-2
Class Hierarchies
For more information on how to define class hierarchies, see “Hierarchies of Classes —
Concepts”.
5-3
Class Definition
classdef Syntax
Class definitions are blocks of code that are delineated by the classdef keyword at the
beginning and the end keyword at the end. Files can contain only one class definition.
The following diagram shows the syntax of a classdef block. Only comments and blank
lines can precede the classdef key word.
classdef keyword begins definition block.
classdef (ConstructOnLoad = true) PositiveIntegers < Integers & Positives
...
end
classdef block
Class attribute Attribute value Class name Super classes

(logical true)
end keyword terminates definition block.
Related Examples
• “A Simple Class”
5-4
Class Attributes
Class Attributes
In this section...
“Specifying Class Attributes” on page 5-5
“Specifying Attributes” on page 5-6
Specifying Class Attributes

All classes support the attributes listed in the following table. Attributes enable you
to modify the behavior of class. Attribute values apply to the class defined within the
classdef block.
classdef (Attribute1 = value1, Attribute2 = value2,...) ClassName

...
end
For more information on attribute syntax, see “Attribute Specification”.
Class Attributes
Attribute Name Class Description

Abstract logical If specified as true, this class is an abstract class (cannot be
instantiated).
(default =
false) See “Abstract Classes” on page 11-80 for more
information.
AllowedSubclassesmeta.class List classes that can subclass this class. Specify subclasses as
object or meta.class objects in the form:
cell array of
meta.class • A single meta.class object
objects • A cell array of meta.class objects. An empty cell array,
{}, is the same as a Sealed class (no subclasses).
Specify meta.class objects using the ?ClassName syntax

only.
See “Specify Allowed Subclasses” on page 11-22 for more

information.
5-5

ConstructOnLoad logical If true, MATLAB calls the class constructor when loading
an object from a MAT-file. Therefore, you must implement
(default = the constructor so it can be called with no arguments without
false) producing an error.
See “Initialize Objects” on page 12-25 for more

information.
HandleCompatible logical If specified as true, this class can be used as a superclass for
handle classes. All handle classes are HandleCompatible
(default = by definition. See “Supporting Both Handle and Value
false) for Subclasses” on page 11-36 for more information.
value classes
Hidden logical If true, this class does not appear in the output of the
superclasses or help functions.
(default =
false)
InferiorClasses meta.class Use this attribute to establish a precedence relationship
object or among classes. Specify a cell array of meta.class objects
cell array of using the ? operator.
meta.class
objects The fundamental classes are always inferior to user-defined
classes and do not show up in this list.
See “Class Precedence” on page 5-17 and “Dominant

Argument in Overloaded Plotting Functions” on page
8-39.
Sealed logical If true, this class can not be subclassed.
(default =
false)
Specifying Attributes
Attributes are specified for class members in the classdef, properties, methods, and
events definition blocks. The particular attribute setting applies to all members defined
within that particular block. This means that, for example, you might use multiple
5-6
Class Attributes
properties definition blocks so you can apply different attribute setting to different
properties.
Superclass Attributes Are Not Inherited
Class attributes are not inherited, so superclass attributes do not affect subclasses.
Attribute Syntax
Specify class attribute values in parentheses, separating each attribute name/attribute

value pair with a comma. The attribute list always follows the classdef or class
member key word, as shown below:
classdef (attribute-name = expression, ...) ClassName
properties (attribute-name = expression, ...)

...
end
methods (attribute-name = expression, ...)
...
end
events (attribute-name = expression, ...)
...
end
end
More About
• “Expressions in Attribute Specifications” on page 5-9
5-7
Expressions in Class Definitions

In this section...
“Basic Knowledge” on page 5-8
“Where to Use Expressions in Class Definitions” on page 5-8
“How MATLAB Evaluates Expressions” on page 5-10
“When MATLAB Evaluates Expressions” on page 5-10
“Samples of Expression Evaluation” on page 5-10
Basic Knowledge
The material presented in this section builds on an understanding of the following
information:
• “Operators and Elementary Operations”

• “Properties” on page 4-11
Where to Use Expressions in Class Definitions

An expression used in a class definition can be any valid MATLAB statement that
evaluates to a single array. Use expressions to define property default values and in
attribute specifications. Here are some examples used in a class definition:
classdef MyClass (Sealed = true)
% Logical value sets attribute
properties (Constant = true)
CnstProp = 2^.5;
end
properties
Prop1 = MyClass.setupAccount; % Static method of this class
Prop2 = MyConstants.Minimum; % Constant property from another class
Prop3 = MyConstants.Rate*MyClass.CnstProp % Constant property from this class
Prop4 = AccountManager; % A class constructor
end
end
MATLAB does not call property set methods when assigning the result of default
value expressions to properties. (See “Property Access Methods” on page 7-14 for
information about these special methods.)
5-8
Expressions in Attribute Specifications
Class definitions specify attribute values using an expression that assigns the desired
value to the named attribute. For example, this assignment makes MyClass sealed
(cannot be subclassed).
classdef MyClass (Sealed = true)
It is possible to use a MATLAB expression on the right side of the equals sign (=) as
long as it evaluates to logical true or false. However, this expression cannot use
any definitions from the class definition file, including any constant properties, static
methods, and local functions.
While it is possible to use conditional expressions to specify attribute values, doing so can
cause the class definition to change based on external conditions.
Note: The AllowedSubclasses and the InferiorClasses attributes require an

explicit specification of a cell array of meta.class objects as their values. Other
expression are not allowed.
See “Attribute Specification” on page 4-26 for more information on attribute syntax.
Expressions in Default Property Specifications
Property definitions allow you to specify default values for properties using any
expression that has no reference to variables. For example, Myclass defines a constant
property (Deg2Rad) and uses it in an expression that defines the default value of another
property (PropA). The default value expression also uses a static method (getAngle)
defined by the class:
classdef MyClass
Deg2Rad = pi/180;
end
properties
PropA = sin(Deg2Rad*MyClass.getAngle([1 0],[0 1]));
end
...
methods (Static)
function r = getAngle(vx,vy)
...
5-9
end
end
end
Expressions in Class Methods
Expression in class methods execute like expressions in any function — MATLAB

evaluates an expression within the function's workspace only when the method executes.
Therefore, expressions used in class methods are not considered part of the class
definition and are not discussed in this section.
How MATLAB Evaluates Expressions

MATLAB evaluates the expressions used in the class definition without any workspace.
Therefore, these expressions cannot reference variables of any kind.
MATLAB evaluates expressions in the context of the class file, so these expressions can
access any functions, static methods, and constant properties of other classes that are
on your path at the time MATLAB initializes the class. Expressions defining property
default values can access constant properties defined in their own class.
When MATLAB Evaluates Expressions

MATLAB evaluates the expressions in class definitions only when the class is initialized.
Initialization occurs before the class is first used.
After initialization, the values returned by these expressions are part of the class
definition and are constant for all instances of the class. Each instance of the class uses
the results of the initial evaluation of the expressions without reevaluation.
If you clear a class, then MATLAB reinitializes the class by reevaluating the expressions
that are part of the class definition. (see “Automatic Updates for Modified Classes” on
page 4-50)
Samples of Expression Evaluation

The following example shows how value and handle object behave when assigned to
properties as default values. Suppose you have the following classes. ContClass defines
the object that is created as a default property value, and ClassExp has a property that
contains a ContClass object:
5-10
classdef ContClass
properties
TimeProp = datestr(now); % Assign current date and time
end
end
classdef ClassExp
properties
ObjProp = ContClass;
end
end
MATLAB creates an instance of the ContClass class when the ClassExp class is first
used. MATLAB initializes both classes at this time. All instances of ClassExp include a
copy of this same instance of ContClass.
a = ClassExp;
a.ObjProp.TimeProp
ans =
08-Oct-2003 17:16:08
The TimeProp property of the ContClass object contains the date and time when
MATLAB initialized the class. Creating additional instances of the ClassExp class
shows that the date string has not changed:
b = ClassExp;
b.ObjProp.TimeProp
ans =
08-Oct-2003 17:16:08
Because this example uses a value class for the contained object, each instance of the
ClassExp has its own copy of the object. For example, suppose you change the value of
the TimeProp property on the object contained by ClassExp objectb:
b.ObjProp.TimeProp = datestr(now)
ans =
08-Oct-2003 17:22:49
The copy of the object contained by object a is unchanged:

a.ObjProp.TimeProp
5-11
ans =
08-Oct-2003 17:16:08
Now consider the difference in behavior if the contained object is a handle object:
classdef ContClass < handle
properties
TimeProp = datestr(now);
end
end
Creating two instances of the ClassExp class shows that MATLAB created an object
when it initialized the ContClass and used a copy of the object handle for each instance
of the ClassExp class. This means there is one ContClass object and the ObjProp
property of each ClassExp object contains a copy of its handle.
Create an instance of the ClassExp class and note the time of creation:
a = ClassExp;
a.ObjProp.TimeProp
ans =
08-Oct-2003 17:46:01
Create a second instance of the ClassExp class. The ObjProp contains the handle of the
same object:
b = ClassExp;
b.ObjProp.TimeProp
ans =
08-Oct-2003 17:46:01
Reassign the value of the contained object's TimeProp property:

b.ObjProp.TimeProp = datestr(now);
b.ObjProp.TimeProp
ans =
08-Oct-2003 17:47:34
5-12
Because the ObjProp property of object b contains a handle to the same object as the
ObjProp property of object a, the value of the TimeProp property has changed on this
object as well:
a.ObjProp.TimeProp
ans =
08-Oct-2003 17:47:34
See Also
datestr | now
More About
• “Comparing Handle and Value Classes” on page 6-2
5-13
Class and Path Folders

In this section...
“Class and Path Folders” on page 5-14
“Path Folders” on page 5-14
“Class Folders” on page 5-14
“Access to Functions Defined in Private Folders” on page 5-15
“Class Precedence and MATLAB Path” on page 5-15

There are two types of folders that can contain class definitions.
• Path folders — Folder name does not use an @ character and is itself on the MATLAB
path. Use this type of folder when you want multiple classes in one folder.
• Class folders — Folder name begins with an @ character followed by the class name.
The folder is not on the MATLAB path, but its parent folder is on the path. Use this
type of folder when you want to use multiple files for one class definition.
Path Folders
You can locate class definition files in folders that are on the MATLAB path. These
classes are visible on the path like any ordinary function. Class definitions placed in path
folders behave like any ordinary function with respect to precedence—the first occurrence
of a name on the MATLAB path takes precedence over all subsequent occurrences.
The name of the file must match the name of the class, as specified with the classdef
key word. Using a path folder eliminates the need to create a separate class folder for
each class. However, the entire class definition, including all methods, must be contained
within a single file (for example, MyClass1.m, MyClass2.m, and so on).
See the path function for information about the MATLAB path.
Class Folders
A class folder must be contained by a path folder, but is not itself on the MATLAB path.
Place the class definition file inside the class folder, which can also contain separate
5-14
method files. The class definition file must have the same name as the class folder
(without the @ character) and the class definition (beginning with the classdef key
word) must appear in the file before any other code (white space and comments do not
constitute code).
Define only one class per folder. All files must have a .m extension (for example,
@MyClass/MyClass.m, @MyClass/myMethod.m, and so on).
You must use a class folder if you want to use more than one file for your class definition.
Methods defined in separate files match the file name to the function name and must be
declared in the classdef file. See for more information.
Access to Functions Defined in Private Folders

Private folders contain functions that are accessible only from functions defined in
folders immediately above the private folder (See “Private Functions”). If a class folder
contains a private folder, only the class (or classes) defined in that folder can access
functions defined in the private folder. Subclasses do not have access to superclass
private functions.
If you want a subclass to have access to the private functions of the superclass, define the
private functions as protected methods of the superclass (that is, in a methods block with
the Access attribute defined a protected).
No Class Definitions in Private Folders
You cannot put class definitions in private folders because doing so would not meet the
requirements for class or path folders.
Class Precedence and MATLAB Path

When multiple class definition files with the same name exist, the precedence of a given
file is determined by its location on the MATLAB path. All class definition files before
it on the path (whether in a class folder or not) take precedence and it takes precedence
over all class definition files occurring later on the path.
For example, consider a path with the following folders, containing the files indicated:
fldr1/foo.m % defines class foo
fldr2/foo.m % defines function foo
fldr3/@foo/foo.m % defines class foo
5-15
fldr4/@foo/bar.m % defines method bar

fldr5/foo.m % defines class foo
The MATLAB language applies the logic in the following list to determine which version
of foo to call:
• Class fldr1/foo.m takes precedence over the class fldr3/@foo because it is before
fldr3/@foo on the path.
• Class fldr3/@foo takes precedence over function fldr2/foo.m because it is a
class in a class folder and fldr2/foo.m is not a class (classes in class folders take
precedence over functions).
• Function fldr2/foo.m takes precedence over class fldr5/foo.m because it comes
before class fldr5/foo.m on the path and because class fldr5/foo.m is not in a
class folder. Classes not defined in class folders abide by path order with respect to
functions.
• Class fldr3/@foo takes precedence over class fldr4/@foo; therefore, the method
bar is not recognized as part of the foo class (which is defined only by fldr3/@foo).
• If fldr3/@foo/foo.m does not contain a classdef keyword (i.e., it is a MATLAB
class prior to Version 7.6), then fldr4/@foo/bar.m becomes a method of the foo
class defined in fldr3/@foo.
Previous Behavior of Classes Defined in Class Folders
In MATLAB Versions 5 through 7, class folders do not shadow other class folders having
the same name, but residing in later path folders. Instead, the class is defined by the
combination of methods from all class folders having the same name. This is no longer
true.
Note that for backward compatibility, classes defined in class folders always take
precedence over functions and scripts having the same name, even those that come before
them on the path.
5-16
Class Precedence
Class Precedence
In this section...
“Why Mark Classes as Inferior” on page 5-17
“InferiorClasses Attribute” on page 5-17
Basic Knowledge
information:
• “Class Metadata” on page 15-2

Why Mark Classes as Inferior

When more than one class defines methods with the same name or when classes overload
functions, MATLAB determines which method or function to call based on the dominant
argument. Here is how MATLAB determines the dominant argument:
• Determine the dominant argument based on the class of arguments.

• If there is a dominant argument, call the method of the dominant class.
• If arguments are of equal precedence, use the left-most argument as the dominant
argument.
• If the class of the dominant argument does not define a method with the name of the
called function, call the first function on the path with that name.
InferiorClasses Attribute
You can specify the relative precedence of user-defined classes using the class
InferiorClasses attribute. Assign a cell array of class names (represented as
meta.class objects) to this attribute to specify classes that are inferior to the class you
are defining. For example, the following classdef declares that myClass is dominant
over class1 and class2.
classdef (InferiorClasses = {?class1,?class2}) myClass
5-17
...
end
The ? operator combined with a class name creates a meta.class object. This syntax
enables you to create a meta.class object without requiring you to construct an actual
instance of the class.
MATLAB built-in classes are always inferior to user-defined classes and should not be
used in this list.
The built-in classes include: double, single, char, logical, int64, uint64, int32,
uint32, int16, uint16, int8, uint8, cell, struct, and function_handle.
Dominant Class
MATLAB uses class dominance when evaluating expressions involving objects of more
than one class. The dominant class determines:
• The methods of which class MATLAB calls when more than one class defines methods
with the same names.
• The class of arrays that are formed by combining objects of different classes, assuming
MATLAB can convert the inferior objects to the dominant class.
No Attribute Inheritance
Subclasses do not inherit a superclass InferiorClasses attribute. Only instances of

the classes specified in the subclass InferiorClasses attribute are inferior to subclass
objects.
More About
• “Class Precedence and MATLAB Path” on page 5-15
• “Dominant Argument in Overloaded Plotting Functions”
5-18
Packages Create Namespaces

In this section...
“Internal Packages” on page 5-19
“Package Folders” on page 5-19
“Referencing Package Members Within Packages” on page 5-20
“Referencing Package Members from Outside the Package” on page 5-21
“Packages and the MATLAB Path” on page 5-22
Internal Packages
MathWorks® reserves the use of packages named internal for utility functions used
by internal MATLAB code. Functions that belong to an internal package are intended
for MathWorks use only. Using functions or classes that belong to an internal package
is strongly discouraged. These functions and classes are not guaranteed to work in a
consistent manner from one release to the next. Any of these functions and classes might
be removed from the MATLAB software in any subsequent release without notice and
without documentation in the product release notes.
Package Folders
Packages are special folders that can contain class folders, function and class definition
files, and other packages. Packages define the scope of the contents of the package folder
(that is, a namespace within which names must be unique). This means function and
class names need to be unique only within the package. Using a package provides a
means to organize classes and functions and to select names for these components that
other packages can reuse.
Note: Packages are not supported for classes created prior to MATLAB Version 7.6 (i.e.,
classes that do not use classdef).
Package folders always begin with the + character. For example,
+mypack
+mypack/pkfcn.m % a package function
5-19
+mypack/@myClass % class folder in a package
The top-level package folder's parent folder must be on the MATLAB path.
Listing the Contents of a Package
List the contents of a package using the help command:

help event
Contents of event:
EventData - event.EVENTDATA Base class for event data

PropertyEvent - event.PROPERTYEVENT Event data for object property
listener - event.LISTENER Listener object
proplistener - event.PROPLISTENER Listener object for property eve
You can also use the what command:

what event
Classes in directory Y:xxx\matlab\toolbox\matlab\lang\+event
EventData PropertyEvent listener proplistener
Referencing Package Members Within Packages

All references to packages, functions, and classes in the package must use the package
name prefix, unless you import the package. (See “Importing Classes” on page 5-24.)
For example, call a package function with this syntax:
z = mypack.pkfcn(x,y);
Note that definitions do not use the package prefix. For example, the function definition
line of the pkfcn.m function would include only the function name:
function z = pkfcn(x,y)
Similarly, a package class would be defined with only the class name:
classdef myClass
but would be called with the package prefix:

obj = mypack.myClass(arg1,arg2,...);
5-20
Calling class methods does not require the package name because you have an instance
of the class:
obj.myMethod(arg) or
myMethod(obj,arg)
A static method requires the full class name:
mypack.myClass.stMethod(arg)
Referencing Package Members from Outside the Package

Because functions, classes, and other packages contained in a package are scoped to that
package, to reference any of the package members, you must prefix the package name to
the member name, separated by a dot. For example, the following statement creates an
instance of myClass, which is contained in mypack package.
obj = mypack.myClass;
Accessing Class Members — Various Scenarios
This section shows you how to access various package members from outside a package.
Suppose you have a package mypack with the following contents:
+mypack
+mypack/myfcn.m
+mypack/@myfirstclass
+mypack/@myfirstclass/myfcn.m
+mypack/@myfirstclass/otherfcn.m
+mypack/@myfirstclass/myfirstclass.m
+mypack/@mysecondclass
+mypack/@mysecondclass/mysecondclass.m
+mypack/+mysubpack
+mypack/+mysubpack/myfcn.m
Invoke the myfcn function in mypack:
mypack.myfcn(arg)
Create an instance of each class in mypack:
obj1 = mypack.myfirstclass;
obj2 = mypack.mysecondclass(arg);
5-21
Invoke the myfcn function in mysubpack:

mypack.mysubpack.myfcn(arg1,arg2);
If mypack.myfirstclass has a method called myfcn, it is called as any method call on

an object:
obj = mypack.myfirstclass;
myfcn(obj,arg);
If mypack.myfirstclass has a property called MyProp, it can be assigned using dot

notation and the object:
obj = mypack.myfirstclass;
obj.MyProp = some_value;
Packages and the MATLAB Path

You cannot add package folders to the MATLAB path, but you must add the package's
parent folder to the path. Even if a package folder is the current folder, its parent folder
must still be on the MATLAB path or the package members are not accessible.
Package members remain scoped to the package even if the package folder is the current
folder. You must, therefore, always refer to the package members using the package
name.
Package folders do not shadow other package folders that are positioned later on the
path, unlike classes, which do shadow other classes.
Resolving Redundant Names
Suppose a package and a class have the same name. For example:
fldr1/+foo
fldr2/@foo/foo.m
A call to which foo returns the path to the executable class constructor:
>> which foo
fldr2/@foo/foo.m
A function and a package can have the same name. However, a package name by itself is
not an identifier so if a redundant name occurs alone, it identifies the function. Executing
a package name alone returns an error.
5-22
If two or more packages have the same name, MATLAB treats them all as one package.
If redundantly named packages in different path folders define the same function name,
then MATLAB finds only one of these functions.
Package Functions vs. Static Methods
In cases where a package and a class have the same name, a static method takes
precedence over a package function. For example:
fldr1/+foo/bar.m % bar is a function in package foo
fldr2/@foo/bar.m % bar is a static method of class foo
A call to which foo.bar returns the path to the static method:
>> which foo.bar

fldr2/@foo/bar.m
In cases where a path folder contains both package and class folders with the same
name, the class static method takes precedence over the package method:
fldr1/@foo/bar.m % bar is a static method of class foo
fldr1/+foo/bar.m % bar is a function in package foo
A call to which foo.bar returns the path to the static method:
>> which foo.bar

fldr1/@foo/bar.m
More About
• “Class and Path Folders”
5-23
Importing Classes
Syntax for Importing Classes
You can import classes into a function to simplify access to class members. For example,
suppose there is a package that contains a number of classes. You need to use only one of
these classes in your function, or perhaps even just a static method from that class. Use
the import command as follows:
function myFunc
import pkg.cls1
obj = cls1(arg,...); % call cls1 constructor
obj.Prop = cls1.StaticMethod(arg,...); % call cls1 static method
end
You do not need to reference the package name (pkg) once you have imported the class
(cls1). You can import all classes in a package using the syntax pkg.*:
function myFunc
import pkg.*
obj1 = cls1(arg,...); % call pkg.cls1 constructor
obj2 = cls2(arg,...); % call pkg.cls2 constructor
a = pkgFunction(); % call package function named pkgFunction
end
Importing Package Functions
Use import to import package functions:
function myFunc
import pkg.pkfcn
pkfcn(arg,...); % call imported package function
end
Package Function and Class Method Name Conflict
Suppose you have the following folder organization:

+pkg/timedata.m % package function
+pkg/@myclass/myclass.m % class definition file
+pkg/@myclass/timedata.m % class method
Import the package and call timedata on an instance of myclass:
5-24
Importing Classes
import pkg.*
myobj = pkg.myclass;
timedata(myobj)
A call to timedata finds the package function, not the class method because MATLAB
applies the import and finds pkg.timedata first. Do not use a package in cases where
you have name conflicts and plan to import the package.
Clearing Import List
You can not clear the import list from a function workspace. To clear the base workspace
only, use:
clear import
More About
5-25
6
Value or Handle Class — Which to

Use

• “Which Kind of Class to Use” on page 6-9
• “The Handle Superclass” on page 6-11
• “Handle Class Destructor” on page 6-16
• “Finding Handle Objects and Properties” on page 6-22
• “Implementing a Set/Get Interface for Properties” on page 6-23
• “Controlling the Number of Instances” on page 6-30
6 Value or Handle Class — Which to Use
Comparing Handle and Value Classes

In this section...
“Basic Difference” on page 6-2
“Why Select Handle or Value” on page 6-2
“Behavior of MATLAB Built-In Classes” on page 6-3
“Behavior of User-Defined Classes” on page 6-4
Basic Difference
A value class constructor returns an instance that is associated with the variable to
which it is assigned. If you reassign this variable, MATLAB creates a copy of the original
object. If you pass this variable to a function, the function must return the modified
object.
A handle class constructor returns a handle object that is a reference to the object
created. You can assign the handle object to multiple variables or pass it to functions
without causing MATLAB to make a copy of the original object. A function that modifies
a handle object passed as an input argument does not need to return the object.
Note: All handle classes must subclass the abstract handle class.
“Modifying Objects” on page 4-60 compares handle and value object behavior when used
as arguments to functions.
Why Select Handle or Value

MATLAB support two kinds of classes — handle classes and value classes. The kind of
class you use depends on the desired behavior of the class instances and what features
you want to use.
Use a handle class when you want to create a reference to the data contained in an object
of the class, and do not want copies of the object to make copies of the object data. For
example, use a handle class to implement an object that contains information for a phone
book entry. Multiple application programs can access a particular phone book entry, but
there can be only one set of underlying data.
6-2
The reference behavior of handles enables these classes to support features like events,
listeners, and dynamic properties.
Use value classes to represent entities that do not need to be unique, like numeric values.
For example, use a value class to implement a polynomial data type. You can copy a
polynomial object and then modify its coefficients to make a different polynomial without
affecting the original polynomial.
“Which Kind of Class to Use” on page 6-9 describes how to select the kind of class to
use for your application.
Behavior of MATLAB Built-In Classes

If you create an object of the class int32 and make a copy of this object, the result
is two independent objects having no data shared between them. The following code
example creates an object of class int32 and assigns it to variable a, and then copies
it to b. When you raise a to the fourth power and assign the value again to the variable
a, MATLAB creates an object with the new data and assigns it to the variable a,
overwriting the previous assignment. The value of b does not change.
a = int32(7);
b = a;
a = a^4;
b
7
MATLAB copies the value of a to b, which results in two independent versions of the
original object. This behavior is typical of MATLAB numeric classes.
Handle Graphics® classes return a handle to the object created. A handle is a variable
that references an instance of a class. If you copy the handle, you have another variable
that refers to the same object. There is still only one version of the object data. For
example, if you create a Handle Graphics line object and copy its handle to another
variable, you can set the properties of the same line using either copy of the handle.
x = 1:10; y = sin(x);
h1 = line(x,y);
h2 = h1;
set(h2,'Color','red') % line is red

set(h1,'Color','green') % line is green
delete(h2)
set(h1,'Color','blue')
6-3
MATLAB returns an
error in this case.
If you delete one handle, all copies are now invalid because you have deleted the single
object to which all copies point.
Behavior of User-Defined Classes

Value class instances behave like built-in numeric classes and handle class instances
behave like Handle Graphics objects, as illustrated in “Behavior of MATLAB Built-In
Classes” on page 6-3.
Value Classes
MATLAB associates objects of value classes with the variables to which you assign them.
When you copy a value object, MATLAB also copies the data contained by the object.
The new object is independent of changes to the original object. Instances behave like
standard MATLAB numeric and struct classes. Each property behaves essentially like
a MATLAB array See “Memory Allocation for Arrays” for more information.
Value Class Behavior
Use value classes when assigning an object to a variable and passing an object to a
function must make a copy of the function. Value objects are always associated with one
workspace or temporary variable and go out of scope when that variable goes out of scope
or is cleared. There are no references to value objects, only copies which are themselves
objects.
For example, suppose you define a polynomial class whose Coefficients property
stores the coefficients of the polynomial. Note how copies of these value-class objects are
independent of each other:
p = polynomial([1 0 -2 -5]);
p2 = p;
p.Coefficients = [2 3 -1 -2 -3];
p2.Coefficients
ans =
1 0 -2 -5
6-4
Creating a Value Class

All classes that are not subclasses of the handle class are value classes. Therefore, the
following classdef creates a value class named myValueClass:
classdef myValueClass
...
end
Handle Classes
Objects of handle classes use a handle to reference objects of the class. A handle is a
variable that identifies an instance of a class. When you copy a handle object, MATLAB
copies the handle, but not the data stored in the object properties. The copy refers to the
same data as the original handle. If you change a property value on the original object,
the copied object reflects the same change.
All handle classes are subclasses of the abstract handle class. In addition to providing
handle copy semantics, deriving from the handle class enables your class to:
• Inherit a number of useful methods (“Handle Class Methods” on page 6-12)

• Define events and listeners (“Events and Listeners — Syntax and Techniques” on
page 10-19)
• Define dynamic properties (“Dynamic Properties — Adding Properties to an Instance”
on page 7-30)
• Implement Handle Graphics type set and get methods (“Implementing a Set/Get
Interface for Properties” on page 6-23)
Creating a Handle Class

Subclass the handle class explicitly to create a handle class:
classdef myClass < handle
...
end
See “The Handle Superclass” on page 6-11 for more information on the handle class
and its methods.
Subclasses of Handle Classes

If you subclass a class that is itself a subclass of the handle class, your subclass is also
a handle class. You do not need to specify the handle superclass explicitly in your class
definition. For example, the employee class is a subclass of the handle class:
6-5
classdef employee < handle

...
end
Create a subclass of the employee class for engineer employees, which is also a handle
class. You do not need to specify handle as a superclass in the classdef:
classdef engineer < employee
...
end
Handle Class Behavior
A handle is an object that references its data indirectly. When constructing a handle, the
MATLAB runtime creates an object with storage for property values and the constructor
function returns a handle to this object. When you assign the handle to a variable
or when you pass the handle to a function, MATLAB copies the handle, but not the
underlying data.
For example, suppose you have defined a handle class that stores data about company
employees, such as the department in which they work:
classdef employee < handle
properties
Name = ''
Department = '';
end
methods
function e = employee(name,dept)
e.Name = name;
e.Department = dept;
end % employee
function transfer(obj,newDepartment)
obj.Department = newDepartment;
end % transfer
end
end
The transfer method in the previous code changes the employee's department (the
Department property of an employee object). In the following statements, e2 is a copy
of the handle object e. Notice that when you change the Department property of object e,
the property value also changes in object e2.
e = employee('Fred Smith','QE');
6-6
e2 = e; % Copy handle object

transfer(e,'Engineering')
e2.Department
ans =
Engineering
The variable e2 is an alias for e and refers to the same property data storage as e.
Initializing Properties to Handle Objects
See “Initializing Property Values” on page 4-11 for information on the differences
between initializing properties to default values in the properties block and initializing
properties from within the constructor. Also, see “Initialize Arrays of Handle Objects” on
page 9-10 for related information on working with handle classes.
employee as a Value Class
If the employee class was a value class, then the transfer method would modify only
its local copy of the employee object. In value classes, methods like transfer that
modify the object must return a modified object to copy over the existing object variable:
function obj = transfer(obj,newDepartment)

obj.Department = newDepartment;
end
When you call transfer, assign the output argument to create the modified object.
e = transfer(e,'Engineering');
In a value class, the transfer method does not affect the variable e2, which is a
different employee object. In this example, having two independent copies of objects
representing the same employee is not a good design. Hence, implement the employee
class as a handle class.
Deleting Handles
You can destroy handle objects before they become unreachable by explicitly calling the
delete function. Deleting the handle of a handle class object makes all handles invalid.
For example:
delete(e2)
e.Department
6-7
Calling the delete function on a handle object invokes the destructor function or
functions for that object. See “Handle Class Destructor” on page 6-16 for more
information.
6-8
Which Kind of Class to Use
Which Kind of Class to Use

In this section...
“Examples of Value and Handle Classes” on page 6-9
“When to Use Handle Classes” on page 6-9
“When to Use Value Classes” on page 6-10
Examples of Value and Handle Classes

Handle and value classes are useful in different situations. For example, value classes
enable you to create new array classes that have the same semantics as MATLAB
numeric classes.
“Class Design for Polynomials” on page 18-2 and “Class to Represent Structured
Data” on page 3-24 provides examples of value classes.
Handle classes enable you to create objects that more than one function or object can
share. Handle objects allow more complex interactions among objects because they allow
objects to reference each other.
“Class to Implement Linked Lists” on page 3-36 and “Developing Classes — Typical
Workflow” on page 3-8 provides examples of a handle class.
When to Use Handle Classes

Use a handle class when:
• No two instances of a class can have the same state, making it impossible to have
exact copies. For example:
• A copy of a graphics object (such as a line) has a different position in its parents
list of children than the object from which it was copied. Therefore, the two objects
are not identical.
• Nodes in lists or trees having specific connectivity to other nodes—no two nodes
can have the same connectivity.
• The class represents physical and unique objects like serial ports or printers, in which
the entity or state cannot exist in a MATLAB variable. However, a handle to such
entity can be a variable.
6-9
• The class defines events and notifies listeners when an event occurs (notify is a
handle class method).
• The class creates listeners by calling the handle class addlistener method.
• The class subclasses the dynamicprops class (a subclass of handle) so that
instances can define dynamic properties.
• The class subclasses the matlab.mixin.SetGet class (a subclass of handle) so that
it can implement a graphics object style set/get interface to access property values.
• You want to create a singleton class or a class in which you track the number of
instances from within the constructor. MATLAB software never creates a unique
handle without calling the class constructor. A copy of a handle object is not unique
because both original and copy reference the same data.
When to Use Value Classes

Value class instances behave like normal MATLAB variables. A typical use of value
classes is to define data structures. For example, suppose you want to define a class to
represent polynomials. This class can define a property to contain a list of coefficients for
the polynomial. It can implement methods that enable you to perform various common
operations on the polynomial object. For example, implement addition and multiplication
without converting the object to another class.
A value class is suitable because you can copy a polynomial object and have two objects
that are identical representations of the same polynomial. See “Subclassing MATLAB
Built-In Types” on page 11-44 for more information on value classes.
6-10
The Handle Superclass
In this section...
“Building on the Handle Class” on page 6-11
“Handle Class Methods” on page 6-12
“Relational Methods” on page 6-12
“Testing Handle Validity” on page 6-12
“When MATLAB Destroys Objects” on page 6-14
Building on the Handle Class

The handle class is an abstract class, which means you cannot create an instance of
this class directly. Instead, you use this class as a superclass when you implement your
own class. The handle class is the foundation of all classes that are themselves handle
classes. When you define a class that is a subclass of handle, you have created a handle
class. Therefore, all classes that follow handle semantics are subclasses of the handle
class.
Handle Subclasses
There are two subclasses of the handle class that provide additional features when you
derive your class from these subclasses:
• matlab.mixin.SetGet — Provides set and get methods to access property

values. See “Implementing a Set/Get Interface for Properties” on page 6-23 for
information on subclassing matlab.mixin.SetGet.
• dynamicprops — Provides the ability to define instance properties. See “Dynamic
Properties — Adding Properties to an Instance” on page 7-30 for information on
subclassing dynamicprops.
Deriving from subclasses of the handle class means that your class is a handle class.
It inherits all the handle class methods, plus the special features provided by these
subclasses.
6-11
Handle Class Methods

While the handle class defines no properties, it does define the methods discussed in
this section. Whenever you create a handle class (that is, subclass the handle class),
your subclass inherits these methods.
You can list the methods of a class by passing the class name to the methods function:
>> methods('handle')
Methods for class handle:
addlistener findobj gt lt
delete findprop isvalid ne
eq ge le notify
“Events and Listeners — Syntax and Techniques” on page 10-19 provides information
on how to use the notify and addlistener methods, which are related to the use of
events.
“Creating Subclasses — Syntax and Techniques” on page 11-7 provides general

information on defining subclasses.
Relational Methods
function TF = eq(H1,H2)
function TF = ne(H1,H2)
function TF = lt(H1,H2)
function TF = le(H1,H2)
function TF = gt(H1,H2)
function TF = ge(H1,H2)
The handle class overloads these functions with implementations that allow for equality
tests and sorting on handles. For each pair of input arrays, these functions return a
logical array of the same size. Each element is an element-wise equality or comparison
test result. The input arrays must be the same size or one (or both) can be scalar. The
method performs scalar expansion as required.
Testing Handle Validity

Use the isvalid handle class method to determine if you have a valid handle object.
For example, in this statement:
B = isvalid(H)
6-12
B is a logical array in which each element is true if, and only if, the corresponding
element of H is a valid handle. B is always the same size as H.
Handle Class or Graphics Object Handle
Use the isa function to determine if a handle is of class handle, or is a Java or Handle
Graphics handle. For example, consider the button class, which derives from the
handle class:
classdef button < handle
properties
UiHandle
end
methods
function obj = button(pos)
if nargin > 0
if length(pos) == 4
obj.UiHandle = uicontrol('Position',pos,'Style','pushbutton');
else
error('Improper position')
end
end
end
end
end
Create a button object by passing a position vector to the button constructor:

h = button([50 20 50 20]);
Determine the difference between the graphics object handle (stored in the UiHandle
property) and the handle class object, h. Use ishandle to test the validity of Handle
Graphics object handles:
% h is a handle object
>> isa(h,'handle')
ans =
1
% The uicontrol object handle is not a handle object

>> isa(h.UiHandle,'handle')
ans =
0
% The button object is not a graphics object

>> ishandle(h)
ans =
0
6-13
% The uicontrol is a graphics object handle

>> ishandle(h.UiHandle)
ans =
1
If you close the figure, the ishandle function determines that the Handle Graphics
handle is not valid:
>> close
>> ishandle(h.UiHandle)
ans =
h is still of class handle and is still a valid handle object:
>> isa(h,'handle')
ans =
1
>> isvalid(h)
ans =
h is also of class button:
>> isa(h,'button')
ans =
When MATLAB Destroys Objects

MATLAB destroys objects in the workspace of a function when the function:
• Reassigns an object variable to a new value

• Does not use an object variable for the remainder of a function
6-14
• Function execution ends
When MATLAB destroys an object, it also destroys values stored in the properties of the
object and returns any computer memory associated with the object to MATLAB or the
operating system.
You do not need to free memory in handle classes. However, there can be other
operations that you want to perform when destroying an object. For example, closing a
file or shutting down an external program that the object constructor started. You can
define a delete method in your handle subclass for these purposes.
See “Handle Class Destructor” on page 6-16 for more information.
6-15
Handle Class Destructor

In this section...
“Syntax of Class Destructor Method” on page 6-16
“When to Define a Destructor Method” on page 6-17
“Destructors in Class Hierarchies” on page 6-17
“Object Lifecycle” on page 6-18
“Restrict Explicit Object Deletion” on page 6-20
“Nondestructor Delete Methods” on page 6-20
Basic Knowledge
Terms and Concepts
Class destructor – a method named delete that MATLAB calls implicitly before
destroying an object of the a handle class. User-defined code can also call delete
explicitly to destroy a handle object.
Nondestructor – a method named delete that does not meet the syntax requirements
of a valid destructor. Consequently, MATLAB does not call this method implicitly when
destroying an object.
Table of method attributes: “Method Attributes” on page 8-5
Syntax of Class Destructor Method

When destroying an object, MATLAB implicitly calls the class destructor method, if the
class defines one. Create a destructor method by implementing a method named delete.
However, MATLAB recognizes a class method named delete as the class destructor only
if you define delete as an ordinary method with the appropriate syntax.
To be a valid class destructor, the delete method:
• Must have one scalar input argument that is an object of the class.
• Must not define output arguments
• Cannot be Sealed, Static, or Abstract
6-16
In addition, destructors should not:
• Throw errors
• Create new handles to the object being destroyed
If you define a delete method that can be called with more than one input argument, or
that returns any output arguments, then MATLAB does not recognize that method as the
class destructor, and does not call it when destroying an object of the class.
Declare delete as an ordinary method:

methods
% obj is always scalar
...
end
end
Calling Delete on an Array
MATLAB calls the destructor method element-wise on an array of objects. Because

MATLAB calls the delete method separately for each element in an object array, each
delete method is passed only one scalar argument.
When to Define a Destructor Method

Use a class destructor to perform any necessary cleanup operations before MATLAB
destroys an object of the class.
For example, suppose an object opens a file for writing and you want to close the file in
your delete method. This delete function calls fclose on a file identifier that the
object's FileID property stores:
fclose(obj.FileID);
end
For an example that uses this delete method, see “Class to Manage Writable Files”.
Destructors in Class Hierarchies

If you create a hierarchy of classes, each class can define its own class destructor method.
When destroying an object, MATLAB calls the destructor of each class in the hierarchy.
6-17
Therefore, defining a delete method in a handle subclass does not override the handle
class delete method; the subclass delete methods augment the superclass delete
methods.
Inheriting a Sealed Delete Method
You cannot define a valid destructor that is Sealed. MATLAB returns an error when you
attempt to instantiate a class that defines a Sealed destructor.
Normally, declaring a method as Sealed prevents subclasses from overriding that

method. However, because destructors must be named delete, an inherited method
named delete that is Sealed does not prevent subclasses from defining valid
destructors.
For example, if a superclass defines a method named delete that is not a valid
destructor and is Sealed, then subclasses:
• Can define valid destructors (which are always named delete).

• Cannot define methods named delete that are not valid destructors.
Destructors in Heterogeneous Hierarchies
Heterogeneous class hierarchies (matlab.mixin.Heterogeneous) require that all

methods to which heterogeneous arrays are passed must be sealed. However, the rule
does not apply to class destructor methods. Because destructor methods cannot be sealed,
you can define a valid destructor in a heterogeneous hierarchy that is not sealed, but
does function as a destructor.
Object Lifecycle
MATLAB invokes the destructor delete method when the lifecycle of an object ends.
The lifecycle of an object ends when the object is:
• No longer referenced anywhere

• Explicitly deleted by calling delete on the handle
Inside a Function
The lifecycle of an object referenced by a local variable or input argument exists from
the time the variable is assigned until the time it is reassigned, cleared, or no longer
referenced within that function or any handle array.
6-18
A variable goes out of scope when you explicitly clear it or when its function ends. When
a variable goes out of scope, if its value belongs to a handle class that defines a delete
method, MATLAB calls that method. MATLAB defines no ordering among variables in a
function. Do not assume that MATLAB destroys one value before another value when the
same function contains multiple values.
Sequence During Handle Object Destruction
MATLAB invokes the delete methods in the following sequence when destroying an
object:
1 The delete method for the class of the object

2 The delete method of each superclass class, starting with the immediate
superclasses and working up the hierarchy to the most general superclasses
MATLAB invokes the delete methods of superclasses at the same level in the hierarchy
in the order specified in the class definition. For example, the following class definition
specifies supclass1 before supclass2 so MATLAB calls the delete function of
supclass1 before the delete function of supclass2.
classdef myClass < supclass1 & supclass2
Superclass delete methods cannot call methods or access properties belonging to a

subclass.
After calling each delete method, MATLAB destroys the property values belonging
exclusively to the class whose method was called. The destruction of property values that
contain other handle objects can cause MATLAB to call the delete methods for those
objects, if there are no other references to those objects.
Destruction of Objects with Cyclic References
Consider a set of objects that reference other objects of the set such that the references
form a cyclic graph. In this case, MATLAB:
• Destroys the objects if they are referenced only within the cycle
• Does not destroy the objects as long as there is an external reference to any of the
objects from a MATLAB variable outside the cycle
MATLAB destroys the objects in the reverse of the order of construction.
6-19
Restrict Explicit Object Deletion

You can destroy handle objects by explicitly calling delete on the object:
delete(obj)
A class can prevent explicit destruction of an object by setting its delete method
Access attribute to private. MATLAB issues an error if you explicitly call delete on a
handle object whose delete method is private. However, a method of the class can call
the private delete method.
Similarly, if the class delete method Access attribute has a value of protected, only
methods of the class and any subclasses can explicitly delete objects of that class.
However, when an object’s lifecycle ends, MATLAB calls the object’s delete method
when destroying the object regardless of method’s Access attribute setting. See “Object
Lifecycle” on page 6-18 for information on when MATLAB destroys objects and
“Sequence During Handle Object Destruction” on page 6-19 for information on how
MATLAB calls object delete methods.
Inherited Private Delete Methods
Class destructor behavior differs from the normal behavior of an overridden method.
MATLAB executes each delete method of each superclass of an object upon destruction,
even if that delete method is not public.
When you explicitly call an object’s delete method, MATLAB checks the delete
method Access attribute in the class defining the object, but not in the superclasses of
the object. Therefore, a superclass with a private delete method does not prevent the
destruction of subclass objects.
Declaring a private delete method makes most sense for sealed classes. The reason for
this is because, in the case where classes are not sealed, subclasses can define their own
delete methods with public access, and MATLAB calls a private superclass delete method
as a result of an explicit call to a public subclass delete method.
Nondestructor Delete Methods

A class can implement a method named delete that is not a valid class destructor, and
therefore is not called implicitly by MATLAB when destroying an object. In this case,
delete behaves like a normal method.
6-20
For example, if the superclass implements a Sealed method named delete that is not a
valid destructor, then MATLAB does not allow subclasses to override this method.
A delete method defined by a value class cannot be a class destructor. See “Basic
Difference” on page 6-2 for information on the difference between a value and handle
class.
See “Syntax of Class Destructor Method” on page 6-16 for information on how to
implement a delete method that is a valid destructor.
6-21
Finding Handle Objects and Properties

In this section...
“Finding Handle Objects” on page 6-22
“Finding Handle Object Properties” on page 6-22
Finding Handle Objects

The findobj method enables you to locate handle objects that meet certain conditions.
function HM = findobj(H,<conditions>)
The findobj method returns an array of handles matching the conditions specified.
Finding Handle Object Properties

The findprop method returns the meta.property object for the specified object and
property.
function mp = findprop(h,'PropertyName')
The findprop method returns the meta.property object associated with the
PropertyName property defined by the class of h. The property can also be a dynamic
property created by the addprop method of the dynamicprops class.
You can use the returned meta.property object to obtain information about the
property, such as querying the settings of any of its attributes. For example, the following
statements determine that the setting of the AccountStatus property's Dependent
attribute is false.
ba = BankAccount(007,50,'open');
mp = findprop(ba,'AccountStatus'); % get meta.property object
mp.Dependent
ans =
0
“Class Metadata” on page 15-2 provides more information on meta-classes.
6-22
Implementing a Set/Get Interface for Properties

In this section...
“The Standard Set/Get Interface” on page 6-23
“Subclass matlab.mixin.SetGet” on page 6-23
“Get Method Syntax” on page 6-23
“Set Method Syntax” on page 6-24
“Class Derived from matlab.mixin.SetGet” on page 6-25
The Standard Set/Get Interface

The MATLAB graphics system implements an interface based on set and get methods.
These methods enable you to set or query the values of graphics object properties. The
matlab.mixin.SetGet subclass of the handle class provides implementations of these
methods. Derive your class from matlab.mixin.SetGet to obtain similar set and get
functionality.
Note: The set and get methods referred to in this section are different from property set
access and property get access methods. See “Property Access Methods” on page 7-14
for information on property access methods.
Subclass matlab.mixin.SetGet
Classes inherit set and get methods from matlab.mixin.SetGet:
classdef MyClass < matlab.mixin.SetGet
Because matlab.mixin.SetGet derives from the handle class, MyClass is also a

handle class.
Get Method Syntax

Get the value of an object property using the object handle, h, and the property name:
v = get(h,'PropertyName');
6-23
If you specify an array of handles with a single property name, get returns the current
property value for each object in H as a cell array of values, (CV):
CV = get(H,'PropertyName');
The CV array is always a column regardless of the shape of H.
When prop is a cell array of string property names and H is an array of handles, get
returns a cell array of values where each row in the cell corresponds to an object in
H and each column in the cell corresponds to a property in prop. get returns the
corresponding property values in an m-by-n cell array, where m = length(H) and n =
length(prop)
prop = {'PropertyName1','PropertyName2'};
CV = get(H,prop);
If you specify a handle array, but no property names, get returns a struct array
in which each structure in the array corresponds to an object in H. Each field in the
structure corresponds to a property defined by the class of H. The value of each field is
the value of the corresponding property. If you do not assign an output variable, then H
must be scalar.
SV = get(H);
See “Using Handle Arrays with Get” on page 6-27 for an example.
Set Method Syntax

The set method assigns the value of the specified property for the object with handle H.
If H is an array of handles, MATLAB assigns the property value to the named property
for each object in the array H.
set(H,'PropertyName',PropertyValue)
You can pass a cell array of property names and a cell array of property values to set:
set(H,{'PropertyName1','PropertyName2'},...
{Property1Value,Property2Value})
If length(H) is greater than one, then the property value cell array can have values for
each property in each object. For example, if length(H) is 2 (two object handles), then
you can use an expression like this:
6-24
set(H,{'PropertyName1','PropertyName2'},...
{Property11Value,Property12Value;Property21Value,Property22Value})
The preceding statement is equivalent to the follow two statements:
set(H(1),'PropertyName1',Property11Value,'PropertyName2',Property12Value)
set(H(2),'PropertyName1',Property21Value,'PropertyName2',Property22Value)
If you specify a scalar handle, but no property names, set returns a struct array with
one field for each property in the class of H. Each field contains an empty cell array.
SV = set(h);
See “Class Derived from matlab.mixin.SetGet” on page 6-25 for an example.
Class Derived from matlab.mixin.SetGet

This sample class defines a set/get interface and illustrates the behavior of the inherited
methods:
classdef LineType < matlab.mixin.SetGet
properties
Style = '-';
Marker = 'o';
end
properties (SetAccess = protected)
Units = 'points';
end
methods
function obj = LineType(s,m)
if nargin > 0
obj.Style = s;
obj.Marker = m;
end
end % LineType
function obj = set.Style(obj,val)
if ~(strcmpi(val,'-') ||...
strcmpi(val,'--') ||...
strcmpi(val,'..'))
error('Invalid line style ')
end
obj.Style = val;
end % set.Style
function obj = set.Marker(obj,val)
if ~isstrprop(val,'graphic')
error('Marker must be a visible character')
end
obj.Marker = val;
end % set.Marker
end % methods
6-25
end % classdef
Create an instance of the class and save its handle:
h = LineType('--','*');
Query the value of any object property using the inherited get method:
get(h,'Marker')
ans =
Set the value of any property using the inherited set method:
set(h,'Marker','Q')
Property Access Methods Are Called
MATLAB calls any property access methods (set.Style or set.Marker in the

LineType class) when you use the set and get methods that are inherited from the
matlab.mixin.SetGet class:
set(h,'Style','-.-')
Error using LineType>LineType.set.Style
Invalid line style
Using the set and get methods that are inherited from matlab.mixin.SetGet invokes
any existing property access methods that would execute when assigning or querying
property values using dot notation:
h.Style = '-.-';
Error using LineType>LineType.set.Style
Invalid line style
See “Property Access Methods” on page 7-14 for more information on property access
methods.
Listing All Properties
You can create a struct containing object properties and their current values using get
with only a handle array as input.
For example, the struct SV contains fields whose names correspond to property names.
Each field contains the current value of the respective property.
6-26
% Create a LineType object and save its handle

h = LineType('--','*');
% Query the property values of object h

SV = get(h)
SV =
Style: '--'
Marker: '*'
Units: 'points'
Create a struct containing the properties that have public SetAccess using set with
an object handle:
% Query setable property values
S = set(h)
S =
Style: {}
Marker: {}
The LineType class defines the Units property with SetAccess = protected.
Therefore, S = set(h) does not create a field for this property in the struct S. set
cannot return possible values for the properties.
Using Handle Arrays with Get
Suppose you create an array of LineType objects:

H = [LineType('..','z'),LineType('--','q')]
H =
1x2 LineType with properties:
Style
Marker
Units
When H is an array of handles, get returns a (length(H)-by-1) cell array of property

values:
CV = get(H,'Style')
CV =
6-27
'..'
'--'
When H is an array of handles and you do not specify a property name, get returns a
struct array containing fields with name corresponding to property-names. You must
assign the output of get to a variable when H is not scalar.
% Assign output of get for nonscalar H

SV = get(H)
SV =
2x1 struct array with fields:

Style
Marker
Units
Get the value of the Marker property from the second array element in the SV struct
array:
SV(2).Marker
ans =
Handle, Property Name, and Property Value Arrays
You can pass an array of handles, a cell array of property names, and a cell array of
property values to set. The property value cell array must have one row of property
values for each object in H and each row must have a value for each property in the
property name array:
H = [LineType('..','z'),LineType('--','q')];
set(H,{'Style','Marker'},{'..','o';'--','x'})
The results of this call to set is:
H(1)
ans =
LineType with properties:
6-28
Style: '..'
Marker: 'o'
Units: 'points'
H(2)
ans =
LineType with properties:
Style: '--'
Marker: 'x'
Units: 'points'
Customizing the Property List
Customize the way property lists display by redefining the following methods in your
subclass:
• setdisp — When you call set with no output argument and a single scalar handle
input, set calls setdisp to determine how to display the property list.
• getdisp — When you call get with no output argument and a single scalar handle
input, get calls getdisp to determine how to display the property list.
6-29
Controlling the Number of Instances
Limiting Instances
You can limit the number of instances of a class that can exist at any one time. For
example, a singleton class can have only one instance and provides a way to access this
instance. You can create a singleton class using these elements:
• A persistent variable to contain the instance

• A sealed class (Sealed attribute set to true) to prevent subclassing
• A private constructor (Access attribute set to private)
• A static method to return the handle to the instance, if it exists, or to create the
instance when needed.
Implementing a Singleton Class
The following skeletal class definition shows how you can approach the implementation
of a class that allows you to create only one instance at a time:
classdef (Sealed) SingleInstance < handle

function obj = SingleInstance
end
end
methods (Static)
function singleObj = getInstance
persistent localObj
if isempty(localObj) || ~isvalid(localObj)
localObj = SingleInstance;
end
singleObj = localObj;
end
end
end
The getInstance static method returns a handle to the object created, which the class
stores in a persistent variable. getInstance creates an instance only the first time
called in a session or when the object becomes invalid. For example:
sobj = SingleInstance.getInstance
sobj =
6-30
Controlling the Number of Instances
SingleInstance with no properties
As long as sobj exists as a valid handle, calling getInstance returns a handle to the
same object. If you delete sobj, then calling getInstance creates an object and returns
the handle.
delete(sobj)
isvalid(sobj)
ans =
0
sobj = SingleInstance.getInstance;
isvalid(sobj)
ans =
6-31
7
Properties — Storing Class Data
• “How to Use Properties” on page 7-2

• “Defining Properties” on page 7-4
• “Mutable and Immutable Properties” on page 7-13
• “Property Access Methods” on page 7-14
• “Property Set Methods” on page 7-19
• “Property Get Methods” on page 7-22
• “Access Methods for Dependent Properties” on page 7-24
• “Properties Containing Objects” on page 7-28
• “Dynamic Properties — Adding Properties to an Instance” on page 7-30
7 Properties — Storing Class Data
How to Use Properties

In this section...
“What Are Properties” on page 7-2
“Types of Properties” on page 7-2
What Are Properties

Properties encapsulate the data that belongs to instances of classes. Data contained in
properties can be public, protected, or private. This data can be a fixed set of constant
values, or it can be dependent on other values and calculated only when queried. You
control these aspects of property behaviors by setting property attributes and by defining
property-specific access methods.
Flexibility of Object Properties
In some ways, properties are like fields of a struct object. However, storing data in an
object property provides more flexibility. Properties can:
• Define a constant value that you cannot change outside the class definition. See
“Properties with Constant Values” on page 14-2
• Calculate its value based on the current value of other data. See “Property Get
Methods” on page 7-22
• Execute a function to determine if an attempt to assign a value meets a certain
criteria. See “Property Set Methods” on page 7-19
• Trigger an event notification when any attempt is made to get or set its value. See
“Property-Set and Query Events” on page 10-14
• Restrict access by other code to the property value. See the SetAccess and
GetAccess attributes “Property Attributes” on page 7-7
• Control whether its value is saved with the object in a MAT-file. See “Save and Load
Objects” on page 12-2
Types of Properties
There are two types of properties:
• Stored properties — Use memory and are part of the object
7-2
How to Use Properties
• Dependent properties — No allocated memory and the get access method calculates
the value when queried
Features of Stored Properties
• Can assign an initial value in the class definition

• Property value is stored when you save the object to a MAT-file
• Can use a set access method to control possible values, but you are not required to use
such methods.
When to Use Stored Properties
• You want to be able to save the property value in a MAT-file

• The property value is not dependent on other property values
Features of Dependent Properties
Dependent properties save memory because property values that depend on other values
are calculated only when needed.
When to Use Dependent Properties
Define properties as dependent when you want to:
• Compute the value of a property from other values (for example, you can compute
area from Width and Height properties).
• Provide a value in different formats depending on other values. For example, the size
of a push button in values determined by the current setting of its Units property.
• Provide a standard interface where a particular property is or is not used, depending
on other values. For example, different computer platforms can have different
components on a toolbar).
Related Examples
• “Property Attributes”
• “Property Access Methods” on page 7-14
7-3
Defining Properties
In this section...
“Property Definition Block” on page 7-4
“Access Property Values” on page 7-5
“Inheritance of Properties” on page 7-5
“Specify Property Attributes” on page 7-5
Property Definition Block

The following illustration shows a typical property specification. The properties and
end keywords delineate a block of code that defines properties having the same attribute
settings.
properties keyword begins definition block. Attribute specification
properties (SetAccess = protected)
Coefficients = [0 0 1];
end
properties block
Property name Default value
end keyword terminates definition block.
Note: Properties cannot have the same name as the class
7-4
Defining Properties
Assigning a Default Value
The preceding example shows the Coefficients property specified as having a default
value of [0 0 1].
You can initialize property values with MATLAB expressions. However, these
expressions cannot refer to the class that you are defining in any way, except to call class
static methods. MATLAB executes expressions that create initial property values only
when initializing the class, which occurs just before first using the class. See “Defining
Default Values” on page 4-12 for more information about how MATLAB evaluates default
value expressions.
Access Property Values

Property access syntax is like MATLAB structure field syntax. For example, if obj is
an object of a class, then you can get the value of a property by referencing the property
name:
val = obj.PropertyName
Assign values to properties by putting the property reference on the left side of the equal
sign:
obj.PropertyName = val
When you access a property, MATLAB executes any property set or get access method
and triggering any enabled property events.
Inheritance of Properties
When you derive one class from another class, the derived (subclass) class inherits all the
properties of the superclass. In general, subclasses define only properties that are unique
to that particular class. Superclasses define properties that more than one subclass use.
Specify Property Attributes

Attributes specified with the properties keyword apply to all property definitions that
follow in that block. If you want to apply attribute settings to certain properties only,
reuse the properties keyword and create another property block for those properties.
7-5
For example, the following code shows the SetAccess attribute set to private for the
IndependentVar and Order properties, but not for the Coefficients property:
properties
Coefficients = [0 0 1];
end
IndependentVar
Order = 0;
end
These properties (and any others placed in
this block) have private set access
See for a list of all property attributes.
More About
• “Properties”
7-6
Property Attributes
Property Attributes
In this section...
“Specifying Property Attributes” on page 7-7
“Table of Property Attributes” on page 7-7
Specifying Property Attributes

Assign property attributes on the same line as the properties keyword:
properties (Attribute1 = value1, Attribute2 = value2,...)
...
end
For example, give the Data property private access:

Data
end
Table of Property Attributes

Attributes enable you to modify the behavior of properties. All properties support the
attributes listed in the following table.
Attribute values apply to all properties defined within the properties...end code
block that specifies the nondefault values.
Property Attributes
AbortSet logical If true, MATLAB does not set the
property value if the new value is the same
default = false as the current value and does not call the
property set method, if one exists.
For handle classes, setting AbortSet

to true also prevent the triggering of
property PreSet and PostSet events.
7-7

See “Aborting Set When Value Does Not
Change” on page 10-32
Abstract logical If true, the property has no
implementation, but a concrete subclass
default = false must redefine this property without
Abstract being set to true.
• Abstract properties cannot define set

or get access methods. See “Property
Access Methods” on page 7-14.
• Abstract properties cannot define
initial values. See “Assigning a Default
Value” on page 7-5.
• All subclasses must specify the same
values as the superclass for the
property SetAccess and GetAccess
attributes.
• Abstract=true use with the class
attribute Sealed=false (the default).
Access • enumeration, default = public – unrestricted access
public
protected – access from class or
• meta.class object
subclasses
• cell array of
meta.class objects private – access by class members only
(not subclasses)
List of classes that have get and set

access to this property. Specify classes as
meta.class objects in the form:
• A single meta.class object

• A cell array of meta.class objects.
An empty cell array, {}, is the same as
private access.
7-8
Property Attributes

See “Control Access to Class Members” on
page 11-25
Use Access to set both SetAccess and

GetAccess to the same value. Query the
values of SetAccess and GetAccess
directly (not Access).
Constant logical Set to true if you want only one value for
this property in all instances of the class:
default = false
• Subclasses inherit constant properties,
but cannot change them.
• Constant properties cannot be
Dependent.
• SetAccess is ignored.
See “Properties with Constant Values” for

more information.
Dependent logical If false, property value is stored in
object. If true, property value is not
default = false stored in object. The set and get functions
cannot access the property by indexing
into the object using the property name.
MATLAB does not display in the

command window the names and values of
Dependent properties that do not define a
get method (scalar object display only).
• “Calculate Data on Demand” on page

3-28
• “Property Get Methods”
• “Avoid Property Initialization Order
Dependency” on page 12-9
GetAccess enumeration public — unrestricted access
default = public
7-9

protected — access from class or
subclasses
private — access by class members only

(not from subclasses)
List classes that have get access to this

property. Specify classes as meta.class
objects in the form:

private access.

page 11-25

command window the names and values of
properties having protected or private
GetAccess or properties whose Hidden
attribute is true.
The struct function defines fields for

all properties when converting objects to
structs.
GetObservable logical If true, and it is a handle class property,
then you can create listeners for access
default = false to this property. The listeners are called
whenever property values are queried. See
“Property-Set and Query Events” on page
10-14
Hidden logical Determines whether the property should
be shown in a property list (e.g., Property
default = false Inspector, call to set or get, etc.).
7-10
Property Attributes

command window the names and values
of properties whose Hidden attribute is
true or properties having protected or
private GetAccess.
SetAccess enumeration public — unrestricted access
default = public protected — access from class or

subclasses
private — access by class members only

(not from subclasses)
immutable — property can be set only in

the constructor.
See “Mutable and Immutable Properties”

on page 7-13
List classes that have set access to this

property. Specify classes as meta.class
objects in the form:

private access.

page 11-25
SetObservable logical If true, and it is a handle class property,
then you can create listeners for access
default = false to this property. The listeners are called
whenever property values are modified.
See “Property-Set and Query Events” on
page 10-14
Transient logical If true, property value is not saved when
object is saved to a file. See “Save and
7-11

default = false Load Process” on page 12-2 for more
about saving objects.
7-12
Mutable and Immutable Properties
Mutable and Immutable Properties
Set Access to Property Values

The property SetAccess attribute enables you to determine under what conditions code
can modify object property values. There are four levels of set access that provide varying
degrees of access to object property values:
• SetAccess = public — any code with access to an object can set public property
values. There are differences between the behavior of handle and value classes with
respect to modifying object properties.
• SetAccess = protected — only code executing from within class methods or
methods of subclasses can set property values. You cannot change the value of an
object property unless the class or any of its subclasses defines a method to do so.
• SetAccess = private — only the defining class can set property values. You can
change the value of an object property only if the class defines a method to perform
this action.
• SetAccess = immutable — only the class constructor can set property values. You
cannot change the value of an object property.
More About
• “Modifying Objects”
7-13

In this section...
“Property Setter and Getter Methods” on page 7-14
“Set and Get Method Execution and Property Events” on page 7-16
“Access Methods and Properties Containing Arrays” on page 7-17
“Modify Property Values with Access Methods” on page 7-18
Property Setter and Getter Methods

Property access methods execute specific code whenever the associated property's
value is queried or assigned a value. These methods enable you to perform a variety of
operations:
• Execute code before assigning property values to perform actions such as:
• Impose value range restrictions (“Restrict Properties to Specific Values” on page

3-26)
• Check for proper types and dimensions
• Provide error handling
• Execute code before returning the current values of properties to perform actions such
as:
• Calculate the value of properties that do not store values (for an example, see
“Calculate Data on Demand” on page 3-28)
• Change the value of other properties
• Trigger events (for an example, see “Defining and Triggering an Event” on page
10-5)
Calling Access Methods
Note: You cannot call property access methods directly.
Property access methods execute automatically whenever you set or query the
corresponding property values from outside the access method. MATLAB never calls the
7-14
set method for a property of a particular class if the property value is set from within
that set method. Similarly, the get method for a property of a particular class is never
called if the property is queried from within that get method.
You can obtain the function handle for the set and get access methods from the property’s
meta.property object. The meta.property SetMethod and GetMethod properties
contain the function handles for these methods.
Restrictions on Access Methods
You can define property access methods only:
• For concrete properties (that is, properties that are not abstract)
• Within the class that defines the property (unless the property is abstract in that
class, in which case the concrete subclass must define the access method).
MATLAB has no default set or get property access methods. Therefore, if you do not
define property access methods, MATLAB software does not invoke any methods before
assigning or returning property values.
Once defined, only the set and get methods can set and query the actual property values.
See “Set Method Behavior” on page 7-20 for information on cases where MATLAB
does not call property set methods.
Note: Property set and get access methods are not equivalent to user-callable set and
get methods used to set and query property values from an instance of the class. See
“Implementing a Set/Get Interface for Properties” on page 6-23 for information on user-
callable set and get methods.
Access Methods Cannot Call Other Functions to Access Property Values
You can set and get property values only from within your property set or get access
method. You cannot call another function from the set or get method and attempt to
access the property value from that function.
For example, an anonymous function that calls another function to do the actual work
cannot access the property value. Similarly, an access function cannot call another
function to access the property value.
7-15
Defining Access Methods
Access methods have special names that include the property's name. Therefore,
get.PropertyName executes whenever PropertyName is referenced and
set.PropertyName executes whenever PropertyName is assigned a value.
Define property access methods in a methods block that specifies no attributes. You
cannot call these methods directly. MATLAB calls these methods when any code accesses
the properties.
Property access methods do not appear in the list of class methods returned by the
methods command and are not included in the meta.class object's Methods property.
Access Method Function Handles
The property meta.property object contains function handles to the property’s set
and get methods. SetMethod property contains a function handle to the property's set
method and the GetMethod property contains a function handle to the property's get
method.
For example, if the class MyClass defines a set function for its Text property, you can
obtain a function handle to this method from the meta.class object:
mc = ?ClassName;
mp = findobj(mc.PropertyList,'Name','PropertyName');
fh = mp.GetMethod;
The returned value, fh, contains a function handle to the get method defined for the
specified property name for the specified class.
“Class Metadata” on page 15-2 provides more information on using meta-classes.
Function handles discusses the use of function handles.
Set and Get Method Execution and Property Events

MATLAB software generates events before and after set and get operations. You can use
these events to inform listeners that property values have been referenced or assigned.
The timing of event generation is as follows:
• PreGet — Triggered before calling the property get method

• PostGet — Triggered after the property get method has returned its value
7-16
If a class computes a property value (Dependent = true), then the behaviors of its set
events are like the get events:
• PreSet — Triggered before calling the property set method

• PostSet — Triggered after calling the property set method
If a property is not computed (Dependent = false, the default), then the assignment
statement with the set method generates the events:
• PreSet — Triggered before assigning the new property value within the set method
• PostSet — Triggered after assigning the new property value within the set method
For information about using property events, see “Creating Property Listeners” on page
10-29.
Access Methods and Properties Containing Arrays

You can use array indexing with properties that contain arrays without interfering with
property set and get methods.
For indexed reference:
val = obj.PropName(n);
MATLAB calls the get method to get the referenced value.
For indexed assignment:
obj.PropName(n) = val;
MATLAB:
• Invokes the get method to get the property value

• Performs the indexed assignment on the returned property
• Passes the new property value to the set method
MATLAB always passes scalar objects to set and get methods. When reference or
assignment occurs on an array, MATLAB calls the set and get methods in a loop.
See “Assigning to Read-Only Properties Containing Objects” on page 7-28 for related
information.
7-17
Modify Property Values with Access Methods

Property access methods are useful in cases where you want to perform some additional
steps before assigning or returning a property value. For example, the Testpoint class
uses a property set method to check the range of a value. It then applies scaling if it is
within a particular range, and set it to NaN if it is not.
The property get methods applies a scale factor before returning its current value:
classdef Testpoint
properties
expectedResult = [];
end
properties(Constant)
scalingFactor = 0.001;
end
methods
function obj = set.expectedResult(obj,erIn)
if erIn >= 0 && erIn <= 100
erIn = erIn.*obj.scalingFactor;
obj.expectedResult = erIn;
else
obj.expectedResult = NaN;
end
end
function er = get.expectedResult(obj)
er = obj.expectedResult/obj.scalingFactor;
end
end
end
7-18
Property Set Methods
In this section...
“Overview of Property Access Methods” on page 7-19
“Property Set Method Syntax” on page 7-19
“Validate Property Set Value” on page 7-20
“Set Method Behavior” on page 7-20
Overview of Property Access Methods

For an overview of property access methods, see “Property Access Methods” on page 7-14
Property Set Method Syntax

MATLAB calls a property's set method whenever a value is assigned to the property.
Property set methods have the following syntax, where PropertyName is the name of
the property.
For a value class:
methods
function obj = set.PropertyName(obj,value)
...
end
• obj — Object whose property is being assigned a value

• value — The new value that is assigned to the property
Value class set functions must return the modified object to the calling function. Handle
classes do not need to return the modified object.
For a handle class:
methods
function set.PropertyName(obj,value)
...
end
7-19
You must use default method attributes for property set methods. The methods block
defining the set method cannot specify attributes.
Validate Property Set Value

Use the property set method to validate the value being assigned to the property. The
property set method can perform actions like error checking on the input value before
taking whatever action is necessary to store the new property value.
classdef MyClass
properties
Prop1
end
methods
function obj = set.Prop1(obj,value)
if (value > 0)
obj.Prop1 = value;
else
error('Property value must be positive')
end
end
end
end
For an example of a property set method, see “Restrict Properties to Specific Values” on
page 3-26 .
Set Method Behavior

If a property set method exists, MATLAB calls it whenever a value is assigned to that
property. However, MATLAB does NOT call property set methods in the following cases:
• Assigning a value to a property from within its own property set method, to prevent
recursive calling of the set method. However, property assignments made from
functions called by a set method do call the set method.
• Initializing default values in class definitions when loading the class
• Assigning a property to its default value that is specified in the class definition
• Copying a value object (that is, not derived from the handle class). MATLAB does not
call the set or get method when copying property values from one object to another.
7-20
• Assigning a property value that is the same as the current value when the property’s
AbortSet attribute is true. See “Aborting Set When Value Does Not Change” on
page 10-32 for more information on this attribute.
A set method for one property can assign values to other properties of the object. These
assignments do call any set methods defined for the other properties. For example, a
graphics window object can have a Units property and a Size property. Changing the
Units property can also require a change to the values of the Size property to reflect the
new units.
7-21
Property Get Methods

In this section...
“Overview of Property Access Methods” on page 7-22
“Property Get Method Syntax” on page 7-22
“Errors Not Returned from Get Method” on page 7-22
“Get Method Behavior” on page 7-22
Overview of Property Access Methods

For an overview of property access methods, see “Property Access Methods” on page 7-14
Property Get Method Syntax

MATLAB calls a property's get method whenever the property value is queried.
Property get methods have the following syntax, where PropertyName is the name of
the property. The function must return the property value.
methods
...
end
Errors Not Returned from Get Method

The MATLAB default object display suppresses error messages returned from property
get methods. MATLAB does not allow an error issued by a property get method to
prevent the display of the entire object.
Use the property set method to validate the property value. Performing validation when
setting a property ensures the object is in a valid state. Use the property get method only
to return the value that has been validated by set.
Get Method Behavior

MATLAB does NOT call property get methods in the following cases:
7-22
Property Get Methods
• Getting a property value from within its own property get method, which prevents
recursive calling of the get method
• Copying a value object (that is, not derived from the handle class). Neither the set or
get method is called when copying property values from one object to another.
Related Examples
• “Access Methods for Dependent Properties”
7-23
Access Methods for Dependent Properties

In this section...
“Set and Get Methods for Dependent Properties” on page 7-24
“Get Method for Dependent Property” on page 7-25
“When to Use Set Methods with Dependent Properties” on page 7-25
“When to Use Private Set Access with Dependent Properties” on page 7-26
Set and Get Methods for Dependent Properties

Dependent properties do not store data because the value of a dependent property
depends on the current state of something else, like a concrete property value. Dependent
properties must define a get method to determine the value for the property, when
queried.
Typically, the property get method queries other property values to determine what
value to return for the dependent property.
For example, the Account class returns a value for the dependent Balance property
that depends on the value of the Currency property. The get.Balance method queries
the Currency property before calculating a value for the Balance property.
MATLAB calls the get.Balance method when the Balance property is queried. You
cannot call get.Balance explicitly.
Here is a partial listing of the class showing a dependent property and its get method:
classdef Account
properties
Currency
DollarAmount
end
Balance
end
...
methods
function value = get.Balance(obj)
c = obj.Currency;
switch c
7-24
case 'E'
v = obj.DollarAmount / 1.3;
case 'P'
v = obj.DollarAmount / 1.5;
otherwise
v = obj.DollarAmount;
end
format bank
value = v;
end
end
end
Get Method for Dependent Property

One application of a property get method is to determine the value of a property only
when you need it, and avoid storing the value. To use this approach, set the property's
Dependent attribute to true:
properties (Dependent = true)

PropertyName
end
Now the get method for the PropertyName property determines the value of that
property and assigns it to the object from within the method:

value = calculateValue;
...
end
The get method calls a function or static method calculateValue to calculate the
property value and returns value to the code accessing the property. The property get
method can take whatever action is necessary within the method to produce the output
value.
“Calculate Data on Demand” on page 3-28 provide an example of a property get method.
When to Use Set Methods with Dependent Properties

While a dependent property does not store its value, there are situations in which you
might want to define a set method for a dependent property.
7-25
For example, suppose you have a class that changes the name of a property from
OldPropName to NewPropName. You want to continue to allow the use of the old name
without exposing it to new users. You can make OldPropName a dependent property
with set and get methods as show in the following example:
properties
NewPropName
end
properties (Dependent, Hidden)
OldPropName
end
methods
function obj = set.OldPropName(obj,val)
obj.NewPropName = val;
end
function value = get.OldPropName(obj)
value = obj.NewPropName;
end
end
There is no memory wasted by storing both old and new property values, and code that
accesses OldPropName continues to work as expected.
It is sometimes useful for a set method of a dependent property to assign values to

other properties of the object. Assignments made from property set methods cause
the execution of any set methods defined for those properties. See “Calculate Data on
Demand” on page 3-28 for an example.
When to Use Private Set Access with Dependent Properties

If you use a dependent property only to return a value, then do not define a set access
method for the dependent property. Instead, set the SetAccess attribute of the
dependent property to private. For example, consider the following get method for the
MaxValue property:
methods
function mval = get.MaxValue(obj)
mval = max(obj.BigArray(:));
end
end
This example uses the MaxValue property to return a value that it calculates only when
queried. For this application, define the MaxValue property as dependent and private:
7-26
properties (Dependent, SetAccess = private)

MaxValue
end
7-27
Properties Containing Objects

In this section...
“Assigning to Read-Only Properties Containing Objects” on page 7-28
“Assignment Behavior” on page 7-28
Assigning to Read-Only Properties Containing Objects

When a class defines a property with private or protected SetAccess, and that property
contains an object which itself has properties, assignment behavior depends on whether
the property contains a handle or a value object:
• Handle object – you can set properties on handle objects contained in read-only
properties
• Value object – you cannot set properties on value object contained in read-only
properties.
Assignment Behavior
These classes illustrate the assignment behavior:
• ReadOnlyProps – class with two read-only properties. The class constructor assigns
a handle object of type HanClass to the PropHandle property and a value object of
type ValClass to the PropValue property.
• HanClass – handle class with public property
• ValClass – value class with public property
classdef ReadOnlyProps
PropHandle
PropValue
end
methods
function obj = ReadOnlyProps
obj.PropHandle = HanClass;
obj.PropValue = ValClass;
end
end
7-28
Properties Containing Objects
end
classdef HanClass < handle

properties
Hprop
end
end
classdef ValClass
properties
Vprop
end
end
Create an instance of the ReadOnlyProps class:

a = ReadOnlyProps
a =
ReadOnlyProps with properties:
PropHandle: [1x1 HanClass]

PropValue: [1x1 ValClass]
Use the private PropHandle property to set the property of the HanClass object it
contains:
class(a.PropHandle.Hprop)
ans =
double
a.PropHandle.Hprop = 7;
Attempting to make an assignment to the value class object property is not allowed:
a.PropValue.Vprop = 11;
You cannot set the read-only property 'PropValue' of ReadOnlyProps.
More About
• “Mutable and Immutable Properties”
7-29
Dynamic Properties — Adding Properties to an Instance

In this section...
“What Are Dynamic Properties” on page 7-30
“Defining Dynamic Properties” on page 7-31
“Responding to Dynamic-Property Events” on page 7-32
“Defining Property Access Methods for Dynamic Properties” on page 7-34
“Dynamic Properties and ConstructOnLoad” on page 7-35
What Are Dynamic Properties

You can attach properties to objects without defining these properties in the class
definition. These dynamic properties are sometimes referred to as instance properties.
Use dynamic properties to attach temporary data to objects or assign data that you want
to associate with a particular instance of a class, but not all objects of that class.
It is possible for more than one program to define dynamic properties on the same object
so you must take care to avoid name conflicts. Dynamic property names must be valid
MATLAB identifiers (see “Variable Names”) and cannot be the same name as a method of
the class.
Characteristics of Dynamic Properties

Once defined, dynamic properties behave much like class-defined properties:
• Set and query the values of dynamic properties using dot notation (see “Assigning
Data to the Dynamic Property” on page 7-31)
• MATLAB saves and loads dynamic properties when you save and load the objects to
which they are attached (see “Save and Load Dynamic Properties” on page 12-33
and “Dynamic Properties and ConstructOnLoad” on page 7-35)
• Define attributes for dynamic property (see “Setting Dynamic Property Attributes” on
page 7-31).
• Add property set and get access methods (see “Defining Property Access Methods for
Dynamic Properties” on page 7-34)
• Listen for dynamic property events (see “Responding to Dynamic-Property Events” on
page 7-32)
• Access dynamic property values from object arrays, with restricted syntax (see “Object
Arrays with Dynamic Properties” on page 9-13)
7-30
Defining Dynamic Properties

Any class that is a subclass of the dynamicprops class (which is itself a subclass of the
handle class) can define dynamic properties using the addprop method. The syntax is:
P = addprop(H,'PropertyName')
where:
P is an array of meta.DynamicProperty objects
H is an array of handles
PropertyName is the name of the dynamic property you are adding to each object
Naming Dynamic Properties
Use only valid names when naming dynamic properties (see “Variable Names”). In
addition, do not use names that:
• Are the same as the name of a class method

• Are the same as the name of a class event
• Contain a period (.)
Setting Dynamic Property Attributes
Use the meta.DynamicProperty object associated with the dynamic property to set
property attributes. For example:
P.Hidden = true;
Remove the dynamic property by deleting its meta.DynamicProperty object:

delete(P);
The property attributes Constant and Abstract have no meaning for dynamic
properties and setting the value of these attributes to true has no effect.
Assigning Data to the Dynamic Property
Suppose, you are using a predefined set of user interface widget classes (buttons, sliders,
check boxes, etc.). You want to store the location of each instance of the widget class.
Assume the widget classes are not designed to store location data for your particular
7-31
layout scheme. You want to avoid creating a map or hash table to maintain this
information separately.
Assuming the button class is a subclass of dynamicprops, add a dynamic property to

store your layout data. Here is a simple class to create a uicontrol button:
classdef button < dynamicprops
properties
UiHandle
end
methods
function obj = button(pos)
if nargin > 0
if length(pos) == 4
obj.UiHandle = uicontrol('Position',pos,...
'Style','pushbutton');
else
error('Improper position')
end
end
end
end
end
Create an instance of the button class, add a dynamic property, and set its value:
b1 = button([20 40 80 20]);
b1.addprop('myCoord');
b1.myCoord = [2,3];
Access the dynamic property just like any other property, but only on the object on which
you defined it:
b1.myCoord
ans =
2 3
Responding to Dynamic-Property Events

You can attach listeners to dynamicprops objects to monitor the addition of dynamic
properties to the object. You can also monitor the removal of dynamic properties, which
occurs when you delete the object.
7-32
The dynamicprops class defines two events and inherits one from handle:
• ObjectBeingDestroyed — Inherited from the handle class.

• PropertyAdded — Triggered when you add a dynamic property to an object derived
from the dynamicprops class.
• PropertyRemoved — Triggered when you delete the meta.DynamicProperty
object associated with the dynamic property.
Suppose you define a button object, as described in the previous section:
b2 = button([20 40 80 20]);
Create a function to attach listeners to the button object, b2, and a listener callback
function:
function listenDynoEvent(obj)
addlistener(obj,'PropertyAdded',@eventPR);
addlistener(obj,'PropertyRemoved',@eventPR);
function eventPR(src,evnt)
mc = metaclass(src);
fprintf(1,'%s %s \n',mc.Name,'object');
fprintf(1,'%s %s \n','Event triggered:',evnt.EventName);
end
end
Triggering the PropertyAdded Event
Add the listeners to the button object, b2. Then, add a dynamic property, myCoord.
listenDynoEvent(b2)
mp = b2.addprop('myCoord');
The listener callback function, eventPR, executes and displays the object class and event
name:
button object
Event triggered: PropertyAdded
Delete the dynamic property by deleting the meta.DynamicProperty object:
delete(mp)
button object
7-33
Event triggered: PropertyRemoved
Obtain the meta.DynamicProperty object for a dynamic property using the handle
findprop method. Use findprop if you do not have the object returned by addprop:
mp = findprop(b2,'myCoord');
Dynamic Properties and Ordinary Property Events
Dynamic properties support property set and get events so you can define listeners for
these properties. Listeners are bound to the particular dynamic property for which you
define them.
If you delete a dynamic property, and then create another one with the same name,
the listeners do not respond to events generated by the new property, even though the
property has the same name as the property for which the event was defined. Having a
listener defined for a deleted dynamic property does not cause an error, but the listener
callback is never executed.
“Property-Set and Query Events” on page 10-14 provides more information on how to
define listeners for these events.
Defining Property Access Methods for Dynamic Properties

Dynamic properties enable you to add properties to class instances without modifying
class definitions. You can also define property set access or get access methods without
creating new class methods. See “Property Setter and Getter Methods” on page 7-14 for
more on the purpose and techniques of these methods.
Note: You can set and get the property values only from within your property access
methods. You cannot call another function from the set or get method and attempt to
access the property value from that function.
Here are the steps for creating a property access method:
• Define a function that implements the desired operations you want to perform before
the property set or get occurs. These methods must have the following signatures:
mySet(obj,val) or val = myGet(obj)
• Obtain the dynamic property's corresponding meta.DynamicProperty object.
7-34
• Assign a function handle pointing to your set or get property function to the
meta.DynamicProperty object's GetMethod or SetMethod property. This function
does not need to be a method of the class and you cannot use a naming scheme like
set.PropertyName. Instead, use any valid function name.
Suppose you want to create a property set function for the button class dynamic
property myCoord created previously. Write the function as follows:
function set_myCoord(obj,val)
if ~(length(val) == 2)
error('myCoords require two values')
end
obj.myCoord = val;
end
Because button is a handle class, the property set function does not need to return the
object as an output argument. The function assigns the value to the property if the value
is valid.
Use the handle class method findprop to get the meta.DynamicProperty object:
mb1 = b1.findprop('myCoord');
mb1.SetMethod = @set_myCoord;
MATLAB calls the property set function whenever you set this property:
b1.myCoord = [1 2 3] % length must be two

Error using button.set_myCoord
myCoords require two values
Dynamic Properties and ConstructOnLoad

Setting the class ConstructOnLoad attribute to true causes MATLAB to call the class
constructor when loading the class. MATLAB saves and restores dynamic properties
when loading an object.
If you create dynamic properties from the class constructor, you can cause a conflict if
you also set the class's ConstructOnLoad attribute to true. Here is the sequence:
• A saved object saves the names and values of properties, including dynamic properties
• When loaded, a new object is created and all properties are restored to the values at
the time the object was saved
7-35
• Then, the ConstructOnLoad attribute causes a call to the class constructor, which
would create another dynamic property with the same name as the loaded property
(see “Save and Load Objects” on page 12-2 for more on the load sequence)
• MATLAB prevents a conflict by loading the saved dynamic property, and does not
execute addprop when calling the constructor.
If it is necessary for you to use ConstructOnLoad and you add dynamic properties
from the class constructor (and want the constructor's call to addprop to be executed at
load time) then set the dynamic property's Transient attribute to true. This setting
prevents the property from being saved. For example:
classdef (ConstructOnLoad) MyClass < dynamicprops
function obj = MyClass
P = addprop(obj,'DynProp');
P.Transient = true;
...
end
end
7-36
8
Methods — Defining Class Operations
• “How to Use Methods” on page 8-2

• “Ordinary Methods” on page 8-7
• “Method Invocation” on page 8-9
• “Class Constructor Methods” on page 8-15
• “Static Methods” on page 8-23
• “Overload Functions for Your Class” on page 8-25
• “Class Support for Array-Creation Functions” on page 8-28
• “Object Precedence in Methods” on page 8-37
• “Dominant Argument in Overloaded Plotting Functions” on page 8-39
• “Class Methods for Graphics Callbacks” on page 8-42
8 Methods — Defining Class Operations
How to Use Methods

In this section...
“Class Methods” on page 8-2
“Method Naming” on page 8-3
Class Methods
Methods are functions that implement the operations performed on objects of a class.
Methods, along with other class members support the concept of encapsulation—class
instances contain data in properties and class methods operate on that data. This allows
the internal workings of classes to be hidden from code outside of the class, and thereby
enabling the class implementation to change without affecting code that is external to
the class.
Methods have access to private members of their class including other methods and
properties. This enables you to hide data and create special interfaces that must be used
to access the data stored in objects.
See “Methods That Modify Default Behavior” on page 16-2 for a discussion of how to
create classes that modify standard MATLAB behavior.
See “Class Files and Folders” on page 4-2 for information on the use of @ and path
directors and packages to organize your class files.
See “Methods In Separate Files” for the syntax to use when defining classes in more than
one file.
Kinds of Methods
There are specialized kinds of methods that perform certain functions or behave in
particular ways:
• Ordinary methods are functions that act on one or more objects and return some new
object or some computed value. These methods are like ordinary MATLAB functions
that cannot modify input arguments. Ordinary methods enable classes to implement
arithmetic operators and computational functions. These methods require an object of
the class on which to operate. See “Ordinary Methods” on page 8-7.
• Constructor methods are specialized methods that create objects of the class. A
constructor method must have the same name as the class and typically initializes
8-2
How to Use Methods
property values with data obtained from input arguments. The class constructor
method must return the object it creates. See “Class Constructor Methods” on page
8-15
• Destructor methods are called automatically when the object is destroyed, for example
if you call delete(object) or there are no longer any references to the object. See
“Handle Class Destructor” on page 6-16
• Property access methods enable a class to define code to execute whenever a property
value is queried or set. See “Property Access Methods”
• Static methods are functions that are associated with a class, but do not necessarily
operate on class objects. These methods do not require an instance of the class to be
referenced during invocation of the method, but typically perform operations in a way
specific to the class. See “Static Methods” on page 8-23
• Conversion methods are overloaded constructor methods from other classes that
enable your class to convert its own objects to the class of the overloaded constructor.
For example, if your class implements a double method, then this method is called
instead of the double class constructor to convert your class object to a MATLAB
double object. See “Object Converters” on page 16-8 for more information.
• Abstract methods serve to define a class that cannot be instantiated itself, but serves
as a way to define a common interface used by a number of subclasses. Classes that
contain abstract methods are often referred to as interfaces. See “Abstract Classes” on
page 11-80 for more information and examples.
Method Naming
The name of a function that implements a method can contain dots (for example,
set.PropertyName) only if the method is one of the following:
• Property set/get access method (see “Property Access Methods” on page 7-14)
• Conversion method that converts to a package-qualified class, which requires the use
of the package name (see “Packages Create Namespaces” on page 5-19)
You cannot define property access or conversion methods as local functions, nested
functions, or separately in their own files. Class constructors and package-scoped
functions must use the unqualified name in the function definition; do not include the
package name in the function definition statement.
See “Defining Methods” on page 8-7 for more information on how you can define
methods.
8-3
See “Rules for Naming to Avoid Conflicts” on page 8-27 for related information.
8-4
Method Attributes
Method Attributes
In this section...
“Specifying Method Attributes” on page 8-5
“Table of Method Attributes” on page 8-5
Specifying Method Attributes

Assign method attributes on the same line as the methods keyword:
methods (Attribute1 = value1, Attribute2 = value2,...)

...
end
Table of Method Attributes

Attributes enable you to modify the behavior of methods. All methods support the
attributes listed in the following table.
Attribute values apply to all methods defined within the methods...end code block that
specifies the nondefault values.
Method Attributes

Abstract logical Default = If true, the method has no implementation. The method has
false a syntax line that can include arguments, which subclasses
use when implementing the method:
• Subclasses are not required to define the same number

of input and output arguments. However, subclasses
generally use the same signature when implementing
their version of the method.
• The method can have comments after the function line.
• The method does not contain function or end keywords,
only the function syntax (e.g., [a,b] = myMethod(x,y))
8-5

Access • enumeration, Determines what code can call this method:
default =
public • public — Unrestricted access
• meta.class • protected — Access from methods in class or subclasses
object • private — Access by class methods only (not from
• cell array of subclasses)
meta.class • List classes that have access to this method. Specify
objects classes as meta.class objects in the form:

• A cell array of meta.class objects. An empty cell
array, {}, is the same as private access.
See “Control Access to Class Members” on page 11-25

Hidden logical Default = When false, the method name shows in the list of methods
false displayed using the methods or methodsview commands. If
set to true, the method name is not included in these listings
and ismethod does not return true for this method name. .
Sealed logical Default = If true, the method cannot be redefined in a subclass.
false Attempting to define a method with the same name in a
subclass causes an error.
Static logical Default = Specify as true to define a method that does not depend
false on an object of the class and does not require an object
argument. Use the class name to call the method:
classname.methodname or an instance of the class:
obj.methodname
“Static Methods” on page 8-23 provides more information.
8-6
Ordinary Methods
Ordinary Methods
In this section...
“Defining Methods” on page 8-7
“Multi-File Classes” on page 8-8
Defining Methods
You can specify methods:
• Inside of a class definition block

• In a separate file in the class folder (that is, @ClassName)
Methods Inside classdef Block
This example shows the definition of a method (the compute function in this example)
within the classdef and methods blocks:
classdef ClassName
methods (AttributeName = value,...)
function x = compute(obj,inc)
x = obj.y + inc;
end % compute method
...
end % methods block
...
end % classedf
Note: Nonstatic methods must include an explicit object variable in the function
definition. The MATLAB language does not support an implicit reference in the method
function definition.
Either of the following statements is correct syntax for calling a method where obj is an
object of the class defining the compute method:
obj.compute(inc)
compute(obj,inc)
Method attributes apply only to that particular methods block, which is terminated by
the end statement.
8-7
Multi-File Classes
You can define class methods in separate files within the class folder. In this case,
create a function in a separate file having the same name as the function (i.e.,
functionname.m). If you want to specify attribute values for that method, you must
declare the method signature within a methods block in the classdef block . For
example:
classdef myClass
methods (AttributeName = value,...)
tdata = testdata(obj,arg1,arg2)
...
end % methods
...
end % classdef
Do not use methods blocks in the separate files. Define the method as a function. Using
the example above, the file testdata.m, must contain the definition of the testdata
function. Note that the signatures must match.
function tdata = testdata(myClass_object,argument2,argument3)
...
end
The following limitations apply to methods defined in separate files:
• If you want to specify attributes for a method defined in a separate file, you must
declare this method in a methods block (specifying attribute values) within the
classdef block.
• The syntax declared in the methods block (if used) must match the method's
function line.
• The separate file must be in the class folder.
• The constructor method must be defined within the classdef block and, therefore,
cannot be in a separate file.
• Set and get property access methods must be defined within the classdef block and,
therefore, cannot be in separate files.
More About
• “Methods In Separate Files”
• “Determining Which Method Is Invoked”
8-8
Method Invocation
Method Invocation
In this section...
“Determining Which Method Is Invoked” on page 8-9
“Referencing Names with Expressions—Dynamic Reference” on page 8-11
“Controlling Access to Methods” on page 8-12
“Invoking Superclass Methods in Subclass Methods” on page 8-13
“Invoking Built-In Functions” on page 8-14
Determining Which Method Is Invoked

When the MATLAB runtime invokes an ordinary method that has an argument list, it
uses the following criteria to determine which method to call
• The class of the left-most argument whose class is not specified as inferior to any
other argument's class is chosen as the dominant class and its method is invoked.
• If this class does not define the named method, then a function with that name on the
MATLAB path is invoked.
• If no such function exists, MATLAB issues an error indicating that the dominant class
does not define the named method.
Dominant Argument
The dominant argument in a method's argument list determines which version of the
method or function that the MATLAB runtime calls. Dominance is determined by the
relative precedences of the classes of the arguments. In general, user-defined classes take
precedence over built-in MATLAB classes. Therefore, the left most argument determines
which method to call. However, user-defined classes can specify the relative dominance of
specific classes.
For example, suppose classA defines classB as inferior and suppose both classes define
a method called combine.
Calling the method with an object of classB and classA:
combine(B,A)
actually calls the combine method of classA because A is the dominant argument.
8-9
Dot Notation vs. Function Notation
MATLAB classes support both function and dot notation syntax for calling methods. For
example, if setColor is a method of the class of object X, then calling setColor with
function notation would be:
X = setColor(X,'red');
The equivalent method call using dot notation is:
X = X.setColor('red')
However, in certain cases, the results for dot notation can differ with respect to how
MATLAB dispatching works:
• If there is an overloaded subsref, it is invoked whenever using dot-notation. That is,

the statement is first tested to see if it is subscripted assignment.
• If there is no overloaded subsref, then setColor must be a method of X. An
ordinary function or a class constructor is never called using this notation.
• Only the argument X (to the left of the dot) is used for dispatching. No other
arguments, even if dominant, are considered. Therefore dot notation can call only
methods of X; methods of other argument are never called.
Case Where Result is Different
Here is an example of a case where dot and function notation can give different results.
Suppose you have the following classes:
• classA defines a method called methodA that requires an object of classB as one of
its arguments
• classB defines classA as inferior to classB
classdef classB (InferiorClasses = {?classA})

...
end
The methodA method is defined with two input arguments, one of which is an object of
classB:
classdef classA
methods
function methodA(obj,obj_classB)
8-10
Method Invocation
...
end
end
classB does not define a method with the same name as methodA. Therefore, the
following syntax causes the MATLAB runtime to search the path for a function with
the same name as methodA because the second argument is an object of a dominant
class. If a function with that name exists on the path, then MATLAB attempts to call this
function instead of the method of classA and most likely returns a syntax error.
obj = classA(...);
methodA(obj,obj_classB)
Dot notation is stricter in its behavior. For example, this call to methodA:
obj = classA(...);
obj.methodA(obj_classB)
can call only methodA of the class of obj.
Referencing Names with Expressions—Dynamic Reference

You can reference an object's properties or methods using an expression in dot-
parentheses syntax:
obj.(expression)
The expression must evaluate to a string that is the name of a property or a method. For
example, the following statements are equivalent:
obj.Property1
obj.('Property1')
In this case, obj is an object of a class that defines a property called Property1.
Therefore, you can pass a string variable in the parentheses to reference to property:
propName = 'Property1';
obj.(propName)
You can call a method and pass input arguments to the method using another set of
parentheses:
obj.(expression)(arg1,arg2,...)
8-11
Using this notation, you can make dynamic references to properties and methods in the
same way you can create dynamic references to the fields of structs.
As an example, suppose an object has methods corresponding to each day of the week.
These methods have the same names as the days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, and so
on). Also, the methods take as string input arguments, the current day of the month (the
date). Now suppose you write a function in which you want to call the correct method for
the current day.
Use an expression created with the date and datestr functions:

obj.(datestr(date,'dddd'))(datestr(date,'dd'))
The expression datestr(date,'dddd') returns the current day as a string. For

example:
datestr(date,'dddd')
ans =
Tuesday
The expression datestr(date,'dd') returns the current date as a string. For example:
datestr(date,'dd')
ans =
11
Therefore, the expression using dot-parentheses (called on Tuesday the 11th) is the
equivalent of:
obj.Tuesday('11')
Controlling Access to Methods

There might be situations where you want to create methods for internal computation
within the class, but do not want to publish these methods as part of the public interface
to the class. In these cases, you can use the Access attribute to set the access to one of
the following options:
• public — Any code having access to an object of the class can access this method (the
default).
8-12
Method Invocation
• private — Restricts method access to the defining class, excluding subclasses.

Subclasses do not inherit private methods.
• protected — Restricts method access to the defining class and subclasses derived
from the defining class. Subclasses inherit this method.
Local and nested functions inside the method files have the same access as the method.
Note that local functions inside a class-definition file have private access to the class
defined in the same file.
Invoking Superclass Methods in Subclass Methods

A subclass can override the implementation of a method defined in a superclass. In
some cases, the subclass method might need to execute some additional code instead
of completely replacing the superclass method. To do this, MATLAB classes can use a
special syntax for invocation of superclass methods from a subclass implementation for
the same-named method.
The syntax to call a superclass method in a subclass class uses the @ symbol:
MethodName@SuperclassName
For example, the following disp method is defined for a Stock class that is derived from
an Asset class. The method first calls the Asset class disp method, passing the Stock
object so that the Asset components of the Stock object can be displayed. After the
Asset disp method returns, the Stock disp method displays the two Stock properties:
classdef Stock < Asset
methods
function disp(s)
disp@Asset(s) % Call base class disp method first
fprintf(1,'Number of shares: %g\nShare price: %3.2f\n',...
s.NumShares,s.SharePrice);
end % disp
end
end
Limitations of Use
The following restrictions apply to calling superclass methods. You can use this notation
only within:
• A method having the same name as the superclass method you are invoking
• A class that is a subclass of the superclass whose method you are invoking
8-13
Invoking Built-In Functions

The MATLAB builtin function enables you to call the built-in version of a function that
has been overloaded by a method.
8-14
Class Constructor Methods

In this section...
“Rules for Constructors” on page 8-15
“Initializing Objects In Constructor” on page 8-16
“No Input Argument Constructor Requirement” on page 8-17
“Constructing Subclasses” on page 8-18
“Errors During Class Construction” on page 8-20
“Basic Structure of Constructor Methods” on page 8-21
Rules for Constructors

A constructor method is a special function that creates an instance of the class. Typically,
constructor methods accept input arguments to assign the data stored in properties and
always return an initialized object.
• The constructor has the same name as the class.

• The only output argument from a constructor is the object constructed.
• The constructor can return only a single argument.
• Constructors must always return a valid instance of the class. Never return an empty
object from a class constructor.
• If the class being created is a subclass, MATLAB calls the constructor of each
superclass class to initialize the object. Implicit calls to the superclass constructor are
made with no arguments. If superclass constructors require arguments, you must call
them from the subclass constructor explicitly.
• If your constructor makes an explicit call to a superclass constructor, this call must
occur before any other reference to the constructed object.
• A class does not need to define a constructor method unless it is a subclass of a
superclass whose constructor requires arguments. In this case, you must explicitly
call the superclass constructor with the required arguments. See “Constructing
Subclasses” on page 8-18
• If a class does not define a constructor, MATLAB supplies a constructor that takes no
arguments and returns a scalar object whose properties are initialized to empty or the
8-15
values specified as defaults in the property definitions. The constructor supplied by

MATLAB also calls all superclass constructors with no arguments.
• If you create a class constructor, you should implement class constructors so that
they can be called with no input arguments, in addition to whatever arguments
are normally required See “No Input Argument Constructor Requirement” on page
8-17.
• Constructor functions must return an instance of the constructor’s class. The
constructor should avoid assigning to the constructor output argument because
subclasses often call a superclass constructor in the process of creating an instance of
the subclass.
• Calls to superclass constructors cannot be conditional. This means superclass
construction calls cannot be placed in loops, conditions, switches, try/catch, or nested
functions. See “No Conditional Calls to Superclass Constructors” on page 8-19 for
more information.
• Restrict access to constructors using method attributes, as with any method.
Related Information
See “Constructor Calling Sequence” on page 13-10 for information specific to
constructing enumerations.
Initializing Objects In Constructor

Constructor methods must return an initialized object as the only output argument. The
output argument is created when the constructor executes, before executing the first line
of code.
For example, the following constructor function can assign the value of the object's
property A as the first statement because the object obj has already been assigned to an
instance of myClass.
function obj = myClass(a,b,c)

obj.A = a;
...
end
You can call other class methods from the constructor because the object is already
initialized.
8-16
The constructor also creates an object whose properties have their default values—either
empty ([]) or the default value specified in the property definition block.
For example, the following code calls the class method CalculateValue to assign the
value of the property Value.
obj.Value = obj.CalculateValue(a,b);
...
end
Referencing the Object in a Constructor
When initializing the object, for example, by assigning values to properties, you must
use the name of the output argument to refer to the object within the constructor. For
example, in the following code the output argument is obj and the object is reference as
obj:
% obj is the object being constructed
function obj = myClass(arg)
obj.propert1 = arg*10;
obj.method1;
...
end
For more information on defining default property values, see “Defining Default Values”
on page 4-12.
No Input Argument Constructor Requirement

There are cases where the constructor must be able to be called with no input argument:
• When loading objects into the workspace. If the class ConstructOnLoad attribute is
set to true, the load function calls the class constructor with no arguments.
• When creating or expanding an object array such that not all elements are given
specific values, the class constructor is called with no arguments to fill in unspecified
elements, (for example, x(10,1) = myclass(a,b,c);). In this case, the constructor
is called once with no arguments to populate the empty array elements with copies of
this one object.
If there are no input arguments, the constructor creates an object using only default
properties values. A good practice is to always add a check for zero arguments to the
class constructor to prevent an error if either of the two cases above occur:
8-17

if nargin > 0
obj.A = a;
obj.B = b;
obj.C = c;
...
end
end
For ways to handle superclass constructors, see “Basic Structure of Constructor Methods”
on page 8-21.
Constructing Subclasses
Subclass constructor functions must explicitly call superclass constructors if the
superclass constructors require input arguments. The subclass constructor must specify
these arguments in the call to the superclass constructor using the constructor output
argument. Here is the syntax:
classdef MyClass < SuperClass

function obj = MyClass(arg)
obj@SuperClass(ArgumentList);
...
end
end
The class constructor must make all calls to superclass constructors before any other
references to the object. These changes include assigning property values or calling
ordinary class methods. Also, a subclass constructor can call a superclass constructor
only once.
Reference Only Specified Superclasses
If the classdef does not specify the class as a superclass, the constructor cannot call a
superclass constructor with this syntax .
classdef MyClass < SuperClass
MATLAB calls any uncalled constructors in the left-to-right order in which they are
specified in the classdef line. MATLAB passes no arguments to these functions.
8-18
No Conditional Calls to Superclass Constructors
Calls to superclass constructors must be unconditional. There can be only one call for a
given superclass. Initialize the superclass portion of the object by calling the superclass
constructors before using the object (for example, to assign property values or call class
methods).
If you must call superclass constructors with different arguments that depend on some
condition, you can build a cell array of arguments and provide one call to the constructor.
For example, the Cube class constructor calls the superclass Shape constructor using
default values when the Cube constructor is called with no arguments. If the Cube
constructor is called with four input arguments, upvector and viewangle can be
passed to the superclass constructor:
classdef Cube < Shape

properties
SideLength = 0;
Color = [0 0 0];
end
methods
function cubeObj = Cube(length,color,upvector,viewangle)
if nargin == 0
super_args{1} = [0 0 1];
super_args{2} = 10;
elseif nargin == 4
super_args{1} = upvector;
super_args{2} = viewangle;
else
error('Wrong number of input arguments')
end
cubeObj@Shape(super_args{:});
if nargin > 0 % Use value if provided
cubeObj.SideLength = length;
cubeObj.Color = color;
end
...
end
...
end
end
8-19
Zero or More Superclass Arguments
If you must support the syntax that calls the superclass constructor with no arguments,
provide this syntax explicitly.
Suppose in the case of the Cube class example, all property values in the Shape
superclass and the Cube subclass have default values specified in the class definitions.
Then you can create an instance of Cube without specifying any arguments for the
superclass or subclass constructors.
Here is how you can implement this behavior in the Cube constructor:
methods
function cubeObj = Cube(length,color,upvector,viewangle)
if nargin == 0
super_args = {};
elseif nargin == 4
super_args{1} = upvector;
super_args{2} = viewangle;
else
error('Wrong number of input arguments')
end
cubeObj@Shape(super_args{:});
if nargin > 0
cubeObj.SideLength = length;
cubeObj.Color = color;
end
...
end
end
More on Subclasses
See “Creating Subclasses — Syntax and Techniques” on page 11-7 for information
on creating subclasses.
Errors During Class Construction

If an error occurs during the construction of a handle class, the MATLAB class system
calls the class destructor on the object along with the destructors for any objects
contained in properties and any initialized base classes.
For information on how objects are destroyed, see “Handle Class Destructor” on page
6-16.
8-20
Basic Structure of Constructor Methods

It is important to consider the state of the object under construction when writing your
constructor method. Constructor methods can be structured into three basic sections:
• Pre-initialization — Compute arguments for superclass constructors.

• Object initialization — Call superclass constructors.
• Post initialization — Perform any operations related to the subclass, including
referencing and assigning to the object, call class methods, passing the object to
functions, and so on.
This code illustrates the basic operations performed in each section:

classdef myClass < baseClass1
properties
ComputedValue
end
methods
%%% Pre Initialization %%%

% Any code not using output argument (obj)
if nargin == 0
% Provide values for superclass constructor
% and initialize other inputs
a = someDefaultValue;
args{1} = someDefaultValue;
args{2} = someDefaultValue;
else
% When nargin ~= 0, assign to cell array,
% which is passed to supclass constructor
args{1} = b;
args{2} = c;
end
compvalue = myClass.staticMethod(a);
%%% Object Initialization %%%

% Call superclass constructor before accessing object
% You cannot conditionalize this statement
obj = obj@baseClass1(args{:});
%%% Post Initialization %%%

% Any code, including access to object
obj.classMethod(...);
obj.ComputedValue = compvalue;
...
end
...
end
...
end
8-21
See for information on creating object arrays in the constructor.
Related Examples
• “Simplifying the Interface with a Constructor” on page 3-27
• “Constructor Arguments and Object Initialization” on page 11-9
8-22
Static Methods
Static Methods
In this section...
“Why Define Static Methods” on page 8-23
“Calling Static Methods” on page 8-23
Why Define Static Methods

Static methods are associated with a class, but not with specific instances of that class.
These methods do not perform operations on individual objects of a class and, therefore,
do not require an instance of the class as an input argument, like ordinary methods.
Static methods are useful when you do not want to first create an instance of the class
before executing some code. For example, you might want to set up the MATLAB
environment or use the static method to calculate data needed to create class instances.
Suppose a class needs a value for pi calculated to particular tolerances. The class could
define its own version of the built-in pi function for use within the class. This approach
maintains the encapsulation of the class's internal workings, but does not require an
instance of the class to return a value.
Defining a Static Method
To define a method as static, set the methods block Static attribute to true. For
example:
classdef MyClass
...
methods(Static)
function p = pi(tol)
[n d] = rat(pi,tol);
p = n/d;
end
end
end
Calling Static Methods

Invoke static methods using the name of the class followed by dot (.), then the name of
the method:
8-23
classname.staticMethodName(args,...)
Calling the pi method of MyClass in the previous section would require this statement:
value = MyClass.pi(.001);
You can also invoke static methods using an instance of the class, like any method:
obj = MyClass;
value = obj.pi(.001);
Inheriting Static Methods
Subclasses can redefine static methods unless the method's Sealed attribute is also set
to true in the superclass.
Related Examples
• “Implementing the AccountManager Class”
8-24
Overload Functions for Your Class
In this section...
“Overloading MATLAB Functions” on page 8-25
“Rules for Naming to Avoid Conflicts” on page 8-27
Overloading MATLAB Functions

Class methods can provide implementations of MATLAB functions that operate only on
instances of the class. This is possible because MATLAB software can always identify to
which class an object belongs.
MATLAB uses the dominant argument to determine which version of a function to call.
If the dominant argument is an object, then MATLAB calls the method defined by the
object's class, if one exists.
In cases where a class defines a method with the same name as a global function,
the class's implementation of the function is said to overload the original global
implementation.
To overload a MATLAB function:
• Define a method with the same name as the function you want to overload.
• Ensure the method argument list accepts an object of the class, which MATLAB uses
to determine which version to call.
• Perform the necessary steps in the method to implement the function. For example,
access the object properties to manipulate data, and so on.
Generally, the method that overloads a function produces results similar to the MATLAB
function. However, there are no requirements with regard to how you implement the
overloading method.
Note: MATLAB does not support overloading functions using different signatures for the
same function name.
8-25
Overload the bar Function

It is convenient to overload commonly used functions to work with objects of your class.
For example, suppose a class defines a property that stores data that you often graph.
The MyData class overrides the bar function and adds a title to the graph:
classdef MyData
properties
Data
end
methods
function obj = MyData(d)
if nargin > 0
obj.Data = d;
end
end
function bar(obj)
y = obj.Data;
bar(y,'EdgeColor','r');
title('My Data Graph')
end
end
end
The MyData bar method has the same name as the MATLAB bar function. However,
the MyData bar method requires a MyData object as input. Because the method is
specialized for MyData objects, it can extract the data from the Data property and create
a specialized graph.
To use the bar method, create an object:

y = rand(1,10);
md = MyData(y);
Call the method using the object:

bar(md)
You can also use dot notation:

md.bar
Implementing MATLAB Operators

Classes designed to implement new MATLAB data types typically define certain
operators, such as addition, subtraction, equality, and so on.
8-26
For example, standard MATLAB addition (+) cannot add two polynomials because this
operation is not defined by simple addition. However, a polynomial class can define its
own plus method that the MATLAB language calls to perform addition of polynomial
objects when you use the + symbol:
p1 + p2
Rules for Naming to Avoid Conflicts

The names of methods, properties, and events are scoped to the class. Therefore, you
should adhere to the following rules to avoid naming conflicts:
• You can reuse names that you have used in unrelated classes.
• You can reuse names in subclasses if the member does not have public or protected
access. These names then refer to entirely different methods, properties, and events
without affecting the superclass definitions
• Within a class, all names exist in the same name space and must be unique. A class
cannot define two methods with the same name and a class cannot define a local
function with the same name as a method.
• The name of a static method is considered without its class prefix. Thus, a static
method name without its class prefix cannot match the name of any other method.
Related Examples
• “Define Arithmetic Operators” on page 18-21
• “Class Operator Implementations” on page 16-37
• “Methods That Modify Default Behavior” on page 16-2
8-27
Class Support for Array-Creation Functions
In this section...
“Extend Array-Creation Functions for Your Class” on page 8-28
“Which Syntax to Use” on page 8-29
“Implement Support for Array-Creation Functions” on page 8-30
Extend Array-Creation Functions for Your Class

There are a number of MATLAB functions that create arrays of a specific size and
type, such as ones and zeros. User-defined classes can add support for array-creation
functions without requiring the use of overloaded method syntax.
Class support for any of the array-creation functions enables you to develop code that
you can share with built-in and user-defined data types. For example, the class of the
variable x in the following code can be a built-in type during initial development, and
then be replaced by a user-defined class that transparently overloads zeros:
cls = class(x);
zArray = zeros(m,n,cls);
Array-creation functions create arrays of a specific type in two ways:
• Class name syntax — Specify class name that determines the type of array elements.
• Prototype object syntax — Provide a prototype object that the function uses to
determine the type and other characteristics of the array elements.
For example:
zArray = zeros(2,3,'uint8');
p = uint8([1 3 5 ; 2 4 6]);
zArray = zeros(2,3,'like',p);
After adding support for these functions to a class named MyClass, you can use similar
syntax with that class:
zArray = zeros(2,3,'MyClass');
8-28
Or pass an object of your class:
p = MyClass(...);
zArray = zeros(size(p),'like',p);
MATLAB uses these arguments to dispatch to the appropriate method in your class.
Array-Creation Functions That Support Overloading
The following functions support this kind of overloading.
Array-Creation Functions
ones
zeros
eye
nan (lower case)
inf
true
false
cast
rand
randn
randi
Which Syntax to Use

If you want to create an array of default objects, which require no input arguments for
the constructor, then use the class name syntax.
If you need to create an array of objects with specific property values or if the constructor
needs other inputs, use the prototype object to provide this information.
Classes can support both the class name and the prototype object syntax.
You can implement a class name syntax with the true and false functions even though
these functions do not support that syntax by default.
8-29
Class Name Method Called If Prototype Method Does Not Exist
If your class implements a class name syntax, but does not implement a prototype object
syntax for a particular function, you can still call both syntaxes. For example, if you
implement a static zeros method only, you can call:
zeros(...,'like',MyClass(...))
In the case in which you call the prototype object syntax, MATLAB first searches for a
method named zerosLike. If MATLAB cannot find this method, it calls for the zeros
static method.
This feature is useful if you only need the class name to create the array. You do not
need to implement both methods to support the complete array-creation function syntax.
When you implement only the class name syntax, a call to a prototype object syntax is
the same as the call to the class name syntax.
Implement Support for Array-Creation Functions

Use two separate methods to fully support an array-creation function. One method
implements the class name syntax and the other implements the prototype object syntax.
For example, to support the zeros function:
• Implement the class name syntax:

zeros(...,'ClassName')
As a Static method:
methods (Static)
function z = zeros(varargin)
...
end
end
• Implement the prototype object syntax:
zeros(...,'like',obj)
As a Hidden method with the string 'Like' appended to the name.

methods (Hidden)
function z = zerosLike(obj,varargin)
8-30
...
end
end
How MATLAB Interprets the Function Call
The special support for array-creation functions results from the interpretation of the
syntax.
• A call to the zeros function of this form:

zeros(...,'ClassName')
Calls the class static method like this:

ClassName.zeros(varargin{1:end-1})
• A call to the zeros function of this form:
zeros(...,'like',obj)
Calls the class method like this:

zerosLike(obj,varargin{1:end-2})
Support All Function Inputs
The input arguments to an array-creation function can include the dimensions of the
array the function returns and possibly other arguments. In general, there are three
cases that your methods need to support:
• No dimension input arguments resulting in the return of a scalar. For example:

z = zeros('MyClass');
• One or more dimension equal to or less than zero, resulting in an empty array. For
example:
z = zeros(2,0,'MyClass');
• Any number of valid array dimensions specifying the size of the array. For example:
z = zeros(2,3,5,'MyClass');
When the array-creation function calls your class method, it passes the input arguments,
excluding the class name or the literal 'like' and the object variable to your method.
This enables you to implement your methods with signatures like these:
8-31
• zeros(varargin) for “class name” methods

• zeros(obj,varargin) for “like prototype object” methods
Sample Class
The Color class represents a color in a specific color space, such as RGB, HSV, and so
on. The discussions in “Class Name Method Implementations” on page 8-32 and
“Prototype Object Method Implementation” on page 8-34 use this class as a basis for
the overloaded method implementations.
classdef Color
properties
ColorValues = [0,0,0];
ColorSpace = 'RGB';
end
methods
function obj = Color(cSpace,values)
if nargin > 0
obj.ColorSpace = cSpace;
obj.ColorValues = values;
end
end
end
end
Class Name Method Implementations
The zeros function strips the final ClassName string and uses it to form the call to the
static method in the Color class. The arguments passed to the static method are the
array dimension arguments.
Here is an implementation of a zeros method for the Color class. This implementation:
• Defines the zeros method as Static (required)

• Returns a scalar Color object if the call to zeros has no dimension arguments
• Returns an empty array if the call to zeros has any dimensions arguments equal to
0.
• Returns an array of default Color objects. Use repmat to create an array of the
dimensions specified by the call to zeros.
methods (Static)
8-32
if (nargin == 0)
% For zeros('Color')
z = Color;
elseif any([varargin{:}] <= 0)
% For zeros with any dimension <= 0
z = Color.empty(varargin{:});
else
% For zeros(m,n,...,'Color')
% Use property default values
z = repmat(Color,varargin{:});
end
end
end
The zeros method uses default values for the ColorValues property because these
values are appropriate for this application. An implementation of a ones method might
set the ColorValues property to [1,1,1].
Suppose you want to overload the randi function to achieve the following objectives:
• Define each ColorValue property as a 1-by-3 array in the range of 1 to a specified

maximum value (for example, 1 to 255).
• Accommodate scalar, empty, and multidimensional array sizes.
• Return an array of Color objects of the specified dimensions, each with random
ColorValues.
methods (Static)
function r = randi(varargin)
if (nargin == 0)
% For randi('ClassName')
r = Color('RGB',randi(255,[1,3]));
elseif any([varargin{2:end}] <= 0)
% For randi with any dimension <= 0
r = Color.empty(varargin{2:end});
else
% For randi(max,m,n,...,'ClassName')
if numel([varargin{:}]) < 2
error('Not enough input arguments')
end
dims = [varargin{2:end}];
r = zeros(dims,'Color');
for k = 1:prod(dims)
r(k) = Color('RGB',randi(varargin{1},[1,3]));
8-33
end
end
end
end
Prototype Object Method Implementation
The objective of a method that returns an array of objects that are “like a prototype
object” depends on the requirements of the class. For the Color class, the zeroLike
method creates objects that have the ColorSpace property value of the prototype object,
but the ColorValues are all zero.
Here is an implementation of a zerosLike method for the Color class. This

implementation:
• Defines the zerosLike method as Hidden

• Returns a scalar Color object if the call to the zeros function has no dimension
arguments
• Returns an empty array if the call to the zeros function has any dimension
arguments that are negative or equal to 0.
• Returns an array of Color objects of the dimensions specified by the call to the zeros
function.
methods (Hidden)
if nargin == 1
% For zeros('like',obj)
cSpace = obj.ColorSpace;
z = Color;
z.ColorSpace = cSpace;
else
% For zeros(m,n,...,'like',obj)
if ~isscalar(obj)
error('Prototype object must be scalar')
end
obj = Color(obj.ColorSpace,zeros(1,3,'like',obj.ColorValues));
z = repmat(obj,varargin{:});
end
end
8-34
end
Full Class Listing
Here is the Color class definition with the overloaded methods.
Note: In actual practice, the Color class requires error checking, color space conversions,
and so on. This overly simplified version illustrates the implementation of the overloaded
methods.
classdef Color
properties
ColorValues = [0,0,0];
ColorSpace = 'RGB';
end
methods
function obj = Color(cSpace,values)
if nargin > 0
obj.ColorSpace = cSpace;
obj.ColorValues = values;
end
end
end
methods (Static)
if (nargin == 0)
% For zeros('ClassName')
z = Color;
else
% For zeros(m,n,...,'ClassName')
% Use property default values
z = repmat(Color,varargin{:});
end
end
function r = randi(varargin)
if (nargin == 0)
% For randi('ClassName')
r = Color('RGB',randi(255,[1,3]));
elseif any([varargin{2:end}] <= 0)
8-35
% For randi with any dimension <= 0

r = Color.empty(varargin{2:end});
else
% For randi(max,m,n,...,'ClassName')
if numel([varargin{:}]) < 2
error('Not enough input arguments')
end
dims = [varargin{2:end}];
r = zeros(dims,'Color');
for k = 1:prod(dims)
r(k) = Color('RGB',randi(varargin{1},[1,3]));
end
end
end
end
methods (Hidden)
if nargin == 1
% For zeros('like',obj)
cSpace = obj.ColorSpace;
z = Color;
z.ColorSpace = cSpace;
else
% For zeros(m,n,...,'like',obj)
if ~isscalar(obj)
error('Prototype object must be scalar')
end
obj = Color(obj.ColorSpace,zeros(1,3,'like',obj.ColorValues));
z = repmat(obj,varargin{:});
end
end
end
end
8-36
Object Precedence in Methods
Object Precedence in Methods

Establishing an object precedence enables the MATLAB runtime to determine which of
possibly many versions of an operator or function to call in a given situation.
For example, consider the expression
objectA + objectB
Ordinarily, objects have equal precedence and the method associated with the left-most
object is called. However, there are two exceptions:
• User-defined classes have precedence over MATLAB fundamental classes (see

“Fundamental MATLAB Classes”) and certain built-in classes.
• User-defined classes can specify their relative precedence with respect to other user-
defined classes using the InferiorClasses attribute.
In “Class Design for Polynomials” on page 18-2, the polynom class defines a plus
method that enables the addition of DocPolynom objects. Given the object p:
p = DocPolynom([1 0 -2 -5])
p =
x^3-2*x-5
the expression:
1 + p
ans =
x^3-2*x-4
calls the DocPolynom plus method (which converts the double, 1, to a DocPolynom
object and then implements the addition of two polynomials). The user-defined
DocPolynom class has precedence over the built-in double class.
Specifying Precedence of User-Defined Classes

You can specify the relative precedence of user-defined classes by listing inferior classes
using a class attribute. The InferiorClasses property places a class below other
classes in the precedence hierarchy. Define the InferiorClasses property in the
classdef statement:
classdef (InferiorClasses = {?class1,?class2}) myClass
8-37
This attribute establishes a relative priority of the class being defined with the order of
the classes listed.
Location in the Hierarchy
If objectA is above objectB in the precedence hierarchy, then the expression
objectA + objectB
calls @classA/plus.m. Conversely, if objectB is above objectA in the precedence

hierarchy, then the MATLAB runtime calls @classB/plus.m.
More About
• “Rules for Naming to Avoid Conflicts” on page 8-27
8-38
Dominant Argument in Overloaded Plotting Functions

In this section...
“Graphics Object Precedence” on page 8-39
“Dominant Argument” on page 8-39
“Defining Class Precedence” on page 8-39
“Calls to Inferior-Class Methods” on page 8-41
Graphics Object Precedence

MATLAB graphics objects have the same precedence as user-defined objects. If you want
to implement a method that accepts a graphics object as its first argument (for example,
an axes handle), you must define the MATLAB graphics class as inferior to your class.
Dominant Argument
When evaluating expression involving objects of more than one class, MATLAB uses the
dominant argument to determine which method or function to call.
Here is how MATLAB dispatches in response to a function call:
• Determine the dominant argument based on the class of arguments.

• If there is a dominant argument, call the method of the dominant class.
• If arguments are of equal precedence, use the left-most argument as the dominant
argument.
• If the class of the dominant argument does not define a method with the name of the
called function, call the first function on the path with that name.
Defining Class Precedence

Specify the relative precedence of MATLAB classes using the InferiorClasses class
attribute. Here is the basic syntax:
classdef (InferiorClasses = {?class1,?class2}) ClassName
The following definition of the TemperatureData class implements a specialized version

of plot to graph temperature data. The class plot method supports a variable number
of input arguments to allow an axes handle as the first argument:
8-39
plot(obj)
plot(ax,obj)
obj is an instance of the TemperatureData class and ax is an axes handle.
MATLAB calls the plot method in both cases because the TemperatureData class
specifies the matlab.graphics.axis.Axes as inferior.
classdef (InferiorClasses = {?matlab.graphics.axis.Axes}) TemperatureData

properties
Time
Temperature
end
methods
function obj = TemperatureData(x,y)
obj.Time = x;
obj.Temperature = y;
end
function plot(varargin)
if nargin == 1
obj = varargin{1};
plot(obj.Time,obj.Temperature)
elseif nargin == 2
ax = varargin{1};
obj = varargin{2};
plot(ax,obj.Time,obj.Temperature)
elseif nargin > 2
... % Implement additional syntax
end
xlabel('Time')
ylabel('Temperature')
end
end
end
The following call to plot dispatches to the TemperatureData plot method, not the
built-in plot function, because the TemperatureData object is dominant over the axes
object.
x = 1:10;
y = rand(1,10)*100;
ax = axes;
td = TemperatureData(x,y);
plot(ax,td)
8-40
Calls to Inferior-Class Methods

When you declare a class as inferior to your class, and both classes define a method with
the same name, MATLAB dispatches to your class method regardless of argument order.
Suppose the TemperatureData class that is described in the previous section defines
a set method. If you attempt to assign an object of the TemperatureData class to the
UserData property of an axes object:
td = TemperatureData(x,y);
set(gca,'UserData',td)
The results is a call to the TemperatureData set method. MATLAB does not call the
built-in set function.
To support the use of a set function with inferior classes, implement a set method in
your class that calls the built-in set function when the first argument is an object of the
inferior class.
function set(varargin)
if isa(varargin{1},'matlab.graphics.axis.Axes')
builtin('set',varargin{:})
else
...
end
More About
• “Object Precedence in Methods” on page 8-37
8-41
Class Methods for Graphics Callbacks

In this section...
“Referencing the Method” on page 8-42
“Syntax for Method Callbacks” on page 8-42
“How to Use a Class Method for a Slider Callback” on page 8-43
Referencing the Method

To use an ordinary class method as callback for a graphics object, specify the callback
property as a function handle referencing the method. For example,
uicontrol('Style','slider','Callback',@obj.sliderCallback)
Where your class defines a method called sliderCallback and obj is an instance of
your class.
To use a static methods as a callback, specify the callback property as a function handle
that includes the class name that is required to refer to a static method:
uicontrol('Style','slider','Callback',@MyClass.sliderCallback)
Syntax for Method Callbacks

For ordinary methods, use dot notation to ensure the first argument passed to the
callback is an instance of the class defining the callback:
@obj.methodName
Define the callback method with the following input arguments:
• An instance of the defining class as the first argument

• Two arguments for the event source handle and the event data that MATLAB passes
to the callback
The function signature would be of this form:

function methodName(obj,srcHandle,eventData)
For static methods, the required class name ensures MATLAB dispatches to the method
of the specified class:
8-42
@MyClass.methodName
Define the static callback method with two input arguments — the event source handle
and the event data that MATLAB passes to the callback
The function signature would be of this form:

function methodName(srcHandle,eventData)
Passing Additional Arguments
If you want to pass arguments to your callback in addition to the source and event data
arguments passed by MATLAB, you can use an anonymous function. The basic syntax
for an anonymous function that you assign to the graphic object's Callback property
includes the object as the first argument:
@(src,event)method_name(object,src,event,additional_arg,...)
See “Anonymous Functions” for more information.
How to Use a Class Method for a Slider Callback

This example shows how to use a method of your class as a callback for a uicontrol slider.
The SeaLevelAdjuster class creates a slider that varies the color limits of an indexed
image to give the illusion of varying the sea level.
Class Definition
Define SeaLevelAdjuster as a handle class with the following members:
• The class properties store graphics object handles and the calculated color limits.
• The class constructor creates the graphics objects and assigns the slider callback.
• The callback function for the slider accepts the three required arguments — a class
instance, the handle of the event source, and the event data. Because the class saves
the handles of the graphics objects, the callback method does not use the source and
event data arguments.
• The uicontrol callback uses dot notation to reference the callback method:
...'Callback',@slaObj.slider_cb.
classdef SeaLevelAdjuster < handle
properties
Figure
8-43
Axes
Image
CLimit
Slider
end % properties
methods
function slaObj = SeaLevelAdjuster(x,map)
slaObj.Figure = figure('Colormap',map,...
'Position',[100,100,560,580],...
'Resize','off');
slaObj.Axes = axes('DataAspectRatio',[1,1,1],...
'XLimMode','manual','YLimMode','manual',...
'Parent',slaObj.Figure);
slaObj.Image = image(x,'CDataMapping','scaled',...
'Parent',slaObj.Axes);
slaObj.CLimit = get(slaObj.Axes,'CLim');
slaObj.Slider = uicontrol('Style','slider',...
'Parent',slaObj.Figure,...
'Max',slaObj.CLimit(2)-1,...
'Min',slaObj.CLimit(1)-1,...
'Value',slaObj.CLimit(1),...
'Units','normalized',...
'Position',[0.9286,0.1724,0.0357,0.6897],...
'SliderStep',[0.002,0.005],...
'Callback',@slaObj.slider_cb);
end % SeaLevelAdjuster
function slider_cb(slaObj,~,~)
% src and event arguments are not used
min_val = get(slaObj.Slider,'Value');
max_val = max(max(get(slaObj.Image,'CData')));
slaObj.Axes.CLim = [min_val max_val];
drawnow
end % slider_cb
end % methods
end % classdef
Using the SeaLevelAdjuster Class
The class is designed to be used with the cape image that is included with the MATLAB
product. To obtain the image data, use the load command:
load cape X map
8-44
After loading the data, create a SeaLevelAdjuster object for the image:
slaObj = SeaLevelAdjuster(X,map);
Move the slider to change the color mapping and visualize a rise in sea level.
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
50 100 150 200 250 300 350
More About
• “Ordinary Methods” on page 8-7
• “Static Methods” on page 8-23
8-45
• “Determining Which Method Is Invoked”
8-46
9
Object Arrays
• “Create Object Arrays” on page 9-2

• “Initialize Object Arrays” on page 9-5
• “Empty Arrays” on page 9-8
• “Initialize Arrays of Handle Objects” on page 9-10
• “Object Arrays with Dynamic Properties” on page 9-13
• “Concatenating Objects of Different Classes” on page 9-15
• “Heterogeneous Arrays” on page 9-21
9 Object Arrays
Create Object Arrays

In this section...
“Build Arrays in the Constructor” on page 9-2
“Referencing Property Values in Object Arrays” on page 9-3
Basic Knowledge
The material presented in this section builds on an understanding of the information
presented in the following sections.
Class Definitions

• “Class Constructor Methods” on page 8-15
Working with Arrays
• “Matrix Indexing”
• “Empty Matrices, Scalars, and Vectors”
• “Multidimensional Arrays”
Build Arrays in the Constructor

A class constructor can create an array by building the array and returning it as the
output argument.
For example, the ObjectArray class creates an object array that is the same size as the
input array. Then it initializes the Value property of each object to the corresponding
input array value.
classdef ObjectArray
properties
Value
end
methods
9-2
Create Object Arrays
function obj = ObjectArray(F)

if nargin ~= 0
m = size(F,1);
n = size(F,2);
obj(m,n) = ObjectArray;
for i = 1:m
for j = 1:n
obj(i,j).Value = F(i,j);
end
end
end
end
end
end
To preallocate the object array, assign the last element of the array first. MATLAB fills
the first to penultimate array elements with default ObjectArray objects.
After preallocating the array, assign each object Value property to the corresponding
value in the input array F. To use the class:
• Create 5-by-5 array of magic square numbers

• Create a 5-by-5 object array
F = magic(5);
A = ObjectArray(F);
whos
A 5x5 304 ObjectArray

F 5x5 200 double
Referencing Property Values in Object Arrays

Reference all values of the same property in an object array using the syntax:
objarray.PropName
For example, given the ObjProp class:

classdef ObjProp
properties
RegProp
9-3
9 Object Arrays
end
methods
function obj = ObjProp
obj.RegProp = randi(100);
end
end
end
Create an array of ObjProp objects and access the RegProp property of each object:
for k = 1:5
a(k) = ObjProp;
end
a.RegProp
ans =
91
ans =
13
ans =
92
ans =
64
ans =
10
Related Information
For information on array initialization, see “Initialize Object Arrays” on page 9-5.
For information specific to initialization of handle array, see “Initialize Arrays of Handle
Objects” on page 9-10
9-4
Initialize Object Arrays

In this section...
“Calls to Constructor” on page 9-5
“Initial Value of Object Properties” on page 9-6
Calls to Constructor
During the creation of object arrays, MATLAB can call the class constructor with no
arguments, even if the constructor does not build an object array. For example, suppose
that you define the following class:
classdef SimpleValue
properties
Value
end
methods
function obj = SimpleValue(v)
obj.Value = v;
end
end
end
Execute the following statement to create an array:

a(1,7) = SimpleValue(7)
Error using SimpleValue (line 7)

This error occurs because MATLAB calls the constructor with no arguments to initialize
elements 1 through 6 in the array.
Your class must support the no input argument constructor syntax. A simple solution is
to test nargin and let the case when nargin == 0 execute no code, but not error:
classdef SimpleValue
properties
Value
end
methods
function obj = SimpleValue(v)
9-5
9 Object Arrays
if nargin > 0
obj.Value = v;
end
end
end
end
Using the revised class definition, the previous array assignment statement executes
without error:
a(1,7) = SimpleValue(7)
a =
1x7 SimpleValue array with properties:
Value
The object assigned to array element a(1,7) uses the input argument passed to the
constructor as the value assigned to the property:
a(1,7)
ans =
SimpleValue with properties:
Value: 7
MATLAB created the objects contained in elements a(1,1:6) with no input argument.
The default value for properties empty []. For example:
a(1,1)
ans =
SimpleValue with properties:
Value: []
MATLAB calls the SimpleValue constructor once and copies the returned object to each
element of the array.
Initial Value of Object Properties

When MATLAB calls a constructor with no arguments to initialize an object array, one of
the following assignments occurs:
9-6
• If property definitions specify default values, MATLAB assigns these values.

• If the constructor assigns values in the absence of input arguments, MATLAB assigns
these values.
• If neither of the preceding situations apply, MATLAB assigns the value of empty
double (that is, []) to the property.
9-7
9 Object Arrays
Empty Arrays
In this section...
“Creating Empty Arrays” on page 9-8
“Assigning Values to an Empty Array” on page 9-8
Creating Empty Arrays

Empty arrays have no elements, but are of a certain class. All nonabstract classes have
a static method named empty that creates an empty array of the same class. The empty
method enables you to specify the dimensions of the output array. However, at least one
of the dimensions must be 0. For example:
ary = SimpleValue.empty(5,0);
creates a 5–by–0 empty array of class SimpleValue.
Calling empty with no arguments returns a 0–by–0 empty array.
Assigning Values to an Empty Array

An empty object defines the class of an array. To assign nonempty objects to an empty
array, MATLAB calls the class constructor to create default instances of the class for
every other array element. Once you assign a nonempty object to an array, all array
elements must be nonempty objects.
Note: A class constructor must avoid returning empty objects by default.
For example, using the SimpleValue defined in the “Initialize Object Arrays” on page
9-5 section, create an empty array:
ary = SimpleValue.empty(5,0);
class(ary)
ans =
SimpleValue
9-8
Empty Arrays
ary is an array of class SimpleValue. However, it is an empty array:
ary(1)
Index exceeds matrix dimensions.
If you make an assignment to a property value, MATLAB calls the SimpleClass

constructor to grow the array to the require size:
ary(5).Value = 7;
ary(5).Value
ans =
ary(1).Value
ans =
[]
MATLAB populates array elements one through five with SimpleValue objects created
by calling the class constructor with no arguments. Then MATLAB assigns the property
value 7 to the object at ary(5).
9-9
9 Object Arrays
Initialize Arrays of Handle Objects

When initializing an array of handle objects, MATLAB:
• Calls the class constructor once to obtain an object

• Creates unique handles for each element in the array
• Copies the property values from the constructed object without calling the constructor
again.
The InitHandleArray class illustrates this behavior.

classdef InitHandleArray < handle
properties
RandNumb
end
methods
function obj = InitHandleArray
obj.RandNumb = randi(100);
end
end
end
The property RandNumb contains a random number that the InitHandleArray

constructor assigns.
Consider what happens when MATLAB initialize an array by first assigning to the last
element in the array. (The last element is the one with the highest index values). For
example, suppose the value of the RandNumb property of the InitHandleArray object
assigned to the element A(4,5) is 59:
A(4,5) = InitHandleArray;
A(4,5).RandNumb
ans =
59
The element in the index location A(4,5) is an instance of the InitHandleArray class.
Element A(1,1) is also an instance of the InitHandleArray class, but its RandNumb
property is set to a different random number. MATLAB called the class constructor to
create a single object, which MATLAB then copied to all the remaining array elements.
Calling the constructor resulted in another call to the randi function, which returns a
new random number:
9-10
Initialize Arrays of Handle Objects
A(1,1).RandNumb
ans =
10
MATLAB copies this second instance to all remaining array elements:
A(2,2).RandNumb
ans =
10
A(2,3).RandNumb
ans =
10
When initializing an object array, MATLAB assigns a copy of a single object to the empty
elements in the array. MATLAB gives each object a unique handle so that later you can
assign different property values to each object. The objects are not equivalent:
A(1,1) == A(2,2)
ans =
That is, the handle A(1,1) does not refer to the same object as A(2,2). The creation of
an array with a statement such as:
A(4,5) = InitHandleArray;
results in two calls to the class constructor. The first creates the object for array element
A(4,5). The second creates a default object that MATLAB copies to all remaining empty
array elements.
Related Information
See “Indexing Multidimensional Arrays” and “Reshaping Multidimensional Arrays” for
information on array manipulation.
9-11
9 Object Arrays
See “Initializing Properties to Unique Values” for information on assigning values to

properties.
See “Object Array Indexing” for information on implementing subsasgn methods for
your class.
9-12
Object Arrays with Dynamic Properties
Object Arrays with Dynamic Properties

You cannot reference all the dynamic properties in an object array using a
single statement, as you can with ordinary properties. For example, suppose the
ObjectArrayDynamic class subclasses the dynamicprops class, which enables you to
add properties to objects of the ObjectArrayDynamic class:
classdef ObjectArrayDynamic < dynamicprops

properties
RegProp
end
methods
function obj = ObjectArrayDynamic
obj.RegProp = randi(100);
end
end
end
Create an object array and add dynamic properties to each member of the array.
Define elements 1 and 2 as ObjectArrayDynamic objects:
a(1) = ObjectArrayDynamic;
a(2) = ObjectArrayDynamic;
Add dynamic properties to each object and assign a value
a(1).addprop('DynoProp');
a(1).DynoProp = 1;
a(2).addprop('DynoProp');
a(2).DynoProp = 2;
Get the values of the ordinary properties, as with any array:
a.RegProp
ans =
ans =
85
9-13
9 Object Arrays
MATLAB returns an error if you try to access the dynamic properties of all array
elements using this syntax.
a.DynoProp
No appropriate method, property, or field 'DynoProp' for class

'ObjectArrayDynamic'.
Refer to each object individually to access dynamic property values:

a(1).DynoProp
ans =
a(2).DynoProp
ans =
For information about classes that can define dynamic properties, see “Dynamic
Properties — Adding Properties to an Instance” on page 7-30 .
9-14
Concatenating Objects of Different Classes

In this section...
“MATLAB Concatenation Rules” on page 9-15
“Concatenating Objects” on page 9-15
“Calling the Dominant-Class Constructor” on page 9-16
“Converter Methods” on page 9-18
Basic Knowledge
presented in the following sections.
• “Class Precedence” on page 5-17

• “Create Object Arrays” on page 9-2
• “Valid Combinations of Unlike Classes”
MATLAB Concatenation Rules

MATLAB follows these rules for concatenating objects:
• MATLAB always converts all objects to the dominant class.

• User-defined classes take precedence over built-in classes like double.
• If there is no defined dominance relationship between any two objects, then the
leftmost object dominates (see “Class Precedence” on page 5-17).
Note: MATLAB does not convert objects to a common superclass unless those objects are
part of a heterogeneous hierarchy. For more information, see “Heterogeneous Arrays” on
page 9-21.
Concatenating Objects
Concatenation combines objects into arrays:
9-15
9 Object Arrays
ary = [obj1,obj2,obj3,...,objn];
The size of ary is 1-by-n.

ary = [obj1;obj2;obj3;...;objn];
The size of ary is n-by-1.
The class of the arrays is the same as the class of the objects being concatenated.
Concatenating objects of different classes is possible if MATLAB can convert objects to
the dominant class. MATLAB attempts to convert unlike objects by:
• Calling the inferior object converter method, if one exists.

• Passing an inferior object to the dominant class constructor to create an object of the
dominant class.
If conversion of the inferior object is successful, MATLAB returns an array that is of the
dominant class. If conversion is not possible, MATLAB returns an error.
Calling the Dominant-Class Constructor

MATLAB calls the dominant class constructor to convert an object of an inferior class
to the dominant class. MATLABpasses the inferior object to the constructor as an
argument. If the class design enables the dominant class constructor to accept objects of
inferior classes as input arguments, then concatenation is possible without implementing
a separate converter method.
If the constructor simply assigns this argument to a property, the result is an object
of the dominant class with an object of an inferior class stored in a property. If this
assignment is not a desired result, then ensure that class constructors include adequate
error checking.
For example, consider the class ColorClass and two subclasses, RGBColor and
HSVColor:
classdef ColorClass
properties
Color
end
end
The class RGBColor inherits the Color property from ColorClass. RGBColor stores
a color value defined as a three-element vector of red, green, and blue (RGB) values.
9-16
The constructor does not restrict the value of the input argument. It assigns this value
directly to the Color property.
classdef RGBColor < ColorClass

methods
function obj = RGBColor(rgb)
if nargin > 0
obj.Color = rgb;
end
end
end
end
The class HSVColor also inherits the Color property from ColorClass. HSVColor
stores a color value defined as a three-element vector of hue, saturation, brightness value
(HSV) values.
classdef HSVColor < ColorClass

methods
function obj = HSVColor(hsv)
if nargin > 0
obj.Color = hsv;
end
end
end
end
Create an instance of each class and concatenate them into an array. The RGBColor
object is dominant because it is the leftmost object and neither class defines a dominance
relationship:
crgb = RGBColor([1 0 0]);

chsv = HSVColor([0 1 1]);
ary = [crgb,chsv];
class(ary)
ans =
RGBColor
You can combine these objects into an array because MATLAB can pass the inferior
object of class HSVColor to the constructor of the dominant class. However, notice that
the Color property of the second RGBColor object in the array actually contains an
HSVColor object, not an RGB color specification:
9-17
9 Object Arrays
ary(2).Color
ans =
HSVColor with properties:
Color: [0 1 1]
Avoid this undesirable behavior by:
• Implementing converter methods

• Performing argument checking in class constructors before assigning values to
properties
Converter Methods
If your class design requires object conversion, implement converter methods for this
purpose.
The ColorClass class defines converter methods for RGBColor and HSVColor objects:
classdef ColorClass
properties
Color
end
methods
function rgbObj = RGBColor(obj)
if isa(obj,'HSVColor')
rgbObj = RGBColor(hsv2rgb(obj.Color));
end
end
function hsvObj = HSVColor(obj)
if isa(obj,'RGBColor')
hsvObj = HSVColor(rgb2hsv(obj.Color));
end
end
end
end
Create an array of RGBColor and HSVColor objects with the revised superclass:
crgb = RGBColor([1 0 0]);

chsv = HSVColor([0 1 1]);
9-18
ary = [crgb,chsv];
class(ary)
ans =
RGBColor
MATLAB calls the converter method for the HSVColor object, which it inherits from
the superclass. The second array element is now an RGBColor object with an RGB color
specification assigned to the Color property:
ary(2)
ans =
RGBColor with properties:
Color: [1 0 0]
ary(2).Color
ans =
1 0 0
If the leftmost object is of class HSVColor, the array ary is also of class HSVColor, and
MATLAB converts the Color property data to HSV color specification.
ary = [chsv crgb]
ary =
1x2 HSVColor
Properties:
Color
ary(2).Color
ans =
0 1 1
Defining a converter method in the superclass and adding better argument checking in
the subclass constructors produces more predicable results. Here is the RGBColor class
constructor with argument checking:
9-19
9 Object Arrays
classdef RGBColor < ColorClass

methods
function obj = RGBColor(rgb)
if nargin == 0
rgb = [0 0 0];
else
if ~(isa(rgb,'double')...
&& size(rgb,2) == 3 ...
&& max(rgb) <= 1 && min(rgb) >= 0)
error('Specify color as RGB values')
end
end
obj.Color = rgb;
end
end
end
Your applications can require additional error checking and other coding techniques. The
classes in these examples are designed only to demonstrate concepts.
More About
• “Object Converters”
• “Hierarchies of Classes — Concepts”
9-20
Heterogeneous Arrays
In this section...
“Why Heterogeneous Arrays” on page 9-21
“Heterogeneous Array Concepts” on page 9-21
“Nature of Heterogeneous Arrays” on page 9-22
“Unsupported Hierarchies” on page 9-25
“Default Object” on page 9-26
“Conversion During Assignment and Concatenation” on page 9-27
Why Heterogeneous Arrays

A heterogeneous array is an array of objects that differ in their specific class, but
which are all derived from or are instances of a common superclass. The common
superclass forms the root of the hierarchy. The root superclass must derive directly from
matlab.mixin.Heterogeneous.
By implementing a hierarchy of related classes as heterogeneous, you can create mixed

class (heterogeneous) arrays of objects of those classes. Heterogeneous hierarchies are
useful to:
• Create arrays of objects that are of different classes, but part of a related hierarchy.
• Call methods of the most specific common superclass on the array as a whole
• Access properties of the most specific common superclass using dot notation with the
array
• Use common operators that are supported for object arrays
• Support array indexing (scalar or nonscalar) that returns arrays of the most specific
class
Heterogeneous Array Concepts
• Heterogeneous array — An array in which two or more elements belong to different

specific classes. All elements derive from the same root superclass.
9-21
9 Object Arrays
• Root superclass — Class derived directly from matlab.mixin.Heterogeneous.

Only concrete subclasses of the root superclass can form heterogeneous arrays.
• Most specific common superclass — The most specific class in the inheritance
hierarchy from which all of the objects in a heterogeneous array derive. The most
specific common superclass can be the root superclass or a more specific superclass
shared by the objects currently in the array.
• Class of a heterogeneous array — The most specific common superclass from which
all objects in the heterogeneous array derive. Adding and removing objects from a
heterogeneous array can change the most specific superclass shared by the instances.
This change results in a change in the class of a heterogeneous array.
Nature of Heterogeneous Arrays

The heterogeneous hierarchy in this diagram illustrates the characteristics of
heterogeneous arrays concerning:
• Array class
• Property access
• Method invocation
9-22
Class of Heterogeneous Arrays
The class of a heterogeneous array is that of the most specific superclass shared by the
objects of the array.
If these conditions are true, the concatenation and subscripted assignment operations
return a heterogeneous array:
• The objects on the right side of the assignment statement are of different classes
• All objects on the right side of the assignment statement derive from a common
subclass of matlab.mixin.Heterogeneous
For example, form an array by concatenating objects of these classes The class of a1 is
ClassA:
a1 = [SpecificA,SpecificB];
9-23
9 Object Arrays
If the array includes an object of the class SpecificC, the class of a2 is

RootSuperclass:
a2 = [SpecificA,SpecificB,SpecificC];
If you assigned an object of the class SpecificC to array a1 using indexing, the class of
a1 becomes RootSuperclass:
a1(3) = SpecificC;
If the array contains objects of only one class, then the array is not heterogeneous. For
example, the class of a is SpecificA.
a = [SpecificA,SpecificA];
Access Properties
Access array properties with dot notation when the class of the array defines the
properties. The class of the array is the most specific common superclass, which ensures
all objects inherit the same properties.
For example, suppose ClassA defines a property called Prop1.
a1 = [SpecificA,SpecificB];
a1.Prop1
Referring to Prop1 using dot notation returns the value of Prop1 for each object in the
array.
Invoke Methods
To invoke a method on a heterogeneous array, the class of the array must define or
inherit the method as Sealed. For example, suppose CommonSuperclass defines a
Sealed method called superMethod.
Call the method on all objects in the array a2:
a2 = [SpecificA,SpecificB,SpecificC];
a2.superMethod
Sealing the method (so that it cannot be overridden in a subclass) ensures that there is
no ambiguity in the method definition.
9-24
Unsupported Hierarchies
Heterogeneous hierarchies cannot have ambiguities when obtaining default
objects and converting class objects to other types. Members of the hierarchy
can derive from only one root superclass (that is, from only one direct subclass of
matlab.mixin.Heterogeneous).
This diagram shows a hierarchy that is not allowed:
ClassA derives from two classes that are subclasses of

The next diagram shows two separate heterogeneous hierarchies. ClassA has only one
root superclass (called OtherBaseClass). The heterogeneous hierarchy is no longer
ambiguous:
9-25
9 Object Arrays
Default Object
A default object is the object returned by calling the class constructor with no arguments.
MATLAB uses default objects in these situations:
• Indexed assignment creates an array with gaps in array elements. For example,
assign the first element of array h to index 5:
h(5) = ClassA(arg1,arg2);
MATLAB fills the unassigned positions with default objects.

• Loading a heterogeneous array from a MAT-file when the class definition of a specific
object in the array is not available. MATLAB replaces the object with the default
object.
9-26
Heterogeneous hierarchies enable you to define the default object for that hierarchy. The
matlab.mixin.Heterogeneous class provides a default implementation of a method
called getDefaultScalarElement. This method returns an instance of the root class of
the heterogeneous hierarchy, unless the root superclass is abstract.
If the root superclass is abstract or is not appropriate for a default object,

override the getDefaultScalarElement method. Implement the
getDefaultScalarElement override in the root superclass, which derives directly from
getDefaultScalarElement must return a scalar object that is derived from the

root superclass. For specific information on how to implement this method, see
getDefaultScalarElement.
Conversion During Assignment and Concatenation

If you specify a heterogeneous array that contains objects that are not derived from
the same root superclass, MATLAB attempts to call a method called convertObject.
Implement convertObject to convert objects to the appropriate class. There is no
default implementation of this method.
If you want to support the formation of heterogeneous arrays using objects that are not
part of the heterogeneous hierarchy, implement a convertObject method in the root
superclass. The convertObject method must convert the nonmember object to a valid
member of the heterogeneous hierarchy.
For details on implementing the convertObject method, see

Related Examples
• “Handle-Compatible Classes and Heterogeneous Arrays”
9-27
10
Events — Sending and Responding to

Messages
• “Learn to Use Events and Listeners” on page 10-2

• “Property Set Listener” on page 10-9
• “Events and Listeners — Concepts” on page 10-12
• “Events and Listeners — Syntax and Techniques” on page 10-19
• “Listener Lifecycle” on page 10-23
• “Function Handle for Listener Callbacks” on page 10-26
• “Listen for Changes to Property Values” on page 10-29
• “Update Graphs Using Events and Listeners” on page 10-36
10 Events — Sending and Responding to Messages
Learn to Use Events and Listeners

In this section...
“Why Use Events and Listeners” on page 10-2
“Events and Listeners Basics” on page 10-2
“Events and Listeners Syntax Overview” on page 10-3
“Class with Custom Event Data” on page 10-5
“Class to Observe Property Changes” on page 10-7
Why Use Events and Listeners

Events are notices that objects broadcast in response to something that happens,
such as a property value changing or a user interaction with an application program.
Listeners execute functions when notified that the event of interest occurs. Use events to
communicate things that happen to objects, and respond to these events by executing the
listener's callback function.
See “Events and Listeners — Concepts” on page 10-12 for a more thorough discussion
of the MATLAB event model.
Events and Listeners Basics

When using events and listeners:
• Only handle classes can define events and listeners.

• Call the handle notify method to trigger the event. The event notification broadcasts
the named event to all listeners registered for this event.
• Use the handle addlistener method to associate a listener with an object that will
be the source of the event.
• When adding a listener, pass a function handle for the listener callback function using
a syntax such as the following:
• addlistener(eventObject,'EventName',@functionName) — for an
ordinary function.
• addlistener(eventObject,'EventName',@Obj.methodName) — for a
method of Obj.
10-2
• addlistener(eventObject,'EventName',@ClassName.methodName) — for
a static method of the class ClassName.
• Listener callback functions must define at least two input arguments — the
event source object handle and the event data (See “Function Handle for Listener
Callbacks” on page 10-26 for more information).
• You can modify the data passed to each listener callback by subclassing the
event.EventData class.
Events and Listeners Syntax Overview

Define an event name in the events code block:
classdef ClassName < handle

...
events
EventName
end
...
end
For example, MyClass defines an event named StateChange:

events
StateChange
end
end
Trigger an event using the handle class notify method:
classdef ClassName < handle

...
events
EventName
end
...
methods
function anyMethod(obj)
...
notify(obj,'EventName');
end
end
10-3
Any function or method can trigger the event for a specific instance of the class defining
the event. For example, the triggerEvent method calls notify to trigger the
StateChange event:
events
StateChange
end
methods
function triggerEvent(obj)
notify(obj,'StateChange')
end
end
end
Trigger the StateChange event with the triggerEvent method:

obj = MyClass;
obj.triggerEvent
Define a listener using the handle class addlistener method:

ListenerObject = addlistener(SourceOfEvent,'EventName',@listenerCallback);
addlistener returns the listener object. The input arguments are:
• SourceOfEvent — An object of the class defining the event on which the event
occurred.
• EventName — The name of the event defined in the class events code block.
• @listenerCallback — a function handle referencing the function that executes in
response to the event.
For example, create a listener object for the StateChange event:

function lh = createListener(src)
lh = addlistener(src,'StateChange',@handleStateChange)
end
Define the callback function for the listener. The callback function must accept as the
first two arguments the event source object and an event data object:
function handleStateChange(src,eventData)
...
end
10-4
Class with Custom Event Data

Suppose you want to create a listener callback function that has access to specific
information when the event occurs. This example shows how to do this by creating
custom event data.
Events provide information to listener callback functions by passing an event data

argument to the specified function. By default, MATLAB passes an event.EventData
object to the listener callback. This object has two properties:
• EventName — Name of the event triggered by this object.

• Source — Handle of the object triggering the event.
Provide additional information to the listener callback by subclassing the

event.EventData class.
• Define properties in the subclass to contain the additional data.

• Define a constructor that accepts the additional data as arguments.
• Set the ConstructOnLoad class attribute.
• Use the subclass constructor as an argument to the notify method to trigger the
event.
Defining and Triggering an Event
The SimpleEventClass defines a property set method (see “Property Set Methods”)
from which it triggers an event if the property is set to a value exceeding a certain limit.
The property set method performs these operations:
• Saves the original property value

• Sets the property to the specified value
• If the specified value is greater than 10, the set method triggers an Overflow event
• Passes the original property value, as well as other event data, in a
SpecialEventDataClass object to the notify method.
classdef SimpleEventClass < handle

properties
Prop1 = 0;
end
events
Overflow
10-5
end
methods
function set.Prop1(obj,value)
orgvalue = obj.Prop1;
obj.Prop1 = value;
if (obj.Prop1 > 10)
% Trigger the event using custom event data
notify(obj,'Overflow',SpecialEventDataClass(orgvalue));
end
end
end
end
Define the Event Data
Event data is always contained in an event.EventData object. The

SpecialEventDataClass adds the original property value to the event data by
subclassing event.EventData:
classdef (ConstructOnLoad) SpecialEventDataClass < event.EventData

properties
OrgValue = 0;
end
methods
function eventData = SpecialEventDataClass(value)
eventData.OrgValue = value;
end
end
end
Create a Listener for the Overflow Event
To listen for the Overflow event, attach a listener to an instance of the

SimpleEventClass class. Use the addlistener method to create the listener. You also
need to define a callback function for the listener to execute when the event is triggered.
The function setupSEC instantiates the SimpleEventClass class and adds a listener
to the object. In this example, the listener callback function displays information that is
contained in the eventData argument (which is a SpecialEventDataClass object).
function sec = setupSEC

sec = SimpleEventClass;
addlistener(sec,'Overflow',@overflowHandler)
function overflowHandler(eventSrc,eventData)
10-6
disp('The value of Prop1 is overflowing!')

disp(['Its value was: ' num2str(eventData.OrgValue)])
disp(['Its current value is: ' num2str(eventSrc.Prop1)])
end
end
Create the SimpleEventClass object and add the listener:
sec = setupSEC;
sec.Prop1 = 5;
sec.Prop1 = 15; % listener triggers callback
The value of Prop1 is overflowing!

Its value was: 5
Its current value is: 15
Class to Observe Property Changes

This example shows how to listen for changes to a property value. This examples uses:
• PostSet event predefined by MATLAB

• SetObservable property attribute to enable triggering the property PostSet event.
• addlistener handle class method to create the listener
classdef PropLis < handle

% Define a property that is SetObservable
properties (SetObservable)
ObservedProp = 1;
end
methods
function attachListener(obj)
%Attach a listener to a PropListener object
addlistener(obj,'ObservedProp','PostSet',@PropLis.propChange);
end
end
methods (Static)
function propChange(metaProp,eventData)
% Callback for PostSet event
% Inputs: meta.property object, event.PropertyEvent
h = eventData.AffectedObject;
propName = metaProp.Name;
disp(['The ',propName,' property has changed.'])
disp(['The new value is: ',num2str(h.ObservedProp)])
10-7
disp(['Its default value is: ',num2str(metaProp.DefaultValue)])

end
end
end
The PropLis class uses an ordinary method (attachListener) to add the listener for
the ObservedProp property. If the PropLis class defines a constructor, the constructor
can contain the call to addlistener.
The listener callback is a static method (propChange). MATLAB passes two arguments
when calling this function:
• metaProp — a meta.property object for ObservedProp

• eventData — an event.PropertyEvent object contain event specific data.
These arguments provide information about the property and the event.
Use the PropLis class by creating an instance and calling its attachListener method:
plObj = PropLis;
plObj.ObservedProp
ans =
plObj.attachListener
plObj.ObservedProp = 2;
The ObservedProp property has changed.

The new value is: 2
Its default value is: 1
Related Examples
10-8
Property Set Listener

This example shows how to define a listener for a property set event. This means the
listener callback triggers when the value of a specific property changes. The class defined
for this example uses a method for a push button callback and a static method for the
listener callback. When the push button callback changes the value of a property, the
listener executes its callback on the PreSet event.
This example defines a class (PushButton) with these design elements:
• ResultNumber – Observable property

• uicontrol pushbutton – Push button object used to generate a new graph when its
callback executes
• A listener that responds to a change in the observable property
PushButton Class Design

The PushButton class creates figure, uicontrol, axes graphics objects and a listener
object in the class constructor.
The push button's callback is a class method (named pressed). When the push button is
activated, the following sequence occurs:
1 MATLAB executes the pressed method, which graphs a new set of data and
increments the ResultNumber property.
2 Attempting to set the value of the ResultNumber property triggers the PreSet
event, which executes the listener callback before setting the property value.
3 The listener callback uses the event data to obtain the handle of the callback object
(an instance of the PushButton class), which then provides the handle of the axes
object that is stored in its AxHandle property.
4 The listener callback updates the axes Title property, after the callback completes
execution, MATLAB sets the ResultsNumber property to its new value.
classdef PushButton < handle

ResultNumber = 1;
end
properties
10-9
AxHandle
end
methods
function buttonObj = PushButton
myFig = figure;
buttonObj.AxHandle = axes('Parent',myFig);
uicontrol('Parent',myFig,...
'Style','pushbutton',...
'String','Plot Data',...
'Callback',@(src,evnt)pressed(buttonObj));
addlistener(buttonObj,'ResultNumber','PreSet',...
@PushButton.updateTitle);
end
end
methods
function pressed(obj)
scatter(obj.AxHandle,randn(1,20),randn(1,20),'p')
obj.ResultNumber = obj.ResultNumber + 1;
end
end
methods (Static)
function updateTitle(~,eventData)
h = eventData.AffectedObject;
set(get(h.AxHandle,'Title'),'String',['Result Number: ',...
num2str(h.ResultNumber)])
end
end
end
The scatter graph looks similar to this after three push-button clicks.
buttonObj = PushButton;
10-10
Related Examples
• “Listen for Changes to Property Values” on page 10-29
10-11
Events and Listeners — Concepts

In this section...
“The Event Model” on page 10-12
“Default Event Data” on page 10-13
“Events Only in Handle Classes” on page 10-14
“Property-Set and Query Events” on page 10-14
“Listeners” on page 10-15
The Event Model

Events represent changes or actions that occur within objects. For example,
• Modification of class data

• Execution of a method
• Querying or setting a property value
• Destruction of an object
Basically, any activity that you can detect programmatically can generate an event and
communicate information to other objects.
MATLAB classes define a process that communicates the occurrence of events to other
objects that need to respond to the events. The event model works this way:
• A handle class declares a name used to represent an event. “Name Events” on page
10-19
• After creating an object of the event-declaring class, attach listener to that object.
“Control Listener Lifecycle” on page 10-23
• A call to the handle class notify method broadcasts a notice of the event to listeners.
The class user determines when to trigger the event. “Trigger Events” on page
10-19
• Listeners execute a callback function when notified that the event has occurred.
“Specify Listener Callbacks” on page 10-26
• You can bind listeners to the lifecycle of the object that defines the event, or limit
listeners to the existence and scope of the listener object. “Control Listener Lifecycle”
on page 10-23
10-12
The following diagram illustrates the event model.
BankAccount
1. The withdraw method is called.
Properties
AccountNumber
if AccountBalance <= 0
AccountBalance
notify(obj,’InsufficientFunds’);
end Methods
deposit
withdraw
Events
InsufficientFunds
2. The notify method
triggers an event, and a
message is broadcast.
InsufficientFunds
InsufficientFunds
3. Listeners awaiting message

execute their callbacks. Listener1 Listener2
(The broadcasting object Properties Properties
does not necessarily know EventName = ‘InsufficientFunds’ EventName = ‘InsufficientFunds’
who is listening.) FunctionHandle = @Callback1 FunctionHandle = @Callback2
Default Event Data

Events provide information to listener callbacks by passing an event data argument to
the callback function. By default, MATLAB passes an event.EventData object to the
listener callback. This object has two properties:
• EventName — The event name as defined in the class event block
10-13
• Source — The object that is the source of the event
MATLAB passes the source object to the listener callback in the required event data
argument. This enables you to access any of the object's public properties from within
your listener callback function.
Customizing Event Data
You can create a subclass of the event.EventData class to provide additional

information to listener callback functions. The subclass would define properties to
contain the additional data and provide a method to construct the derived event data
object so it can be passed to the notify method.
“Define Event-Specific Data” on page 10-22 provides an example showing how to

customize this data.
Events Only in Handle Classes

You can define events only in handle classes. This restriction exists because a value class
is visible only in a single MATLAB workspace so no callback or listener can have access
to the object that triggered the event. The callback could have access to a copy of the
object. However, accessing a copy is not generally useful because the callback cannot
access the current state of the object that triggered the event or effect any changes in
that object.
“Comparing Handle and Value Classes” on page 6-2 provides general information on
handle classes.
“Events and Listeners — Syntax and Techniques” on page 10-19 shows the syntax for
defining a handle class and events.
Property-Set and Query Events

There are four predefined events related to properties:
• PreSet — Triggered just before the property value is set, before calling its set access
method
• PostSet — Triggered just after the property value is set
• PreGet — Triggered just before a property value query is serviced, before calling its
get access method
10-14
• PostGet — Triggered just after returning the property value to the query
These events are predefined and do not need to be listed in the class events block.
When a property event occurs, the callback is passed an event.PropertyEvent object.

This object has three properties:
• EventName — The name of the event described by this data object

• Source — The source object whose class defines the event described by the data
object
• AffectedObject — The object whose property is the source for this event (that
is, AffectedObject contains the object whose property was either accessed or
modified).
You can define your own property-change event data by subclassing the
event.EventData class. Note that the event.PropertyEvent class is a sealed
subclass of event.EventData.
See “Listen for Changes to Property Values” on page 10-29 for a description of the
process for creating property listeners.
See “The PostSet Event Listener” on page 10-46 for an example.
See “Property Access Methods” on page 7-14 for information on methods that control
access to property values.
Listeners
Listeners encapsulate the response to an event. Listener objects belong to the
event.listener class, which is a handle class that defines the following properties:
• Source — Handle or array of handles of the object that generated the event
• EventName — Name of the event
• Callback — Function to execute when an enabled listener receives event notification
• Enabled — Callback function executes only when Enabled is true. See “Enabling
and Disabling the Listeners” on page 10-49 for an example.
• Recursive — Allow listener to cause the same event that triggered the execution of
the callback
10-15
Recursive is false by default. If the callback triggers its own event, the listener
cannot execute recursively. Setting the Recursive to true can create a situation
where infinite recursion reaches the recursion limit and triggers an error.
“Control Listener Lifecycle” on page 10-23 provides more specific information.
10-16
Event Attributes
Event Attributes
Specifying Event Attributes
The following table lists the attributes you can set for events. To specify a value
for an attribute, assign the attribute value on the same line as the event key word.
For example, all the events defined in the following events block have protected
ListenAccess and private NotifyAccess.
events (ListenAccess = 'protected', NotifyAccess = 'private')
EventName1
EventName2
end
To define other events in the same class definition that have different attribute settings,
create another events block.
Event Attributes
Hidden logical Default = If true, event does not appear in list of events returned
false by events function (or other event listing functions or
viewers).
ListenAccess • enumeration, Determines where you can create listeners for the event.
default = public
• public — Unrestricted access
• meta.class
object • protected — Access from methods in class or
subclasses
• cell array of
meta.class • private — Access by class methods only (not from
objects subclasses)
• List classes that have listen access to this event. Specify
classes as meta.class objects in the form:

See “Control Access to Class Members” on page

11-25
10-17

NotifyAccess • enumeration, Determines where code can trigger the event
default = public
• public — Any code can trigger event
• meta.class
object • protected — Can trigger event from methods in class
or derived classes
• cell array of
meta.class • private — Can trigger event by class methods only
objects (not from derived classes)
• List classes that have notify access to this event. Specify
classes as meta.class objects in the form:

See “Control Access to Class Members” on page

11-25
10-18
Events and Listeners — Syntax and Techniques

In this section...
“Name Events” on page 10-19
“Trigger Events” on page 10-19
“Listen to Events” on page 10-20
“Define Event-Specific Data” on page 10-22
Name Events
Define an event by declaring an event name inside an events block. For example, the
following class creates an event called ToggledState.
classdef ToggleButton < handle

properties
State = false
end
events
ToggledState
end
end
Trigger Events
The OnStateChange method calls notify to trigger the event. Pass the handle of the
object that caused the event and the name of the event.
classdef ToggleButton < handle

properties
State = false
end
events
ToggledState
end
methods
function OnStateChange(obj,newState)
if newState ~= obj.State
obj.State = newState;
notify(obj,'ToggledState');
10-19
end
end
end
end
Listen to Events
Once the call to notify triggers an event, MATLAB broadcasts a message to all listeners
that are listening for that event on a specific object. To create a listener for an event, use
the addlistener handle class method.
For example, the RespondToToggle class defines objects that listen for the
ToggleState event defined in the class ToggleButton.
classdef RespondToToggle < handle

methods
function obj = RespondToToggle(toggle_button_obj)
addlistener(toggle_button_obj,'ToggledState',@RespondToToggle.handleEvnt);
end
end
methods (Static)
function handleEvnt(src,~)
if src.State
disp('ToggledState is true')
else
disp('ToggledState is false')
end
end
end
end
The class RespondToToggle adds the listener from within its constructor. The class
defines the callback (handleEvnt) as a static method that accepts the two standard
arguments:
• src — the handle of the object triggering the event (i.e., a ToggleButton object)
• evtdata — an event.EventData object
The listener executes the callback when the specific ToggleButton object executes the
notify method.
For example, create instances of both classes:
10-20
tb = ToggleButton;
rtt = RespondToToggle(tb);
Whenever you call the ToggleButton object's OnStateChange method, notify triggers
the event:
tb.OnStateChange(true)
ToggledState is true
tb.OnStateChange(false)
ToggledState is false
Remove Listeners
You can remove a listener object by calling delete on its handle. For example, if the
class RespondToToggle saved the listener handle as a property, you could delete the
listener:
classdef RespondToToggle < handle
properties
ListenerHandle
end
methods
function obj = RespondToToggle(toggle_button_obj)
hl = addlistener(toggle_button_obj,'ToggledState',@RespondToToggle.handleEvnt);
obj.ListenerHandle = hl;
end
end
methods (Static)
function handleEvnt(src,~)
if src.State
disp('ToggledState is true')
else
disp('ToggledState is false')
end
end
end
end
With this code change, you can remove the listener from an instance of the
RespondToToggle class. For example:
tb = ToggleButton;
rtt = RespondToToggle(tb);
At this point, the object rtt is listening for the ToggleState event triggered by object
tb. To remove the listener, call delete on the property containing the listener handle:
10-21
delete(rtt.ListenerHandle)
You do not need to explicitly delete a listener. MATLAB automatically deletes the
listener when the object's lifecycle ends (e.g., when the rtt object is deleted).
Define Event-Specific Data

Suppose that you want to pass the state of the toggle button as a result of the event to
the listener callback. You can add more data to the default event data by subclassing the
event.EventData class and adding a property to contain this information. You then can
pass this object to the notify method.
Note: To save and load objects that are subclasses of event.EventData, such as
ToggleEventData, enable the ConstructOnLoad class attribute for the subclass.
classdef (ConstructOnLoad) ToggleEventData < event.EventData

properties
NewState
end
methods
function data = ToggleEventData(newState)
data.NewState = newState;
end
end
end
The call to notify uses the ToggleEventData constructor to create the necessary
argument.
notify(obj,'ToggledState',ToggleEventData(newState));
Related Examples
• “Update Graphs Using Events and Listeners” on page 10-36
10-22
Listener Lifecycle
Listener Lifecycle
In this section...
“Control Listener Lifecycle” on page 10-23
“Temporarily Deactivating Listeners” on page 10-24
“Permanently Deleting Listeners” on page 10-25
Control Listener Lifecycle

There are two ways to create listeners:
• The addlistener method binds the listener to the lifecycle of the object(s) that
generate the event. The listener object persists until MATLAB destroys the event
object.
• The event.listener class constructor creates listeners that are not tied to the
lifecycle of the object(s) generating the event. The listener is active as long as the
listener object remains in scope and is not deleted.
Attach Listener to Event Source — Using addlistener
The following code defines a listener for the ToggleState event:
lh = addlistener(obj,'ToggleState',@RespondToToggle.handleEvnt);
The arguments are:
• obj — The object that is the source of the event

• ToggleState — The event name passed as a string
• @RespondToToggle.handleEvnt — A function handle to the callback function
(static method)
The listener callback function must accept at least two arguments, which are
automatically passed by the MATLAB runtime to the callback. The arguments are:
• The source of the event (that is, obj in the call to addlistener)
• An event.EventData object, or a subclass of event.EventData , such as the
ToggleEventData object described earlier “Define Event-Specific Data” on page
10-22.
10-23
The callback function must be defined to accept these two arguments:

function callbackFunction(src,evnt)
...
end
In cases where the event data (evnt) object is user defined, it must be constructed and
passed as an argument to the notify method. For example, the following statement
constructs a ToggleEventData object and passes it to notify as the third argument:
notify(obj,'ToggledState',ToggleEventData(newState));
“Specify Listener Callbacks” on page 10-26 provides more information on callback

syntax.
Limiting Listener Scope — Constructing event.listener Objects Directly
You can also create listeners by calling the event.listener class constructor directly.
When you call the constructor instead of using addlistener to create a listener,
the listener exists only while the listener object you create is in scope (e.g., within
the workspace of an executing function). It is not tied to the event-generating object's
existence.
The event.listener constructor requires the same arguments as used by

addlistener — the event-naming object, the event name, and a function handle to the
callback:
lh = event.listener(obj,'EventName',@callbackFunction)
For example, using the ToggleState event discussed previously:

lh = event.listener(obj,'ToggleState',@RespondToToggle.handleEvnt)
If you want the listener to persist beyond the normal variable scope, you should use
addlistener to create it.
Temporarily Deactivating Listeners

The addlistener method returns the listener object so that you can set its properties.
For example, you can temporarily disable a listener by setting its Enabled property to
false:
lh.Enabled = false;
10-24
Listener Lifecycle
To re-enable the listener, set Enabled to true.
Permanently Deleting Listeners

Calling delete on a listener object destroys it and permanently removes the listener:
delete(lh)
Related Examples
• “Enabling and Disabling the Listeners” on page 10-49
10-25
Function Handle for Listener Callbacks

In this section...
“Specify Listener Callbacks” on page 10-26
“Callback Execution” on page 10-28
Specify Listener Callbacks

Callbacks are functions that execute when the listener receives notification of an
event. Pass a function_handle that references the function to addlistener or the
event.listener constructor when creating the listener.
All callback functions must accept at least two arguments:
• The handle of the object that is the source of the event

• An event.EventData object or an object that is derived from the event.EventData
class.
Function Handle Syntax
For a function:
@functionName
For an ordinary method called with an object of the class:

@obj.methodName
For a static method:

@ClassName.methodName
Defining a listener using an ordinary function as the callback uses this syntax:
lh = addlistener(eventSourceObj,'EventName',@functionName)
Callback Function Syntax
Define the callback function to accept the required arguments:

function callbackFunction(src,evnt)
...
10-26
Function Handle for Listener Callbacks
end
If you do not use the event source and event data arguments, you can define the function
to ignore these inputs:
function callbackFunction(~,~)
...
end
Adding Arguments to a Callback Function
Ordinary class methods (i.e., not static methods) require a class object as an argument.
Therefore, you need to add another argument to the callback function definition.
If your listener callback is a method of the class of an object, obj, then your call to
addlistener would use this syntax:
lh = addlistener(eventSourceObj,'EventName',@obj.callbackMethod)
Another option is to use an anonymous function.
Create a method to use as your callback function and reference this method as a function
handle in a call to addlistener or the event.listener constructor:
lh = addlistener(eventSourceObj,'EventName',@(src,evnt)callbackFunction(obj,src,evnt))
Then define the method in a method block as usual:

methods
function callbackFunction(obj,src,evnt)
...
end
end
You can specify additional arguments by extending the input argument list:
lh = addlistener(eventSourceObj,'EventName',@(src,event)methodName(obj,src,event,arg1,.
Define the method or function with a matching signature:

methods
function callbackFunction(obj,src,evnt,arg1,...argn)
...
end
end
For general information on anonymous functions, see “Anonymous Functions”.
10-27
Callback Execution
Listeners execute their callback function when notified that the event has occurred.
Listeners are passive observers in the sense that errors in the execution of a listener
callback does not prevent the execution of other listeners responding to the same event,
or execution of the function that triggered the event.
Callback function execution continues until the function completes. If an error occurs in
a callback function, execution stops and control returns to the calling function. Then any
remaining listener callback functions execute.
Listener Order of Execution
The order in which listeners callback functions execute after the firing of an event is
undefined. However, all listener callbacks execute synchronously with the event firing.
The handle class notify method calls all listeners before returning execution to the
function that called notify.
Callbacks That Call notify
Do not modify and reuse or copy and reuse the event data object that you pass to notify,
which is then passed to the listener callback.
Listener callbacks can call notify to trigger events, including the same event that
invoked the callback. When a function calls notify, MATLAB sets the property values
of the event data object that is passed to callback functions. To ensure these properties
have appropriate values for subsequently called callbacks, you should always create a
new event data object if you call notify with custom event data.
Managing Callback Errors
If you want to control how your program responds to errors, use a try/catch statement
in your listener callback function to handle errors.
Related Examples
• “Class Methods for Graphics Callbacks”
10-28
Listen for Changes to Property Values

In this section...
“Creating Property Listeners” on page 10-29
“Property Event and Listener Classes” on page 10-31
“Aborting Set When Value Does Not Change” on page 10-32
Creating Property Listeners

You can listen to the predeclared property events (named: PreSet, PostSet, PreGet,
and PostGet) by creating a listener for those named events:
• Specify the SetObservable and/or GetObservable property attributes to add

listeners for set or get events.
• Define a callback function
• Create a property listener by including the name of the property as well as the event
in the call to addlistener (see “Add a Listener to the Property” on page 10-30.)
• Optionally subclass event.data to create a specialized event data object to pass to
the callback function.
• Prevent execution of the callback if the new value is the same as the current value
(see “Aborting Set When Value Does Not Change” on page 10-32).
Set Property Attributes to Enable Property Events
In the properties block, enable the SetObservable attribute:

% Can define PreSet and PostSet property listeners
% for properties defined in this block
PropOne
PropTwo
...
end
Define a Callback Function for the Property Event
The listener executes the callback function when MATLAB triggers the property event.
You must define the callback function to have two specific arguments, which are passed
to the function automatically when called by the listener:
10-29
• Event source — a meta.property object describing the object that is the source of
the property event
• Event data — a event.PropertyEvent object containing information about the
event
You can pass additional arguments if necessary. It is often simple to define this method
as Static because these two arguments contain most necessary information in their
properties.
For example, suppose the handlePropEvents function is a static method of the class
creating listeners for two properties of an object of another class:
methods (Static)
function handlePropEvents(src,evnt)
switch src.Name
case 'PropOne'
% PropOne has triggered an event
...
case 'PropTwo'
% PropTwo has triggered an event
...
end
end
end
Another possibility is to use the event.PropertyEvent object's EventName property in

the switch statement to key off the event name (PreSet or PostSet in this case).
“Class Metadata” on page 15-2 provides more information about the

meta.property class.
Add a Listener to the Property
The addlistener handle class method enables you to attach a listener to a property
without storing the listener object as a persistent variable. For a property events, use the
four-argument version of addlistener.
If the call
addlistener(EventObject,'PropOne','PostSet',@ClassName.handlePropertyEvents);
The arguments are:
• EventObject — handle of the object generating the event

• PropOne — name of the property to which you want to listen
10-30
• PostSet — name of the event for which you want to listen

• @ClassName.handlePropertyEvents — function handle referencing a static
method, which requires the use of the class name
If your listener callback is an ordinary method and not a static method, the syntax is:
addlistener(EventObject,'PropOne','PostSet',@obj.handlePropertyEvents);
where obj is the handle of the object defining the callback method.
If the listener callback is a function that is not a class method, you pass a function handle
to that function. Suppose the callback function is a package function:
addlistener(EventObject,'PropOne','PostSet',@package.handlePropertyEvents);
See function_handle for more information on passing functions as arguments.
Property Event and Listener Classes

The following two classes show how to create PostSet property listeners for two
properties — PropOne and PropTwo.
Class Generating the Event
The PropEvent class enables property PreSet and PostSet event triggering by
specifying the SetObservable property attribute. These properties also enable
the AbortSet attribute, which prevents the triggering of the property events if the
properties are set to a value that is the same as their current value (see “Aborting Set
When Value Does Not Change” on page 10-32)
classdef PropEvent < handle

properties (SetObservable, AbortSet)
PropOne
PropTwo
end
methods
function obj = PropEvent(p1,p2)
if nargin > 0
obj.PropOne = p1;
obj.PropTwo = p2;
end
end
end
10-31
end
Class Defining the Listeners
The PropListener class defines two listeners:
• Property PropOne PostSet event

• Property PropTwo PostSet event
You could define listeners for other events or other properties using a similar approach
and it is not necessary to use the same callback function for each listener. See the
meta.property and event.PropertyEvent reference pages for more on the
information contained in the arguments passed to the listener callback function.
classdef PropListener < handle
% Define property listeners
methods
function obj = PropListener(evtobj)
if nargin > 0
addlistener(evtobj,'PropOne','PostSet',@PropListener.handlePropEvents);
addlistener(evtobj,'PropTwo','PostSet',@PropListener.handlePropEvents);
end
end
end
methods (Static)
function handlePropEvents(src,evnt)
switch src.Name
case 'PropOne'
sprintf('PropOne is %s\n',num2str(evnt.AffectedObject.PropOne))
case 'PropTwo'
sprintf('PropTwo is %s\n',num2str(evnt.AffectedObject.PropTwo))
end
end
end
end
Aborting Set When Value Does Not Change

By default, MATLAB triggers the property PreSet and PostSet events, invokes the
property’s set method (if defined), and sets the property value, even when the current
value of the property is the same as the new value. You can prevent this behavior by
setting the property's AbortSet attribute to true. When AbortSet is true, MATLAB
does not:
• Set the property value

• Trigger the PreSet and PostSet events
10-32
• Call the property’s set method, if one exists
When AbortSet is true, MATLAB gets the current property value to compare it
to the value you are assigning to the property. This causes the property get method
(get.Property) to execute, if one exists. However, MATLAB does not catch errors
resulting from the execution of this method and these errors are visible to the user.
When to Use AbortSet
Consider using AbortSet only when the cost of setting a property value is much greater
than the cost of always comparing the current value of the property with the new value
being assigned.
How AbortSet Works
The following example shows how the AbortSet attribute works. The AbortTheSet
class defines a property, PropOne, that has listeners for the PreGet and PreSet events
and enables the AbortSet attribute. The behavior of the post set/get events is equivalent
so only the pre set/get events are used for simplicity:
Note: Save the AbortTheSet class in a file with the same name in a folder on your
MATLAB path.
classdef AbortTheSet < handle

properties (SetObservable, GetObservable, AbortSet)
PropOne = 7
end
methods
function obj = AbortTheSet(val)
obj.PropOne = val;
addlistener(obj,'PropOne','PreGet',@obj.getPropEvt);
addlistener(obj,'PropOne','PreSet',@obj.setPropEvt);
end
function propval = get.PropOne(obj)
disp('get.PropOne called')
propval = obj.PropOne;
end
function set.PropOne(obj,val)
disp('set.PropOne called')
obj.PropOne = val;
end
10-33
function getPropEvt(obj,src,evnt)
disp ('Pre-get event triggered')
% ...
end
function setPropEvt(obj,src,evnt)
disp ('Pre-set event triggered')
% ...
end
function disp(obj)
% Overload disp to avoid accessing property
disp (class(obj))
end
end
end
The class specifies an initial value of 7 for the PropOne property. Therefore, if you create
an object with the property value of 7, there is not need to trigger the PreSet event:
ats = AbortTheSet(7);
get.PropOne called
If you specify a value other than 7, then MATLAB triggers the PreSet event:
ats = AbortTheSet(9);
get.PropOne called
set.PropOne called
get.PropOne called
Similarly, if you set the PropOne property to the value 9, the AbortSet attribute
prevents the property assignment and the triggering of the PreSet event. Notice also,
that there is no PreGet event generated. Only the property get method is called:
ats.PropOne = 9;
get.PropOne called
If you query the property value, the PreGet event is triggered:
a = ats.PropOne
Pre-get event triggered

get.PropOne called
a =
10-34
If you set the PropOne property to a different value, MATLAB:
• Calls the property get method to determine if the value is changing

• Triggers the PreSet event
• Calls the property set method to set the new value
• Calls the property get method again to determine if the result of calling the set
method changed the value.
ats.PropOne = 11;
get.PropOne called
Pre-set event triggered
set.PropOne called
get.PropOne called
Because a property set method might modify the value that is actually assigned to a
property, MATLAB must query the property value that would result from an assignment
after a call the property’s set method. This results in multiple calls to a property get
method, if one is defined for that property.
10-35
Update Graphs Using Events and Listeners
In this section...
“Example Overview” on page 10-36
“Techniques Demonstrated in This Example” on page 10-37
“Summary of fcneval Class” on page 10-37
“Summary of fcnview Class” on page 10-38
“Methods Inherited from Handle Class” on page 10-40
“Using the fcneval and fcnview Classes” on page 10-40
“Implementing the UpdateGraph Event and Listener” on page 10-42
“The PostSet Event Listener” on page 10-46
“Enabling and Disabling the Listeners” on page 10-49
“@fcneval/fcneval.m Class Code” on page 10-50
“@fcnview/fcnview.m Class Code” on page 10-51
Example Overview
This example defines two classes:
• fcneval — The function evaluator class contains a MATLAB expression and

evaluates this expression over a specified range
• fcnview — The function viewer class contains a fcneval object and displays surface
graphs of the evaluated expression using the data contained in fcneval.
This class defines two events:
• A class-defined event that occurs when a new value is specified for the MATLAB
function
• A property event that occurs when the property containing the limits is changed
The following diagram shows the relationship between the two objects. The fcnview
object contains a fcneval object and creates graphs from the data it contains. fcnview
creates listeners to change the graphs if any of the data in the fcneval object change.
10-36
fcnview
Properties
fcneval object fcneval
graph Properties
FofXY
Lm observable
Data
Events
UpdateGraph
Listeners
Lm property
UpdateGraph
Techniques Demonstrated in This Example

• Naming an event in the class definition
• Triggering an event by calling notify
• Enabling a property event via the SetObservable attribute
• Creating listeners for class-defined events and property PostSet events
• Defining listener callback functions that accept additional arguments
• Enabling and disabling listeners
Summary of fcneval Class

The fcneval class evaluates a MATLAB expression over a specified range of two
variables. The fcneval is the source of the data that objects of the fcnview class graph
as a surfaces. fcneval is the source of the events used in this example. For a listing of
the class definition, see “@fcneval/fcneval.m Class Code” on page 10-50
10-37
Property Value Purpose

FofXY function MATLAB expression (function of two variables).
handle
Lm two-element Limits over which function is evaluated in both
vector variables. SetObservable attribute set to true to
enable property event listeners.
Data structure with Data resulting from evaluating the function. Used
x, y, and z for surface graph. Dependent attribute set to true,
matrices which means the get.Data method is called to
determine property value when queried and no data
is stored.
Event When Triggered

UpdateGraph FofXY property set function (set.FofXY) calls the notify method
when a new value is specified for the MATLAB expression on an
object of this class.
Method Purpose
fcneval Class constructor. Inputs are function handle and two-element
vector specifying the limits over which to evaluate the function.
set.FofXY FofXY property set function. Called whenever property value is set,
including during object construction.
set.Lm Lm property set function. Used to test for valid limits.
get.Data Data property get function. This method calculates the values for
the Data property whenever that data is queried (by class members
or externally).
grid A static method (Static attribute set to true) used in the
calculation of the data.
Summary of fcnview Class

Objects of the fcnview class contain fcneval objects as the source of data for the four
surface graphs created in a function view. fcnview creates the listeners and callback
functions that respond to changes in the data contained in fcneval objects. For a listing
of the class definition, see “@fcnview/fcnview.m Class Code” on page 10-51
10-38
Property Value Purpose

FcnObject fcneval object This object contains the data that is used to
create the function graphs.
HAxes axes handle Each instance of a fcnview object stores the
handle of the axes containing its subplot.
HLUpdateGraph event.listener Setting the event.listener object's
object for Enabled property to true enables the
UpdateGraph event listener; false disables listener.
HLLm event.listener Setting the event.listener object's
object for Lm property Enabled property to true enables the
event listener, false disables listener.
HEnableCm uimenu handle Item on context menu used to enable listeners
(used to handle checked behavior)
HDisableCm uimenu handle Item on context menu used to disable
listeners (used to manage checked behavior)
HSurface surface handle Used by event callbacks to update surface
data.
Method Purpose
fcnview Class constructor. Input is fcneval object.
createLisn Calls addlistener to create listeners for UpdateGraph and
Lm property PostSet listeners.
lims Sets axes limits to current value of fcneval object's Lm
property. Used by event handlers.
updateSurfaceData Updates the surface data without creating a new object. Used
by event handlers.
listenUpdateGraph Callback for UpdateGraph event.
listenLm Callback for Lm property PostSet event
delete Delete method for fcnview class.
createViews Static method that creates an instance of the fcnview class
for each subplot, defines the context menus that enable/
disable listeners, and creates the subplots
10-39
Methods Inherited from Handle Class

Both the fcneval and fcnview classes inherit methods from the handle class. The
following table lists only those inherited methods used in this example.
“Handle Class Methods” on page 6-12 provides a complete list of methods that are
inherited when you subclass the handle class.
Methods Inherited Purpose

from Handle Class
addlistener Register a listener for a specific event and attach listener to event-
defining object.
notify Trigger an event and notify all registered listeners.
Using the fcneval and fcnview Classes

This sections explains how to use the classes.
• Create an instance of the fcneval class to contain the MATLAB expression of a

function of two variables and the range over which you want to evaluate this function
• Use the fcnview class static function createViews to visualize the function
• Change the MATLAB expression or the limits contained by the fcneval object and
all the fcnview objects respond to the events generated.
You create a fcneval object by calling its constructor with two arguments—an
anonymous function and a two-element, monotonically increasing vector. For example:
feobject = fcneval(@(x,y) x.*exp(-x.^2-y.^2),[-2 2]);
Use the createViews static method to create the graphs of the function. Note that you
must use the class name to call a static function:
fcnview.createViews(feobject);
The createView method generates four views of the function contained in the fcneval
object.
10-40
Each subplot defines a context menu that can enable and disable the listeners associated
with that graph. For example, if you disable the listeners on subplot 221 (upper left) and
change the MATLAB expression contained by the fcneval object, only the remaining
three subplots update when the UpdateGraph event is triggered:
feobject.FofXY = @(x,y) x.*exp(-x.^.5-y.^.5);
10-41
Similarly, if you change the limits by assigning a value to the feobject.Lm property,
the feobject triggers a PostSet property event and the listener callbacks update the
graph.
feobject.Lm = [-8 3];
In this figure the listeners are re-enabled via the context menu for subplot 221. Because
the listener callback for the property PostSet event also updates the surface data, all
views are now synchronized
Implementing the UpdateGraph Event and Listener

The UpdateGraph event occurs when the MATLAB representation of the mathematical
function contained in the fcneval object is changed. The fcnview objects that contain
the surface graphs are listening for this event, so they can update the graphs to represent
the new function.
Defining and Firing the UpdateGraph Event
The UpdateGraph event is a class-defined event. The fcneval class names the event
and calls notify when the event occurs.
10-42
1. A property is assigned a new value. myfunceval

obj.FofXY = @(x,y)x^2+y^2 Properties
FofXY
2. Setting the property runs a set access method,
which, in turn, executes notify. Methods
set.FofXY
function set.FofXY(obj,func) Events

obj.FofXY = func; UpdateGraph
notify(obj,’UpdateGraph’);
end
3. The notify method triggers an

event, and a message is broadcast.
4. A listener awaiting the message UpdateGraph Listener

executes its callback.
Properties
EventName = ‘UpdateGraph’
FunctionHandle = @listenUpdateGraph
5. The callback function is executed. myfuncview

Methods
listenUpdateGraph
The fcnview class defines a listener for this event. When fcneval triggers the event,
the fcnview listener executes a callback function that performs the follow actions:
• Determines if the handle of the surface object stored by the fcnview object is still
valid (that is, does the object still exist)
• Updates the surface XData, YData, and ZData by querying the fcneval object's
Data property.
The fcneval class defines an event name in an event block:
10-43
events
UpdateGraph
end
Determining When to Trigger the Event
The fcneval class defines a property set method for the FofXY property. FofXY is
the property that stores the MATLAB expression for the mathematical function. This
expression must be a valid MATLAB expression for a function of two variables.
The set.FofXY method:
• Determines the suitability of the expression

• If the expression is suitable:
• Assigns the expression to the FofXY property

• Triggers the UpdateGraph event
If fcneval.isSuitable does not return an MException object, the set.FofXY

method assigns the value to the property and triggers the UpdateGraph event.
function set.FofXY(obj,func)
% Determine if function is suitable to create a surface
me = fcneval.isSuitable(func);
if ~isempty(me)
throw(me)
end
% Assign property value
obj.FofXY = func;
% Trigger UpdateGraph event
notify(obj,'UpdateGraph');
end
Determining Suitability of the Expression
The set.FofXY method calls a static method (fcneval.isSuitable) to determine the

suitability of the specified expression. fcneval.isSuitable returns an MException
object if it determines that the expression is unsuitable. fcneval.isSuitable calls the
MException constructor directly to create more useful error messages for the user.
set.FofXY issues the exception using the MException.throw method. Issuing the
exception terminates execution of set.FofXY and prevents the method from making an
assignment to the property or triggering the UpdateGraph event.
10-44
Here is the fcneval.isSuitable method:

function isOk = isSuitable(funcH)
v = [1 1;1 1];
% Can the expression except 2 numeric inputs
try
funcH(v,v);
catch %#ok<CTCH>
me = MException('DocExample:fcneval',...
['The function ',func2str(funcH),' Is not a suitable F(x,y)']);
isOk = me;
return
end
% Does the expression return non-scalar data
if isscalar(funcH(v,v));
['The function ',func2str(funcH),'' Returns a scalar when evaluated']);
isOk = me;
return
end
isOk = [];
end
The fcneval.isSuitable method could provide additional test to ensure that the
expression assigned to the FofXY property meets the criteria required by the class
design.
Other Approaches
The class could have implemented a property set event for the FofXY property and
would, therefore, not need to call notify (see “Listen for Changes to Property Values” on
page 10-29). Defining a class event provides more flexibility in this case because you can
better control event triggering.
For example, suppose you wanted to update the graph only if the new data is
significantly different. If the new expression produced the same data within some
tolerance, the set.FofXY method could not trigger the event and avoid updating the
graph. However, the method could still set the property to the new value.
Defining the Listener and Callback for the UpdateGraph Event
The fcnview class creates a listener for the UpdateGraph event using the
addlistener method:
obj.HLUpdateGraph = addlistener(obj.FcnObject,'UpdateGraph',...
@(src,evnt)listenUpdateGraph(obj,src,evnt)); % Add obj to argument list
10-45
The fcnview object stores a handle to the event.listener object in its

HLUpdateGraph property, which is used to enable/disable the listener by a context menu
(see “Enabling and Disabling the Listeners” on page 10-49).
The fcnview object (obj) is added to the two default arguments (src, evnt) passed to
the listener callback. Keep in mind, the source of the event (src) is the fcneval object,
but the fcnview object contains the handle of the surface object that is updated by the
callback.
The listenUpdateGraph function is defined as follows:
function listenUpdateGraph(obj,src,evnt)
if ishandle(obj.HSurface) % If surface exists
obj.updateSurfaceData % Update surface data
end
end
The updateSurfaceData function is a class method that updates the surface data when
a different mathematical function is assigned to the fcneval object. Updating a graphics
object data is generally more efficient than creating a new object using the new data:
function updateSurfaceData(obj)
% Get data from fcneval object and set surface data
set(obj.HSurface,...
'XData',obj.FcnObject.Data.X,...
'YData',obj.FcnObject.Data.Y,...
'ZData',obj.FcnObject.Data.Matrix);
end
The PostSet Event Listener

All properties support the predefined PostSet event (See “Property-Set and Query
Events” on page 10-14 for more information on property events). This example uses
the PostSet event for the fcneval Lm property. This property contains a two-element
vector specifying the range over which the mathematical function is evaluated. Just after
this property is changed (by a statement like obj.Lm = [-3 5];), the fcnview objects
listening for this event update the graph to reflect the new data.
10-46
1. New limits are assigned. myfunceval

obj.Lm = [-3 5]; Properties (SetObservable)
Lm
2. The SetObservable attribute of Properties
is set to True, so setting the property
automatically triggers a PostSet event.
Note that methods and events did not have
to be declared in myfunceval.
3. A message is broadcast. PostSet
4. A listener awaiting the message Listener

executes its callback.
Properties
EventName = ‘PostSet’
FunctionHandle = @listenLm
5. The callback function is executed. myfuncview

Methods
listenLm
Sequence During the Lm Property Assignment
The fcneval class defines a set function for the Lm property. When a value is assigned to
this property during object construction or property reassignment, the following sequence
occurs:
1 An attempt is made to assign argument value to Lm property.

2 The set.Lm method executes to check whether the value is in appropriate range —
if yes, it makes assignment, if no, it generates an error.
3 If the value of Lm is set successfully, the MATLAB runtime triggers a PostSet
event.
4 All listeners execute their callbacks, but the order is nondeterministic.
10-47
The PostSet event does not occur until an actual assignment of the property occurs. The
property set function provides an opportunity to deal with potential assignment errors
before the PostSet event occurs.
Enabling the PostSet Property Event
To create a listener for the PostSet event, you must set the property's SetObservable
attribute to true:
Lm = [-2*pi 2*pi]; % specifies default value
end
The MATLAB runtime automatically triggers the event so it is not necessary to call
notify.
“Specify Property Attributes” on page 7-5 provides a list of all property attributes.
Defining the Listener and Callback for the PostSet Event
The fcnview class creates a listener for the PostSet event using the addlistener
method:
obj.HLLm = addlistener(obj.FcnObject,'Lm','PostSet',...
@(src,evnt)listenLm(obj,src,evnt)); % Add obj to argument list
The fcnview object stores a handle to the event.listener object in its HLLm property,
which is used to enable/disable the listener by a context menu (see “Enabling and
Disabling the Listeners” on page 10-49).
The fcnview object (obj) is added to the two default arguments (src, evnt) passed to
the listener callback. Keep in mind, the source of the event (src) is the fcneval object,
but the fcnview object contains the handle of the surface object that is updated by the
callback.
The callback sets the axes limits and updates the surface data because changing the
limits causes the mathematical function to be evaluated over a different range:
function listenLm(obj,src,evnt)
if ishandle(obj.HAxes) % If there is an axes
lims(obj); % Update its limits
if ishandle(obj.HSurface) % If there is a surface
obj.updateSurfaceData % Update its data
end
end
10-48
end
Enabling and Disabling the Listeners

Each fcnview object stores the handle of the listener objects it creates so that the
listeners can be enabled or disabled via a context menu after the graphs are created. All
listeners are instances of the event.listener class, which defines a property called
Enabled. By default, this property has a value of true, which enables the listener. If you
set this property to false, the listener still exists, but is disabled. This example creates
a context menu active on the axes of each graph that provides a way to change the value
of the Enabled property.
Context Menu Callback
There are two callbacks used by the context menu corresponding to the two items on the
menu:
• Listen — Sets the Enabled property for both the UpdateGraph and PostSet
listeners to true and adds a check mark next to the Listen menu item.
• Don't Listen — Sets the Enabled property for both the UpdateGraph and PostSet
listeners to false and adds a check mark next to the Don't Listen menu item.
Both callbacks include the fcnview object as an argument (in addition to the required
source and event data arguments) to provide access to the handle of the listener objects.
The enableLisn function is called when the user selects Listen from the context menu.
function enableLisn(obj,src,evnt)
obj.HLUpdateGraph.Enabled = true; % Enable listener
obj.HLLm.Enabled = true; % Enable listener
set(obj.HEnableCm,'Checked','on') % Check Listen
set(obj.HDisableCm,'Checked','off') % Uncheck Don't Listen
end
The disableLisn function is called when the user selects Don't Listen from the
context menu.
function disableLisn(obj,src,evnt)
obj.HLUpdateGraph.Enabled = false; % Disable listener
obj.HLLm.Enabled = false; % Disable listener
set(obj.HEnableCm,'Checked','off') % Unheck Listen
set(obj.HDisableCm,'Checked','on') % Check Don't Listen
end
10-49
@fcneval/fcneval.m Class Code

classdef fcneval < handle
properties
FofXY
end

Lm = [-2*pi 2*pi];
end % properties SetObservable = true

Data
end
events
UpdateGraph
end
methods
function obj = fcneval(fcn_handle,limits) % Constructor returns object
if nargin > 0
obj.FofXY = fcn_handle; % Assign property values
obj.Lm = limits;
end
end
function set.FofXY(obj,func)
me = fcneval.isSuitable(func);
if ~isempty(me)
throw(me)
end
obj.FofXY = func;
notify(obj,'UpdateGraph');
end
function set.Lm(obj,lim)
if ~(lim(1) < lim(2))
error('Limits must be monotonically increasing')
else
obj.Lm = lim;
end
end
10-50
function data = get.Data(obj)

[x,y] = fcneval.grid(obj.Lm);
matrix = obj.FofXY(x,y);
data.X = x;
data.Y = y;
data.Matrix = real(matrix);
end
end % methods

function [x,y] = grid(lim)
inc = (lim(2)-lim(1))/20;
[x,y] = meshgrid(lim(1):inc:lim(2));
end % grid
function isOk = isSuitable(funcH)

v = [1 1;1 1];
try
funcH(v,v);
catch %#ok<CTCH>
['The function ',func2str(funcH),' Is not a suitable F(x,y)']);
isOk = me;
return
end
if isscalar(funcH(v,v));
['The function ',func2str(funcH),' Returns a scalar when evaluated']);
isOk = me;
return
end
isOk = [];
end
end
end
@fcnview/fcnview.m Class Code

classdef fcnview < handle
10-51
properties
FcnObject % fcneval object
HAxes % subplot axes handle
HLUpdateGraph % UpdateGraph listener handle
HLLm % Lm property PostSet listener handle
HEnableCm % "Listen" context menu handle
HDisableCm % "Don't Listen" context menu handle
HSurface % Surface object handle
end
methods
function obj = fcnview(fcnobj)
if nargin > 0
obj.FcnObject = fcnobj;
obj.createLisn;
end
end
function createLisn(obj)
obj.HLUpdateGraph = addlistener(obj.FcnObject,'UpdateGraph',...
@(src,evnt)listenUpdateGraph(obj,src,evnt));
obj.HLLm = addlistener(obj.FcnObject,'Lm','PostSet',...
@(src,evnt)listenLm(obj,src,evnt));
end
function lims(obj)
lmts = obj.FcnObject.Lm;
set(obj.HAxes,'XLim',lmts);
set(obj.HAxes,'Ylim',lmts);
end
function updateSurfaceData(obj)
data = obj.FcnObject.Data;
set(obj.HSurface,...
'XData',data.X,...
'YData',data.Y,...
'ZData',data.Matrix);
end
function listenUpdateGraph(obj,~,~)
if ishandle(obj.HSurface)
obj.updateSurfaceData
end
end
10-52
function listenLm(obj,~,~)
if ishandle(obj.HAxes)
lims(obj);
if ishandle(obj.HSurface)
obj.updateSurfaceData
end
end
end
if ishandle(obj.HAxes)
delete(obj.HAxes);
else
return
end
end
end
methods (Static)
createViews(a)
end
end
@fcnview/createViews
function createViews(fcnevalobj)
p = pi; deg = 180/p;
hfig = figure('Visible','off',...
'Toolbar','none');
for k=4:-1:1
fcnviewobj(k) = fcnview(fcnevalobj);
axh = subplot(2,2,k);
fcnviewobj(k).HAxes = axh;
hcm(k) = uicontextmenu;
set(axh,'Parent',hfig,...
'FontSize',8,...
'UIContextMenu',hcm(k))
fcnviewobj(k).HEnableCm = uimenu(hcm(k),...
'Label','Listen',...
'Checked','on',...
'Callback',@(src,evnt)enableLisn(fcnviewobj(k),src,evnt));
fcnviewobj(k).HDisableCm = uimenu(hcm(k),...
'Label','Don''t Listen',...
10-53
'Checked','off',...
'Callback',@(src,evnt)disableLisn(fcnviewobj(k),src,evnt));
az = p/k*deg;
view(axh,az,30)
title(axh,['View: ',num2str(az),' 30'])
fcnviewobj(k).lims;
surfLight(fcnviewobj(k),axh)
end
set(hfig,'Visible','on')
end
function surfLight(obj,axh)
obj.HSurface = surface(obj.FcnObject.Data.X,...
obj.FcnObject.Data.Y,...
obj.FcnObject.Data.Matrix,...
'FaceColor',[.8 .8 0],'EdgeColor',[.3 .3 .2],...
'FaceLighting','phong',...
'FaceAlpha',.3,...
'HitTest','off',...
'Parent',axh);
lims(obj)
camlight left; material shiny; grid off
colormap copper
end
function enableLisn(obj,~,~)
obj.HLUpdateGraph.Enabled = true;
obj.HLLm.Enabled = true;
set(obj.HEnableCm,'Checked','on')
set(obj.HDisableCm,'Checked','off')
end
function disableLisn(obj,~,~)
obj.HLUpdateGraph.Enabled = false;
obj.HLLm.Enabled = false;
set(obj.HEnableCm,'Checked','off')
set(obj.HDisableCm,'Checked','on')
end
10-54
11
Building on Other Classes
• “Hierarchies of Classes — Concepts” on page 11-2

• “Creating Subclasses — Syntax and Techniques” on page 11-7
• “Sequence of Constructor Calls in Class Hierarchy” on page 11-13
• “Modify Superclass Methods” on page 11-15
• “Modify Superclass Properties” on page 11-18
• “Subclassing Multiple Classes” on page 11-20
• “Specify Allowed Subclasses” on page 11-22
• “Control Access to Class Members” on page 11-25
• “Property Access List” on page 11-33
• “Method Access List” on page 11-34
• “Event Access List” on page 11-35
• “Supporting Both Handle and Value Subclasses” on page 11-36
• “Subclassing MATLAB Built-In Types” on page 11-44
• “Behavior of Inherited Built-In Methods” on page 11-48
• “Built-In Subclass Without Properties” on page 11-53
• “Built-In Subclass With Properties” on page 11-61
• “Understanding size and numel” on page 11-67
• “Class to Represent Hardware” on page 11-73
• “Determine Array Class” on page 11-76
• “Abstract Classes” on page 11-80
• “Interfaces” on page 11-84
11 Building on Other Classes
Hierarchies of Classes — Concepts
In this section...
“Classification ” on page 11-2
“Developing the Abstraction” on page 11-3
“Designing Class Hierarchies” on page 11-4
“Super and Subclass Behavior” on page 11-4
“Implementation and Interface Inheritance” on page 11-5
Classification
Organizing classes into hierarchies facilitates the reuse of code and the reuse of solutions
to design problems that have already been solved. You can think of class hierarchies as
sets — supersets (referred to as superclasses or base classes), and subsets (referred to as
subclasses or derived classes). For example, the following picture shows how you could
represent an employee database with classes.
11-2
Sales People and Engineers are Base class

subsets of Employees
Employees
Properties
Name
Employees
Address
Department
Engineers
Sales
People Derived classes
Test
Engineers SalesPerson Engineer
(is an Employees) (is an Employees)
Properties Properties
Commission Products
Region Team
TestEngineer
(is an Engineer)
Properties
TestStage
At the root of the hierarchy is the Employees class. It contains data and operations that
apply to the set of all employees. Contained in the set of employees are subsets whose
members, while still employees, are also members of sets that more specifically define
the type of employee. Subclasses like TestEngineer are examples of these subsets.
Developing the Abstraction

Classes are representations of real world concepts or things. When designing a class,
form an abstraction of what the class represents. Consider an abstraction of an employee
and what are the essential aspects of employees for the intended use of the class. Name,
address, and department can be what all employees have in common.
11-3
When designing classes, your abstraction should contain only those elements that are
necessary. For example, the employee hair color and shoe size certainly characterize the
employee, but are probably not relevant to the design of this employee class. Their sales
region is relevant only to some employee so this characteristic belongs in a subclass.
Designing Class Hierarchies

As you design a system of classes, put common data and functionality in a superclass,
which you then use to derive subclasses. The subclasses inherit the data and
functionality of the superclass and define only aspects that are unique to their particular
purposes. This approach provides advantages:
• Avoid duplicating code that is common to all classes.

• Add or change subclasses at any time without modifying the superclass or affecting
other subclasses.
• If the superclass changes (for example, all employees are assigned a number), then
subclass automatically get these changes.
Super and Subclass Behavior

Subclass objects behave like objects of the superclass because they are specializations
of the superclass. This fact facilitates the development of related classes that behave
similarly, but are implemented differently.
A Subclass Object “Is A” Superclass Object
You can usually describe the relationship between an object of a subclass and an object of
its superclass with a statement like:
The subclass is a superclass . For example: An Engineer is an Employee.
This relationship implies that objects belonging to a subclass have the same properties,
methods, and events as the superclass, as well as any new features defined by the
subclass. Test this relationship with the isa function.
Treat Subclass Objects Like Superclass Objects
You can pass a subclass object to a superclass method, but you can access only those
properties that the superclass defines. This behavior enables you to modify the
subclasses without affecting the superclass.
11-4
Two points about super and subclass behavior to keep in mind are:
• Methods defined in the superclass can operate on subclass objects.

• Methods defined in the subclass cannot operate on superclass objects.
Therefore, you can treat an Engineer object like any other Employees object, but an
Employee object cannot pass for an Engineer object.
Limitations to Object Substitution
MATLAB determines the class of an object based on its most specific class. Therefore, an
Engineer object is of class Engineer, while it is also an Employees object, as using
the isa function reveals.
Generally, MATLAB does not allow you to create arrays containing a mix of superclass
and subclass objects because an array can be of only one class. If you attempt to
concatenate objects of different classes, MATLAB looks for a converter method defined
by the less dominant class (usually, the left-most object in the expression is the dominant
class).
See “Concatenating Objects of Different Classes” on page 9-15 for more information.
See matlab.mixin.Heterogeneous for information on defining heterogeneous class

hierarchies.
See “Object Converters” on page 16-8 for information on defining converter methods.
Implementation and Interface Inheritance

MATLAB classes support both the inheritance of implemented methods from a
superclass and the inheritance of interfaces defined by abstract methods in the
superclass.
Implementation inheritance enables code reuse by subclasses. For example, an

employee class can have a submitStatus method that all employee subclasses can
use. Subclasses can extend an inherited method to provide specialized functionality,
while reusing the common aspects. See “Modify Superclass Methods” on page 11-15
for more information on this process.
Interface inheritance is useful in cases where you want a group of classes to provide a
common interface, but these classes create specialized implementations of methods and
properties that define the interface.
11-5
Create an interface using an abstract class as the superclass. This class defines the
methods and properties that you must implement in the subclasses, but does not provide
an implementation.
The subclasses must provide their own implementation of the abstract members of the
superclass. To create an interface, define methods and properties as abstract using their
Abstract attribute.
See “Abstract Classes” on page 11-80 for more information and an example.
11-6
Creating Subclasses — Syntax and Techniques

In this section...
“Defining a Subclass” on page 11-7
“Initializing Superclasses from Subclasses” on page 11-7
“Calling Superclass Constructor Explicitly” on page 11-9
“Constructor Arguments and Object Initialization” on page 11-9
“Call Only Direct Superclass from Constructor” on page 11-10
“Subclass Alias for Existing Class” on page 11-11
Defining a Subclass
To define a class that is a subclass of another class, add the superclass to the classdef
line after a < character:
classdef ClassName < SuperClass
When inheriting from multiple classes, use the & character to indicate the combination of
the superclasses:
classdef ClassName < SuperClass1 & SuperClass2
See “Class Member Compatibility” on page 11-20 for more information on deriving
from multiple superclasses.
Class Attributes
Subclasses do not inherit superclass attributes.
Initializing Superclasses from Subclasses

Use the following syntax to initialize the object for each superclass within the subclass
constructor.
obj@SuperClass1(args,...);
...
obj@SuperclassN(args,...);
11-7
Where obj is the output of the constructor, SuperClass... is the name of a superclass,
and args are any arguments required by the respective superclass constructor.
For example, the following segment of a class definition shows a class called stock that
is a subclass of a class called asset.
classdef stock < asset
methods
function s = stock(asset_args,...)
if nargin == 0
... % Assign values to asset_args
end
% Call asset constructor
s@asset(asset_args);
...
end
end
end
“Constructing Subclasses” on page 8-18 provides more information on creating subclass

constructor methods.
Referencing Superclasses Contained in Packages
If a superclass is contained in a package, include the package name. For example:

classdef stock < financial.asset
methods
function s = stock(asset_args,...)
if nargin == 0
...
end
% Call asset constructor
s@financial.asset(asset_args);
...
end
end
end
Initializing Objects When Using Multiple Superclasses
To derive a class from multiple superclasses, initialize the subclass object with calls to
each superclass constructor:
classdef stock < financial.asset & trust.member
11-8
methods
function s = stock(asset_args,member_args,...)
if nargin == 0
...
end
% Call asset and member class constructors
s@financial.asset(asset_args)
s@trust.member(member_args)
...
end
end
end
Calling Superclass Constructor Explicitly

Explicitly calling each superclass constructor enables you to:
• Pass arguments to superclass constructors

• Control the order in which the superclass constructors are called
If you do not explicitly call the superclass constructors from the subclass constructor,
MATLAB implicitly calls these constructors with no arguments. In this case, the
superclass constructors must support no argument syntax.
In the case of multiple superclasses, MATLAB does not guarantee any specific calling
sequence. If the order in which MATLAB calls the superclass constructors is important,
you must explicitly call the superclass constructors from the subclass constructor.
Constructor Arguments and Object Initialization

You cannot conditionalize the object initialization calls to the superclass. Locate calls to
superclass constructors outside any conditional code blocks.
Ensure that your class constructor supports the zero arguments syntax. Satisfy the need
for a zero-argument syntax by assigning appropriate values to input argument variables
before constructing the object:
For example, the stock class constructor supports the no argument case with the if
statement, but initializes the object for the superclass outside of the if code block.
classdef stock < financial.asset
properties
11-9
SharePrice
end
methods
function s = stock(name,pps)
% Support no input argument case
if nargin == 0
name = '';
pps = 0;
end
% Call superclass constructor
s@financial.asset(name)
% Assign property value
s.SharePrice = pps;
end
end
end
Call Only Direct Superclass from Constructor

You cannot call an indirect superclass constructor from a subclass constructor. For
example, suppose class B derives from class A and class C derives from class B. The
constructor for class C cannot call the constructor for class A to initialize properties. Class
B must make the call to initialize class A properties.
The following implementations of classes A, B, and C show how to design this relationship
in each class.
Class A defines properties x and y, but assigns a value only to x:

classdef A
properties
x
y
end
methods
function obj = A(x)
...
obj.x = x;
end
end
end
Class B inherits properties x and y from class A. The class B constructor calls the class A
constructor to initialize x and then assigns a value to y.
11-10
classdef B < A
methods
function obj = B(x,y)
...
obj@A(x);
obj.y = y;
end
end
end
Class C accepts values for the properties x and y, and passes these values to the class B
constructor, which in turn calls the class A constructor:
classdef C < B
methods
function obj = C(x,y)
...
obj@B(x,y);
end
end
end
Subclass Alias for Existing Class

You can refer to a class using a different name by creating an alias for that class. This
technique is like the C++ typedef concept. To create an alias, create an empty subclass:
classdef NewClassName < OldClassName
end
The old class constructor must be callable with zero input arguments.
This technique is useful when reloading objects that you saved using the old class name.
However, the class of the object reflects the new name. That is, this code returns the new
class name.
class(obj)
Old Class Constructor Requires Arguments
If the old class constructor requires arguments, add a constructor to the new class:
classdef NewClass < OldClass
methods
11-11
function obj = NewClass(x,y)

obj@OldClass(x,y);
end
end
end
Related Examples
• “No Input Argument Constructor Requirement”
11-12
Sequence of Constructor Calls in Class Hierarchy
Sequence of Constructor Calls in Class Hierarchy

MATLAB does not guarantee the sequence in which superclass constructors are called
when constructing a subclass object. However, you can control the order in which class
constructors are called by calling superclass constructors explicitly from the subclass
constructor.
If you explicitly call a superclass constructor from the most specific subclass constructor,
then MATLAB calls the most specific subclass constructor first. If you do not make an
explicit call to a superclass constructor from the subclass constructor, MATLAB makes
the implicit call before accessing the object.
Suppose you have a hierarchy of classes in which ClassC derives from ClassB, which
derives from ClassA. The constructor for a subclass can call only direct superclasses.
Therefore, each class constructor can call the direct superclass constructor:
In cases of multiple inheritance, the subclass constructor can call each superclass
constructor. To ensure a specific superclass constructor calling sequence is followed, your
most specific subclass constructor must explicitly call ALL superclass constructors:
11-13
If you do not explicitly call all direct superclass constructors, MATLAB does not
guarantee the order in which the superclass constructors are called.
Related Examples
• “Class Constructor Methods”
11-14
Modify Superclass Methods

In this section...
“When to Modify Superclass Methods” on page 11-15
“Extend Superclass Methods” on page 11-15
“Completing Superclass Methods” on page 11-16
“Redefining Superclass Methods” on page 11-17
When to Modify Superclass Methods

An important concept in class design is that a subclass object is also an object of its
superclass. Therefore, you can pass a subclass object to a superclass method and have
the method execute properly. At the same time, you can apply special processing to the
unique aspects of the subclass. Some useful techniques include:
• Calling a superclass method from within a subclass method

• Redefining in the subclass protected methods called from within a public superclass
method
• Defining the same named methods in both super and subclass, but using different
implementations
Extend Superclass Methods

Subclass methods can call superclass methods of the same name. This fact enables you
to extend a superclass method in a subclass without completely redefining the superclass
method. For example, suppose that both superclass and subclass defines a method called
foo. The method names are the same so the subclass method can call the superclass
method. However, the subclass method can also perform other steps before and after the
call to the superclass method. It can operate on the specialized parts to the subclass that
are not part of the superclass.
For example, this subclass defines a foo method, which calls the superclass foo method
classdef sub < super
methods
function foo(obj)
% preprocessing steps
foo@super(obj);
11-15
% postprocessing steps
end
end
end
Completing Superclass Methods

A superclass method can define a process that executes in a series of steps using a
protected method for each step (Access attribute set to protected). Subclasses can
then create their own versions of the protected methods that implement the individual
steps in the process.
Implement this technique as shown here:
classdef super
methods
function foo(obj)
step1(obj)
step2(obj)
step3(obj)
end
end
methods (Access = protected)
function step1(obj)
% superclass version
end
...
end
end
The subclass does not reimplement the foo method, it reimplements only the methods
that carry out the series of steps (step1(obj), step2(obj), step3(obj)). That is, the
subclass can specialize the actions taken by each step, but does not control the order of
the steps in the process. When you pass a subclass object to the superclass foo method,
MATLAB calls the subclass step methods because of the dispatching rules.
classdef sub < super

...
function step1(obj)
% subclass version
end
...
11-16
end
end
Redefining Superclass Methods

You can completely redefine a superclass method. In this case, both the superclass and
the subclass would define the same named method.
Related Examples
• “Invoking Superclass Methods in Subclass Methods”
11-17
Modify Superclass Properties

In this section...
“Allowed Superclass Property Modification” on page 11-18
“Private Local Property Takes Precedence in Method” on page 11-18
Allowed Superclass Property Modification

There are two separate conditions under which you can redefine superclass properties:
• The value of the superclass property Abstract attribute is true

• The values of the superclass property SetAccess and GetAccess attributes are
private
In the first case, the superclass is just requesting that you define a concrete version of
this property to ensure a consistent interface. In the second case, only the superclass can
access the private property, so the subclass is free to reimplement it in any way.
Private Local Property Takes Precedence in Method

When a subclass property has the same name as a superclass private property, and a
method of the superclass references the property name, MATLAB always accesses the
property defined by the calling method's class. For example, given the following classes,
Super and Sub:
classdef Super
Prop = 2;
end
methods
function p = superMethod(obj)
p = obj.Prop;
end
end
end
classdef Sub < Super

properties
Prop = 1;
end
11-18
Modify Superclass Properties
end
If you create an instance of the subclass and use it to call the superclass method,
MATLAB access the private property of the method's class:
subObj = Sub
subObj =
Sub with properties:
Prop: 1
subObj.superMethod
ans =
More About
• “Property Attributes”
11-19
Subclassing Multiple Classes

In this section...
“Class Member Compatibility” on page 11-20
“Using Multiple Inheritance” on page 11-21
Class Member Compatibility

When you create a subclass derived from multiple classes, the subclass inherits the
properties, methods, and events defined by all specified superclasses. If more than one
superclass defines a property, method, or event having the same name, there must be an
unambiguous resolution to the multiple definitions. You cannot derive a subclass from
any two or more classes that define incompatible class members.
There are various situations where you can resolve name and definition conflicts, as
described in the following sections.
Property Conflicts
If two or more superclasses define a property with the same name, then at least one of
the following must be true:
• All, or all but one of the properties must have their SetAccess and GetAccess
attributes set to private
• The properties have the same definition in all superclasses (for example, when all
superclasses inherited the property from a common base class)
Method Conflicts
If two or more superclasses define methods with the same name, then at least one of the
following must be true:
• The method's Access attribute is private so only the defining superclass can access
the method.
• The method has the same definition in all subclasses. This situation can occur
when all superclasses inherit the method from a common base class and none of the
superclasses override the inherited definition.
• The subclass redefines the method to disambiguate the multiple definitions across all
superclasses. This means that the superclass methods must not have their Sealed
attribute set to true.
11-20
Subclassing Multiple Classes
• Only one superclass defines the method as Sealed, in which case, the subclass adopts
the sealed method definition.
• The superclasses define the methods as Abstract and rely on the subclass to define
the method.
Event Conflicts
If two or more superclasses define events with the same name, then at least one of the
following must be true:
• The event's ListenAccess and NotifyAccess attributes must be private.

• The event has the same definition in all superclasses (for example, when all
superclasses inherited the event from a common base class)
Using Multiple Inheritance

Resolving the potential conflicts involved when defining a subclass from multiple classes
often reduces the value of this approach. For example, problems can arise when you
enhance superclasses in future versions and introduce new conflicts.
Reduce potential problems by implementing only one unrestricted superclass. In all other
superclasses, all methods are abstract and must be defined by a subclass or inherited
from the unrestricted superclass.
In general, when using multiple inheritance, ensure that all superclasses remain free of
conflicts in definition.
See “Defining a Subclass” on page 11-7 for the syntax used to derive a subclass from
multiple superclasses.
See “Supporting Both Handle and Value Subclasses” on page 11-36 for techniques
that provide greater flexibility when using multiple superclasses.
11-21
Specify Allowed Subclasses

In this section...
“Why Control Allowed Subclasses” on page 11-22
“Specify Allowed Subclasses” on page 11-22
“Define a Sealed Hierarchy of Classes” on page 11-24
Basic Knowledge
information:

Why Control Allowed Subclasses

A class definition can specify a list of classes that it allows to subclass the class. Classes
not in the list cannot subclass the class. Use the AllowedSubclasses class attribute to
specify the allowed subclasses.
The AllowedSubclasses attribute provides a design point between Sealed classes,

which do not allow subclassing, and the default behavior, which does not restrict
subclassing.
By controlling the allowed subclasses, you can create a sealed hierarchy of classes. That
is, a system of classes that enables a specific set of classes to derive from specific base
classes, but that does not allow unrestricted subclassing.
See “Define a Sealed Hierarchy of Classes” on page 11-24 for more about this
technique.
Note: Specify attribute values explicitly, not as values returned from functions or other
MATLAB expressions.
11-22
Specify a list of one or more allowed subclasses in the classdef statement by assigning
meta.class objects to the AllowedSubclasses attribute. Create the meta.class
object referencing a specific class using the ? operator and the class name:
classdef (AllowedSubclasses = ?ClassName) MySuperClass
...
end
Use a cell array of meta.class objects to define more than one allowed subclass:
classdef (AllowedSubclasses = {?ClassName1,?ClassName2,...?ClassNameN}) MySuperClass
...
end
Always use the fully qualified class name when referencing the class name:
classdef (AllowedSubclasses = ?Package.SubPackage.ClassName1) MySuperClass
...
end
Assigning an empty cell array to the AllowedSubclasses attribute is effectively the

same as defining a Sealed class.
classdef (AllowedSubclasses = {}) MySuperClass
...
end
Note: Use only the ? operator and the class name to generate meta.class objects.
Values assigned to the AllowedSubclasses attribute cannot contain any other
MATLAB expressions, including functions that return either meta.class objects or cell
arrays of meta.class objects.
Effect of Defining a Class as an Allowed Subclass
Including a class in the list of AllowedSubclasses does not define that class as a
subclass or require you to define the class as a subclass. It just allows the referenced
class to be defined as a subclass.
Declaring a class as an allowed subclass does not affect whether this class can itself be
subclassed.
A class definition can contain assignments to the AllowedSubclasses attribute that

reference classes that are not currently defined or available on the MATLAB path.
11-23
However, any referenced subclass that MATLAB cannot find when loading the class is
effectively removed from the list without causing an error or warning.
Note: If MATLAB does not find any of the classes in the allowed classes list, the class is
effectively Sealed. This is equivalent to AllowedSubclasses = {}.
Define a Sealed Hierarchy of Classes

The AllowedSubclasses attribute enables you to define a sealed class hierarchy by
sealing the allowed subclasses:
classdef (AllowedSubclasses = {?SubClass1,?SubClass2}) SuperClass
...
end
Define the allowed subclasses as Sealed:
classdef (Sealed) SubClass1

...
end
classdef (Sealed) SubClass2

...
end
Sealed class hierarchies enable you to use the level of abstraction that your design
requires while maintaining a closed systems of classes.
Related Examples
• “Supporting Both Handle and Value Subclasses”
11-24
Control Access to Class Members

In this section...
“Applications for Access Control Lists” on page 11-26
“Specify Access to Class Members” on page 11-26
“Properties with Access Lists” on page 11-28
“Methods with Access Lists” on page 11-28
“Abstract Methods with Access Lists” on page 11-32
Basic Knowledge
information:
Related Topics

Terminology and Concepts
• Class members — Properties, methods, and events defined by a class

• Defining class — The class defining the class member for which access is being
specified
• Get access — Permission to read the value of a property; controlled by the property
GetAccess attribute
• Set access — Permission to assign a value to a property; controlled by the property
SetAccess attribute
• Method access – Determines what other methods and functions can call the class
method; controlled by the method Access attribute
• Listen access — Permission to define listeners; controlled by the event ListenAccess
attribute
• Notify access — Permission to trigger events; controlled by the event NotifyAccess
attribute
11-25
Possible Values for Access to Class Members
The following class member attributes can contain a list of classes:
• Properties — Access, GetAccess, and SetAccess. For a list of all property

attributes, see “Property Attributes” on page 7-7 .
• Methods — Access. For a list of all method attributes, see “Method Attributes” on
page 8-5 .
• Events — ListenAccess and NotifyAccess. For a list of all event attributes, see
“Event Attributes” on page 10-17.
These attributes accept the following possible values:
• public — Unrestricted access

• protected — Access by defining class and its subclasses
• private — Access by defining class only
• Access list — A list of one or more classes. Only the defining class and the classes in
the list have access to the class members to which the attribute applies. If you specify
a list of classes, MATLAB does not allow access by any other class (that is, access is
private, except for the listed classes).
Applications for Access Control Lists

Access control lists enable you to control access to specific class properties, methods, and
events, by specifying a list of classes to which you want to grant access to these class
members.
This technique provides greater flexibility and control in the design of a system of
classes. For example, use access control lists when you want to define parts of your class
system in separate classes, but do not want to allow access to class members from outside
the class system.
Specify Access to Class Members

Specify the classes that are allowed to access a particular class member in the member
access attribute statement. For example:
methods (Access = {?ClassName1,?ClassName2,...})
11-26
Use the class meta.class object to refer to classes in the access list. To specify more
than one class, use a cell array of meta.class objects. Use the package name when
referring to classes that are in packages.
Note: You must specify the meta.class objects explicitly (created with the ? operator),
not as values returned by functions or other MATLAB expressions.
How MATLAB Interprets Attribute Values
• Granting access to a list of classes restricts access to only:
• The defining class

• The classes in the list
• Subclasses of the classes in the list
• Including the defining class in the access list gives all subclasses of the defining class
access.
• MATLAB resolves references to classes in the access list only when the class is
loaded. If MATLAB cannot find a class that is included in the access list, that class is
effectively removed from access.
• MATLAB replaces unresolved meta.class entries in the list with empty
meta.class objects.
• An empty access list (that is, an empty cell array) is equivalent to private access.
Specifying Metaclass Objects
Use only the ? operator and the class name to generate the meta.class objects. Values
assigned to the attributes cannot contain any other MATLAB expressions, including
functions that return allowed attribute values:
• meta.class objects
• Cell arrays of meta.class objects
• The values public, protected, or private
You must specify these values explicitly, as shown in the example code in this section.
11-27
Properties with Access Lists

These sample classes show the behavior of a property that grants read access
(GetAccess) to a class. The GrantAccess class gives GetAccess to the NeedAccess
class for the Prop1 property:
classdef GrantAccess
properties (GetAccess = ?NeedAccess)
Prop1 = 7;
end
end
The NeedAccess class defines a method that uses the value of the GrantAccess Prop1
value. The dispObj is defined as a Static method, however, it could be an ordinary
method.
classdef NeedAccess
methods (Static)
function dispObj(GrantAccessObj)
disp(['Prop1 is: ',num2str(GrantAccessObj.Prop1)])
end
end
end
Get access to Prop1 is private so MATLAB returns an error:
a = GrantAccess;
a.Prop1
Getting the 'Prop1' property of the 'GrantAccess' class is not allowed.
However, MATLAB allows access to Prop1 by the NeedAccess class:
NeedAccess.dispObj(a)
Prop1 is: 7
Methods with Access Lists

Classes granted access to a method can:
• Call the method using an instance of the defining class.

• Define their own method with the same name (if not a subclass).
11-28
• Override the method in a subclass only if the superclass defining the method includes
itself or the subclass in the access list.
These sample classes show the behavior of methods called from methods of other classes
that are in the access list. The class AcListSuper gives the AcListNonSub class access
to itsm1 method:
classdef AcListSuper
methods (Access = {?AcListNonSub})
function obj = m1(obj)
disp ('Method m1 called')
end
end
end
Because AcListNonSub is in the access list of m1, its methods can call m1 using an
instance of AcListSuper:
classdef AcListNonSub
methods
function obj = nonSub1(obj,AcListSuper_Obj)
% Call m1 on AcListSuper class
AcListSuper_Obj.m1;
end
% Define a method named m1
disp(['Method m1 defined by ',class(obj)])
end
end
end
Create objects of both classes:

a = AcListSuper;
b = AcListNonSub;
Call the AcListSuper m1 method using an AcListNonSub method:

b.nonSub1(a);
Method m1 called
Call the AcListNonSub m1 method:

b.m1;
11-29
Method m1 defined by AcListNonSub
Subclasses Without Access
Including the defining class in the access list for a method grants access to all subclasses
derived from that class. When you derive from a class that has a method with an access
list and that list does not include the defining class in the access list:
• Subclass methods cannot call the superclass method because it is effectively private.
• Subclasses cannot override the superclass method.
• Subclass methods can call the superclass method indirectly using an instance of a
class that is in the access list.
• Nonsubclass methods of classes in the superclass method access list can call the
superclass method using an instance of a subclass that is not in the superclass
method access list.
For example, AcListSub is a subclass of AcListSuper. The AcListSuper class defines

an access list for method m1. However, this list does not include AcListSuper, which
would implicitly include all subclasses of AcListSuper in the access list:
classdef AcListSub < AcListSuper
methods
function obj = sub1(obj,AcListSuper_Obj)
% Access m1 via superclass object (NOT ALLOWED)
AcListSuper_Obj.m1;
end
function obj = sub2(obj,AcListNonSub_Obj,AcListSuper_obj)
% Access m1 via object that is in access list (is allowed)
AcListNonSub_Obj.nonSub1(AcListSuper_Obj);
end
end
end
Attempting to call the superclass m1 method results in an error because subclasses are
not in the access list for the method:
a = AcListSuper;
b = AcListNonSub;
c = AcListSub;
c.sub1(a);
Error using AcListSuper/m1

Cannot access method 'm1' in class 'AcListSuper'.
Error in AcListSub/sub1 (line 4)
11-30
AcListSuper_Obj.m1;
The AcListSub sub2 method can call a method of a class that is on the access list for m1,
and that method (nonSub1) does have access to the superclass m1 method:
c.sub2(b,a);
Method m1 called
When subclasses are not included in the access list for a method, those subclasses cannot
define a method with the same name. This behavior is not the same as cases in which the
method’s Access is explicitly declared as private.
For example, adding the following method to the AcListSub class definition produces an
error when you attempt to instantiate the class.
methods (Access = {?AcListNonSub})
disp('AcListSub m1 method')
end
end
If you attempt to instantiate the class, MATLAB returns an error:

c = AcListSub;
Error using AcListSub

Class 'AcListSub' is not allowed to override the method 'm1' because neither it nor its
superclasses have been granted access to the method by class 'AcListSuper'.
The AcListNonSub class, which is in the m1 method access list, can define a method that
calls the m1 method using an instance of the AcListSub class. While AcListSub is not
in the access list for method m1, it is a subclass of AcListSuper.
For example, add the following method to the AcListNonSub class:

methods
function obj = nonSub2(obj,AcListSub_Obj)
disp('Call m1 via subclass object:')
AcListSub_Obj.m1;
end
end
Calling the nonSub2 method results in execution of the superclass m1 method:

b = AcListNonSub;
11-31
c = AcListSub;
b.nonSub2(c);
Call m1 via subclass object:

Method m1 called
This is consistent with the behavior of any subclass object, which can be substituted for
an instance of its superclass.
Abstract Methods with Access Lists

A class containing a method declared as Abstract is an abstract class. It is the
responsibility of subclasses to implement the abstract method using the function
signature declared in the class definition.
When an abstract method has an access list, only the classes in the access list can
implement the method. A subclass that is not in the access list cannot implement the
abstract method so that subclass is itself abstract.
11-32
Property Access List
Property Access List

This class declares access lists for the property GetAccess and Access attributes:
classdef PropertyAccess
properties (GetAccess = {?ClassA, ?ClassB}, SetAccess = private)
Prop1
end
properties (Access = ?ClassC)
Prop2
end
end
The class PropertyAccess specifies the following property access:
• Gives the classes ClassA and ClassB get access to the Prop1 property.
• Gives all subclasses of ClassA and ClassB get access to the Prop1 property.
• Does not give get access to Prop1 from subclasses of PropertyAccess.
• Defines private set access for the Prop1 property.
• Gives set and get access to Prop2 for ClassC and its subclasses.
Related Examples
• “Properties with Access Lists”
11-33
Method Access List

This class declares an access list for the method Access attribute:
classdef MethodAccess
methods (Access = {?ClassA, ?ClassB, ?MethodAccess})
function listMethod(obj)
...
end
end
end
The MethodAccess class specifies the following method access:
• Access to listMethod from an instance of MethodAccess by methods of the classes

ClassA and ClassB.
• Access to listMethod from an instance of MethodAccess by methods of subclasses
of MethodAccess, because of the inclusion of MethodAccess in the access list.
• Subclasses of ClassA and ClassB are allowed to define a method named
listMethod, and MethodAccess is allowed to redefine listMethod. However,
if MethodAccess was not in the access list, its subclasses could not redefine
listMethod.
Related Examples
• “Methods with Access Lists”
11-34
Event Access List
Event Access List

This class declares an access list for the event ListenAccess attribute:
classdef EventAccess
events (NotifyAccess = private, ListenAccess = {?ClassA, ?ClassB})
Event1
Event2
end
end
The class EventAccess specifies the following event access:
• Limits notify access for Event1 and Event2 to EventAccess; only methods of the
EventAccess can trigger these events.
• Gives listen access for Event1 and Event2 to methods of ClassA and ClassB.
Methods of EventAccess, ClassA, and ClassB can define listeners for these events.
Subclasses of MyClass cannot define listeners for these events.
Related Examples
• “Events and Listeners — Syntax and Techniques”
11-35
Supporting Both Handle and Value Subclasses
In this section...
“Handle Compatibility Rules” on page 11-36
“Defining Handle-Compatible Classes” on page 11-37
“Subclassing Handle-Compatible Classes” on page 11-39
“Methods for Handle Compatible Classes” on page 11-41
“Handle-Compatible Classes and Heterogeneous Arrays” on page 11-42
Basic Knowledge
The material presented in this section builds on knowledge of the following information.

• “Subclassing Multiple Classes” on page 11-20
Key Concepts
Handle-compatible class is a class that you can combine with handle classes when
defining a set of superclasses.
• All handle classes are handle-compatible.

• All superclasses of handle-compatible classes must also be handle compatible.
HandleCompatible — the class attribute that defines nonhandle classes as handle

compatible.
Handle Compatibility Rules

Handle-compatible classes (that is, classes whose HandleCompatible attribute is set to
true) follow these rules:
• All superclasses of a handle-compatible class must also be handle compatible
11-36
• If a class explicitly sets its HandleCompatibility attribute to false, then none of

the class's superclasses can be handle classes.
• If a class does not explicitly set its HandleCompatible attribute and, if any
superclass is a handle, then all superclasses must be handle compatible.
• The HandleCompatible attribute is not inherited.
A class that does not explicitly set its HandleCompatible attribute to true is:
• A handle class if any of its superclasses are handle classes

• A value class if none of the superclasses are handle classes
Defining Handle-Compatible Classes

A class is handle compatible if:
• It is a handle class
• Its HandleCompatible attribute is set to true
The HandleCompatible class attribute identifies classes that you can combine with
handle classes when specifying a set of superclasses.
Handle compatibility provides greater flexibility when defining abstract superclasses,

such as mixin and interface classes, in cases where the superclass is designed to support
both handle and value subclasses. Handle compatibility removes the need to define both
a handle version and a nonhandle version of a class.
A Handle Compatible Class
The Utility class is useful to both handle and value subclasses. In this example, the
Utility class defines a method to reset property values to the default values defined in
the respective class definition:
classdef (HandleCompatible) Utility

methods
function obj = resetDefaults(obj)
mc = metaclass(obj);
mp = mc.PropertyList;
for k=1:length(mp)
if mp(k).HasDefault && ~strcmp(mp(k).SetAccess,'private')
obj.(mp(k).Name) = mp(k).DefaultValue;
11-37
end
end
end
end
end
The Utility class is handle compatible. Therefore, you can use it in the derivation of
classes that are either handle classes or value classes. See “Getting Information About
Classes and Objects” for information on using meta-data classes.
Return Modified Objects
The resetDefaults method defined by the Utility class returns the object it modifies.
When you call resetDefaults with a value object, the method must return the modified
object. It is important to implement methods that work with both handle and value
objects in a handle compatible superclass. See “Modifying Objects” on page 4-60 for more
information on modifying handle and value objects.
Consider the behavior of a value class that subclasses the Utility class. The
PropertyDefaults class defines three properties, all of which have default values:
classdef PropertyDefaults < Utility
properties
p1 = datestr(rem(now,1)); % Current time
p2 = 'red'; % Character string
p3 = pi/2; % Result of division operation
end
end
Create a PropertyDefaults object. MATLAB evaluates the expressions assigned as

default property values when the class is first loaded. MATLAB uses these same default
values whenever you create an instance of this class in the current MATLAB session.
pd = PropertyDefaults
pd =
PropertyDefaults with properties:
p1: ' 4:42 PM'

p2: 'red'
p3: 1.5708
Assign new values that are different from the default values:
11-38
pd.p1 = datestr(rem(now,1));
pd.p2 = 'green';
pd.p3 = pi/4;
All pd object property values now contain values that are different from the default
values originally defined by the class:
pd
pd =

:
p1: ' 4:45 PM'
p2: 'green'
p3: 0.7854
Call the resetDefaults method, which is inherited from the Utility class. Because
the PropertyDefaults class is not a handle class, return the modified object.
pd = pd.resetDefaults
pd =
p1: ' 4:54 PM'

p2: 'red'
p3: 1.5708
If the PropertyDefaults class was a handle class, then you would not need to save the
object returned by the resetDefaults method. To design a handle compatible class like
Utility, ensure that all methods work with both kinds of classes.
Subclassing Handle-Compatible Classes

According to the rules described in “Handle Compatibility Rules” on page 11-36, when
you combine a handle superclass with a handle-compatible superclass, the result is a
handle subclass, which is handle compatible.
However, subclassing a handle-compatible class does not necessarily result in the

subclass being handle compatible. Consider the following two cases, which demonstrate
two possible results.
11-39
Combine Nonhandle Utility Class with Handle Classes
Suppose you define a class that subclasses a handle class, as well as the handle
compatible Utility class discussed in “A Handle Compatible Class” on page 11-37.
The HPropertyDefaults class has these characteristics:
• It is a handle class (it derives from handle).

• All of its superclasses are handle compatible (handle classes are handle compatible by
definition).
classdef HPropertyDefaults < handle & Utility
properties
GraphPrim = line;
Width = 1.5;
Color = 'black';
end
end
The HPropertyDefaults class is handle compatible:

hpd = HPropertyDefaults;
mc = metaclass(hpd);
mc.HandleCompatible
ans =
Nonhandle Subclasses of a Handle-Compatible Class
If you subclass a value class that is not handle compatible in combination with a handle
compatible class, the subclass is a nonhandle compatible value class. The ValueSub
class:
• Is a value class (It does not derive from handle.)

• One of its superclasses is handle compatible (the Utility class).
classdef ValueSub < MException & Utility
methods
function obj = ValueSub(str1,str2)
obj = obj@MException(str1,str2);
end
end
end
11-40
The ValueSub class is a nonhandle-compatible value class because the MException

class does not define the HandleCompatible attribute as true:
hv = ValueSub('MATLAB:narginchk:notEnoughInputs',...
'Not enough input arguments.');
mc = metaclass(hv);
mc.HandleCompatible
ans =
Methods for Handle Compatible Classes

Objects passed to methods of handle compatible classes can be either handle or value
objects. There are two different behaviors to consider when implementing methods for a
class that operate on both handles and values:
• If an input object is a handle object, then the method can alter the handle object and
these changes are visible to all workspaces that have the same handle.
• If an input object is a value object, then changes to the object made inside the method
affect only the value inside the method workspace.
Handle compatible methods generally do not alter input objects because the effect of such
changes are not the same for handle and nonhandle objects.
See “Modifying Objects” on page 4-60 for information about modifying handle and value
objects.
Identifying Handle Objects
Use the isa function to determine if an object is a handle object:

isa(obj,'handle')
Modifying Value Objects in Methods
If a method operates on both handle and value objects, the method must return the
modified object. For example, the setTime method returns the object it modifies:
classdef (HandleCompatible) Util
% Utility class that adds a time stamp
properties
11-41
TimeStamp
end
methods
function obj = setTime(obj)
obj.TimeStamp = now;
end
end
end
Handle-Compatible Classes and Heterogeneous Arrays

A heterogeneous array contains objects of different classes. Members of a heterogeneous
array have a common superclass, but might belong to different subclasses. See the
matlab.mixin.Heterogeneous class for more information on heterogeneous arrays.
The matlab.mixin.Heterogeneous class is a handle-compatible class.
Methods Must Be Sealed
You can invoke only those methods that are sealed by the common superclass on
heterogeneous arrays (Sealed attribute set to true). Sealed methods prevent subclasses
from overriding those methods and guarantee that methods called on heterogeneous
arrays have the same definition for the entire array.
Subclasses cannot override sealed methods. In situations requiring subclasses to

specialize methods defined by a utility class, you can employ the design pattern referred
to as the template method.
Using the Template Technique
Suppose you need to implement a handle compatible class that works with heterogeneous
arrays. This approach enables you to seal public methods, while providing a way for each
subclass to specialize how the method works on each subclass instance. In the handle
compatible class:
• Define a sealed method that accepts a heterogeneous array as input.

• Define a protected, abstract method that each subclass must implement.
• Within the sealed method, call the overridden method for each array element.
Each subclass in the heterogeneous hierarchy implements a concrete version of the

abstract method. The concrete method provides specialized behavior required by the
particular subclass.
11-42
The Printable class shows how to implement a template method approach:
classdef (HandleCompatible) Printable

methods(Sealed)
function print(aryIn)
n = numel(aryIn);
for k=1:n
printElement(aryIn(k));
end
end
end
methods(Access=protected, Abstract)
printElement(objIn)
end
end
More About
• “Heterogeneous Arrays”
11-43
Subclassing MATLAB Built-In Types

In this section...
“MATLAB Built-In Types” on page 11-44
“Built-In Types You Cannot Subclass” on page 11-44
“Why Subclass Built-In Types” on page 11-45
“Which Functions Work With Subclasses of Built-In Types” on page 11-45
“Behavior of Built-In Functions with Subclass Objects” on page 11-45
“Built-In Subclasses That Define Properties” on page 11-46
MATLAB Built-In Types

Built-in types represent fundamental kinds of data such as numeric arrays, logical
arrays, and character arrays. Other built-in types contain data belonging to these
fundamental types and other classes. For example, cell and struct arrays can contain
instances of any class.
Built-in types define methods that perform operations on objects of these classes. For
example, you can perform operations on numeric arrays, such as, sorting, rounding
values, and element-wise and matrix multiplication. You can create an object of class
double using an assignment statement, indexing expressions, or using converter
functions.
See “Fundamental MATLAB Classes” for more information on MATLAB built-in classes.
Note: It is an error to define a class that has the same name as a built-in class.
Built-In Types You Cannot Subclass

You cannot subclass the following built-in MATLAB classes:
• char
• cell
• struct
• table
11-44
• function_handle
In general, you cannot subclass any class that has its Sealed attribute set to true.
Query the class meta-data to determine if the class is Sealed:
mc = ?ClassName;
mc.Sealed
A value of 0 indicates that the class is not Sealed and can be subclasses.
Why Subclass Built-In Types

Subclass a built-in type to extend the operations that you can perform on a particular
class of data. For example, when you want to:
• Define unique operations to perform on class data.

• Be able to use methods of the built-in class and other built-in functions directly
with objects of the subclass. For example, you do not need to reimplement all the
mathematical operators if you derived from a class such as double that defines these
operators.
Which Functions Work With Subclasses of Built-In Types

Consider a class that defines enumerations. It can derive from an integer class and
inherit methods that enable you to compare and sort values. For example, integer classes
like int32 support all the relational methods (eq, ge, gt, le, lt, ne).
To see a list of functions that the subclass has inherited as methods, use the methods
function:
methods('SubclassName')
Generally, you can use an object of the subclass with any:
• Inherited methods
• Functions that normally accept input arguments of the same class as the superclass.
Behavior of Built-In Functions with Subclass Objects

When you define a subclass of a built-in class, the subclass inherits all built-in class
methods. In addition, MATLAB provide a number of built-in functions as subclass
methods.
11-45
However, built-in functions that work on built-in classes behave differently with
subclasses. Their behavior depends on which function you are using and whether your
subclass defines properties.
Behavior Categories
When you call an inherited method on a subclass of a built-in class, the result of that call
depends on the nature of the operation performed by the method. The behaviors of these
methods fit into several categories.
• Operations on data values return objects of the superclass. For example, if you
subclass double and perform addition on two subclass objects, MATLAB adds the
numeric values and returns a value of class double.
• Operations on the orientation or structure of the data return objects of the subclass.
Methods that perform these kinds of operations include, reshape, permute,
transpose, and so on.
• Converting a subclass object to a built-in class returns an object of the specified class.
Functions such as uint32, double, char work with subclass objects the same as
they work with built-in objects.
• Comparing objects or testing for inclusion in a specific set returns logical or built-in
objects, depending on the function. Functions such as isequal, ischar, isobject
work with subclass objects the same as they work with superclass objects.
• Indexing expressions return objects of the subclass. If the subclass defines properties,
then default indexing no longer works. The subclass must define its own indexing
methods.
• Concatenation returns an object of the subclass. If the subclass defines properties,
then default concatenation no longer works and the subclass must define its own
concatenation methods.
To list the built-in functions that work with a subclass of a built-in class, use the
methods function.
Built-In Subclasses That Define Properties

When a subclass of a built-in class defines properties, MATLAB no longer provides
support for indexing and concatenation operations. MATLAB cannot use the built-in
functions normally called for these operations because subclass properties can contain
any data.
11-46
The subclass must define what indexing and concatenation mean for a class with
properties. If your subclass needs indexing and concatenation functionality, then the
subclass must implement the appropriate methods.
Methods for Indexing
To support indexing operations, the subclass must implement these methods:
• subsasgn — Implement dot notation and indexed assignments

• subsref — Implement dot notation and indexed references
• subsindex — Implement object as index value
Methods for Concatenation
To support concatenation, the subclass must implement the following methods:
• horzcat — Implement horizontal concatenation of objects

• vertcat — Implement vertical concatenation of objects
• cat — Implement concatenation of object arrays along specified dimension
11-47
Behavior of Inherited Built-In Methods

In this section...
“Subclass double” on page 11-48
“Built-In Data Value Methods” on page 11-49
“Built-In Data Organization Methods ” on page 11-50
“Built-In Indexing Methods” on page 11-51
“Built-In Concatenation Methods” on page 11-51
Subclass double
Most built-in functions used with built-in classes are actually methods of the built-in
class. For example, the double and single classes both define a number of methods to
perform arithmetic operations, indexing, matrix operation, and so on. All of these built-in
class methods work with subclasses of the built-in class.
Subclassing double enables your class to use features without implementing the
methods that a MATLAB built-in class define.
The DocSimpleDouble class subclasses the built-in double class.
classdef DocSimpleDouble < double

methods
function obj = DocSimpleDouble(data)
if nargin == 0
data = 0;
end
obj = obj@double(data);
end
end
end
Create an instance of the class DocSimpleDouble.
sc = DocSimpleDouble(1:10)
sc =
1x10 DocSimpleDouble:
double data:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11-48
Call a method inherited from class double that operates on the data, such as sum. sum
returns a double and, therefore, uses the display method of class double:
sum(sc)
ans =
55
Index sc like an array of doubles. The returned value is the class of the subclass:
a = sc(2:4)
a =
double data:
2 3 4
Indexed assignment works the same as the built-in class. The returned value is the class
of the subclass:
sc(1:5) = 5:-1:1
sc =
double data:
5 4 3 2 1 6 7 8 9 10
Calling a method that modifies the order of the data elements operates on the data, but
returns an object of the subclass:
sc = DocSimpleDouble(1:10);
sc(1:5) = 5:-1:1;
a = sort(sc)
a =
double data:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Built-In Data Value Methods

When you call a built-in data value method on a subclass object, MATLAB uses the
superclass part of the subclass object as inputs to the method, and the value returned is
same class as the built-in class. For example:
11-49
a = sin(sc);
class(a)
ans =
double
Built-In Data Organization Methods

This group of built-in methods reorders or reshapes the input argument array. These
methods operate on the superclass part of the subclass object, but return an object of the
same type as the subclass.
sc = DocSimpleDouble(randi(9,1,10))
sc = DocSimpleDouble(randi(9,1,10))
sc =
double data:
6 1 8 9 7 7 7 4 6 2
b = sort(sc)
b =
double data:
1 2 4 6 6 7 7 7 8 9
Methods in this group include:
• reshape
• permute
• sort
• transpose
• ctranspose
11-50
Built-In Indexing Methods

Built-in classes use specially implemented versions of the subsref, subsasgn, and
subsindex methods to implement indexing. When you index a subclass object, only the
built-in data is referenced (not the properties defined by your subclass).
For example, indexing element 2 in the DocSimpleDouble subclass object returns the
second element in the vector:
a = sc(2)
a =
DocSimpleDouble
double data:
2
The value returned from an indexing operation is an object of the subclass. You cannot
make indexed references if your subclass defines properties, unless your subclass
overrides the default subsref method.
Assigning a new value to the second element in the DocSimpleDouble object operates
only on the superclass data:
sc(2) = 12
sc =
double data:
1 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The subsref method also implements dot notation for methods.
Built-In Concatenation Methods

Built-in classes use the functions horzcat, vertcat, and cat to implement
concatenation. When you use these functions with subclass objects of the same type,
MATLAB concatenates the superclass data to form a new object. For example, you can
concatenate objects of the DocSimpleDouble class:
sc1 = DocSimpleDouble(1:10);
sc2 = DocSimpleDouble(11:20);
[sc1,sc2]
11-51
ans =
double data:
Columns 1 through 13
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
[sc1;sc2]
ans =
double data:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Concatenate two objects along a third dimension:

c = cat(3,sc1,sc2)
c =
1x10x2 DocSimpleDouble:
double data:
(:,:,1) =
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
(:,:,2) =
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
If the subclass of a built-in class defines properties, you cannot concatenate objects of the
subclass. There is no way to determine how to combine properties of different objects.
However, your subclass can define custom horzcat and vertcat methods to support
concatenation in whatever way makes sense for your subclass.
Related Examples
• “Built-In Subclass With Properties”
11-52
Built-In Subclass Without Properties

In this section...
“A Class to Manage uint8 Data” on page 11-53
“Using the DocUint8 Class” on page 11-54
A Class to Manage uint8 Data

This example shows a class derived from the built-in uint8 class. This class simplifies
the process of maintaining a collection of intensity image data defined by uint8 values.
The basic operations of the class include:
• Capability to convert various classes of image data to uint8 to reduce object data
storage.
• A method to display the intensity images contained in the subclass objects.
• Ability to use all the methods that you can use on uint8 data (for example, size,
indexing (reference and assignment), reshape, bitshift, cat, fft, arithmetic
operators, and so on).
The class data are matrices of intensity image data stored in the superclass part of the
subclass object. This approach requires no properties.
The DocUint8 class stores the image data, which converts the data, if necessary:
classdef DocUint8 < uint8

methods
function obj = DocUint8(data)
if nargin == 0
data = uint8(0);
end
obj = obj@uint8(data);
end
function h = showImage(obj)
data = uint8(obj);
figure; colormap(gray(256))
h = imagesc(data,[0 255]);
axis image
brighten(.2)
end
11-53
end
end
Using the DocUint8 Class

Create DocUint8 Objects
The DocUint8 class provides a method to display all images stored as DocUint8 objects
in a consistent way. For example:
cir = imread('circuit.tif');
img1 = DocUint8(cir);
img1.showImage;
50
100
150
200
250
50 100 150 200 250
11-54
Because DocUint8 subclasses uint8, you can use any uint8 methods. For example,
size(img1)
ans =
280 272
returns the size of the image data.
Indexing Operations
Inherited methods perform indexing operations, but return objects of the same class as
the subclass.
Therefore, you can index into the image data and call a subclass method:
showImage(img1(100:200,1:160));
Subscripted reference operations (controlled by the inherited subsref method) return a

DocUint8 object.
11-55
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
You can assign values to indexed elements:
img1(100:120,140:160) = 255;
img1.showImage;
Subscripted assignment operations (controlled by the inherited subsasgn method)

return a DocUint8 object.
11-56
50
100
150
200
250
50 100 150 200 250
Concatenation Operations
Concatenation operations work on DocUint8 objects because this class inherits the
uint8 horzcat and vertcat methods, which return a DocUint8 object:
showImage([img1 img1]);
11-57
50
100
150
200
250
50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
Data Operations
Methods that operate on data values, such as arithmetic operators, always return an
object of the built-in type (not of the subclass type). For example, multiplying DocUint8
objects returns a uint8 object:
a = img1.*1.8;
showImage(a);
Undefined function 'showImage' for input arguments of type 'uint8'.
To perform operations of this type, implement a subclass method to override the

inherited method. The times method implements array (element-by-element)
multiplication.
11-58
Add this method to the DocUint8 class:
function o = times(obj,val)
u8 = uint8(obj).*val;
o = DocUint8(u8);
end
When you override a uint8 method, MATLAB calls the subclass method, not the base
class method. The subclass method must:
• Call the uint8 times method on the DocUint8 object data.

• Construct a new DocUint8 object using the uint8 data.
After adding the times method to the DocUint8 class, the output of multiplication
expressions is an object of the DocUint8 class:
showImage(img1.*1.8);
11-59
50
100
150
200
250
50 100 150 200 250
Related Examples
• “Class Operator Implementations”
• “Built-In Subclass With Properties” on page 11-61
11-60
Built-In Subclass With Properties

In this section...
“Subclasses with Properties” on page 11-61
“Property Added” on page 11-61
“Methods Implemented” on page 11-61
“Class Definition Code” on page 11-62
“Use ExtendDouble” on page 11-63
“Indexed Reference for ExtendDouble” on page 11-64
“Concatenating ExtendDouble Objects” on page 11-65
Subclasses with Properties

When your subclass of a built-in class defines properties, default indexing and
concatenation do not work. The default subsref, horzcat, and vertcat methods
cannot work with unknown property types and values. Therefore, you must define these
behaviors for the subclass.
This example subclasses the double class and defines a single property.
Property Added
The ExtendDouble class defines the DataString property to contain text that describes
the data. The superclass part (double) of the class contains the data.
Methods Implemented
The following methods modify the behavior of the ExtendDouble class:
• ExtendDouble — The constructor supports a no argument syntax that initializes

properties to empty values.
• subsref — Enables subscripted reference to the superclass part (double) of the
subclass, dot notation reference to the DataString property, and dot notation
reference the built-in data via the string Data (the double data property is hidden).
• horzcat — Defines horizontal concatenation of ExtendDouble objects. concatenates
the superclass part using the double class horzcat method and forms a cell array of
the DataString properties.
11-61
• vertcat — The vertical concatenation equivalent of horzcat (both are required).

• char — A ExtendDouble to char converter used by horzcat and vertcat.
• disp — ExtendDouble implements a disp method to provide a custom display for
the object.
Class Definition Code

The ExtendDouble class extends double and implements methods to support
subscripted reference and concatenation.
classdef ExtendDouble < double
properties
DataString
end
methods
function obj = ExtendDouble(data,str)
if nargin == 0
data = 0;
str = '';
elseif nargin == 1
str = '';
end
obj.DataString = str;
end
function sref = subsref(obj,s)

switch s(1).type
case '.'
switch s(1).subs
case 'DataString'
sref = obj.DataString;
case 'Data'
sref = double(obj);
if length(s)>1 && strcmp(s(2).type, '()')
sref = subsref(sref,s(2:end));
end
end
case '()'
sf = double(obj);
if ~isempty(s(1).subs)
11-62
sf = subsref(sf,s(1:end));
else
error('Not a supported subscripted reference')
end
sref = ExtendDouble(sf,obj.DataString);
end
end
function newobj = horzcat(varargin)

d1 = cellfun(@double,varargin,'UniformOutput',false );
data = horzcat(d1{:});
str = horzcat(cellfun(@char,varargin,'UniformOutput',false));
newobj = ExtendDouble(data,str);
end
function newobj = vertcat(varargin)

d1 = cellfun(@double,varargin,'UniformOutput',false );
data = vertcat(d1{:});
str = vertcat(cellfun(@char,varargin,'UniformOutput',false));
newobj = ExtendDouble(data,str);
end
function str = char(obj)

str = obj.DataString;
end
function disp(obj)
disp(obj.DataString)
disp(double(obj))
end
end
end
Use ExtendDouble
Create an instance of ExtendDouble and notice that the display is different from the
default:
ed = ExtendDouble(1:10,'One to ten')
ed =
One to ten
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11-63
The sum function continues to operate on the superclass part of the object:
sum(ed)
ans =
55
Subscripted reference works because the class implements a subsref method:
ed(10:-1:1)
ans =
One to ten
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
However, subscripted assignment does not work because the class does not define a
subsasgn method:
ed(1:5) = 5:-1:1
Error using ExtendDouble/subsasgn

Cannot use '(' or '{' to index into an object of class 'ExtendDouble' because
'ExtendDouble' defines properties and subclasses 'double'.
Click here for more information.
The sort function works on the superclass part of the object:
sort(ed(10:-1:1))
ans =
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Indexed Reference for ExtendDouble

Subscripted reference (performed by subsref) requires the subclass to implement its
own subsref method.
ed = ExtendDouble(15:20,'fifteen to twenty');
a = ed(2)
a =
fifteen to twenty
11-64
16
whos
a 1x1 146 ExtendDouble

ed 1x6 186 ExtendDouble
Access the property data:
c = ed.DataString
c =
fifteen to twenty
whos
a 1x1 146 ExtendDouble

c 1x17 34 char
ed 1x6 186 ExtendDouble
Concatenating ExtendDouble Objects

Create these two objects:
ed1 = ExtendDouble([1:10],'One to ten');

ed2 = ExtendDouble([10:-1:1],'Ten to one');
Concatenate these objects along the horizontal dimension:
hcat = [ed1,ed2]
hcat =
'One to ten' 'Ten to one'
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 9 8
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
11-65
whos
ed1 1x10 204 ExtendDouble

ed2 1x10 204 ExtendDouble
hcat 1x20 528 ExtendDouble
Vertical concatenation works in a similar way:

vcat = [ed1;ed2]
vcat =
'One to ten' 'Ten to one'
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Both horzcat and vertcat return a new object of the same class as the subclass.
Related Examples
11-66
Understanding size and numel

In this section...
“size and numel” on page 11-67
“Subclasses Inherited Behavior” on page 11-68
“Classes Not Derived from Built-In Classes” on page 11-69
“Changing the Behavior of size” on page 11-71
“Avoid Overloading numel” on page 11-71
size and numel

The size function returns the dimensions of an array. The numel function returns the
number of elements in an array.
Other MATLAB functions use size and numel to perform their operations. Usually, you
do not need to overload size and numel. The built-in size and numel functions behave
consistently with user-defined classes.
When used with subclasses of built-in classes, the size and numel functions behave the
same as they behave in the superclass.
Consider the built-in class double:
d = 1:10;
size(d)
ans =
1 10
numel(d)
ans =
10
dsub = d(7:end);
size(dsub)
ans =
11-67
1 4
The double class defines these behaviors, including parentheses indexing.
Subclasses Inherited Behavior

Classes behave like their superclasses, unless the subclass explicitly overrides any given
behavior. For example, SimpleDouble subclasses double, but defines no properties:
classdef SimpleDouble < double

methods
function obj = SimpleDouble(data)
if nargin == 0
data = 0;
end
end
end
end
Create an object and assign the values 1:10 to the superclass part of the object :
sd = SimpleDouble(1:10);
The size function returns the size of the superclass part:
size(sd)
ans =
1 10
The numel function returns the number of elements in the superclass part:
numel(sd)
ans =
10
Object arrays return the size of the superclass arrays:
size([sd;sd])
11-68
ans =
2 10
numel([sd;sd])
ans =
20
The SimpleDouble class inherits the indexing behavior of the double class:
sdsub = sd(7:end);
size(sdsub)
ans =
1 4
Classes Not Derived from Built-In Classes

Consider a simple value class. This class does not inherit the array-like behaviors of the
double class. For example:
classdef VerySimpleClass
properties
Value
end
end
Create an object and assign a ten-element vector to the Value property:
vs = VerySimpleClass;
vs.Value = 1:10;
size(vs)
ans =
1 1
numel(vs)
ans =
11-69
size([vs;vs])
ans =
2 1
numel([vs;vs])
ans =
vs is a scalar object. The Value property is an array of doubles:

size(vs.Value)
ans =
1 10
Apply indexing expressions to the object property:

vssub = vs.Value(7:end);
size(vssub)
ans =
1 4
vs.Value is an array of class double:

class(vs.Value)
ans =
double
Creating an array of VerySimpleClass objects:

vsArray(1:10) = VerySimpleClass;
The Value property for array elements 2 through 10 is empty:

isempty([vsArray(2:10).Value])
ans =
11-70
MATLAB does not apply scalar expansion to object array property value assignment. Use
the deal function for this purpose:
[vsArray.Value] = deal(1:10);
isempty([vsArray.Value])
ans =
The deal function assigns values to each Value property in the vsArray object array.
Indexing rules for object arrays are equivalent to those of arrays of struct:
vsArray(1).Value
ans =
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
vsArray(1).Value(6)
ans =
Changing the Behavior of size

Subclasses of built-in numeric classes inherit a size method, which operates on the
superclass part of the subclass object (this method is hidden). If you want size to behave
in another way, you can override it by defining your own size method in your subclass.
Other MATLAB functions use the values returned by size. If you change the way size
behaves, ensure that the values returned make sense for the intended use of your class.
Avoid Overloading numel

It is important to understand the significance of numel with respect to indexing.
MATLAB calls numel to determine the number of elements returned by an indexed
expression like:
11-71
A(index1,index2,...,indexn)
Both subsref and subsasgn use numel:
• subsref — numel computes the number of expected outputs (nargout) returned

subsref
• subsasgn — numel computes the number of expected inputs (nargin) that MATLAB
assigns as a result of a call to subsasgn
Subclasses of built-in classes always return scalar objects as a result of subscripted

reference and always use scalar objects for subscripted assignment. The numel function
returns the correct value for these operations and there is, therefore, no reason to
overload numel.
If you define a class in which nargout for subsref or nargin for subsasgn is different
from the value returned by the default numel, then overload numel for that class to
ensure that it returns the correct values.
11-72
Class to Represent Hardware

In this section...
“Class Objective” on page 11-73
“Why Derive from int32” on page 11-73
“Class Definition” on page 11-73
“Methods of int32” on page 11-74
Class Objective
This example shows the implementation of a class to represent an optical multiplex card.
These cards typically have a number of input ports, which this class represents by the
port data rates and names. There is also an output port. The output rate of a multiplex
card is the sum of the input port data rates.
Why Derive from int32

The MuxCard class derives from the int32 class because 32–bit integers represent the
input port data rates. The MuxCard class inherits the methods of the int32 class, which
simplifies the implementation of this subclass.
Class Definition
Here is the definition of the MuxCard class. Notice that the input port rates initialize the
int32 portion of class.
classdef MuxCard < int32

properties
InPutNames
OutPutName
end

OutPutRate
end
methods
function obj = MuxCard(inptnames, inptrates, outpname)
11-73
obj = obj@int32(inptrates);
obj.InPutNames = inptnames;
obj.OutPutName = outpname;
end
function x = get.OutPutRate(obj)
x = sum(obj);
end
function x = subsref(card, s)
if strcmp(s(1).type,'.')
base = subsref@int32(card, s(1));
if isscalar(s)
x = base;
else
x = subsref(base, s(2:end));
end
else
x = subsref(int32(card), s);
end
end
end
end
Methods of int32
The constructor takes three arguments:
• inptnames — Cell array of input port names

• inptrates — Vector of input port rates
• outpname — Name for the output port
omx = MuxCard({'inp1','inp2','inp3','inp4'},[3 12 12 48],'outp')
omx =
1x4 MuxCard array with properties:
InPutNames: {'inp1' 'inp2' 'inp3' 'inp4'}

OutPutName: 'outp'
OutPutRate: 75
int32 data:
11-74
3 12 12 48
Use an DocMuxCard object like an int32. For example, this statement accesses the
int32 data in the object to determine the names of the input ports that have a rate of
12:
omx.InPutNames(omx==12)
ans =
'inp2' 'inp3'
Indexing the MuxCard object accesses the int32 vector of input port rates:
omx(1:2)
ans =
3 12
The OutPutRate property get access method uses sum to sum the output port rates:
omx.OutPutRate
ans =
75
11-75
Determine Array Class

In this section...
“Querying the Class Name” on page 11-76
“Testing for Class” on page 11-76
“Testing for Specific Types” on page 11-77
“Testing for Most Derived Class” on page 11-78
Querying the Class Name

Use the class function to determine the class of an array:
a = [2,5,7,11];
class(a)
ans =
double
str = 'Character array';

class(str)
ans =
char
Testing for Class

The isa function enables you to test for a specific class or a category of numeric class
(numeric, float, integer):
a = [2,5,7,11];
isa(a,'double')
ans =
1
Floating-point values (single and double precision values):

isa(a,'float')
ans =
1
11-76
Numeric values (floating-point and integer values):

isa(a,'numeric')
ans =
1
isa Returns True for Subclasses
isa returns true for classes derived from the specified class. For example, the SubInt
class derives from the built-in type int16:
classdef SubInt < int16
methods
function obj = SubInt(data)
if nargin == 0
data = 0;
end
obj = obj@int16(data);
end
end
end
By definition, an instance of the SubInt class is also an instance of the int16 class:
aInt = SubInt;
isa(aInt,'int16')
ans =
1
Using the integer category also returns true:

isa(aInt,'integer')
ans =
1
Testing for Specific Types

The class function returns the name of the most derived class of an object:
class(aInt)
ans =
SubInt
11-77
Use the strcmp function with the class function to check for a specific class of an
object:
a = int16(7);
strcmp(class(a),'int16')
ans =
1
Because the class function returns the class name as a character string, the inheritance
of objects does not affect the result of the string comparison performed by strcmp:
aInt = SubInt;
strcmp(class(aInt),'int16')
ans =
0
Testing for Most Derived Class

If you define functions that require inputs that are:
• MATLAB built-in types

• Not subclasses of MATLAB built-in types
Use the following techniques to exclude subclasses of built-in types from the input
arguments.
• Define a cell array that contain the names of built-in types accepted by your function.
• Call class and strcmp to test for specific types in a MATLAB control statement.
Test an input argument:

if strcmp(class(inputArg),'single')
% Call function
else
inputArg = single(inputArg);
end
Testing for a Category of Types
Suppose you create a MEX-function, myMexFcn, that requires two numeric inputs that
must be of type double or single:
11-78
outArray = myMexFcn(a,b)
Define a cell array that contains the character arrays double and single:
floatTypes = {'double','single'};
% Test for proper types

if any(strcmp(class(a),floatTypes)) && ...
any(strcmp(class(b),floatTypes))
outArray = myMexFcn(a,b);
else
% Try to convert inputs to avoid error
...
end
Another Test for Built-In Types
Use isobject to separate built-in types from subclasses of built-in types. The isobject
function returns false for instances of built-in types:
% Create a int16 array

a = int16([2,5,7,11]);
isobject(a)
ans =
0
Determine if an array is one of the built-in integer types:

if isa(a,'integer') && ~isobject(a)
% a is a built-in integer type
...
end
11-79
Abstract Classes
In this section...
“Abstract Classes” on page 11-80
“Declaring Classes as Abstract” on page 11-81
“Determine If a Class Is Abstract” on page 11-82
“Find Inherited Abstract Properties and Methods” on page 11-83
Abstract Classes
Abstract classes are useful for describing functionality that is common to a group of
classes, but requires unique implementations within each class.
Abstract Class Terminology
abstract class — A class that cannot be instantiated, but that defines class components
used by subclasses.
abstract members — Properties or methods declared in an abstract class, but

implemented in subclasses.
concrete members — Properties or methods that are fully implement by a class.
concrete class — A class that can be instantiated. Concrete classes contain no abstract
members.
interface — An abstract class describing functionality that is common to a group of

classes, but that requires unique implementations within each class. The abstract class
defines the interface of each subclass without specifying the actual implementation.
An abstract class serves as a basis (that is, a superclass) for a group of related subclasses.
An abstract class can define abstract properties and methods that subclasses must
implement. Each subclass can implement the concrete properties and methods in a way
that supports their specific requirements.
Abstract classes can define properties and methods that are not abstract, and do not
need to define any abstract members. Abstract classes pass on their concrete members
through inheritance.
11-80
Abstract Classes
Implementing a Concrete Subclass
A subclass must implement all inherited abstract properties and methods to become a
concrete class. Otherwise, the subclass is itself an abstract class.
Declaring Classes as Abstract

A class is abstract when it declares:
• An abstract method
• An abstract property
• The Abstract class attribute
A subclass of an abstract class is itself abstract if it does not define concrete

implementations for all inherited abstract methods or properties.
Abstract Methods
Define an abstract method:

methods (Abstract)
abstMethod(obj)
end
For methods that declare the Abstract method attribute:
• Do not use a function...end block to define an abstract method, use only the
method signature.
• Abstract methods have no implementation in the abstract class.
• Concrete subclasses are not required to support the same number of input and output
arguments and do not need to use the same argument names. However, subclasses
generally use the same signature when implementing their version of the method.
Abstract Properties
Define an abstract property:

properties (Abstract)
AbsProp
end
For properties that declare the Abstract property attribute:
11-81
• Concrete subclasses must redefine abstract properties without the Abstract

attribute, and must use the same values for the SetAccess and GetAccess
attributes as those used in the abstract superclass.
• Abstract properties cannot define set or get access methods (see “Property Access
Methods” on page 7-14) and cannot specify initial values. The subclass that defines
the concrete property can create set or get access methods and specify initial values.
Abstract Class
Declare a class as abstract in the classdef statement:
classdef (Abstract) AbsClass

...
end
For classes that declare the Abstract class attribute:
• Concrete subclasses must redefine any properties or methods that are declared as
abstract.
• The abstract class does not need to define any abstract methods or properties.
When you define any abstract methods or properties, MATLAB automatically sets the
class Abstract attribute to true.
Determine If a Class Is Abstract

Determine if a class is abstract by querying the Abstract property of its meta.class
object. For example, the AbsClass defines two abstract methods:
classdef AbsClass
methods(Abstract, Static)
result = absMethodOne
output = absMethodTwo
end
end
Use the logical value of the meta.class Abstract property to determine if the class is
abstract:
mc = ?AbsClass;
if ~mc.Abstract
% not an abstract class
11-82
Abstract Classes
end
Display Abstract Member Names
Use the meta.abstractDetails function to display the names of abstract properties or

methods and the names of the defining classes:
meta.abstractDetails('AbsClass');
Abstract methods for class AbsClass:

absMethodTwo % defined in AbsClass
absMethodOne % defined in AbsClass
Find Inherited Abstract Properties and Methods

The meta.abstractDetails function returns the names and defining class of any
inherited abstract properties or methods that you have not implemented in your
subclass. This can be useful if you want the subclass to be concrete and need to
determine what abstract members the subclass inherits.
For example, suppose you subclass AbsClass, which is described in the “Determine If a
Class Is Abstract” on page 11-82 section:
classdef SubAbsClass < AbsClass
% Failed to implement absMethodOne
% defined as abstract in AbsClass
methods (Static)
function out = absMethodTwo(a,b)
out = a + b;
end
end
end
Determine if you implemented all inherited class members using

meta.abstractDetails:
meta.abstractDetails(?SubAbsClass)
Abstract methods for class SubAbsClass:

absMethodOne % defined in AbsClass
The SubAbsClass class itself is abstract because it has not implemented the
absMethodOne defined in AbsClass.
11-83
Interfaces
In this section...
“Interfaces and Abstract Classes” on page 11-84
“An Interface for Classes Implementing Graphs” on page 11-84
Interfaces and Abstract Classes

The properties and methods defined by a class form the interface that determines how
class users interact with objects of the class. When creating a group of related classes,
define a common interface to all these classes, even though the actual implementations of
this interface can differ from one class to another.
For example, consider a set of classes designed to represent various graphs (for example,
line plots, bar graphs, pie charts, and so on). Suppose all classes must implement a Data
property to contain the data used to generate the graph. However, the form of the data
can differ considerably from one type of graph to another. Consequently, the way each
class implements the Data property can be different.
The same differences apply to methods. All classes can have a draw method that creates
the graph, but the implementation of this method changes with the type of graph.
The basic idea of an interface class is to specify the properties and methods that each
subclass must implement without defining the actual implementation. This approach
enables you to enforce a consistent interface to a group of related objects. As you add
more classes in the future, the original interface remains.
An Interface for Classes Implementing Graphs

This example creates an interface for classes used to display specialized graphs. The
interface is an abstract class that defines properties and methods that the subclasses
must implement, but does not specify how to implement these components. This
approach enforces the use of a consistent interface while providing the necessary
flexibility to implement the internal workings of each specialized graph subclass
differently.
In this example, the interface, derived subclasses, and a utility function are contained in
a package folder:
+graphics/graph.m % abstract interface class
11-84
Interfaces
+graphics/linegraph.m % concrete subclass
Interface Properties and Methods
The graph class specifies the following properties, which the subclasses must define:
• Primitive — Handle of the Handle Graphics object used to implement the

specialized graph. The class user has no need to access these objects directly so this
property has protected SetAccess and GetAccess.
• AxesHandle — Handle of the axes used for the graph. The specialized graph
objects can set axes object properties and also limit this property's SetAccess and
GetAccess to protected.
• Data — All specialized graph objects must store data, but the type of data varies so
each subclass defines the storage mechanism. Subclass users can change the data so
this property has public access rights.
The graph class names three abstract methods that subclasses must implement. The
graph class also suggests in comments that each subclass constructor must accept the
plot data and property name/property value pairs for all class properties.
• subclass_constructor — Accept data and P/V pairs and return an object.

• draw — Used to create a drawing primitive and render a graph of the data according
to the type of graph implemented by the subclass.
• zoom — Implementation of a zoom method by changing the axes CameraViewAngle
property. The interface suggests the use of the camzoom function for consistency
among subclasses. The zoom buttons created by the addButtons static method use
this method as a callback.
• updateGraph — Method called by the set.Data method to update the plotted data
whenever the Data property changes.
Interface Guides Class Design
The package of classes that derive from the graph abstract class implement the following
behaviors:
• Creating an instance of a specialized graph object (subclass object) without rendering

the plot
• Specifying any or none of the object properties when you create a specialized graph
object
• Changing any object property automatically updates the currently displayed plot
11-85
• Allowing each specialized graph object to implement whatever additional properties

it requires to give class users control over those characteristics.
Defining the Interface
The graph class is an abstract class that defines the methods and properties used by the
subclasses. Comments in the abstract class suggest the intended implementation:
classdef graph < handle
% Abstract class for creating data graphs
% Subclass constructor should accept
% the data that is to be plotted and
% property name/property value pairs
properties (SetAccess = protected, GetAccess = protected)
Primitive % HG primitive handle
AxesHandle % Axes handle
end
properties % Public access
Data
end
methods (Abstract)
draw(obj)
% Use a line, surface,
% or patch HG primitive
zoom(obj,factor)
% Change the CameraViewAngle
% for 2D and 3D views
% use camzoom for consistency
updateGraph(obj)
% Called by the set.Data method
% to update the drawing primitive
% whenever the Data property is changed
end
methods
function set.Data(obj,newdata)
obj.Data = newdata;
updateGraph(obj)
end
function addButtons(gobj)
hfig = get(gobj.AxesHandle,'Parent');
uicontrol(hfig,'Style','pushbutton','String','Zoom Out',...
'Callback',@(src,evnt)zoom(gobj,.5));
uicontrol(hfig,'Style','pushbutton','String','Zoom In',...
'Callback',@(src,evnt)zoom(gobj,2),...
'Position',[100 20 60 20]);
end
end
end
The graph class implements the property set method (set.Data) to monitor changes
to the Data property. An alternative is to define the Data property as Abstract and
enable the subclasses to determine whether to implement a set access method for this
11-86
Interfaces
property. However, by defining the set access method that calls an abstract method
(updateGraph, which each subclass must implement), the graph interface imposes a
specific design on the whole package of classes, without limiting flexibility.
Method to Work with All Subclasses
The addButtons method adds push buttons for the zoom methods, which each subclass
must implement. Using a method instead of an ordinary function enables addButtons
to access the protected class data (the axes handle). Use the object's zoom method as the
push button callback.
function addButtons(gobj)
hfig = get(gobj.AxesHandle,'Parent');
uicontrol(hfig,'Style','pushbutton','String','Zoom Out',...
'Callback',@(src,evnt)zoom(gobj,.5));
uicontrol(hfig,'Style','pushbutton','String','Zoom In',...
'Callback',@(src,evnt)zoom(gobj,2),...
'Position',[100 20 60 20]);
end
Deriving a Concrete Class — linegraph
This example defines only a single subclass used to represent a simple line graph. It
derives from graph, but provides implementations for the abstract methods draw, zoom,
updateGraph, and its own constructor. The base class (graph) and subclass are all
contained in a package (graphics), which you must use to reference the class name:
classdef linegraph < graphics.graph
Adding Properties
The linegraph class implements the interface defined in the graph class and adds two
additional properties—LineColor and LineType. This class defines initial values for
each property, so specifying property values in the constructor is optional. You can create
a linegraph object with no data, but you cannot produce a graph from that object.
properties
LineColor = [0 0 0];
LineType = '-';
end
The linegraph Constructor
The constructor accepts a struct with x and y coordinate data, as well as property
name/property value pairs:
11-87
function gobj = linegraph(data,varargin)

if nargin > 0
gobj.Data = data;
if nargin > 2
for k=1:2:length(varargin)
gobj.(varargin{k}) = varargin{k+1};
end
end
end
end
Implementing the draw Method
The linegraph draw method uses property values to create a line object. The
linegraph class stores the line handle as protected class data. To support the use of no
input arguments for the class constructor, draw checks the Data property to determine if
it is empty before proceeding:
function gobj = draw(gobj)
if isempty(gobj.Data)
error('The linegraph object contains no data')
end
h = line(gobj.Data.x,gobj.Data.y,...
'Color',gobj.LineColor,...
'LineStyle',gobj.LineType);
gobj.Primitive = h;
gobj.AxesHandle = get(h,'Parent');
end
Implementing the zoom Method
The linegraph zoom method follows the comments in the graph class which suggest
using the camzoom function. camzoom provides a convenient interface to zooming and
operates correctly with the push buttons created by the addButtons method.
Defining the Property Set Methods
Property set methods provide a convenient way to execute code automatically when
the value of a property changes for the first time in a constructor. (See “Property Set
Methods”.) The linegraph class uses set methods to update the line primitive data
(which causes a redraw of the plot) whenever a property value changes. The use of
property set methods provides a way to update the data plot quickly without requiring
a call to the draw method. The draw method updates the plot by resetting all values to
match the current property values.
11-88
Interfaces
Three properties use set methods: LineColor, LineType, and Data. LineColor and
LineType are properties added by the linegraph class and are specific to the line
primitive used by this class. Other subclasses can define different properties unique to
their specialization (for example., FaceColor).
The graph class implements the Data property set method. However, the graph class
requires each subclass to define a method called updateGraph, which handles the
update of plot data for the specific drawing primitive used.
Using the linegraph Class
The linegraph class defines the simple API specified by the graph base class and
implements its specialized type of graph:
d.x = 1:10;
d.y = rand(10,1);
lg = graphics.linegraph(d,'LineColor','b',...
'LineType',':');
lg.draw;
lg.addButtons;
Clicking the Zoom In button shows the zoom method providing the callback for the
button.
11-89
Changing properties updates the graph:
d.y = rand(10,1); % new set of random data for y

lg.Data = d;
lg.LineColor = [0.9,0.1,0.6]; % LineColor can be char or double
Now click Zoom Out and see the new results:
11-90
Interfaces
11-91
12
• “Save and Load Process” on page 12-2

• “Reduce MAT-File Size for Saved Objects” on page 12-4
• “Save Object Data to Recreate Graphics Objects” on page 12-5
• “Improve Version Compatibility with Default Values” on page 12-7
• “Avoid Property Initialization Order Dependency” on page 12-9
• “Modify the Save and Load Process” on page 12-13
• “Maintain Class Compatibility” on page 12-18
• “Initialize Objects” on page 12-25
• “Save and Load Objects from Class Hierarchies” on page 12-27
• “Restore Listeners” on page 12-30
• “Save and Load Dynamic Properties” on page 12-33
12 Saving and Loading Objects
Save and Load Process

In this section...
“Save and Load Objects” on page 12-2
“What Information Is Saved?” on page 12-2
“How Is the Property Data Loaded?” on page 12-2
“Errors During Load” on page 12-3
Save and Load Objects

Use save and load to store and reload objects:
save filename object

load filename object
What Information Is Saved?

Saving objects in MAT-files saves:
• The full name of the object class, including any package qualifiers
• Values of dynamic properties
• The names and values of all properties, except properties that have their Transient,
Constant, or Dependent attributes set to true
• Properties that have their Transient, Constant, or Dependent attributes set to

true.
For a description of property attributes, see “Specify Property Attributes” on page 7-5
To save graphics objects, see savefig.
How Is the Property Data Loaded?

When loading objects from MAT-files, load restores the object. The load function:
• Creates a new object.

• Assigns the values saved for each property.
12-2
Save and Load Process
• Calls the class constructor with no arguments only if the class ConstructOnLoad
attribute is set to true. Otherwise, load does not call the class constructor.
• Assigns the saved property values to the object properties. These assignments result
in calls to property set methods defined by the class (except in the case of Dependent
properties, which are not saved or loaded).
You can use property set methods to ensure that property values are still valid in cases
where the class definition has changed.
For information on property set methods, see “Property Set Methods”.
Errors During Load

If a new version of a class removes or renames a property, load can generate an error
when attempting to set the altered or deleted property.
In many cases, careful class design can prevent load problems when class definitions
change between saved versions.
When an error occurs while an object is being loaded from a file, MATLAB does one of the
following:
• If the class defines a loadobj method, MATLAB returns the saved values to the
loadobj method in a struct.
• If the class does not define a loadobj method, MATLAB silently ignores the errors.
The load function reconstitutes the object with property values that do not produce
an error.
In the struct passed to the loadobj method, the field names correspond to the
property names. The field values are the saved values for the corresponding properties.
If the saved object derives from multiple superclasses that have private properties with
same name, the struct contains only the property value of the most direct superclass.
For information on how to implement saveobj and loadobj methods, see “Modify the
Save and Load Process” on page 12-13.
12-3
Reduce MAT-File Size for Saved Objects

In this section...
“Default Values” on page 12-4
“Dependent Properties” on page 12-4
“Transient Properties” on page 12-4
“Avoid Saving Unwanted Variables” on page 12-4
Default Values
If a property often has the same value, define a default value for that property. When
the user saves the object to a MAT-file, MATLAB does not save the default value, which
reduces the size of the MAT-file.
For more information on how MATLAB evaluates default value expressions, see
“Defining Default Values” on page 4-12.
Dependent Properties
Use a dependent property when the property value must be calculated at run time. A
dependent property is not saved in the MAT-file when you save an object. Instances of
the class do not allocate memory to hold a value for a dependent property.
Dependent is a property attribute (see “Property Attributes” on page 7-7 for a complete
list.)
Transient Properties
MATLAB does not store the values of transient properties. Transient properties can store
data in the object temporarily as an intermediate computation step or for faster retrieval.
Use transient properties when you easily can reproduce the data at run time or when the
data represents intermediate state that can be discarded.
Avoid Saving Unwanted Variables

Do not save variables that you do not want to load. Be sure that an object is still valid
before you save it. For example, if you save a deleted handle object, MATLAB loads it as
a deleted handle.
12-4
Save Object Data to Recreate Graphics Objects
Save Object Data to Recreate Graphics Objects

In this section...
“What to Save” on page 12-5
“Regenerate When Loading” on page 12-5
“Change to a Stairstep Chart” on page 12-6
What to Save
Use transient properties to avoid saving what you can recreate when loading the object.
For example, an object can contain component parts that you can regenerate from data
that is saved. Regenerating these components also enables newer versions of the class to
create the components in a different way.
Regenerate When Loading

The YearlyRainfall class illustrates how to regenerate a graph when loading objects
of that class. YearlyRainfall objects contain a bar chart of the monthly rainfall for
a given location and year. The Location and Year properties are ordinary properties
whose values are saved when you save the object.
The Chart property contains the handle to the bar chart. When you save a bar chart,
MATLAB also saves the figure, axes, and Bar object as well as the data required to create
these graphics objects. The YearlyRainfall class design eliminates the need to save
objects that it can regenerate:
• The Chart property is Transient so the graphics objects are not saved.
• ChartData is a private property that provides storage for the Bar object data
(YData).
• The load function calls the set.ChartData method, passing it the saved bar chart
data.
• The setup method regenerates the bar chart and assigns the handle to the Chart
property. Both the class constructor and the set.ChartData method call setup.
classdef YearlyRainfall < handle

properties
Location
12-5
Year
end
properties(Transient)
Chart
end
properties(Access = private)
ChartData
end
methods
function rf = YearlyRainfall(data)
setup(rf,data);
end
function set.ChartData(obj,V)
setup(obj,V);
end
function V = get.ChartData(obj)
V = obj.Chart.YData;
end
end
methods(Access = private)
function setup(rf,data)
rf.Chart = bar(data);
end
end
end
Change to a Stairstep Chart

An advantage of the YearlyRainfall class design is the flexibility to modify the type
of graph used without making previously saved objects incompatible. Loading the object
recreates the graph based only on the data that is saved to the MAT-file.
For example, change the type of graph from a bar chart to a stair-step graph by
modifying the setup method:
methods(Access = private)
function setup(rf,data)
rf.Chart = stairs(data);
end
end
12-6
Improve Version Compatibility with Default Values
Improve Version Compatibility with Default Values

In this section...
“Version Compatibility” on page 12-7
“Using a Default Property Value” on page 12-7
Version Compatibility
Default property values can help you implement version compatibility for saved objects.
For example, suppose that you add a property to version 2 of your class. Having a default
value enables MATLAB to assign a value to the new property when loading a version 1
object.
Similarly, suppose version 2 of your class removes a property. If a version 2 object is

saved and loaded into version 1, your loadobj method can use the default value from
version 1.
Using a Default Property Value

The EmployeeInfo class shows how to use property default values as a way to enhance
compatibility among versions. Version 1 of the EmployeeInfo class defines three
properties — Name, JobTitle, and Department.
properties
Name
JobTitle
Department
end
end
Version 2 of the EmployeeInfo class adds a property, Country, for the country name of
the employee location. The Country property has a default value of the string 'USA'.
properties
Name
JobTitle
Department
Country = 'USA';
12-7
end
end
The character array, 'USA', is a good default value because:
• MATLAB assigns and empty double [] to properties that do not have default values
defined by the class. Empty double is not a valid value for the Country property.
• In version 1, all employees were in the USA. Therefore, any version 1 object loaded
into version 2 receives a valid value for the Country property.
12-8
Avoid Property Initialization Order Dependency

In this section...
“Control Property Loading” on page 12-9
“Dependent Property with Private Storage” on page 12-9
“Property Value Computed from Other Properties” on page 12-11
Control Property Loading

Problems loading properties can occur when property values depend on the order in
which the properties are set.
Suppose your class design is such that both of the following are true:
• A property set method changes another property value.

• A property value is computed solely from other property values.
Then the final state of an object after changing a series of property values can depend on
the order in which you set the properties. This order dependency can affect the result of
loading an object.
The load function sets property values in a particular order. This order can be different
from the order in which you set the properties in the saved object. As a result, the loaded
object can have different property values than the object had when it was saved.
Restore Nondependent Properties
If a property set function changes the values of other properties, then define the
Dependent attribute of that property as true. MATLAB does not save or restore
dependent property values.
Use nondependent properties for storing the values set by the dependent property. Then
the load function restores the nondependent properties with the same values that were
saved. The load function does not call the dependent property set method because there
is no value in the saved file for that property.
Dependent Property with Private Storage

The Odometer class avoids order dependences when loading objects by controlling which
properties are restored when loading:
12-9
• The Units property is dependent. Its property set method sets the TotalDistance
property. Therefore load does not call the Units property set method.
• The load function restores TotalDistance to whatever value it had when you saved
the object.
classdef Odometer
properties(Constant)
ConversionFactor = 1.6
end
properties
TotalDistance = 0
end
properties(Dependent)
Units
end
properties(Access=private)
PrivateUnits = 'mi'
end
methods
function unit = get.Units(obj)
unit = obj.PrivateUnits;
end
function obj = set.Units(obj,newUnits)
% validate newUnits to be a string
switch(newUnits)
case 'mi'
if strcmp(obj.PrivateUnits,'km')
obj.TotalDistance = obj.TotalDistance / ...
obj.ConversionFactor;
obj.PrivateUnits = newUnits;
end
case 'km'
if strcmp(obj.PrivateUnits,'mi')
obj.TotalDistance = obj.TotalDistance * ...
obj.ConversionFactor;
obj.PrivateUnits = newUnits;
end
otherwise
error('Odometer:InvalidUnits', ...
'Units ''%s'' is not supported.', newUnits);
end
end
end
end
12-10
Suppose that you create an instance of Odometer and set the following property values:
odObj = Odometer;
odObj.Units = 'km';
odObj.TotalDistance = 16;
When you save the object:
• ConversionFactor is not saved because it is a Constant property.

• TotalDistance is saved.
• Units is not saved because it is a Dependent property.
• PrivateUnits is saved and provides the storage for the current value of Units.
When you load the object:
• ConversionFactor is obtained from the class definition.

• TotalDistance is loaded.
• Units is not loaded, so its set method is not called.
• PrivateUnits is loaded from the saved object.
If the Units property was not Dependent, loading it calls its set method and causes the
TotalDistance property to be set again.
Property Value Computed from Other Properties

The Odometer2 class TripDistance property depends only on the values of two other
properties, TotalDistance and TripMarker.
The class avoids order dependence when initializing property values during the load
process by making the TripDistance property dependent. MATLAB does not save or
load a value for the TripDistance property, but does save and load values for the two
properties used to calculate TripDistance in its property get method.
classdef Odometer2
properties
TotalDistance = 0
TripMarker = 0
end
properties(Dependent)
TripDistance
12-11
end
methods
function distance = get.TripDistance(obj)
distance = obj.TotalDistance - obj.TripMarker;
end
end
end
12-12
Modify the Save and Load Process
In this section...
“When to Modify the Save and Load Process” on page 12-13
“How to Modify the Save and Load Process” on page 12-13
“Implementing saveobj and loadobj Methods” on page 12-14
“Additional Considerations” on page 12-14
“A Typical saveobj and loadobj Pattern” on page 12-15
“Regenerating from Object or struct” on page 12-16
“Related Examples” on page 12-17
When to Modify the Save and Load Process

The primary reason for modifying the save and load process is to support backward and
forward compatibility of classes. Consider modifying the save and load process when you:
• Rename the class

• Remove properties
• Define a circular reference of handle objects where initialization order is important
• Must call the constructor with arguments and, therefore, cannot use
ConstructOnLoad
How to Modify the Save and Load Process

The most versatile technique for modifying the save and load process is to implement
loadobj, and if necessary, saveobj methods for your class. MATLAB executes these
methods when you call save or load on an object of the class.
The save function calls your class saveobj method before performing the save
operation. The save function then saves the value returned by the saveobj method. You
can use saveobj to return a modified object or a struct that contains property values.
load calls your class loadobj method after loading the object. The load function loads
the value returned by the loadobj method into the workspace. A loadobj method can
12-13
modify the object being loaded or can reconstruct an object from the data saved by your
saveobj method.
Implementing saveobj and loadobj Methods

Implement a saveobj method that modifies the object being saved, then implement a
loadobj method to return the object to a specific state when loading it.
Implement the loadobj method as a Static method because loadobj can be called
with a struct or other data type instead of an object of the class.
You can implement the saveobj method as an ordinary method (that is, calling it
requires an instance of the class).
MATLAB saves the object class name so that load can determine which loadobj
method to call in cases where your saveobj method saves only the object data in an
array. Therefore, the class must be accessible to MATLAB when you load the object.
Use a loadobj method when:
• The class definition has changed since the object was saved, requiring you to modify
the object before loading.
• A saveobj method modified the object during the save operation, perhaps saving
data in a struct. In this case, the loadobj method must reconstruct the object from
the output of saveobj.
Additional Considerations
When you decide to modify the default save and load process, keep the following points in
mind:
• If loading any property value from the MAT-file produces an error, load passes a
struct to loadobj. The struct field names correspond to the property names
extracted from the file.
• loadobj must always be able to accept a struct as input and return an object, even
if there is no saveobj or saveobj does not return a struct.
• If saveobj returns a struct, then load always passes that struct to loadobj.
12-14
• Subclass objects inherit superclass loadobj and saveobj methods. Therefore, if you
do not implement a loadobj or saveobj method in the most specific class, MATLAB
calls only the inherited methods.
If a superclass implements a loadobj or saveobj method, then your subclass can

also implement a loadobj or saveobj method that calls the superclass methods as
necessary. See “Save and Load Objects from Class Hierarchies” on page 12-27 for
more information.
• The load function does not call the constructor by default. For more information, see
“Initialize Objects” on page 12-25.
A Typical saveobj and loadobj Pattern

There are various ways you can use saveobj and loadobj methods, depending on the
requirements of your class. The pattern that is described here is a flexible way to solve
various problems that you cannot address by simpler means.
The basic process is:
• Use saveobj to save all essential data in a struct and do not save the object.
• Use loadobj to reconstruct the object from the saved data.
This approach is not useful in cases where you cannot save property values in a struct
field. Data that you cannot save, such as a file identifier, you can possibly regenerate in
the loadobj method.
saveobj
For this pattern, define saveobj as an ordinary method that accepts an object of the
class and returns a struct.
• Copy each property value to a structure field of the same name.

• You can save only the data that is necessary to rebuild the object. Avoid saving whole
objects hierarchies, such as those created by graphs.
methods
function s = saveobj(obj)
s.Prop1 = obj.Prop1;
s.Prop2 = obj.Prop2
s.Data = obj.GraphHandle.YData;
end
12-15
end
loadobj
Define loadobj as a static method. Create an object by calling the class constructor.
Then assign values to properties from the struct passed to loadobj. Use the data to
regenerate properties that were not saved.
methods(Static)
if isstruct(s)
newObj = ClassConstructor;
newObj.Prop1 = s.Prop1;
newObj.Prop2 = s.Prop2
newObj.GraphHandle = plot(s.Data);
obj = newObj;
else
obj = s;
end
end
end
If the load function encounters an error, load passes loadobj a struct instead of
an object. Your loadobj method must always be able to handle a struct as the input
argument. The input to loadobj is always a scalar.
Regenerating from Object or struct

saveobj does not have to save the object data in a struct. Sometimes using only a
loadobj method can be useful.
The GraphExpression class creates a graph of a MATLAB expression over a specified

range of data. GraphExpression uses its loadobj method to regenerate the graph,
which is not saved. The loadobj method works with either a struct or an object as
input
classdef GraphExpression
properties
FuncHandle
Range
end
methods
function obj = GraphExpression(fh,rg)
12-16
obj.FuncHandle = fh;
obj.Range = rg;
makeGraph(obj)
end
function makeGraph(obj)
rg = obj.Range;
x = min(rg):max(rg);
data = obj.FuncHandle(x);
plot(data)
end
end
methods (Static)
if isstruct(s)
fh = s.FuncHandle;
rg = s.Range;
obj = GraphExpression(fh,rg);
else
makeGraph(s);
obj = s;
end
end
end
end
Related Examples
For examples that modify the save and load process, see:
• “Maintain Class Compatibility” on page 12-18

• “Restore Listeners” on page 12-30
• “Initialize Objects” on page 12-25
12-17
Maintain Class Compatibility

In this section...
“Rename Property” on page 12-18
“Update Property When Loading” on page 12-20
“Maintaining Compatible Versions of a Class” on page 12-21
“Version 2 of the PhoneBookEntry Class” on page 12-22
Rename Property
Suppose you want to rename a property, but do not want to cause errors in existing
code that refer to the original property. For example, rename a public property called
OfficeNumber to Location. Here is the original class definition:
classdef EmployeeList
properties
Name
Email
OfficeNumber % Rename as Location
end
end
Use of a hidden dependent property can achieve the desired results.
• In the class definition, set the OfficeNumber property attributes to Dependent and
Hidden.
• Create a property set method for OfficeNumber that sets the value of the Location
property.
• Create a property get method for OfficeNumber that returns the value of the
Location location property.
While the OfficeNumber property is hidden, existing code can continue to access this
property. The Hidden attribute does not affect access.
Because OfficeNumber is dependent, there is no redundancy in storage required by

adding the new property. MATLAB does not store or save dependent properties.
Here is the updated class definition.
12-18
properties
Name
Email
Location
end
properties (Dependent, Hidden)
OfficeNumber
end
methods
function obj = set.OfficeNumber(obj,val)
obj.Location = val;
end
function val = get.OfficeNumber(obj)
val = obj.Location;
end
end
end
Saving and Loading EmployeeList Objects
You can load old instances of the EmployeeList class in the presence of the new class
version. Code that refers to the OfficeNumber property continues to work.
Forward and Backward Compatibility
Suppose you want to be able to load new EmployeeList objects into systems that still
have the old version of the EmployeeList class. To achieve compatibility with old and
new versions:
• Define the OfficeNumber property as Hidden, but not Dependent.

• Define the Location property as Dependent.
In this version of the EmployeeList class, the OfficeNumber property saves the value
used by the Location property. Loading an object assigns values of the three original
properties (Name, Email, and OfficeNumber), but does not assign a value to the new
Location property. The lack of the Location property in the old class definition is not a
problem.
properties
Name
Email
12-19
end
Location
end
properties (Hidden)
OfficeNumber
end
methods
function obj = set.Location(obj,val)
obj.OfficeNumber = val;
end
function val = get.Location(obj)
val = obj.OfficeNumber;
end
end
end
Update Property When Loading

Suppose that you modify a class so that a property value changes in its form or type.
Previously saved objects of the class must be updated when loaded to have a conforming
property value.
Consider a class that has an AccountID property. Suppose that all account numbers
must migrate from eight-digit numeric values to 12-element character arrays.
You can accommodate this change by implementing a loadobj method.
The loadobj method:
• Tests to determine if the load function passed a struct or object. All loadobj
methods must handle both struct and object when there is an error in load.
• Tests to determine if the AccountID number contains eight digits. If so, change it to a
12-element character array by calling the paddAccID method.
After updating the AccountID property, loadobj returns a MyAccount object that
MATLAB loads into the workspace.
classdef MyAccount
properties
AccountID
end
12-20
methods
function obj = padAccID(obj)
ac = obj.AccountID;
acstr = num2str(ac);
if length(acstr) < 12
obj.AccountID = [acstr,repmat('0',1,12-length(acstr))];
end
end
end
methods (Static)
function obj = loadobj(a)
if isstruct(a)
obj = MyAccount;
obj.AccountID = a.AccountID;
obj = padAccID(obj);
elseif isa(a,'MyAccount')
obj = padAccID(a);
end
end
end
end
You do not need to implement a saveobj method. You are using loadobj only to ensure
that older saved objects are brought up to date while loading.
Maintaining Compatible Versions of a Class

The PhoneBookEntry class uses a combination of techniques to maintain compatibility
with new versions of the class.
Suppose that you define a class to represent an entry in a phone book. The
PhoneBookEntry class defines three properties: Name, Address, and PhoneNumber.
classdef PhoneBookEntry
properties
Name
Address
PhoneNumber
end
end
However, in future releases, the class will add more properties. To provide flexibility,
PhoneBookEntry saves property data in a struct using its saveobj method.
12-21
methods
s.Name = obj.Name;
s.Address = obj.Address;
s.PhoneNumber = obj.PhoneNumber;
end
end
The loadobj method creates the PhoneBookEntry object, which is then loaded into the
workspace.
methods (Static)
if isstruct(s)
newObj = PhoneBookEntry;
newObj.Name = s.Name;
newObj.Address = s.Address;
newObj.PhoneNumber = s.PhoneNumber;
obj = newObj;
else
obj = s;
end
end
end
Version 2 of the PhoneBookEntry Class

In version 2 of the PhoneBookEntry class, you split the Address property into
StreetAddress, City, State, and ZipCode properties.
With these changes, you could not load a version 2 object in a previous release. However,
version 2 employs a number of techniques to enable compatibility:
• Preserve the Address property (which is used in version 1) as a Dependent property

with private SetAccess.
• Define an Address property get method (get.Address) to build a string that is
compatible with the version 2 Address property.
• The saveobj method invokes the get.Address method to assign the object data to a
struct that is compatible with previous versions. The struct continues to have only
an Address field built from the data in the new StreetAddress, City, State, and
ZipCode properties.
12-22
• When the loadobj method sets the Address property, it invokes the property
set method (set.Address), which extracts the substrings required by the
StreetAddress, City, State, and ZipCode properties.
• The Transient (not saved) property SaveInOldFormat enables you to specify
whether to save the version 2 object as a struct or an object.
classdef PhoneBookEntry
properties
Name
StreetAddress
City
State
ZipCode
PhoneNumber
end
Sep = ', ';
end
properties (Dependent, SetAccess=private)
Address
end
SaveInOldFormat = false;
end
methods (Static)
if isstruct(s)
obj = PhoneBookEntry;
obj.Name = s.Name;
obj.Address = s.Address;
obj.PhoneNumber = s.PhoneNumber;
else
obj = s;
end
end
end
methods
function address = get.Address(obj)
address = [obj.StreetAddress,obj.Sep,obj.City,obj.Sep,...
obj.State,obj.Sep,obj.ZipCode];
end
function obj = set.Address(obj,address)
addressItems = regexp(address,obj.Sep,'split');
if length(addressItems) == 4
12-23
obj.StreetAddress = addressItems{1};
obj.City = addressItems{2};
obj.State = addressItems{3};
obj.ZipCode = addressItems{4};
else
error('PhoneBookEntry:InvalidAddressFormat', ...
'Invalid address format.');
end
end
if obj.SaveInOldFormat
s.Name = obj.Name;
s.Address = obj.Address;
s.PhoneNumber = obj.PhoneNumber;
end
end
end
end
12-24
Initialize Objects
Initialize Objects
In this section...
“Calling Constructor When Loading Objects” on page 12-25
“Initializing Objects in the loadobj Method” on page 12-25
Calling Constructor When Loading Objects

MATLAB does not call the class constructor when loading an object from a MAT-file.
However, if you set the ConstructOnLoad class attribute to true, load does call the
constructor with no arguments.
Enable ConstructOnLoad when you do not want to implement a loadobj method, but
must perform some actions at construction time. For example, enable ConstructOnLoad
when you are registering listeners for another object. Ensure that MATLAB can call the
class constructor with no arguments without generating an error.
If the constructor requires input arguments, use a loadobj method.
Initializing Objects in the loadobj Method

Use a loadobj method when the class constructor requires input arguments to perform
object initialization.
The LabResults class shares the constructor object initialization steps with the
loadobj method by performing these steps in the assignStatus method.
Objects of the LabResults class:
• Hold values for the results of tests.

• Assign a status for each value based on a set of criteria.
classdef LabResult
properties
CurrentValue
end
Status
12-25
end
methods
function obj = LabResult(cv)
obj.CurrentValue = cv;
obj = assignStatus(obj);
end
function obj = assignStatus(obj)
v = obj.CurrentValue;
if v < 10
obj.Status = 'Too low';
elseif v >= 10 && v < 100
obj.Status = 'In range';
else
obj.Status = 'Too high';
end
end
end
methods (Static)
if isstruct(s)
cv = s.CurrentValue;
obj = LabResults(cv);
else
obj = assignStatus(s);
end
end
end
end
The LabResults class uses loadobj to determine the status of a given test value. This
approach provides a way to:
• Modify the criteria for determining status

• Ensure that objects always use the current criteria
You do not need to implement a saveobj method.
12-26
Save and Load Objects from Class Hierarchies

In this section...
“Saving and Loading Subclass Objects” on page 12-27
“Reconstruct the Subclass Object from a Saved struct” on page 12-27
Saving and Loading Subclass Objects

If the most specific class of an object does not define a loadobj or saveobj method, this
class can inherit loadobj or saveobj methods from a superclass.
If any class in the hierarchy defines saveobj or loadobj methods:
• Define saveobj for all classes in the hierarchy.

• Call superclass saveobj methods from the subclass saveobj method because the
save function calls only the most specific saveobj method.
• The subclass loadobj method can call the superclass loadobj, or other methods as
required, to assign values to their properties.
Reconstruct the Subclass Object from a Saved struct

Suppose you want to save a subclass object by first converting its property data to a
struct in the class saveobj method. Then you reconstruct the object when loaded using
its loadobj method. This action requires that:
• Superclasses implement saveobj methods to save their property data in the struct.
• The subclass saveobj method calls each superclass saveobj method and returns the
completed struct to the save function. Then the save function writes the struct to
the MAT-file.
• The subclass loadobj method creates a subclass object and calls superclass methods
to assign their property values in the subclass object.
• The subclass loadobj method returns the reconstructed object to the load function,
which loads the object into the workspace.
The following superclass (MySuper) and subclass (MySub) definitions show how to code
these methods.
12-27
• The MySuper class defines a loadobj method to enable an object of this class to be
loaded directly.
• The subclass loadobj method calls a method named reload after it constructs the
subclass object.
• reload first calls the superclass reload method to assign superclass property values
and then assigns the subclass property value.
classdef MySuper
properties
X
Y
end
methods
function S = saveobj(obj)
S.PointX = obj.X;
S.PointY = obj.Y;
end
function obj = reload(obj,S)
obj.X = S.PointX;
obj.Y = S.PointY;
end
end
methods (Static)
function obj = loadobj(S)
if isstruct(s)
obj = MySuper;
obj = reload(obj,S);
end
end
end
end
Call the superclass saveobj and loadobj methods from the subclass saveobj and
loadobj methods.
classdef MySub < MySuper

properties
Z
end
methods
function S = saveobj(obj)
S = saveobj@MySuper(obj);
S.PointZ = obj.Z;
12-28
end
function obj = reload(obj,S)
obj = reload@MySuper(obj,S);
obj.Z = S.PointZ;
end
end
methods (Static)
function obj = loadobj(S)
if isstruct(s)
obj = MySub;
obj = reload(obj,S);
end
end
end
end
12-29
Restore Listeners
In this section...
“Create Listener with loadobj” on page 12-30
“Use Transient Property to Load Listener” on page 12-30
“Using the BankAccount and AccountManager Classes” on page 12-32
Create Listener with loadobj

Suppose that you create a property listener and want to be able to save and restore the
event source and the listener. One approach is to create a listener from the loadobj
method.
Use Transient Property to Load Listener

The BankAccount class stores the account balance and an account status. A PostSet
listener attached to the AccountBalance property controls the account status.
When the AccountBalance property value changes, the listener callback determines the
account status. Important points include:
• The BankAccount class defines the AccountManagerListener property to contain

the listener handle. This property enables the loadobj method to create a listener
and return a reference to it in the object that is loaded into the workspace.
• The AccountManagerListener property is Transient because there is no need
to store the listener handle with a BankAccount object. Create a listener that is
attached to the new BankAccount object created during the load process.
• The AccountBalance listener sets the AccountStatus.
• Only the AccountManager class can access AccountStatus property.
classdef BankAccount < handle
properties (SetObservable, AbortSet)
AccountBalance
end
AccountManagerListener
end
properties (Access = ?AccountManager)
12-30
Restore Listeners
AccountStatus
end
methods
function obj = BankAccount(initialBalance)
obj.AccountBalance = initialBalance;
obj.AccountStatus = 'New Account';
obj.AccountManagerListener = AccountManager.addAccount(obj);
end
end
methods (Static)
function obj = loadobj(obj)
if isstruct(obj) % Handle possble error
initialBalance = obj.AccountBalance;
obj = BankAccount(initialBalance);
else
obj.AccountManagerListener = AccountManager.addAccount(obj);
end
end
end
end
Assume the AccountManager class provides services for various types of accounts. For
the BankAccount class, the AccountManager class defines two Static methods:
• assignStatus — Callback for the AccountBalance property PostSet listener.

This method determines the value of the BankAccount AccountStatus property.
• addAccount — Creates the AccountBalance property PostSet listener. The
BankAccount constructor and loadobj methods call this method.
classdef AccountManager
methods (Static)
function assignStatus(BA,~)
if BA.AccountBalance < 0 && BA.AccountBalance >= -100
elseif BA.AccountBalance < -100
BA.AccountStatus = 'frozen';
else
end
end
function lh = addAccount(BA)
lh = addlistener(BA,'AccountBalance','PostSet', ...
@(src,evt)AccountManager.assignStatus(BA));
end
12-31
end
end
Using the BankAccount and AccountManager Classes

Create an instance of the BankAccount class.
ba = BankAccount(100)
ba =
BankAccount with properties:
AccountBalance: 100
AccountManagerListener: [1x1 event.proplistener]
AccountStatus: 'New Account'
Now set an account value to confirm that the AccountManager sets AccountStatus
appropriately:
ba.AccountBalance = -10;
ba.AccountStatus
ans =
overdrawn
Related Information
“Property Attributes”
“Listen for Changes to Property Values”
12-32
Save and Load Dynamic Properties
Save and Load Dynamic Properties

In this section...
“Saving Dynamic Properties” on page 12-33
“When You Need saveobj and loadobj Methods” on page 12-33
“Implementing saveobj and loadobj Methods” on page 12-33
Saving Dynamic Properties

Use the addprop method to add dynamic properties to a class that is derived from the
dynamicprops class. The save function saves dynamic properties with the object to
which they are attached. For more information on dynamic properties, see “Dynamic
Properties — Adding Properties to an Instance” on page 7-30.
When You Need saveobj and loadobj Methods

The save function saves dynamic properties and their values. However, save does not
save dynamic property attributes because these attributes are not specified in the class
definition. If you save an object that has dynamic properties with nondefault attributes
values, use saveobj and loadobj to manage the saving and loading of attribute values.
If the dynamic property has nondefault attribute values, convert the object to a struct
in the saveobj method. Save the dynamic property attribute values in the struct so
that the loadobj method can restore these values.
Implementing saveobj and loadobj Methods

Your saveobj method can obtain the nondefault attribute values from the
meta.DynamicProperty object associated with the dynamic property. Suppose the
object that you are saving has a dynamic property called DynoProp. Create a struct in
the saveobj method to save the data that the loadobj method uses to reconstruct the
object.
Here is how the saveobj method works:
• Obtain the meta.DynamicProperty object for the dynamic property.

• Store the name and value of the dynamic property in struct s.
12-33
• Store the nondefault dynamic property attributes values for SetAccess and
GetAccess in the struct. The loadobj function restores these values.
methods
metaDynoProp = findprop(obj,'DynoProp');
s.dynamicprops(1).name = metaDynoProp.Name;
s.dynamicprops(1).value = obj.DynoProp;
s.dynamicprops(1).setAccess = metaDynoProp.SetAccess;
s.dynamicprops(1).getAccess = metaDynoProp.GetAccess;
...
end
end
Your loadobj method can add the dynamic property and set the attribute values:
• Create an instance of the class.

• Use addprop to add a new dynamic property to the object.
• Restore the attributes of the dynamic property.
methods (Static)
if isstruct(s)
obj = ClassConstructor;
...
metaDynoProp = addprop(obj,s.dynamicprops(1).name);
obj.(s.dynamicprops(1).name) = s.dynamicprops(1).value;
metaDynoProp.SetAccess = s.dynamicprops(1).setAccess;
metaDynoProp.GetAccess = s.dynamicprops(1).getAccess;
end
end
end
12-34
13
Enumerations
• “Defining Named Values” on page 13-2

• “Working with Enumerations” on page 13-3
• “Enumerations Derived from Built-In Types” on page 13-14
• “Mutable (Handle) vs. Immutable (Value) Enumeration Members” on page 13-20
• “Enumerations That Encapsulate Data” on page 13-27
• “Saving and Loading Enumerations” on page 13-31
13 Enumerations
Defining Named Values
Kinds of Predefined Names

MATLAB supports two kinds of predefined names:
• Constant properties
• Enumerations
Constant Properties
Use constant properties when you want a collection of related constant values whose
values can belong to different types (numeric values, character strings, and so on). Define
properties with constant values by setting the property Constant attribute. Reference
constant properties by name whenever you need access to that particular value.
See “Properties with Constant Values” on page 14-2 for more information.
Enumerations
Use enumerations when you want to create a fixed set of names representing a single
type of value. You can derive enumeration classes from other classes to inherit the
operations of the superclass. For example, if you define an enumeration class that
subclasses a MATLAB numeric class like double or int32, the enumeration class
inherits all of the mathematical and relational operations that MATLAB defines for those
classes.
Using enumerations instead of character strings to represent a value, such as colors

('red'), can result in more readable code because:
• You can compare enumeration members with == instead of using strcmp

• Enumerations maintain type information, strings do not. For example, passing a
string 'red' to functions means that every function must interpret what 'red'
means. If you define red as an enumeration, the actual value of 'red' can change
(from [1 0 0] to [.93 .14 .14], for example) without updating every function
that accepts colors, as you would if you defined the color as a string 'red'.
Define enumerations by creating an enumeration block in the class definition.
See “Working with Enumerations” on page 13-3 for more information.
13-2
Working with Enumerations

In this section...
“Using Enumeration Classes” on page 13-4
“Defining Methods in Enumeration Classes” on page 13-8
“Defining Properties in Enumeration Classes” on page 13-9
“Array Expansion Operations” on page 13-10
“Constructor Calling Sequence” on page 13-10
“Restrictions Applied to Enumeration Classes” on page 13-12
“Techniques for Defining Enumerations” on page 13-12
Basic Knowledge
provided in the following sections.
Defining Classes and Class Members

• “Mutable and Immutable Properties” on page 7-13
• enumeration function displays enumeration names
Terminology and Concepts
This documentation uses terminology as described in the following list:
• Enumeration or Enumeration class — A class that contains an enumeration block

defining enumeration members.
• Enumeration member — A named instance of an enumeration class.
• Enumeration member constructor arguments — Values in parentheses next to the
enumeration member name in the enumeration block. When you create an instance of
an enumeration member, MATLAB passes the value or values in parenthesis to the
class constructor.
13-3
13 Enumerations
• Underlying value — For enumerations derived from built-in classes, the value
associated with an instance of an enumeration class (that is, an enumeration
member).
Using Enumeration Classes

Create an enumeration class by adding an enumeration block to a class definition. For
example, the WeekDays class enumerates a set of days of the week.
classdef WeekDays
enumeration
end
end
Constructing an Enumeration Member
Refer to an enumeration member using the class name and the member name:
ClassName.MemberName
For example, assign the enumeration member WeekDays.Tuesday to the variable

today:
today = WeekDays.Tuesday;
today is a variable of class WeekDays:

whos
today 1x1 56 WeekDays
today
today =
Tuesday
Default Methods
Enumeration classes have four methods by default:

methods(today)
13-4
Methods for class WeekDays:
WeekDays char eq ne
• Default constructor (WeekDays in this case)

• char — converts enumeration members to character strings
• eq — enables use of == in expressions
• ne — enables use of ~= in expressions
Equality and inequality methods enable you to use enumeration members in if and
switch statements and other functions that test for equality.
Because you can define enumeration members with descriptive names, conversion to
char is useful. For example:
today = WeekDays.Friday;
['Today is ',char(today)]
ans =
Today is Friday
Testing for Membership in a Set
Suppose you want to determine if today is a meeting day for your team. Create a set of
enumeration members corresponding to the days on which the team has meetings.
teamMeetings = [WeekDays.Wednesday WeekDays.Friday];
Use equality to determine if today is part of the teamMeetings set:
any(today == teamMeetings)
ans =
0
Using Enumerations in a Switch Statement
Enumerations work in switch statements:
function c = Reminder(day)
% Add error checking here
switch(day)
13-5
13 Enumerations
case WeekDays.Monday
c = 'Department meeting at 10:00';
case WeekDays.Tuesday
c = 'Meeting Free Day!';
case {WeekDays.Wednesday WeekDays.Friday}
c = 'Team meeting at 2:00';
case WeekDays.Thursday
c = 'Volley ball night';
end
end
Pass a member of the WeekDays enumeration class to the Reminder function:

today = WeekDays.Wednesday;
Reminder (today)
ans =
Team meeting at 2:00
See “Objects In Switch Statements” on page 4-38 for more information.
Getting Information About Enumerations
Obtain information about enumeration classes using the enumeration function. For
example:
enumeration WeekDays
Enumeration members for class 'WeekDays':
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
See also “Metaclass EnumeratedValues Property” on page 15-7
Testing for an Enumeration
Use the isenum function to determine if a variable is an enumeration. For example:

isenum(today)
13-6
ans =
isenum returns true for empty enumeration objects:
noday = WeekDays.empty;
isenum(noday)
ans =
You can also use the meta.class to determine if a variable’s class is an enumeration
class:
mc = metaclass(today);
mc.Enumeration
ans =
Converting to Superclass Value
If an enumeration class specifies a superclass, in many cases you can convert an

enumeration object to the superclass by passing the object to the superclass constructor.
However, the superclass must be able to accept its own class as input and return an
instance of the superclass. MATLAB built-in numeric classes, like double, single, and
so on allow this conversion.
For example, the Bearing class derives from the uint32 built-in class:
classdef Bearing < uint32

enumeration
North (0)
East (90)
South (180)
West (270)
end
end
Assign the Bearing.East member to the variable a:
13-7
13 Enumerations
a = Bearing.East;
Pass a to the superclass constructor and return an object of the superclass, b:
b = uint32(a);
whos
a 1x1 60 Bearing
b 1x1 4 uint32
The uint32 constructor accepts an instance of the subclass Bearing and returns and
object of class uint32.
Defining Methods in Enumeration Classes

Define methods in an enumeration class like any MATLAB class. For example, here is
the WeekDays class with a method called isMeetingDay added:
classdef WeekDays
enumeration
end
methods
function tf = isMeetingDay(obj)
tf = ~(WeekDays.Tuesday == obj);
end
end
end
Call isMeetingDay with an instance of the WeekDays class:
today.isMeetingDay
ans =
You can pass the enumeration member to the method directly:

isMeetingDay(WeekDays.Wednesday)
ans =
13-8
Defining Properties in Enumeration Classes

Add properties to an enumeration class when you must store data related to the
enumeration members. Set the property values in the class constructor. For example, the
SyntaxColors class defines three properties whose values the constructor assigns to the
values of the input arguments when you reference a class member.
classdef SyntaxColors
properties
R
G
B
end
methods
function c = SyntaxColors(r, g, b)
c.R = r; c.G = g; c.B = b;
end
end
enumeration
Error (1, 0, 0)
Comment (0, 1, 0)
Keyword (0, 0, 1)
String (1, 0, 1)
end
end
When you refer to an enumeration member, the constructor initializes the property
values:
e = SyntaxColors.Error;
e.R
ans =
Because SyntaxColors is a value class (it does not derive from handle), only the class
constructor can set property values:
e.R = 0
13-9
13 Enumerations
Setting the 'R' property of the 'SyntaxColors' class is not allowed.
See “Mutable (Handle) vs. Immutable (Value) Enumeration Members” on page 13-20
for more information on enumeration classes that define properties.
Array Expansion Operations

MATLAB enables assignment to any element of an array, even if the array does not exist.
For example, you can create an array of WeekDays objects:
classdef WeekDays
enumeration
end
end
clear
ary(5) = WeekDays.Tuesday;
MATLAB must initialize the values of array elements ary(1:4). The default value
of an enumeration class is the first enumeration member defined by the class in the
enumeration block. The result of the assignment to the fifth element of the array ary is,
therefore:
ary
ary =
Monday Monday Monday Monday Tuesday
Constructor Calling Sequence

Each statement in an enumeration block is the name of an enumeration member,
optionally followed by an argument list. If the enumeration class defines a constructor,
MATLAB calls the constructor to create the enumerated instances.
MATLAB provides a default constructor for all enumeration classes that do not explicitly
define a constructor. The default constructor creates an instance of the enumeration
class:
• Using no input arguments, if the enumeration member defines no input arguments

• Using the input arguments defined in the enumeration class for that member
13-10
For example, the input arguments for the Boolean class are 0 for Boolean.No and 1 for
Boolean.Yes.
enumeration
No (0)
Yes (1)
end
end
The values of 0 and 1 are of class logical because the default constructor passes the
argument to the first superclass. That is,
n = Boolean.No;
results in a call to logical that is equivalent to the following statement in a

constructor:
function obj = Boolean(val)
obj@logical(val)
end
MATLAB passes the member argument only to the first superclass. For example,
suppose Boolean derived from another class:
classdef Boolean < logical & MyBool
enumeration
No (0)
Yes (1)
end
end
The MyBool class can add some specialized behavior:

classdef MyBool
methods
function boolValues = testBools(obj)
...
end
end
end
Now, the default Boolean constructor behaves as if defined like this function:
function obj = Boolean(val)
obj@logical(val) % Argument passed to first superclass constructor
13-11
13 Enumerations
obj@MyBool % No arguments passed to subsequent constructors

end
Restrictions Applied to Enumeration Classes

Enumeration classes, which consist of a fixed set of possible values, restrict certain
aspects of class use and definition:
• Enumeration classes are implicitly Sealed. You cannot define a subclass of an

enumeration class because doing so would expand the set.
• You cannot call the constructor of an enumeration class directly. Only MATLAB can
call enumeration class constructors to create the fixed set of members.
Note: It is possible to provide a conversion function in any class where the function
is the name of an enumerated class and its purpose is to convert to the enumeration.
It is possible to convert to an instance of an enumerated class (one of the defined set
of members), but it is not possible to make a new instance of the class. See “Default
Converter” on page 13-18 for related information.
• The properties of value-based enumeration classes are immutable. Only the
constructor can assign property values. MATLAB implicitly defines the SetAccess
attributes of all properties defined by value-based enumeration classes as
immutable. You cannot set the SetAccess attribute to any other value.
• All properties inherited by a value-based enumeration class that are not defined as
Constant must have immutable SetAccess.
• The properties of handle-based enumeration classes are mutable. You can set
property values on instances of the enumeration class. See “Mutable (Handle) vs.
Immutable (Value) Enumeration Members” on page 13-20 for more information.
• An enumeration member cannot have the same name as a property, method, or event
defined by the same class.
• Enumerations do not support colon (a:b) operations. For example,
FlowRate.Low:FlowRate.High causes an error even if the FlowRate class derives
from a numeric superclass.
Techniques for Defining Enumerations

Enumerations enable you to define names that represent entities useful to your
application, without using numeric values or character strings. All enumerations support
13-12
equality and inequality operations. Therefore, switch, if, and a number of comparison
functions like isequal and ismember work with enumeration members.
You can define enumeration classes in ways that are most useful to your application, as
described in the following sections.
Simple Enumerated Names
Simple enumeration classes have no superclasses and no properties. These classes define
a set of related names that have no underlying values associated with them. Use this
kind of enumeration when you want descriptive names, but your application does not
require specific information associated with the name.
See the WeekDays class in the “Using Enumeration Classes” on page 13-4 and the
“Defining Methods in Enumeration Classes” on page 13-8 sections.
Enumerations with Built-In Class Behaviors
Enumeration classes that subclass MATLAB built-in classes inherit most of the
behaviors of those classes. For example, an enumeration class derived from the double
class inherits the mathematical, relational, and set operations that work with variables
of the class.
Enumerations do not support the colon (:) operator, even if the superclass does. See
“Restrictions Applied to Enumeration Classes” on page 13-12 for more information.
See “Enumerations Derived from Built-In Types” on page 13-14.
Enumerations with Properties for Member Data
Enumeration classes that do not subclass MATLAB built-in numeric and logical classes
can define properties. These classes can define constructors that set each member's
unique property values.
The constructor can save input arguments in property values. For example, a Color
class can specify a Red enumeration member color with three (Red, Green, Blue) values:
enumeration
Red (1,0,0)
end
See “Enumerations That Encapsulate Data” on page 13-27
13-13
13 Enumerations

In this section...
“Why Derive Enumerations from Built-In Types” on page 13-14
“Aliasing Enumeration Names ” on page 13-16
“Superclass Constructor Returns Underlying Value” on page 13-17
“Default Converter” on page 13-18
Basic Knowledge
• “Fundamental MATLAB Classes” for information on MATLAB built-in classes.

Why Derive Enumerations from Built-In Types
Note: Enumeration classes derived from built-in numeric and logical classes cannot
define properties.
If an enumeration class subclasses a built-in numeric class, the subclass inherits

ordering and arithmetic operations, which you can apply to the enumerated names.
For example, the Results class subclasses the int32 built-in class and associates an
integer value with each of the four enumeration members — First, Second, Third, and
NoPoints.
classdef Results < int32
enumeration
First (100)
Second (50)
Third (10)
NoPoints (0)
end
end
13-14
Because the enumeration member inherits the methods of the int32 class (not the
colon operator), you can use these enumerations like numeric values (summed, sorted,
averaged, and so on).
isa(Results.Second,'int32')
ans =
For example, use enumeration names instead of numbers to rank two teams:
Team1 = [Results.First, Results.NoPoints, Results.Third, Results.Second];
Team2 = [Results.Second, Results.Third, Results.First, Results.First];
Perform int32 operations on these Results enumerations:

sum(Team1)
ans =
160
mean(Team1)
ans =
40
sort(Team2,'descend')
ans =
First First Second Third

Team1 > Team2
ans =
1 0 0 0
sum(Team1) < sum(Team2)
ans =
Creating Enumeration Instances
When you first refer to an enumeration class that derives from a built-in class such as,
int32, MATLAB passes the input arguments associated with the enumeration members
13-15
13 Enumerations
to the superclass constructor. For example, referencing the Second Results member,
defined as:
Second (50)
means that MATLAB calls:
int32(50)
to initialize the int32 aspect of this Results object.
Aliasing Enumeration Names

Enumeration classes that derive from MATLAB built-in numeric and logical classes can
define more than one name for an underlying value. The first name in the enumeration
block with a given underlying value is the actual name for that underlying value and
subsequent names are aliases.
Specify aliased names with the same superclass constructor argument as the actual
name:

enumeration
No (0)
Yes (1)
off (0)
on (1)
end
end
For example, the actual name of an instance of the Boolean.off enumeration member
is No:
a = Boolean.No
a =
No
b = Boolean.off
b =
13-16
No
Superclass Constructor Returns Underlying Value

The actual underlying value associated with an enumeration member is the value
returned by the built-in superclass. For example, consider the Boolean class defined
with constructor arguments that are of class double:

enumeration
No (0)
Yes (100)
end
end
This class derives from the built-in logical class. Therefore, underlying values for an
enumeration member depend only on what value logical returns when passed that
value:
a = Boolean.Yes
a =
Yes
logical(a)
ans =
Subclassing a Numeric Built-In Class
The FlowRate enumeration class defines three members, Low, Medium, and High.
classdef FlowRate < int32

enumeration
Low (10)
Medium (50)
High (100)
end
end
Referencing an instance of an enumeration member:
13-17
13 Enumerations
setFlow = FlowRate.Medium;
returns an instance that is the result of MATLAB calling the default constructor with the
argument value of 50. MATLAB passes this argument to the first superclass constructor
(int32(50) in this case), which results in an underlying value of 50 as a 32-bit integer
for the FlowRate.Medium member.
Because FlowRate subclasses a MATLAB built-in numeric class (int32), it cannot

define properties. However FlowRate inherits int32 methods including a converter
method, which programs can use to obtain the underlying value:
setFlow = FlowRate.Medium;
int32(setFlow)
ans =
50
Default Converter
If an enumeration is a subclass of a built-in numeric class, it is possible to convert from
built-in numeric data to the enumeration using the name of the enumeration class. For
example:
a = Boolean(1)
a =
Yes
An enumerated class also accepts enumeration members of its own class as input
arguments:
Boolean(a)
ans =
Yes
Nonscalar inputs to the converter method return an object of the same size:
Boolean([0,1])
ans =
13-18
No Yes
Create an empty enumeration array using the empty static method:
Boolean.empty
ans =
0x0 empty Boolean enumeration.
13-19
13 Enumerations
Mutable (Handle) vs. Immutable (Value) Enumeration Members
In this section...
“Selecting Handle- or Value-Based Enumerations” on page 13-20
“Value-Based Enumeration Classes” on page 13-20
“Handle-Based Enumeration Classes” on page 13-22
“Using Enumerations to Represent a State” on page 13-25
Basic Knowledge

See for general information about these two kinds of classes.
Selecting Handle- or Value-Based Enumerations

Use a handle enumeration when you want to enumerate a set of objects whose state
might change over time. Use a value enumeration to enumerate a set of abstract (and
immutable) values.
Value-Based Enumeration Classes

A value-based enumeration class has a fixed set of specific values. You cannot modify
these values by changing the values of properties because doing so expands or changes
the fixed set of values for this enumeration class.
Inherited Property SetAccess Must Be Immutable
Value-based enumeration class implicitly define the SetAccess attributes of all

properties as immutable. You cannot set the SetAccess attribute to any other value.
13-20
However, all superclass properties must explicitly define property SetAccess as

immutable. See “Property Attributes” on page 7-7 for more information on property
attributes.
Enumeration Members Remain Constant
When you create an instance of a value-based enumeration class, this instance is unique
until the class is cleared and reloaded. For example, given the following class:
classdef WeekDays
enumeration
end
end
MATLAB considers a and b as equivalent:
a = WeekDays.Monday;
b = WeekDays.Monday;
isequal(a,b)
ans =
a == b
ans =
Enumeration Member Properties Remain Constant
Value-based enumeration classes that define properties are immutable. For example, the
Colors enumeration class associates RGB values with color names.
classdef Colors
properties
R = 0;
G = 0;
B = 0;
end
methods
function c = Colors(r, g, b)
c.R = r; c.G = g; c.B = b;
end
13-21
13 Enumerations
end
enumeration
Red (1, 0, 0)
Green (0, 1, 0)
Blue (0, 0, 1)
end
end
The constructor assigns the input arguments to R, G, and B properties:
red = Colors.Red;
You cannot change a property value:
red.G = 1;
Setting the 'G' property of the 'Colors' class is not allowed.
Handle-Based Enumeration Classes

Handle-based enumeration classes that define properties are mutable. Derive
enumeration classes from the handle class when you must be able to change property
values on instances of that class.
Note: You cannot derive an enumeration class from matlab.mixin.Copyable because

the number of instances you can create are limited to the ones defined inside the
enumeration block.
An Enumeration Member Remains Constant
Given a handle-based enumeration class with properties, changing the property value of
an instance causes all references to that instance to reflect the changed value.
For example, the HandleColors enumeration class associates RGB values with color
names, the same as the Colors class in the previous example. However, HandleColors
derives from handle:
classdef HandleColors < handle

% Enumeration class derived from handle
properties
R = 0;
13-22
G = 0;
B = 0;
end
methods
function c = HandleColors(r, g, b)
c.R = r; c.G = g; c.B = b;
end
end
enumeration
Red (1, 0, 0)
... % Other colors omitted
end
end
Create an instance of HandleColors.Red and return the value of the R property:

a = HandleColors.Red;
a.R
ans =
MATLAB constructs the HandleColors.Red enumeration member, which sets the R

property to 1, the G property to 0, and the B property to 0.
Change the value of the R property to .8:

a.R = .8;
After setting the value of the R property to .8, create another instance, b, of
HandleColors.Red:
b = HandleColors.Red;
b.R
ans =
0.8000
The value of the R property of the newly created instance is also 0.8000. The MATLAB
session has only one value for any enumeration member at any given time.
13-23
13 Enumerations
Clearing the workspace variables does not change the current definition of the
enumeration member HandleColors.Red:
clear
a.R
ans =
0.8000
Clear the class to reload the definition of the HandleColors class (see clear classes):
clear classes
a.R
ans =
If you do not want to allow reassignment of a given property value, set that property's
SetAccess attribute to immutable.
See “Property Attributes” on page 7-7 for more information about property attributes.
Equality of Handle-Based Enumerations
Suppose you assign two variables to a particular enumeration member:

b = HandleColors.Red;
You can compare a and b using isequal:

>> isequal(a,b)
ans =
The property values of a and b are the same, so isequal returns true. However, unlike
nonenumeration handle classes, a and b are the same handle because there is only one
enumeration member. Determine handle equality using == (the handle eq method).
13-24
>> a == b
ans =
See the handle eq method for information on how isequal and == differ when used
with handles.
Using Enumerations to Represent a State

The MachineState class defines two enumeration members to represent the state of a
machine, either running or not running.
classdef MachineState
enumeration
Running
NotRunning
end
end
The Machine class represents a machine with start and stop operations. The
MachineState enumerations are easy to work with because of their eq and char
methods, and they result in code that is easy to read.
classdef Machine < handle

properties (SetAccess = Private)
State = MachineState.NotRunning;
end
methods
function start(machine)
if machine.State == MachineState.NotRunning
machine.State = MachineState.Running;
end
disp (machine.State.char)
end
function stop(machine)
if machine.State == MachineState.Running
machine.State = MachineState.NotRunning;
end
disp (machine.State.char)
end
13-25
13 Enumerations
end
end
Create a Machine object and call start and stop methods:
% Create a Machine object

>> m = Machine;
% Start the machine
>> m.start
Running
% Stop the machine
>> m.stop
NotRunning
13-26
Enumerations That Encapsulate Data

In this section...
“Store Data in Properties” on page 13-27
Basic Knowledge
• “Fundamental MATLAB Classes” for information on MATLAB built-in classes.

Store Data in Properties
Note: Enumeration classes that subclass built-in numeric or logical classes cannot define
or inherit properties. See “Enumerations Derived from Built-In Types” on page 13-14 for
more information on this kind of enumeration class.
Define properties in an enumeration class if you want to associate specific data with
enumeration members, but do not need to inherit arithmetic, ordering, or other
operations that MATLAB defines for specific built-in classes.
Representing Colors
Suppose you want to use a particular set of colors in all your graphs. You can define
an enumeration class to represent the RGB values of the colors in your color set. The
Colors class defines names for the colors, each of which uses the RGB values as
arguments to the class constructor:
classdef Colors
properties
R = 0;
G = 0;
B = 0;
end
13-27
13 Enumerations
methods
function c = Colors(r, g, b)
c.R = r; c.G = g; c.B = b;
end
end
enumeration
Blueish (18/255,104/255,179/255)
Reddish (237/255,36/255,38/255)
Greenish (155/255,190/255,61/255)
Purplish (123/255,45/255,116/255)
Yellowish (1,199/255,0)
LightBlue (77/255,190/255,238/255)
end
end
Suppose you want to specify the new shade of red named Reddish:
a = Colors.Reddish;
a.R
ans =
0.9294
a.G
ans =
0.1412
a.B
ans =
0.1490
Use these values by accessing the enumeration member's properties. For example, the
myPlot function accepts a Colors enumeration member as an input argument and
accesses the RGB values defining the color from the property values.
function h = myPlot(x,y,LineColor)
% Simple plotting function
h = line('XData',x,'YData',y);
r = LineColor.R;
g = LineColor.G;
13-28
b = LineColor.B;
set(h,'Color',[r g b])
end
Create a plot using a reddish color line:
r = Colors.Reddish;
h = myPlot(1:10,1:10,r);
The Colors class encapsulates the definitions of a standard set of colors. These
definitions can change in the Colors class without affecting functions that use the
Colors enumerations.
Enumerations Defining Categories
Suppose the Cars class defines categories used to inventory automobiles. The Cars
class derives from the CarPainter class, which derives from handle. The abstract
CarPainter class defines a paint method, which modifies the Color property if a car is
painted another color.
The Cars class uses Colors enumerations to specify a finite set of available colors. The
exact definition of any given color can change independently of the Cars class.
classdef Cars < CarPainter

enumeration
Hybrid (2,'Manual',55,Colors.Reddish)
Compact(4,'Manual',32,Colors.Greenish)
MiniVan(6,'Automatic',24,Colors.Blueish)
SUV (8,'Automatic',12,Colors.Yellowish)
end
Cylinders
Transmission
MPG
Color
end
methods
function obj = Cars(cyl,trans,mpg,colr)
obj.Cylinders = cyl;
obj.Transmission = trans;
obj.MPG = mpg;
obj.Color = colr;
end
function paint(obj,colorobj)
13-29
13 Enumerations
if isa(colorobj,'Colors')
obj.Color = colorobj;
else
[~,cls] = enumeration('Colors');
disp('Not an available color')
disp(cls)
end
end
end
end
The CarPainter class requires its subclasses to define a method called paint:
classdef CarPainter < handle

methods (Abstract)
paint(carobj,colorobj)
end
end
Suppose you define an instance of the Cars class:
c1 = Cars.Compact;
The color of this car is Greenish, as defined by the Colors.Greenish enumeration:
c1.Color
ans =
Greenish
Use the paint method to change the car color:
c1.paint(Colors.Reddish)
c1.Color
ans =
Reddish
13-30
Saving and Loading Enumerations

In this section...
“Built-In and Value-Based Enumeration Classes” on page 13-31
“Simple and Handle-Based Enumeration Classes” on page 13-31
“Causes: Loading as Struct Instead of Object” on page 13-32
Basic Knowledge
See the save and load functions and “Save and Load Process” on page 12-2 for general
information on saving and loading objects.
See the enumeration function to list enumeration names.
Built-In and Value-Based Enumeration Classes

When you save enumerations that derive from built-in classes or that are value-based
classes with properties, MATLAB saves the names of the enumeration members and the
definition of each member.
When loading these types of enumerations, MATLAB preserves names over underlying
values. If the saved named value is different from the current class definition, MATLAB
uses the value defined in the current class, and then issues a warning.
Simple and Handle-Based Enumeration Classes

When you save simple enumerations (those having no properties, superclasses, or values
associated with the member names) or those enumerations derived from the handle
class, MATLAB saves the names and any underlying values.
However, when loading these types of enumerations, MATLAB does not check the
values associated with the names in the current class definition. This behavior results
from the fact that simple enumerations have no underlying values and handle-based
enumerations can legally have values that are different than those defined by the class.
13-31
13 Enumerations
Causes: Loading as Struct Instead of Object

The addition of a new named value or a new property made to a class subsequent to
saving an enumeration does not trigger a warning during load.
If there are changes to the enumeration class definition that do not prevent MATLAB
from loading the object (that is, all of the named values in the MAT-File are present in
the modified class definition), then MATLAB issues a warning that the class has changed
and loads the enumeration.
In the following cases, MATLAB issues a warning and loads as much of the saved data as
possible as a struct:
• MATLAB cannot find the class definition

• The class is no longer an enumeration class
• MATLAB cannot initialize the class
• There is one or more enumeration member in the loaded enumeration that is not in
the class definition
• For value-based enumerations with properties, a property exists in the file, but is not
present in the class definition
Struct Fields
The returned struct has the following fields:
• ValueNames — A cell array of strings, one per unique value in the enumeration
array.
• Values — An array of the same dimension as ValueNames containing the
corresponding values of the enumeration members named in ValueNames. Depending
on the kind of enumeration class, Values can be one of the following:
• If the enumeration class derives from a built-in class, the array is of the built-in
class and the values in the array are the underlying values of each enumeration
member.
• Otherwise, a struct array representing the property name — property values
pairs of each enumeration member. For simple and handle-based enumerations,
the struct array has no fields.
• ValueIndices — a uint32 array of the same size as the original enumeration.
Each element is an index into the ValueNames and Values arrays. The content of
ValueIndices represents the value of each object in the original enumeration array.
13-32
13-33
14
Constant Properties
14 Constant Properties
Properties with Constant Values

In this section...
“Defining Named Constants” on page 14-2
“Constant Property Assigned a Handle Object” on page 14-4
“Constant Property Assigned Any Class Instance” on page 14-4
Defining Named Constants

Use constant properties to define constant values that you can access by name. Create
a class with constant properties by declaring the Constant attribute in the property
blocks. Setting the Constant attribute means that, once initialized to the value specified
in the property block, the value cannot be changed.
Assigning Values to Constant Properties
Assign any value to a Constant property, including a MATLAB expression. For

example:
classdef NamedConst
R = pi/180;
D = 1/NamedConst.R;
AccCode = '0145968740001110202NPQ';
RN = rand(5);
end
end
MATLAB evaluates the expressions when loading the class (when you first reference a
constant property from that class). Therefore, the values MATLAB assigns to RN are the
result of a single call to the rand function and do not change with subsequent references
to NamedConst.RN. Calling clear classes causes MATLAB to reload the class and
reinitialize the constant properties.
Referencing Constant Properties
Refer to the constant using the class name and the property name:
ClassName.PropName
14-2
For example, to use the NamedConst class defined in the previous section, reference the
constant for the degree to radian conversion, R:
radi = 45*NamedConst.R
radi =
0.7854
Constants In Packages
To create a library for constant values that you can access by name, first create a
package folder, and then define the various classes to organize the constants you
want to provide. For example, to implement a set of constants that are useful for
making astronomical calculations, define a AstroConstants class in a package called
constants:
+constants/AstroConstants/AstroConstants.m
The class defines a set of Constant properties with values assigned:
classdef AstroConstants
C = 2.99792458e8; % m/s
G = 6.67259; % m/kgs
Me = 5.976e24; % Earth mass (kg)
Re = 6.378e6; % Earth radius (m)
end
end
To use this set of constants, reference them with a fully qualified class name. For
example, the following function uses some of the constants defined in AstroContants:
function E = energyToOrbit(m,r)
E = constants.AstroConstants.G * constants.AstroConstants.Me * m * ...
(1/constants.AstroConstants.Re-0.5*r);
end
Importing the package into the function eliminates the need to repeat the package name
(see import):
function E = energyToOrbit(m,r)
import constants.*;
E = AstroConstants.G * AstroConstants.Me * m * ...
(1/AstroConstants.Re - 0.5 * r);
14-3
end
Constant Property Assigned a Handle Object

If a class defines a constant property with a value that is a handle object, you can assign
values to the handle object’s properties. However, you must create a local variable to
access the handle object.
For example, the ConstMapClass class defines a constant property. The value of the
constant property is a handle object (a containers.Map object).
classdef ConstMapClass < handle

ConstMapProp = containers.Map;
end
end
To assign the current date to the Date key, first return the handle from the constant
property, and then make the assignment using the local variable on the left side of the
assignment statement:
localMap = ConstMapClass.ConstMapProp
localMap('Date') = datestr(clock);
You cannot use a reference to a constant property on the left side of an assignment
statement. For example, MATLAB interprets the following statement as the creation of a
struct named ConstantMapClass with a field ConstMapProp:
ConstMapClass.ConstMapProp('Date') = datestr(clock);
Constant Property Assigned Any Class Instance

You can assign an instance of the defining class to a constant property. MATLAB creates
the instance assigned to the constant property when loading the class. You can use this
technique only when the defining class is a handle class.
The MyProject is an example of such a class:
classdef MyProject < handle

ProjectInfo = MyProject;
end
14-4
properties
Date
Department
ProjectNumber
end
function obj = MyProject
obj.Date = datestr(clock);
obj.Department = 'Engineering';
obj.ProjectNumber = 'P29.367';
end
end
end
Reference property data via the Constant property:
MyProject.ProjectInfo.Date
ans =
18-Apr-2002 09:56:59
Because MyProject is a handle class, you can get the handle to the instance that is
assigned to the constant property:
p = MyProject.ProjectInfo;
Access the data in the MyProject class using this handle:
p.Department
ans =
Engineering
Modify the nonconstant properties of the MyProject class using this handle:
p.Department = 'Quality Assurance';
p is a handle to the instance of MyProject that is assigned to the ProjectInfo

constant property:
MyProject.ProjectInfo.Department
ans =
14-5
Quality Assurance
Clearing the class results in the assignment of a new instance of MyProject to the
ProjectInfo property.
clear MyProject
MyProject.ProjectInfo.Department
ans =
Engineering
You can assign an instance of the defining class as the default value of a property only
when the property is declared as Constant
14-6
15
Information from Class Metadata

• “Inspecting Class and Object Metadata” on page 15-5
• “Finding Objects with Specific Values” on page 15-8
• “Getting Information About Properties” on page 15-12
• “Find Default Values in Property Metadata” on page 15-18
15 Information from Class Metadata
Class Metadata
In this section...
“What Is Class Metadata?” on page 15-2
“The meta Package” on page 15-2
“Metaclass Objects” on page 15-3
What Is Class Metadata?

Class metadata is information about class definitions that is available from instances of
metaclasses. Use metaclass objects to obtain information about class definitions without
the need to create instances of the class itself.
Each block in a class definition has an associated metaclass that defines the attributes
for that block. Each attribute corresponds to a property in the metaclass. An instance
of a metaclass has values assigned to each property that correspond to the values of the
attributes of the associated class block.
Metadata enables the programmatic inspection of classes. Tools such as property

inspectors, debuggers, and so on, use these techniques.
The meta Package

The meta package contains metaclasses that MATLAB uses for the definition of classes
and class components. The class name indicates the component described by the
metaclass:
meta.package
meta.class
meta.property
meta.DynamicProperty
meta.EnumeratedValue
meta.method
meta.event
Each metaclass has properties, methods, and events that contain information about
the class or class component. See meta.package, meta.class, meta.property,
15-2
Class Metadata
meta.DynamicProperty, meta.EnumeratedValue, meta.method and meta.event

for more information on these metaclasses.
Metaclass Objects
Creating Metaclass Objects
You cannot instantiate metaclasses directly by calling the respective class constructor.
Create metaclass objects from class instances or from the class name.
• ?ClassName — Returns a meta.class object for the named class. Use

meta.class.fromName with class names stored as characters in variables.
• meta.class.fromName('ClassName') — returns the meta.class object for the
named class (meta.class.fromName is a meta.class method).
• metaclass(obj) — Returns a metaclass object for the class instance (metaclass)
% create metaclass object from class name using the ? operator

mobj = ?classname;
% create metaclass object from class name using the fromName method
mobj = meta.class.fromName('classname');
% create metaclass object from class instance
obj = myClass;
mobj = metaclass(obj);
The metaclass function returns the meta.class object (that is, an object of the
meta.class class). You can obtain other metaclass objects (meta.property,
meta.method, and so on) from the meta.class object.
Note: Metaclass is a term used here to refer to all of the classes in the meta package.
meta.class is a class in the meta package whose instances contain information about
MATLAB classes. Metadata is information about classes contained in metaclasses.
Metaclass Object Lifecycle
When you change a class definition, MATLAB reloads the class definition. If instances of
the class exist, MATLAB updates those objects according to the new definition.
However, MATLAB does not update existing metaclass objects to the new class
definition. If you change a class definition while metaclass objects of that class exist,
15-3
MATLAB deletes the metaclass objects and their handles become invalid. You must
create a new metaclass object after updating the class.
See “Automatic Updates for Modified Classes” on page 4-50 for information on how to
modify and reload classes.
Using Metaclass Objects
Here are ways to access the information in metaclass objects:
• Obtain a meta.class object from a class definition (using ?) or from a class instance
(using metaclass).
• Use the meta.class properties, methods, and events to obtain information about the
class or class instance from which you obtained the meta.class object. For example,
get other metaclass objects, such as the meta.properties objects defined for each of
the class properties.
See the following sections for examples that show how to use metadata:
• “Inspecting Class and Object Metadata” on page 15-5

• “Finding Objects with Specific Values” on page 15-8
• “Getting Information About Properties” on page 15-12
• “Find Default Values in Property Metadata” on page 15-18
15-4
Inspecting Class and Object Metadata

In this section...
“Inspecting a Class” on page 15-5
“Metaclass EnumeratedValues Property” on page 15-7
Inspecting a Class
The EmployeeData class is a handle class with two properties, one of which has private
Access and defines a set access method.
classdef EmployeeData < handle
properties
EmployeeName
end
EmployeeNumber
end
methods
function obj = EmployeeData(name,ss)
if nargin > 0
obj.EmployeeName = name;
obj.EmployeeNumber = ss;
end
end
function set.EmployeeName(obj,name)
if ischar(name)
obj.EmployeeName = name;
else
error('Employee name must be a text string')
end
end
end
end
Inspecting the Class Definition
Using the EmployeeData class, create a meta.class object using the ? operator:
mc = ?EmployeeData;
Determine from what classes EmployeeData derives:
15-5
a = mc.SuperclassList; % a is an array of meta.class objects

a.Name
ans =
handle
The EmployeeData class has only one superclass. For classes having more than one
superclass, a would contain a meta.class object for each superclass. Use an indexed
reference to refer to any particular superclass:
a(1).Name
or, directly from mc:

mc.SuperclassList(1).Name
ans =
handle
Inspecting Properties
Find the names of the properties defined by the EmployeeData class. First obtain an
array of meta.properties objects from the meta.class PropertyList property.
mpArray = mc.PropertyList;
The length of mpArray indicates there are two meta.property objects, one for each
property defined by the EmployeeData class:
length(mpArray)
ans =
2
Now get a meta.property object from the array:

prop1 = mpArray(1);
prop1.Name
ans =
EmployeeName
The Name property of the meta.property object identifies the class property
represented by that meta.property object.
15-6
Query other meta.property object properties to determine the attributes of the

EmployeeName properties.
Inspecting an Instance of a Class
Create an EmployeeData object and determine property access settings:

EdObj = EmployeeData('My Name',1234567);
mcEdObj = metaclass(EdObj);
mpArray = mcEdObj.PropertyList;
EdObj.(mpArray(1).Name) % Dynamic field names work with objects
ans =
My Name
EdObj.(mpArray(2).Name)
Getting the 'EmployeeNumber' property of the 'EmployeeData' class is not allowed.
mpArray(2).GetAccess
ans =
private
Obtain a function handle to the property set access function:

mpArray(1).SetMethod
ans =
@D:\MyDir\@EmployeeData\EmployeeData.m>EmployeeData.set.EmployeeName
Metaclass EnumeratedValues Property

The meta.class EnumeratedValues property contains an array of
meta.EnumeratedValue objects, one for each enumeration member. Use the
meta.EnumeratedValue Name property to obtain the enumeration member names
defined by an enumeration class. For example, given the WeekDays enumeration class:
classdef WeekDays
enumeration
end
end
Query enumeration names from the meta.class object:
mc = ?WeekDays;
mc.EnumerationMemberList(2).Name
ans =
Tuesday
15-7
Finding Objects with Specific Values

In this section...
“Find Handle Objects” on page 15-8
“Find by Attribute Settings” on page 15-9
Find Handle Objects

Use the handle class findobj method to find objects that have properties with specific
values. For example, the following class defines a PhoneBook object to represent a
telephone book entry in a data base. The PhoneBook class subclasses the dynamicprops
class, which derives from handle.
classdef PhoneBook < dynamicprops
properties
Name
Address
Number
end
methods
function obj = PhoneBook(n,a,p)
obj.Name = n;
obj.Address = a;
obj.Number = p;
end
end
end
Assume three of the PhoneBook entries in the database are:

PB(1) = PhoneBook('Nancy Vidal','123 Washington Street','5081234567');
PB(2) = PhoneBook('Nancy Vidal','123 Main Street','5081234568');
PB(3) = PhoneBook('Nancy Wong','123 South Street','5081234569');
One of these three PhoneBook objects has a dynamic property:

PB(2).addprop('HighSpeedInternet');
PB(2).HighSpeedInternet = '1M';
Find Property/Value Pairs
Find the object representing employee Nancy Wong and display the name and number by
concatenating the strings:
15-8
NW = findobj(PB,'Name','Nancy Wong');
[NW.Name,' - ',NW.Number]
ans =
Nancy Wong - 5081234569
Find Objects with Specific Property Names
Search for objects with specific property names using the -property option:
H = findobj(PB,'-property','HighSpeedInternet');
H.HighSpeedInternet
ans =
1M
The -property option enables you to omit the value of the property and search for
objects using only the property name.
Using Logical Expressions
Search for specific combinations of property names and values:

H = findobj(PB,'Name','Nancy Vidal','-and','Address','123 Main Street');
H.Number
ans =
5081234568
Find by Attribute Settings

All meta-classes derive from the handle class so you can use the handle findobj
method to find class members that have specific attribute settings.
For example, find the abstract methods in a class definition by searching the
meta.class MethodList for meta.method objects with their Abstract property set to
true:
% Use class name in string form because class is abstract
mc = meta.class.fromName('ClassName');
% Search list of meta.method objects for those
15-9
% methods that have their Abstract property set to true

absMethods = findobj(mc.MethodList,'Abstract',true);
methodNames = {absMethods.Name};
The cell array, methodNames, contains the names of the abstract methods in the class.
Find Properties That Have Public Get Access
Find the names of all properties in the containers.Map class that have public
GetAccess:
• Get the meta.class object

• Use findobj to search the array of meta.property objects
mc = ?containers.Map;
% findobj returns an array of meta.property objects
% use braces to convert the comman separated list to a cell array
mpArray = findobj(mc.PropertyList,'GetAccess','public');
% create cell array of property names
names = {mpArray.Name};
Display the names of all containers.Map properties that have public GetAccess:
celldisp(names)
names{1} =
Count
names{2} =
KeyType
names{3} =
ValueType
Find Static Methods
Determine if any containers.Map class methods are static:

isempty(findobj([mc.MethodList(:)],'Static',true))
ans =
15-10
findobj returns an array of meta.method objects for the static methods. In this case,
isempty returns false, indicating there are static methods defined by this class.
You can get the names of any static methods from the meta.method array:
staticMethodInfo = findobj([mc.MethodList(:)],'Static',true);
staticMethodInfo(:).Name
ans =
empty
The name of the static method (there is only one in this case) is empty. Here is the
information from the meta.method object for the empty method:
staticMethodInfo
method with properties:
Name: 'empty'
Description: 'Returns an empty object array of the given size'
DetailedDescription: ''
Access: 'public'
Static: 1
Abstract: 0
Sealed: 0
Hidden: 1
InputNames: {'varargin'}
OutputNames: {'E'}
DefiningClass: [1x1 meta.class]
15-11
Getting Information About Properties

In this section...
“The meta.property object” on page 15-12
“How to Find Properties with Specific Attributes” on page 15-15
The meta.property object

The meta.property class is useful for determining the settings of property attributes.
The writable properties of a meta.property object correspond to the attributes of the
associated property. The values of the writable meta.property properties correspond to
the attribute setting specified in the class definition.
For example, create a default containers.Map object and use the handle findprop
method to get the meta.property object for the Count property:
mp = findprop(containers.Map,'Count')
mp =
property with properties:
Name: 'Count'
Description: 'Number of pairs in the collection'
GetAccess: 'public'
SetAccess: 'private'
Dependent: 1
Constant: 0
Abstract: 0
Transient: 1
Hidden: 0
GetObservable: 0
SetObservable: 0
AbortSet: 0
GetMethod: []
SetMethod: []
The preceding meta.property display shows that the default Map object Count
property has public GetAccess and private SetAccess, is Dependent, and Transient.
See “Table of Property Attributes” on page 7-7 for a list of property attributes.
15-12
If you are working with a class that is not a handle class, get the meta.property
objects from the meta.class object. All metaclasses are subclasses of the handle class.
Use the metaclass function if you have an instance or the ? operator with the class
name:
mc = ?containers.Map
mc =
class with properties:
Name: 'containers.Map'
Description: 'MATLAB Map Container'
DetailedDescription: 'MATLAB Map Container'
Hidden: 0
Sealed: 0
ConstructOnLoad: 1
HandleCompatible: 1
InferiorClasses: {0x1 cell}
ContainingPackage: [1x1 meta.package]
PropertyList: [4x1 meta.property]
MethodList: [35x1 meta.method]
EventList: [1x1 meta.event]
EnumerationMemberList: [0x1 meta.EnumeratedValue]
SuperclassList: [1x1 meta.class]
The meta.class object property named PropertyList contains an array of

meta.property objects, one for each property defined by the containers.Map class.
For example, the name of the property associated with the meta.property object in
element 1 is:
mc.PropertyList(1).Name
ans =
Count
The meta.class object contains a meta.property object for hidden properties too.
Compare the result with the properties function, which returns only public properties:
properties('containers.Map')
Properties for class containers.Map:
15-13
Count
KeyType
ValueType
The serialization property is Hidden and has its GetAccess and SetAccess
attributes set to private. Therefore, the properties function does not list it. However,
you can get information about this property from its associated meta.property object
(which is the fourth element in the array of meta.property objects in this case):
mc.PropertyList(4)
ans =
Name: 'serialization'
Description: 'Serialization property.'
GetAccess: 'private'
Dependent: 0
Constant: 0
Abstract: 0
Transient: 0
Hidden: 1
GetObservable: 0
SetObservable: 0
AbortSet: 0
GetMethod: []
SetMethod: []
Indexing Metaclass Objects
Access other metaclass objects directly from the meta.class object properties. For
example, the statement:
mc = ?containers.Map;
returns a meta.class object:

class(mc)
ans =
15-14
meta.class
Referencing the PropertyList meta.class property returns an array with one

meta.property object for each property of the containers.Map class:
class(mc.PropertyList)
ans =
meta.property
Each array element is a single meta.property object:

mc.Properties(1)
ans =
[1x1 meta.property]
The Name property of the meta.property object contains a character string that is the
name of the property:
class(mc.PropertyList(1).Name)
ans =
char
Apply standard MATLAB indexing to access information in metaclass objects.
For example, because the meta.class PropertyList property contains an array of

meta.property objects, the following expression accesses the first meta.property
object in this array and returns the first and last (C and t) letters of the string contained
in the meta.property Name property.
mc.PropertyList(1).Name([1 end])
ans =
Ct
How to Find Properties with Specific Attributes

This example implements a function that finds properties with specific attribute settings.
For example, find objects that define constant properties (Constant attribute set to
15-15
true) or determine what properties are read-only (GetAccess = public, SetAccess

= private). The findAttrValue function returns a cell array of property names that
set the specified attribute.
This function accesses information from metaclasses using these techniques:
• If input argument, obj, is a string, use the meta.class.fromName static method to

get the meta.class object.
• If input argument, obj, is an object, use the metaclass function to get the
meta.class object.
• Every property has an associated meta.property object. Obtain these objects from
the meta.class PropertyList property.
• Use the handle class findprop method to determine if the requested property
attribute is a valid attribute name. All property attributes are properties of the
meta.property object. The statement, findobj(mp,'PropertyName') determines
whether the meta.property object, mp, has a property called PropertyName.
• Reference meta.property object properties using dynamic field names. For
example, if attrName = 'Constant', then MATLAB converts the expression mp.
(attrName) to mp.Constant
• The optional third argument enables you to specify the value of attributes whose
values are not logical true or false (such as GetAccess and SetAccess).
function cl_out = findAttrValue(obj,attrName,varargin)
% Determine if first input is object or class name

if ischar(obj)
mc = meta.class.fromName(obj);
elseif isobject(obj)
mc = metaclass(obj);
end
% Initialize and preallocate

ii = 0; numb_props = length(mc.PropertyList);
cl_array = cell(1,numb_props);
% For each property, check the value of the queried attribute

for c = 1:numb_props
% Get a meta.property object from the meta.class object

mp = mc.PropertyList(c);
% Determine if the specified attribute is valid on this object

if isempty (findprop(mp,attrName))
error('Not a valid attribute name')
end
attrValue = mp.(attrName);
15-16
% If the attribute is set or has the specified value,

% save its name in cell array
if attrValue
if islogical(attrValue) || strcmp(varargin{1},attrValue)
ii = ii + 1;
cl_array(ii) = {mp.Name};
end
end
end
% Return used portion of array
cl_out = cl_array(1:ii);
end
Find Property Attributes
Suppose you have the following containers.Map object:
mapobj = containers.Map({'rose','bicycle'},{'flower','machine'});
Find properties with private SetAccess:
findAttrValue(mapobj,'SetAccess','private')
ans =
'Count' 'KeyType' 'ValueType' 'serialization'
Find properties with public GetAccess:
findAttrValue(mapobj,'GetAccess','public')
ans =
'Count' 'KeyType' 'ValueType'
15-17
Find Default Values in Property Metadata

In this section...
“meta.property Object” on page 15-18
“meta.property Data” on page 15-18
meta.property Object
Class definitions can specify explicit default values for properties (see “Defining Default
Values” on page 4-12). You can determine if a class defines explicit default values for a
property and what the value of the default is from the property’s meta.property object.
meta.property Data
Obtain the default value of a property from the property's associated meta.property
object. The meta.class object for a class contains a meta.property object for every
property defined by the class, including properties with private and protected access. For
example:
mc = ?MException; % meta.class object for MException class

mp = mc.PropertyList; % Array of meta.property objects
mp(1) % meta.property object for 'type' property
ans =
Name: 'type'
Description: 'Type of error reporting'
GetAccess: 'private'
Dependent: 0
Constant: 0
Abstract: 0
Transient: 0
Hidden: 0
GetObservable: 1
SetObservable: 1
AbortSet: 0
GetMethod: []
15-18
SetMethod: []
HasDefault: 1
DefaultValue: {}
Two meta.property object properties provide information on default values:
• HasDefault — True if class specifies a default value for the property, false if it
does not.
• DefaultValue — Contains the default value, if the class defines a default value for
the property.
These properties provide a programmatic way to obtain property default values without
reading class definition files. Use these meta.property object properties to obtain
property default values for built-in classes and classes defined in MATLAB code.
Querying a Default Value
The procedure for querying a default value involves:
1 Getting the meta.property object for the property whose default value you want to
query.
2 Testing the logical value of the meta.property HasDefault property to determine
if the property defines a default value. MATLAB returns an error when you query
the DefaultValue property if the class does not define a default value for the
property.
3 Obtaining the default value from the meta.property DefaultValue property if
the HasDefault value is true.
Use the ? operator, the metaclass function, or the meta.class.fromName static

method (works with string variable) to obtain a meta.class object. The meta.class
object PropertyList property contains an array of meta.property objects. Identify
which property corresponds to which meta.property object using the meta.property
Name property.
For example, this class defines properties with default values:

classdef MyDefs
properties
Material = 'acrylic';
InitialValue = 1.0;
end
15-19
end
Follow these steps to obtain the default value defined for the Material property. Include
any error checking that is necessary for your application.
1 Get the meta.class object for the class:
mc = ?MyDefs;
2 Get an array of meta.property objects from the meta.class PropertyList
property:
mp = mc.PropertyList;
3 The length of the mp array equals the number of properties. You can use the
meta.property Name property to find the property of interest:
for k = 1:length(mp)
if (strcmp(mp(k).Name,'Material')
4 Before querying the default value of the Material property, test the HasDefault
meta.property to determine if MyClass defines a default property for this
property:
if mp(k).HasDefault
dv = mp(k).DefaultValue;
end
end
end
The DefaultValue property is read only. Changing the default value in the class
definition changes the value of DefaultValue property. You can query the default value
of a property regardless of its access settings.
Abstract and dynamic properties cannot define default values. Therefore, MATLAB
returns an error if you attempt to query the default value of properties with these
attributes. Always test the logical value of the meta.property HasDefault property
before querying the DefaultValue property to avoid generating an error.
Default Values Defined as Expressions
Class definitions can define property default values as MATLAB expressions (see
“Expressions in Class Definitions” on page 5-8 for more information). MATLAB evaluates
these expressions the first time the default value is needed, such as the first time you
create an instance of the class.
15-20
Querying the meta.property DefaultValue property causes MATLAB to evaluate a

default value expression, if it had not yet been evaluated. Therefore, querying a property
default value can return an error or warning if errors or warnings occur when MATLAB
evaluates the expression. See “Property With Expression That Errors” on page 15-22
for an example.
Property With No Explicit Default Value
MyClass does not explicitly define a default value for the Foo property:
classdef MyFoo
properties
Foo
end
end
The meta.property instance for property Foo has a value of false for HasDefault.
The class does not explicitly define a default value for Foo. Therefore, attempting to
access the DefaultValue property causes an error:
mc = ?MyFoo;
mp = mc.PropertyList(1);
mp.HasDefault
ans =
dv = mp.DefaultValue;
No default value has been defined for property Foo
Abstract Property
MyClass defines the Foo property as Abstract:
classdef MyAbst
properties (Abstract)
Foo
end
end
The meta.property instance for property Foo has a value of false for its HasDefault
property because you cannot define a default value for an Abstract property.
Attempting to access DefaultValue causes an error:
15-21
mc = ?MyAbst;
mp.HasDefault
ans =
Property Foo is abstract and therefore cannot have a default value.
Property With Expression That Errors
MyPropEr defines the Foo property default value as an expression that errors.
classdef MyPropEr
properties
Foo = sin(pie/2);
end
end
The meta.property instance for property Foo has a value of true for its HasDefault
property because Foo does have a default value determined by the evaluation of the
expression:
sin(pie/2)
However, this expression returns an error (pie is a function that creates a pie graph, not
the value pi).
mc = ?MyPropEr;
mp.HasDefault
ans =
Error using pie
Querying the default value causes the evaluation of the expression and returns the error.
Property With Explicitly Defined Default Value of Empty ([])
MyEmptyProp assigns a default of [] (empty double) to the Foo property:
15-22
classdef MyEmptyProp
properties
Foo = [];
end
end
The meta.property instance for property Foo has a value of true for its HasDefault
property. Accessing DefaultValue returns the value []:
mc = ?MyEmptyProp;
mp.HasDefault
ans =
dv =
[]
15-23
16
Specializing Object Behavior
• “Methods That Modify Default Behavior” on page 16-2

• “Overloading numel, subsref, and subsasgn” on page 16-5
• “Concatenation Methods” on page 16-7
• “Object Converters” on page 16-8
• “Object Array Indexing” on page 16-11
• “Indexed Reference” on page 16-17
• “Indexed Assignment” on page 16-21
• “Object end Indexing” on page 16-25
• “Objects In Index Expressions” on page 16-27
• “Class with Modified Indexing” on page 16-29
• “Class Operator Implementations” on page 16-37
16 Specializing Object Behavior
Methods That Modify Default Behavior

In this section...
“How to Customize Class Behavior” on page 16-2
“Which Methods Control Which Behaviors” on page 16-2
“Overloading and Overriding Functions and Methods” on page 16-3
How to Customize Class Behavior

There are functions that MATLAB calls implicitly when you perform certain actions with
objects. For example, a statement like [B(1);A(3)] involves indexed reference and
vertical concatenation.
You can change how user-defined objects behave by defining methods that control specific
behaviors. To change a behavior, implement the appropriate method with the name and
signature of the MATLAB function.
Which Methods Control Which Behaviors

The following table lists the methods to implement for your class and describes the
behaviors that they control.
Class Method to Implement Description

Concatenating Objects
cat, horzcat, and vertcat Customize behavior when concatenation objects
See “Built-In Subclass With Properties”

Creating Empty Arrays
empty Create empty arrays of the specified class. See
“Empty Arrays” on page 9-8
Displaying Objects
disp Called when you enter disp(obj) on the
command line
display
Called when statements are not terminated by
semicolons. disp is often used to implement
display methods.
16-2
Methods That Modify Default Behavior
Class Method to Implement Description

See “Overload the disp Function” on page
17-37
Converting Objects to Other Classes
converters like double and char Convert an object to a MATLAB built-in class
See “The Character Converter” on page 18-16

and “The Double Converter” on page 18-15
Indexing Objects
subsref and subsasgn Enables you to create nonstandard indexed
reference and indexed assignment
See “Object Array Indexing” on page 16-11

end Supports end syntax in indexing expressions
using an object; e.g., A(1:end)
See “Object end Indexing” on page 16-25

numel Determine the number of elements in an array
See “Overloading numel, subsref, and subsasgn”

size Determine the dimensions of an array
See “Understanding size and numel”

subsindex Support using an object in indexing expressions
See “Objects In Index Expressions” on page

16-27
loadobj and saveobj Customize behavior when loading and saving
objects
See “Save and Load”
Overloading and Overriding Functions and Methods

Overloading and overriding are terms that describe techniques for customizing class
behavior. Here is how we use these terms in MATLAB.
16-3
Overloading
Overloading means that there is more than one function or method having the same
name within the same scope. MATLAB dispatches to a particular function or method
based on the dominant argument. For example, the timeseries class overloads the
MATLAB plot function. When you call plot with a timeseries object as an input
argument, MATLAB calls the timeseries class method named plot.
Overriding
Overriding means redefining a method inherited from a superclass. MATLAB dispatches

to the most specific version of the method. That is, if the dominant argument is an
instance of the subclass, then MATLAB calls the subclass method.
Use the InferiorClasses attribute to control class precedence.
More About
• “Overloading numel, subsref, and subsasgn” on page 16-5
16-4
Overloading numel, subsref, and subsasgn
Overloading numel, subsref, and subsasgn

In this section...
“Considerations for Overloading” on page 16-5
“Syntax to Overload numel, subsref, and subsasgn” on page 16-5
Considerations for Overloading

Many MATLAB functions depend on the behavior of other functions, like size and
numel. Therefore, you must be careful to ensure that what is returned by an overloaded
version of these functions is a correct and accurate representation of the size of an object
array.
Interactions with numel, subsref, and subsasgn
You might need to define a numel method to compensate when your class defines a
specialized version of size.
subsref uses the value returned by numel to compute the number of expected output
arguments returned by subsref from subscripted reference (i.e., nargout).
Similarly, subsasgn uses numel to compute the expected number of input arguments to
be assigned using subsasgn (i.e., nargin).
MATLAB determines the value of nargin for an overloaded subsasgn function from
the value returned by numel, plus two (one for the variable to which you are making an
assignment and one for the struct array of subscripts).
If MATLAB produces errors when calling your class's overloaded subsref or subsagn
methods because nargout is wrong for subsref or nargin is wrong for subsasgn,
then you need to overload numel to return a value that is consistent with your
implementation of these indexing functions.
See for more information on implementing subsref and subsagn methods.
Syntax to Overload numel, subsref, and subsasgn

When resolving an indexed reference or assignment, MATLAB calls numel to determine
the number of outputs that are expected from subsref or the number of inputs required
by subsasgn.
16-5
To support {} indexing, you need to overload numel to accept a variable number of

input index values in addition to the object array. Define the overloaded numel with this
syntax:
function n = numel(A,varargin)
...
end
where varargin represent indices into array A.
MATLAB uses the value returned by numel to determine:
• How many outputs to return from subsref in the case of indexed reference
• How many inputs to pass to subsasgn in the case of indexed assignment
When overloading subsref, define the method to return multiple values for the indexed
reference using varargout:
function [varargout] = subsref(A,S)

...
end
When overloading subsasgn, define the method to accept multiple values for the right
hand side of the indexed assignment:
function A = subsagn(A,S,varargin)
More About
• “Understanding size and numel”
16-6
Concatenation Methods
Concatenation Methods
In this section...
“Default Concatenation” on page 16-7
“Methods to Overload” on page 16-7
Default Concatenation
You can concatenate objects into arrays. For example, suppose you have three instances
of the class MyClass, obj1, obj2, obj3. You can form arrays of these objects using
brackets. Horizontal concatenation calls horzcat:
HorArray = [obj1,obj2,obj3];
HorArray is a 1-by-3 array of class MyClass. You can concatenate the objects along the
vertical dimension, which calls vertcat:
VertArray = [obj1;obj2;obj3]
VertArray is a 3-by-1 array of class MyClass. Use the cat function to concatenate
arrays along different dimensions. For example:
ndArray = cat(3,HorArray,HorArray);
ndArray is a 1-by-3-by-2 array.
Methods to Overload
Overload horzcat, vertcat, and cat to produce specialized behaviors in your class.
You must overload both horzcat and vertcat whenever you want to modify object
concatenation because MATLAB uses both functions for any concatenation operation.
Related Examples
16-7
Object Converters
In this section...
“Why Implement a Converter” on page 16-8
“Converters for Package Classes” on page 16-8
“Converters and Subscripted Assignment” on page 16-9
Why Implement a Converter

You can convert an object of one class to an object of another class. A converter method
has the same name as the class it converts to, such as char or double. Think of a
converter method as an overloaded constructor method of another class—it takes an
instance of its own class and returns an object of a different class.
Converters enable you to:
• Use methods defined for another class

• Ensure that expressions involving objects of mixed class types execute properly
• Control how instances are interpreted in other contexts
Suppose you define a polynomial class. If you create a double method for the
polynomial class, you can use it to call other functions that require inputs of type
double.
p = polynomial(...);
dp = double(p);
roots(dp)
p is a polynomial object, double is a method of the polynomial class, and roots is a

standard MATLAB function whose input arguments are the coefficients of a polynomial.
Converters for Package Classes

Classes defined in packages can have names that are a dot-separated list of names. The
last name is a class and preceding names are packages. Name the conversion methods
using the package qualifiers in the method names. For example, a conversion method to
convert objects of MyClass to objects of the PkgName.PkgClass class uses this method
name:
classdef MyClass
16-8
Object Converters
...
methods
function objPkgClass = PkgName.PkgClass(objMyclass)
...
end
end
end
You cannot define a converter method that uses dots in the name in a separate file. You
must define package-class converters in the classdef file.
Converters and Subscripted Assignment

When you make a subscripted assignment statement like:
A(1) = myobj;
MATLAB compares the class of the Right-Side variable to the class of the Left-Side
variable. If the classes are different, MATLAB attempts to convert the Right-Side
variable to the class of the Left-Side variable. To do this, MATLAB first searches for
a method of the Right-Side class that has the same name as the Left-Side class. Such
a method is a converter method, which is similar to a typecast operation in other
languages.
If the Right-Side class does not define a method to convert from the Right-Side class to
the Left-Side class, then MATLAB software calls the Left-Side class constructor and
passes it to the Right-Side variable.
For example, suppose you make the following assignments:

A(1) = objA; % Object of class ClassA
A(2) = objB; % Object of class ClassB
MATLAB attempts to call a method of ClassB named ClassA. If no such converter

method exists, MATLAB software calls the ClassA constructor, passing objB as an
argument. If the ClassA constructor cannot accept objB as an argument, then MATLAB
returns an error.
Use cell arrays to store objects of different classes.
Related Examples
• “Converter Methods”
16-9
• “The Double Converter” on page 18-15
16-10
Object Array Indexing

In this section...
“Default Indexed Reference and Assignment” on page 16-11
“What You Can Modify” on page 16-12
“When to Modify Indexing Behavior” on page 16-13
“Built-In subsref and subsasgn Called In Methods” on page 16-13
“Avoid Overriding Access Attributes” on page 16-15
Default Indexed Reference and Assignment

MATLAB provides support for object array indexing by default. Many class designs
require no modification to this behavior.
Arrays enable you to reference and assign elements of the array using a subscripted
notation. This notation specifies the indices of specific array elements. For example,
suppose you create two arrays of numbers (using randi and concatenation).
Create a 3-by-4 array of integers between 1 and 9:
A = randi(9,3,4)
A =
4 8 5 7
4 2 6 3
7 5 7 7
Create a 1-by-3 array of the numbers 3, 6, 9:
B = [3 6 9];
Reference and assign elements of either array using index values in parentheses:
B(2) = A(3,4);
B
B =
3 7 9
16-11
When you execute a statement that involves indexed reference:

C = A(3,4);
MATLAB calls the built-in subsref function to determine how to interpret the
statement. Similarly, if you execute a statement that involves indexed assignment:
C(4) = 7;
MATLAB calls the built-in subsasgn function to determine how to interpret the
statement.
The MATLAB default subsref and subsasgn functions also work with user-defined
objects. For example, create an array of objects of the same class:
for k=1:3
objArray(k) = MyClass;
end
Referencing the second element in the object array, objArray, returns the object
constructed when k = 2:
D = objArray(2);
class(D)
ans =
MyClass
You can assign an object to an array of objects of the same class, or an uninitialized
variable:
newArray(3,4) = D;
Arrays of objects behave much like numeric arrays in MATLAB. You do not need to
implement any special methods to provide standard array behavior with your class.
For general information about array indexing, see “Matrix Indexing”.
What You Can Modify

You can modify your class's default indexed reference and/or assignment behavior by
implementing class methods called subsref and subsasgn. For syntax description, see
their respective reference pages.
16-12
Once you add a subsref or subsasgn method to your class, then MATLAB calls only
the class method, not the built-in function. Therefore, you must implement in your class
method all of the indexed reference and assignment operations that you want your class
to support. These operations include:
• Dot notation calls to class methods

• Dot notation reference and assignment involving properties
• Any indexing using parentheses '()'
• Any indexing using braces '{}'
Implementing subsref and subsasgn methods gives you complete control over the
interpretation of indexing expressions for objects of your class. Implementing the extent
of behaviors that MATLAB provides by default is nontrivial.
When to Modify Indexing Behavior

Default indexing for object arrays and dot notation for access to properties and methods
enables user-defined objects to behave like built-in classes. For example, suppose you
define a class with a property called Data that contains an array of numeric data.
This statement:
obj.Data(2,3)
Returns the value contained in the second row, third column of the array. If you have an
array of objects, use an expression like:
objArray(3).Data(2,3)
This statement returns the value contained in the second row, third column of the third
element in the array.
Modify the default indexing behavior when your class design requires behavior that is
different from that provided by MATLAB by default.
Built-In subsref and subsasgn Called In Methods

MATLAB does not call class-defined subsref or subsasgn methods within the class's
own methods. Within class methods, MATLAB always calls the built-in subsref
and subsasgn functions. This behavior occurs within the class-defined subsref and
subsasgn methods too.
16-13
For example, within a class method, this dot reference:

obj.Prop
calls the built-in subsref function. To call the class-defined subsref method, use:
subsref(obj,substruct('.','Prop'))
Whenever a method requires the functionality of the class-defined subsref or subsasgn

method, the class must call the overloaded methods as functions. Do not use the
operators, '()', '{}', or '.'.
For example, suppose you define a class to represent polynomial. This class has a
subsref method that evaluates the polynomial with the value of the independent
variable equal to the subscript. Assume this statement defines the polynomial with its
coefficients:
p = polynom([1 0 -2 -5]);
The MATLAB expression for the resulting polynomial is:

x^3 - 2*x - 5
This subscripted expression returns the value of the polynomial at x = 3:

p(3)
ans =
16
Suppose that you want to use this feature in another class method. To do so, call the
subsref function directly. The evalEqual method accepts two polynom objects and a
value at which to evaluate the polynomials:
methods
function ToF = evalEqual(p1,p2,x)
% Create arguments for subsref
subs.type = '()';
subs.subs = {x};
% Need to call subsref explicitly
y1 = subsref(p1,subs);
y2 = subsref(p2,subs);
if y1 == y2
ToF = true;
else
16-14
ToF = false;
end
end
end
This behavior enables you to use standard MATLAB indexing to implement specialized
behaviors. See “Class with Modified Indexing” on page 16-29 for examples of how to
use both built-in and class-modified indexing.
Avoid Overriding Access Attributes

Because subsref is a class method, it has access to private class members. Avoid
inadvertently giving access to private methods and properties as you handle various
types of reference. Consider this subsref method defined for a class having private
properties, x and y:
classdef MyPlot
x
y
end
properties
Maximum
Minimum
Average
end
methods
function obj = MyPlot(x,y)
obj.x = x;
obj.y = y;
obj.Maximum = max(y);
obj.Minimum = min(y);
obj.Average = mean(y);
end
function B = subsref(A,S)
switch S(1).type
case '.'
switch S(1).subs
case 'plot'
% Reference to A.x and A.y call built-in subsref
B = plot(A.x,A.y);
otherwise
% Enable dot notation for all properties and methods
16-15
B = A.(S.subs);
end
end
end
end
end
This subsref enables users to use dot notation to perform an action (create a plot) using
the name 'plot'. The statement:
obj = MyPlot(1:10,1:10);
h = obj.plot;
calls the plot function and returns the handle to the graphics object.
You do not need to explicitly code each method and property name because the
otherwise code in the inner switch block handles any name reference that you do not
explicitly specify in case statements. However, using this technique exposes any private
and protected class members via dot notation. For example, you can reference the private
property, x, with this statement:
obj.x
ans =
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The same issue applies to writing a subsasgn method that enables assignment to
private or protected properties. Your subsref and subsasgn methods might need
to code each specific property and method name explicitly to avoid violating the class
design.
Related Examples
• “Indexed Reference” on page 16-17
• “Indexed Assignment” on page 16-21
16-16
Indexed Reference
Indexed Reference
In this section...
“Understanding Indexed Reference” on page 16-17
“Compound Indexed References” on page 16-18
“Writing subsref” on page 16-19
Understanding Indexed Reference

Object indexed references are in three forms — parentheses, braces, and name:
A(I)
A{I}
A.name
Each of these statements causes a call by MATLAB to the subsref method of the class
of A, or a call to the built-in subsref function, if the class of A does not implement a
subsref method.
MATLAB passes two arguments to subsref:

B = subsref(A,S)
The first argument is the object being referenced, A. The second argument, S, is a struct
with two fields:
• S.type is a string containing '()', '{}', or '.' specifying the indexing type used.
• S.subs is a cell array or string containing the actual index or name. A colon used as
an index is passed in the cell array as the string ':'. Ranges specified using a colon
(e.g., 2:5) are expanded to 2 3 4 5.
For example, the expression:

A(1:4,:)
Causes MATLAB to call subsref(A,S), where S is a 1-by-1 structure with a two-

element cell array. The cell array contains the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and the colon character
:
S.type = '()'
S.subs = {1:4,':'}
16-17
Returning the contents of each cell of S.subs gives the index values for the first
dimension and a string ':' for the second dimension:
S.subs{:}
ans =
1 2 3 4
ans =
The default subsref returns all array elements in rows 1 through 4 and all of the
columns in the array.
Similarly, this expression:

A{1:4}
Uses a cell array containing the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4.

S.type ='{}'
S.subs = {1:4}
The default subsref returns the contents of all cell array elements in rows 1 through 4
and all of the columns in the array.
This expression:
A.Name
Calls subsref(A,S), where the struct S has these values:

S.type = '.'
S.subs = 'Name'
The default subsref returns the contents of the Name field in the struct array or the
value of the property Name if A is an object with the specified property name.
Compound Indexed References

These simple calls are combined for more complicated indexing expressions. In such
cases, length(S) is the number of indexing levels. For example,
16-18
Indexed Reference
A(1,2).PropertyName(1:4)
calls subsref(A,S), where S is a 3-by-1 array of structs with the values:

S(1).type = '()' S(2).type = '.' S(3).type = '()'
S(1).subs = {1,2} S(2).subs = 'PropertyName' S(3).subs = {1:4}
Writing subsref
Your class's subsref method must interpret the indexing expressions passed in by
MATLAB. Any behavior you want your class to support must be implemented by your
subsref. However, your method can call the built-in subsref to handle indexing types
that you do not want to change.
You can use a switch statement to determine the type of indexing used and to obtain
the actual indices. The following three code fragments illustrate how to interpret the
input arguments. In each case, the function must return the value (B) that is returned by
your subsref function.
For a parentheses index:

% Parse A(n)
switch S.type
case '()'
B = A(S.subs{:});
end
For a brace index (CellProperty contained a cell array):

% Parse A{n}
switch S.type
case '{}'
B = A.CellProperty{S.subs{:}};
end
While braces are used for cell arrays in MATLAB, your subsref method can define its
own meaning for this syntax.
Dot name indexing typically accesses property values. The name can be an arbitrary
string for which you take an arbitrary action:
switch S.type
case '.'
switch S.subs
16-19
case 'name1'
B = A.name1;
case 'name2'
B = A.name2;
end
end
If the dot name is a method call, passing arguments requires a second level of indexing.
Related Examples
• “Redefine Indexed Reference”
16-20
Indexed Assignment
Indexed Assignment
In this section...
“Understanding Indexed Assignment” on page 16-21
“Indexed Assignment to Objects” on page 16-23
“Compound Indexed Assignments” on page 16-23
Understanding Indexed Assignment

Object indexed assignments are in three forms — parentheses, braces, and name:
A(I) = B
A{I} = B
A.name = B
Each of these statements causes MATLAB to call the subsasgn method of the class of A,
or a call to the built-in function, if the class of A does not implement a subsasgn method.
MATLAB passes three arguments to subsasgn:

A = subsasgn(A,S,B)
The first argument, A, is the object being assigned the value in the third argument B.
The second argument, S, is a struct with two fields:
• S.type is a string containing '()', '{}', or '.' specifying the indexing type used.
• S.subs is a cell array or string containing the actual index or name. A colon used as
an index is passed in the cell array as the string ':'. Ranges specified using a colon
(e.g., 2:5) are expanded to 2 3 4 5.
For example, the assignment statement:

A(2,3) = B;
generates a call to subsasgn: A = subsasgn(A,S,B) where S is:

S.type = '()'
S.subs = {2,3}
The default subsasgn:
16-21
• Determines the class of A. If B is not the same class as A, then MATLAB tries to
construct an object of the same class as A using B as an input argument (e.g., by
calling a converter method, if one exists). If this attempt fails, MATLAB returns an
error.
• If A and B are, or can be made, into the same class, then MATLAB assigns the value of
B to the array element at row 2, column 3.
• If A does not exist before you execute the assignment statement, then MATLAB
initializes the five array elements that come before A(2,3) with a default object of
the class of A and B. For example, empty elements are initialized to zero in the case of
a numeric array or an empty cell ([]) in the case of cell arrays.
Similarly, this expression
A{2,3} = B
Uses these values for the struct S:
S.type ='{}'
S.subs = {2,3}
• Assigns B to the cell array element at row 2, column 3.

• If A does not exist before you execute the assignment statement, MATLAB initializes
the five cells that come before A(2,3) with []. The result is a 2-by-3 cell array.
This expression:
A.Name = B
Calls A = subsasgn(A,S,B) where the struct S has these values:
S.type = '.'
S.subs = 'Name'
• Assigns B to the struct field Name.

• If A does not exist before you execute the assignment statement, MATLAB creates
a new struct variable, A with field Name and assigns the value of B to this field
location.
16-22
Indexed Assignment
• If struct A exists, but has no field Name, then MATLAB adds the field Name and
assigns the value of B to the new field location.
• If struct A exists and has a Name field, then MATLAB assigns the value of B to
Name.
You can redefine all or some of these assignment behaviors by implementing a subsasgn
method for your class.
Indexed Assignment to Objects

If A is an object, this expression:
A.Name = B
Calls A = subsasgn(A,S,B) where, struct S has these values:
S.type = '.'
S.subs = 'Name'
• Attempts to assign B to the Name property.

• If the class of A does not have a Name property, MATLAB returns an error.
• If the Name property has restricted access (private or protected), MATLAB
determines if the assignment is allowed based on the context in which the assignment
is made.
• If the class of A defines a set method for property Name, MATLAB calls the set
method.
• MATLAB applies all other property attributes before determining whether to
assigning B to the property Name.
Compound Indexed Assignments

These simple calls are combined for more complicated indexing expressions. In such
cases, length(S) is the number of indexing levels. For example,
A(1,2).PropertyName(1:4) = B
calls subsasgn(A,S,B), where S is a 3-by-1 structure array with the values:
16-23
S(1).type = '()' S(2).type = '.' S(3).type = '()'

S(1).subs = {1,2} S(2).subs = 'PropertyName' S(3).subs = {1:4}
Related Examples
• “Specialize Subscripted Assignment — subsasgn”
16-24
Object end Indexing
Object end Indexing

In this section...
“Define end Indexing for an Object” on page 16-25
“The end Method ” on page 16-26
Define end Indexing for an Object

When you use end in an object indexing expression, such as A(4:end), the end function
returns the index value corresponding to the last element in that dimension.
Classes can overload the end function to implement specialized behavior. If your class
defines an end method, MATLAB calls that method to determine how to interpret the
expression.
The end method has the calling syntax:
ind = end(A,k,n)
The arguments are described as follows:
• A is the object
• k is the index in the expression using the end syntax
• n is the total number of indices in the expression
• ind is the index value to use in the expression
For example, consider the expression
A(end-1,:)
MATLAB calls the end method defined for the object A using the arguments
ind = end(A,1,2)
These arguments mean the end statement occurs in the first index element and there are
two index elements. The end class method returns the index value for the last element of
the first dimension (from which 1 is subtracted in this case). If your class implements an
end method, ensure that it returns a value appropriate for the class.
16-25
The end Method

The end method for the MyDataClass example (see “Class with Modified Indexing”)
operates on the contents of the Data property. The objective of this method is to return a
value that can replace end in any indexing expression, such as:
obj(4:end)
obj.Data(2,3:end)
This end method determines a positive integer value for end. The method returns the
value so that MATLAB can use it in the indexing expression.
function ind = end(obj,k,n)
szd = size(obj.Data);
if k < n
ind = szd(k);
else
ind = prod(szd(k:end));
end
end
Related Examples
• “Objects In Index Expressions” on page 16-27
16-26
Objects In Index Expressions
Objects In Index Expressions

In this section...
“Using Objects as Indices” on page 16-27
“Scenarios for Implementing Objects as Indices” on page 16-27
“subsindex Implementation” on page 16-28
Using Objects as Indices

MATLAB can use objects as indices in indexed expressions. The rules of array indexing
apply — indices must be positive integers. Therefore, MATLAB must be able to derive a
value from the object that is a positive integer. MATLAB uses the positive integer in the
indexed expression.
Indexing expressions like X(A), where A is an object, cause MATLAB to call the
default subsindex function. However, if an indexing expression results in a call to an
overloaded subsref or subsasgn method defined by the class of X, then MATLAB does
not callsubsindex.
subsindex must return the value of the object as a zero-based integer index values in
the range 0 to prod(size(X))-1.
Scenarios for Implementing Objects as Indices

If you want to enable indexing of one object by another object, such as X(A), you can
implement this behavior in various ways:
• Define a subsindex method in the class of A, which converts A to an integer.

MATLAB calls A's subsindex method to perform indexing operations, when the class
of X does not overload the default subsref or subsasgn method.
• If the class of X overloads subsref or subsasgn, these methods can call the
subsindex method of A explicitly. In this case, ensure that A implements a
subsindex method with appropriate error checking in your program.
• If the class of X overloads subsref or subsasgn, these methods can contain code that
determines an integer index value without relying on the class of A to implement a
subsindex method.
16-27
subsindex Implementation
MATLAB calls the subsindex method defined for the object used as the index. For
example, suppose you want to use object A to index into object B. B can be a single object
or an array, depending on the class designs.
C = B(A);
Here are two examples of subsindex methods. The first assumes you can convert class A
to a uint8. The second assumes class A stores an index value in a property.
The subsindex method implemented by class A can convert the object to double format
to be used as an index:
function ind = subsindex(obj)
ind = uint8(obj);
end
Class A can implement a method that returns a numeric value that is stored in a
property:
function ind = subsindex(obj)
ind = obj.ElementPosition;
end
Note: subsindex values are 0-based, not 1-based.
Related Examples
16-28
Class with Modified Indexing

In this section...
“Modify Class Indexing” on page 16-29
“Class Description” on page 16-29
“Specialize Subscripted Reference — subsref” on page 16-31
“Specialize Subscripted Assignment — subsasgn” on page 16-31
“Implementing Addition for Object Data — double and plus” on page 16-32
“MyDataClass.m” on page 16-34
Modify Class Indexing

This example defines a class that modifies the default indexing behavior by
implementing subsref and subsasgn methods. The class also implements type
conversion and addition by implementing a double converter method and a plus
method.
The objective of the class design is to:
• Enable you to treat an object of the class as a numeric array

• Be able to contain nonnumeric and numeric data in an object of the class
Class Description
The class has three properties:
• Data — numeric test data

• Description — description of test data
• Date — date test was conducted
Assume you have the following data (randi):

d = randi(9,3,4)
d =
8 9 3 9
9 6 5 2
16-29
2 1 9 9
Create an instance of the class:

obj = MyDataClass(d,'Test001')
obj =
MyDataClass with properties:
Data: [3x4 double]

Description: 'Test001'
Date: [2012 1 7 9 32 34.5190]
The constructor arguments pass the values for the Data and Description properties.
The clock function assigns the value to the Date property from within the constructor.
This approach captures the time and date information when the instance is created.
Here is the preliminary code listing without the subsref, subsasgn double, and plus
methods.
classdef MyDataClass
properties
Data
Description
end
Date
end
methods
function obj = MyDataClass(data,desc)
if nargin > 0
obj.Data = data;
end
if nargin > 1
obj.Description = desc;
end
obj.Date = clock;
end
end
end
This class does not implement a fully robust class. For example, you cannot concatenate
objects into an array without adding other methods, such as horzcat, vertcat, cat,
size, and enhancements to subsref and subsasin. methods.
16-30
Specialize Subscripted Reference — subsref

Implement a subsref method to support both the default indexed reference behavior for
scalar objects:
obj.Data(2,3)
ans =
And add the functionality to index into the Data property with an expression like this:
obj(2,3)
Redefining '()' indexing means you cannot create arrays of MyDataClass objects and
use '()' indexing to access individual objects. You can reference only scalar objects.
To achieve the design goals, the subsref method calls the builtin subsref function
for '.' type indexing and defines its own version of '()' type indexing.
The result: obj(i) is equivalent to obj.Data(i).

% obj(i) is equivalent to obj.Data(i)
switch s(1).type
case '.'
sref = builtin('subsref',obj,s);
case '()'
if length(s) < 2
sref = builtin('subsref',obj.Data,s);
return
else
end
case '{}'
error('MYDataClass:subsref',...
'Not a supported subscripted reference')
end
end
Specialize Subscripted Assignment — subsasgn

Implement a subsasgn method to support the equivalent of the indexed reference
behavior with indexed assignment. Support the default indexed assignment:
16-31
obj.Data(2,3) = 9;
And add the functionality to assign values to the Data property with an expression like
this:
obj(2,3) = 9;
Like the subsref method, the subsasgn method calls the builtin subsasgn function
for '.' type indexing and defines its own version of '()' type indexing.
The substruct function redefines the index type and index subscripts structure that
MATLAB passes to subsref and subsasgn.
function obj = subsasgn(obj,s,val)
if isempty(s) && isa(val,'MyDataClass')
obj = MyDataClass(val.Data,val.Description);
end
switch s(1).type
case '.'
obj = builtin('subsasgn',obj,s,val);
case '()'
if length(s)<2
if isa(val,'MyDataClass')
error('MyDataClass:subsasgn',...
'Object must be scalar')
elseif isa(val,'double')
% Redefine the struct s to make the call: obj.Data(i)
snew = substruct('.','Data','()',s(1).subs(:));
obj = subsasgn(obj,snew,val);
end
end
case '{}'
'Not a supported subscripted assignment')
end
end
Implementing Addition for Object Data — double and plus

First, implement a double method that converts an object to an array of doubles. By
implementing a double converter method, it is possible to add a MyDataClass object
to another class of object, providing the other class implements a double method that
also returns an array of doubles. For more information on type conversion, see “Object
Converters” on page 16-8.
16-32
Allow direct addition of the Data property values by implementing a plus method.
Implementing a plus method enables the use of the + operator for addition of
MyDataClass objects.
Because the plus method implements addition by adding double arrays, MATLAB:
• Apply the rules of addition when adding MyDataClass objects

• Returns errors for any condition that can cause errors in default numeric addition.
For example, dimension mismatch, and so on.
The plus method uses the double method to convert the object to numeric values before
performing the addition:
function a = double(obj)
a = obj.Data;
end
function c = plus(obj,b)
c = double(obj) + double(b);
end
For example, the plus method enables you to add a scalar number to the object Data
array.
Here are the values of the Data, displayed using indexed reference:
obj(:,:)
ans =
8 9 3 9
9 6 9 2
2 1 9 9
Add 7 to the array contained in the Data property:
obj + 7
ans =
15 16 10 16
16 13 16 9
9 8 16 16
16-33
MyDataClass.m
This definition for MyDataClass includes the end indexing method discussed in “Object
end Indexing” on page 16-25.
classdef MyDataClass
% Example for "A Class with Modified Indexing"
properties
Data
Description
end
Date
end
methods
function obj = MyDataClass(data,desc)
% Support 0-2 args
if nargin > 0
obj.Data = data;
end
if nargin > 1
obj.Description = desc;
end
obj.Date = clock;
end

% obj(i) is equivalent to obj.Data(i)
switch s(1).type
case '.'
case '()'
if length(s)<2
sref = builtin('subsref',obj.Data,s);
return
else
end
case '{}'
error('MyDataClass:subsref',...
'Not a supported subscripted reference')
end
end
16-34
function obj = subsasgn(obj,s,val)

if isempty(s) && isa(val,'MyDataClass')
obj = MyDataClass(val.Data,val.Description);
end
switch s(1).type
case '.'
obj = builtin('subsasgn',obj,s,val);
case '()'
%
if length(s)<2
if isa(val,'MyDataClass')
'Object must be scalar')
elseif isa(val,'double')
snew = substruct('.','Data','()',s(1).subs(:));
obj = subsasgn(obj,snew,val);
end
end
case '{}'
'Not a supported subscripted assignment')
end
end
function a = double(obj)
a = obj.Data;
end
function c = plus(obj,b)
c = double(obj) + double(b);
end
function ind = end(obj,k,n)

szd = size(obj.Data);
if k < n
ind = szd(k);
else
ind = prod(szd(k:end));
end
end
end
end
16-35
Related Examples
16-36
Class Operator Implementations

In this section...
“Defining Operators” on page 16-37
“MATLAB Operators and Associated Functions” on page 16-37
Defining Operators
You can implement MATLAB operators (+, *, >, etc.) to work with objects of your class.
Do this by defining the associated class methods.
Each operator has an associated function (e.g., the + operator has an associated
plus.m function). You can implement any operator by creating a class method with
the appropriate name. This method can perform whatever steps are appropriate for the
operation being implemented.
Object Precedence in Operations
User-defined classes have a higher precedence than built-in classes. For example, if
q is an object of class double and p is a user-defined class, MyClass, both of these
expressions:
q + p
p + q
generate a call to the plus method in the MyClass, if it exists. Whether this method can
add objects of class double and class MyClass depends on how you implement it.
When p and q are objects of different classes, MATLAB applies the rules of precedence to
determine which method to use.
“Object Precedence in Methods” provides information on how MATLAB determines which

method to call.
MATLAB Operators and Associated Functions

The following table lists the function names for MATLAB operators. Implementing
operators to work with arrays (scalar expansion, vectorized arithmetic operations, and so
on), might also require modifying indexing and concatenation.
16-37
Operation Method to Define Description

a + b plus(a,b) Binary addition
a - b minus(a,b) Binary subtraction
-a uminus(a) Unary minus
+a uplus(a) Unary plus
a.*b times(a,b) Element-wise multiplication
a*b mtimes(a,b) Matrix multiplication
a./b rdivide(a,b) Right element-wise division
a.\b ldivide(a,b) Left element-wise division
a/b mrdivide(a,b) Matrix right division
a\b mldivide(a,b) Matrix left division
a.^b power(a,b) Element-wise power
a^b mpower(a,b) Matrix power
a < b lt(a,b) Less than
a > b gt(a,b) Greater than
a <= b le(a,b) Less than or equal to
a >= b ge(a,b) Greater than or equal to
a ~= b ne(a,b) Not equal to
a == b eq(a,b) Equality
a & b and(a,b) Logical AND
a | b or(a,b) Logical OR
~a not(a) Logical NOT
a:d:b colon(a,d,b) Colon operator
a:b colon(a,b)
a' ctranspose(a) Complex conjugate transpose
a.' transpose(a) Matrix transpose
command window output display(a) Display method
[a b] horzcat(a,b,...) Horizontal concatenation
[a; b] vertcat(a,b,...) Vertical concatenation
16-38
Operation Method to Define Description

a(s1,s2,...sn) subsref(a,s) Subscripted reference
a(s1,...,sn) = b subsasgn(a,s,b) Subscripted assignment
b(a) subsindex(a) Subscript index
Related Examples
• “Define Arithmetic Operators”
16-39
17
Customizing Object Display
• “Custom Display Interface” on page 17-2

• “How CustomDisplay Works” on page 17-7
• “Role of size Function in Custom Displays” on page 17-9
• “Customize Display for Heterogeneous Arrays” on page 17-10
• “Class with Default Object Display” on page 17-12
• “Choose a Technique for Display Customization” on page 17-16
• “Customize Property Display” on page 17-19
• “Customize Header, Property List, and Footer” on page 17-22
• “Customize Display of Scalar Objects” on page 17-28
• “Customize Display of Object Arrays” on page 17-32
• “Overload the disp Function” on page 17-37
17 Customizing Object Display
Custom Display Interface
In this section...
“Default Object Display” on page 17-2
“CustomDisplay Class” on page 17-3
“Methods for Customizing Object Display” on page 17-3
Default Object Display

MATLAB adds default methods named disp and display to all MATLAB classes that
do not implement their own methods with those names. These methods are not visible,
but create the default simple display.
The default simple display consists of the following parts:
• A header showing the class name, and the dimensions for nonscalar arrays.
• A list of all nonhidden public properties, shown in the order of definition in the class.
The actual display depends on whether the object is scalar or nonscalar. Also, there are
special displays for a scalar handle to a deleted object and empty object arrays. Objects in
all of these states are displayed differently if the objects have no properties.
The details method creates the default detailed display. The detailed display adds
these items to the simple display:
• Use of fully qualified class names

• Link to handle class, if the object is a handle
• Links to methods, events, and superclasses functions executed on the object.
See “Class with Default Object Display” on page 17-12 for an example of how
MATLAB displays objects.
Properties Displayed by Default
MATLAB displays object properties that have public get access and are not hidden (see
“Property Attributes” on page 7-7). Inherited abstract properties are excluded from
17-2
display. When the object being displayed is scalar, any dynamic properties attached to
the object are also included.
CustomDisplay Class
The matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay class provides an interface that you can use to
customize object display for your class. To use this interface, derive your class from
CustomDisplay:
classdef MyClass < matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay
The CustomDisplay class is HandleCompatibile, so you can use it in combination

with both value and handle superclasses.
Note: You cannot use matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay to derive a custom display for

enumeration classes.
disp, display, and details
The CustomDisplay class defines three sealed public methods. These methods overload
three MATLAB functions: disp, display, and details. The disp and display
methods behave like the equivalent MATLAB functions, but use the customizations
defined by classes derived from CustomDisplay.
The details method always uses the default detailed object display and does not apply
customizations defined for the class.
The CustomDisplay interface does not allow you to override disp and display.
Instead, override any combination of the customization methods defined for this purpose.
Methods for Customizing Object Display

There are two groups of methods that you use to customize object display for your class:
• Part builder methods build the strings used for the standard display. Override any of
these methods to change the respective parts of the display.
• State handler methods are called for objects in specific states, like scalar, nonscalar,
and so on. Override any of these methods to handle objects in a specific state.
17-3
All of these methods have protected access and must be defined as protected in your
subclass of CustomDisplay (that is, Access = protected).
Parts of an Object Display
There are three parts that makeup the standard object display — header, property list,
and footer
For example, here is the standard object display for a containers.Map object:
The default object display does not include a footer. The detailed display provides more
information:
Part Builder Methods
Each part of the object display has an associated method that assembles the respective
part of the display.
17-4
Method Purpose Default

getHeader Create the string used for the header. Returns the string, [class(obj),
' with properties:'] linking the
class name to a help popup
Define how and what properties
getPropertyGroups Returns an array of PropertyGroup
display, including order, values, and objects, which determines how to
grouping. display the properties
getFooter Create the string used for the footer. There are two footers:
• Simple display — Returns an

empty string
• Detailed display — Returns linked
calls to methods, events, and
superclasses for this class
Object States That Affect Display
There are four object states that affect how MATLAB displays objects:
• Valid scalar object

• Nonscalar object array
• Empty object array
• Scalar handle to a deleted object
State Handler Methods
Each object state has an associated method that MATLAB calls whenever displaying
objects that are in that particular state.
State Handler Method Called for Object in This State

displayScalarObject (isa(obj,'handle') && isvalid(obj))
&& prod(size(obj)) == 1
displayNonScalarObject prod(size(obj)) > 1
displayEmptyObject prod(size(obj)) == 0
displayScalarHandleToDeletedObject isa(obj,'handle') && isscalar(obj) &&
~isvalid(obj)
17-5
Utility Methods
The CustomDisplay class provides utility methods that return strings that are used
in various parts of the different display options. These static methods return text that
simplifies the creation of customized object displays.
If the computer display does not support hypertext linking, the strings are returned
without the links.
Method Inputs Outputs

convertDimensionsToString Valid object array Object dimensions converted to
a string; determined by calling
size(obj)
displayPropertyGroups PropertyGroup array Displays the titles and property
groups defined
getClassNameForHeader Object Simple class name linked to the
object’s documentation
getDeletedHandleText None String'handle to deleted'
linked to the documentation on
deleted handles
getDetailedFooter Object String containing phrase
'Methods, Events,
Superclasses', with each
link executing the respective
command on the input object
getDetailedHeader Object String containing linked class
name, link to handle page
(if handle class) and 'with
properties:'
getHandleText None String 'handle' linked to a
section of the documentation
that describes handle objects
getSimpleHeader Object String containing linked class
name and the phrase 'with
properties:'
17-6
How CustomDisplay Works
How CustomDisplay Works

In this section...
“Steps to Display an Object” on page 17-7
“Methods Called for a Given Object State” on page 17-8
Steps to Display an Object

When displaying an object, MATLAB determines the state of the object and calls the
appropriate method for that state (see “Object States That Affect Display” on page 17-5).
For example, suppose obj is a valid scalar object of a class derived from
CustomDisplay. If you type obj at the command line without terminating the
statement with a semicolon:
>> obj
The following sequence results in the display of obj:
1 MATLAB determines the class of obj and calls the disp method to display the
object.
2 disp calls size to determine if obj is scalar or nonscalar
3 When obj is a scalar handle object, disp calls isvalid to determine if obj is the
handle of a deleted object. Deleted handles in nonscalar arrays do not affect the
display.
4 disp calls the state handler method for an object of the state of obj. In this case,
obj is a valid scalar that results in a call to:
displayScalarObject(obj)
5 displayScalarObject calls the display part-builder methods to provide the
respective header, property list, and footer.
...
header = getHeader(obj);
disp(header)
...
groups = getPropertyGroups(obj)
displayPropertyGroups(obj,groups)
...
footer = getFooter
17-7
disp(footer)
MATLAB follows a similar sequence for nonscalar object arrays and empty object arrays.
In the case of scalar handles to deleted objects, disp calls the

displayScalarHandleToDeletedObject method, which displays the default string
for handles to deleted objects without calling any part-builder methods.
Methods Called for a Given Object State

The following diagram illustrates the methods called to display an object that derives
from CustomDisplay. The disp method calls the state handler method that is
appropriate for the state of the object or object array being displayed.
Only an instance of a handle class can be in a state of scalar handle to a deleted object.
17-8
Role of size Function in Custom Displays
Role of size Function in Custom Displays

In this section...
“How size Is Used” on page 17-9
“Precautions When Overloading size” on page 17-9
How size Is Used

In the process of building the custom display, CustomDisplay methods call the size
function at several points:
• disp calls size to determine which state handler method to invoke.

• The default getHeader method calls size to determine whether to display a scalar
or nonscalar header.
• The default displayPropertyGroups method calls size to determine if it should
look up property values when the property group is a cell array of property names. By
default, only scalar objects display the values of properties.
Precautions When Overloading size

If your class overloads the size function, then MATLAB calls the overloading version.
You must ensure that the implementation of size is consistent with the way you want to
display objects of the class.
An unusual or improper implementation of size can result in undesirable display

behavior. For example, suppose a class overloads size reports an object as scalar when
it is not. In this class, a property list consisting of a cell array of strings results in the
property values of the first object of the array being displayed. This behavior can give the
impression that all objects in the array have the same property values.
However, reporting an object as scalar when in fact the object is empty results in the
object displaying as an empty object array. The default methods of the CustomDisplay
interface always determine if the input is an empty array before attempting to access
property values.
As you override CustomDisplay methods to implement your custom object display,

consider how an overloading size method can affect the result.
17-9
Customize Display for Heterogeneous Arrays

You can call only sealed methods on nonscalar heterogeneous arrays. If you want to
customize classes that are part of a heterogeneous hierarchy, you must override and
declare as Sealed all the methods that are part of the CustomDisplay interface.
The versions of disp and display that are inherited from

matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay are sealed. However, these methods call all of the
part builder (“Part Builder Methods” on page 17-4) and state handler methods (“State
Handler Methods” on page 17-5).
To use the CustomDisplay interface, the root class of the heterogeneous hierarchy can
declare these methods as Sealed and Access = protected.
If you do not need to override a particular method, then call the superclass method, as
shown in the following code.
For example, the following code shows modifications to the getPropertyGroups and
displayScalarObject methods, while using the superclass implementation of all
others.
classdef RootClass < matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay & matlab.mixin.Heterogeneous
%...
methods (Sealed, Access = protected)
function header = getHeader(obj)
header = getHeader@matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay(obj);
end
function groups = getPropertyGroups(obj)

% Override of this method
% ...
end
function footer = getFooter(obj)

footer = getFooter@matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay(obj);
end
function displayNonScalarObject(obj)
displayNonScalarObject@matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay(obj);
end
function displayScalarObject(obj)
% Override of this method
% ...
end
function displayEmptyObject(obj)
displayEmptyObject@matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay(obj);
17-10
Customize Display for Heterogeneous Arrays
end
function displayScalarHandleToDeletedObject(obj)
displayScalarHandleToDeletedObject@matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay(obj);
end
end
end
You do not need to declare the inherited static methods as Sealed.
17-11
Class with Default Object Display

In this section...
“The EmployeeInfo Class” on page 17-12
“Default Display — Scalar” on page 17-13
“Default Display — Nonscalar” on page 17-13
“Default Display — Empty Object Array” on page 17-14
“Default Display — Handle to Deleted Object” on page 17-15
“Default Display — Detailed Display” on page 17-15
The EmployeeInfo Class

The EmployeeInfo class defines a number of properties to store information about
company employees. This simple class serves as the example class used in display
customization sample classes.
EmployeeInfo derives from the matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay class to enable

customization of the object display.
EmployeeInfo is also a handle class. Therefore instances of this class can be in the state
referred to as a handle to a deleted object. This state does not occur with value classes
(classes not derived from handle).
classdef EmployeeInfo < handle & matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay

properties
Name
JobTitle
Department
Salary
Password
end
methods
function obj = EmployeeInfo
obj.Name = input('Name: ');
obj.JobTitle = input('Job Title: ');
obj.Department = input('Department: ');
obj.Salary = input('Salary: ');
obj.Password = input('Password: ');
end
17-12
end
end
The matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay is handle compatible. Therefore, superclasses can

be either handle or value classes.
Default Display — Scalar

Here is the creation and display of a scalar EmployeeInfo object. By default, MATLAB
displays properties and their values for scalar objects.
Provide inputs for the constructor:
>>Emp123 = EmployeeInfo;
Name: 'Bill Tork'
Job Title: 'Software Engineer'
Department: 'Product Development'
Salary: 1000
Password: 'bill123'
Display the object:
>>Emp123
Emp123 =
EmployeeInfo with properties:
Name: 'Bill Tork'

JobTitle: 'Software Engineer'
Salary: 1000
Password: 'bill123'
Testing for Scalar Objects
To test for scalar objects, use isscalar.
Default Display — Nonscalar

The default display for an array of objects does not show property values. For example,
concatenating two EmployeeInfo objects generates this display:
17-13
>>[Emp123,Emp124]
ans
1x2 EmployeeInfo array with properties:
Name
JobTitle
Department
Salary
Password
Testing for Nonscalar Objects
To test for nonscalar objects, use a negated call to isscalar .
Default Display — Empty Object Array

An empty object array has at least one dimension equal to zero.
>> Empt = EmployeeInfo.empty(0,5)
Empt =
Name
JobTitle
Department
Salary
Password
Testing for Empty Object Arrays
Use isempty to test for empty object arrays. An empty object array is not scalar because
its dimensions can never be 1–by-1.
>> emt = EmployeeInfo.empty
emt =
Name
JobTitle
17-14
Department
Salary
Password
>> isscalar(emt)
ans =
Default Display — Handle to Deleted Object

When a handle object is deleted, the handle variable can remain in the workspace.
>> delete(Emp123)
>> Emp123
Emp123 =
handle to deleted EmployeeInfo
Testing for Handles to Deleted Objects
To test for a handle to a deleted object, use isvalid.
Note: isvalid is a handle class method. Calling isvalid on a value class object causes
an error.
Default Display — Detailed Display

The details method does not support customization and always returns the standard
detailed display:
details(Emp123)
EmployeeInfo handle with properties:
Name: 'Bill Tork'

Salary: 1000
Password: 'bill123'
Methods, Events, Superclasses
17-15
Choose a Technique for Display Customization

In this section...
“Ways to Implement a Custom Display” on page 17-16
“Sample Approaches Using the Interface” on page 17-17
Ways to Implement a Custom Display

How you customize object display for your class depends on what parts of the display you
want to customize and what object states you want to use a custom display.
In general, if you are making small changes to the default layout, then override the
relevant part builder methods (“Part Builder Methods” on page 17-4). For example,
suppose you want to:
• Change the order or value of properties, display a subset of properties, or create

property groups
• Modify the header string
• Add a footer
If you are defining a nonstandard display for a particular object state (scalar, for
example), then the best approach is to override the appropriate state handler method
(“State Handler Methods” on page 17-5).
In some cases, a combination of method overrides might be the best approach. For
example, your implementation of displayScalarObject might
• Use some of the utility methods (“Utility Methods” on page 17-6) to build your own
display strings using parts from the default display
• Call a part builder method to get the default string for that particular part of the
display
• Implement a completely different display for scalar objects.
Once you override any CustomDisplay method, your override is called in all cases
where the superclass method would have been called. For example, if you override the
getHeader method, your override must handle all cases where a state handler method
calls getHeader. (See “Methods Called for a Given Object State” on page 17-8)
17-16
Choose a Technique for Display Customization
Sample Approaches Using the Interface

Here are some simple cases that show what methods to use for the particular customized
display.
Change the Display of Scalar Objects
Use a nonstandard layout for scalar object display that is fully defined in the
displayScalarObject method:
...
% Implement the custom display for scalar obj
end
end
end
Custom Property List with Standard Layout
Use standard display layout, but create a custom property list for scalar and nonscalar
display:
...
methods(Access = protected)
% Return PropertyGroup instances
end
end
end
Custom Property List for Scalar Only
Use standard display layout, but create a custom property list for scalar only. Call the
superclass getPropertyGroups for the nonscalar case.
properties
Prop1
Prop2
Prop3
end
17-17
if isscalar(obj)
% Scalar case: change order
propList = {'Prop2','Prop1','Prop3'};
groups = matlab.mixin.util.PropertyGroup(propList)
else
% Nonscalar case: call superclass method
groups = getPropertyGroups@matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay(obj);
end
end
end
end
Custom Property List with Modified Values
Change the values displayed for some properties in the scalar case by creating property/
value pairs in a struct. This getPropertyGroups method displays only Prop1 and
Prop2, and displays the value of Prop2 as Prop1 divided by Prop3.
properties
Prop1
Prop2
Prop3
end
if isscalar(obj)
% Specify the values to be displayed for properties
propList = struct('Prop1',obj.Prop1,...
'Prop2',obj.Prop1/obj.Prop3);
groups = matlab.mixin.util.PropertyGroup(propList)
else
% Nonscalar case: call superclass method
groups = getPropertyGroups@matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay(obj);
end
end
end
end
Complete Class Definitions
For complete class implementations, see these sections:
• “Customize Property Display” on page 17-19
“Customize Header, Property List, and Footer” on page 17-22
“Customize Display of Scalar Objects” on page 17-28
“Customize Display of Object Arrays” on page 17-32
17-18
Customize Property Display

This example shows how to change the order and number of properties displayed for an
object of your class.
In this section...
“Change the Property Order” on page 17-19
“Change the Values Displayed for Properties” on page 17-20
Change the Property Order

Suppose your class definition contains the following property definition:
properties
Name
JobTitle
Department
Salary
Password
end
In the default scalar object display, MATLAB displays all the public properties along
with their values. However, you want to display only Department, JobTitle, and Name,
in that order. You can do this by deriving from CustomDisplay and overriding the
getPropertyGroups method.
Your override
• Defines method Access as protected to match the definition in the

CustomDisplay superclass
• Creates a cell array of property names in the desired order
• Returns a PropertyGroup object constructed from the property list cell array
function propgrp = getPropertyGroups(~)
proplist = {'Department','JobTitle','Name'};
propgrp = matlab.mixin.util.PropertyGroup(proplist);
end
end
When you create a PropertyGroup object using a cell array of property names,
MATLAB automatically
17-19
• Adds the property values for a scalar object display

• Uses the property names without values for a nonscalar object display (including
empty object arrays)
The getPropertyGroups method is not called to create the display for a scalar handle
to a deleted object.
Change the Values Displayed for Properties

Given the same class properties used in the previous section, you can change the value
displayed for properties by building the property list as a struct and specifying values
for property names. This override of the getPropertyGroups method uses the default
property display for nonscalar objects by calling the superclass getPropertyGroups
method. For scalar objects, the override:
• Changes the value displayed for the Password property to a '*' character for each
character in the password string.
• Displays the string 'Not Available' for the Salary property.
function propgrp = getPropertyGroups(obj)
if ~isscalar(obj)
propgrp = getPropertyGroups@matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay(obj);
else
pd(1:length(obj.Password)) = '*';
propList = struct('Department',obj.Department,...
'JobTitle',obj.JobTitle,...
'Name',obj.Name,...
'Salary','Not available',...
'Password',pd);
propgrp = matlab.mixin.util.PropertyGroup(propList);
end
end
end
The object display looks like this:
EmployeeInfo with properties:

Name: 'Bill Tork'
Salary: 'Not available'
Password: '*******'
17-20
Full Class Listing

properties
Name
JobTitle
Department
Salary
Password
end
methods
end
end
if ~isscalar(obj)
else
propList = struct('Department',obj.Department,...
'JobTitle',obj.JobTitle,...
'Name',obj.Name,...
'Salary','Not avalable',...
'Password',pd);
end
end
end
17-21
Customize Header, Property List, and Footer

This example shows how to customize each of the three parts of the display.
In this section...
“Design of Custom Display” on page 17-22
“getHeader Method Override” on page 17-24
“getPropertyGroups Override” on page 17-25
“getFooter Override” on page 17-25
Design of Custom Display
Note: This example uses the EmployeeInfo class described in the “Class with Default
Object Display” on page 17-12 section.
For the header:
• Use default header for nonscalar object arrays.

• Build header string with linked class name and department name (from Department
property)
For properties:
• Nonscalar object arrays display a subset of property names in a different order than
the default.
• Scalar objects create two property groups that have titles (Public Info and
Personal Info).
For the footer:
• Add a footer to the display, only when the object is a valid scalar that displays
property values.
Here is the customized display of an object of the EmployeeInfo class.
Emp123 =
17-22
EmployeeInfo Dept: Product Development
Public Info
Name: 'Bill Tork'
Personal Info
Salary: 1000
Password: 'bill123'
Company Private
Here is the custom display of an array of EmployeeInfo objects:
[Emp123,Emp124]
ans =
Department
Name
JobTitle
Here is the display of an empty object array:
>> EmployeeInfo.empty(0,5)
ans =
Department
Name
JobTitle
Here is the display of a handle to a delete object (EmployeeInfo is a handle class):
>> delete(Emp123)
>> Emp123
Emp123 =
handle to deleted EmployeeInfo
17-23
Implementation
The EmployeeInfo class overrides three matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay methods to

implement the display shown:
• getHeader
• getPropertyGroups
• getFooter
Each method must produce the desired results with each of the following inputs:
• Scalar object
• Nonscalar object array
• Empty object array
getHeader Method Override

MATLAB calls getHeader to get the header string. The EmployeeInfo class overrides
this method to implement the custom header for scalar display. Here is how it works:
• Nonscalar (including empty object) arrays call the superclass getHeader, which
returns the default header.
• Scalar handles to deleted objects do not result in a call to getHeader.
• Scalar inputs build a custom header using the getClassNameForHeader static
method to return a linked class name string, and the value of the Department
property.
Here is the EmployeeInfo override of the getHeader method. The required protected
access is inherited from the superclass.
if ~isscalar(obj)
else
className = matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.getClassNameForHeader(obj);
newHeader = [className,' Dept: ',obj.Department];
header = sprintf('%s\n',newHeader);
end
end
end
17-24
getPropertyGroups Override
MATLAB calls getPropertyGroups to get the PropertyGroup objects, which control
how properties are displayed. This method override defines two different property lists
depending on the object’s state:
• For nonscalar inputs, including empty arrays and arrays containing handles to
deleted objects, create a property list as a cell array to reorder properties.
By default, MATLAB does not display property values for nonscalar inputs.
• For scalar inputs, create two property groups with titles. The scalar code branch
lists properties in a different order than the nonscalar case and includes Salary and
Password properties. MATLAB automatically assigns property values.
• Scalar handles to deleted objects do not result in a call to getPropertyGroups.
Both branches return a matlab.mixin.util.PropertyGroup object, which

determines how to displays the object properties.
Here is the EmployeeInfo override of the getPropertyGroups method. The protected

access is inherited from the superclass.
if ~isscalar(obj)
propList = {'Department','Name','JobTitle'};
else
gTitle1 = 'Public Info';
gTitle2 = 'Personal Info';
propList1 = {'Name','JobTitle'};
propList2 = {'Salary','Password'};
propgrp(1) = matlab.mixin.util.PropertyGroup(propList1,gTitle1);
end
end
end
getFooter Override
MATLAB calls getFooter to get the footer string. The EmployeeInfo getFooter
method defines a footer for the display, which is included only when the input is a valid
scalar object. In all other cases, getFooter returns an empty string.
Scalar handles to deleted objects do not result in a call to getFooter.
17-25

if isscalar(obj)
footer = sprintf('%s\n','Company Private');
else
footer = '';
end
end
end
Complete Class Listing

properties
Name
JobTitle
Department
Salary
Password
end
methods
end
end

if ~isscalar(obj)
else
newHeader = [className,' Dept: ',obj.Department];
header = sprintf('%s\n',newHeader);
end
end

if ~isscalar(obj)
propList = {'Department','Name','JobTitle'};
else
propList2 = {'Salary','Password'};
end
17-26
end

if isscalar(obj)
footer = sprintf('%s\n','Company Private');
else
footer = '';
end
end
end
end
17-27
Customize Display of Scalar Objects

This example shows how to customize the display of scalar objects.
In this section...
“Design Of Custom Display” on page 17-28
“displayScalarObject Method Override” on page 17-29
“getPropertyGroups Override” on page 17-30
Design Of Custom Display
The objective of this customized display is to:
• Modify the header to include the department name obtained from the Department
property
• Group properties into two categories titled Public Info and Personal Info.
• Modify which properties are displayed
• Modify the values displayed for Personal Info category
• Use the default displayed for nonscalar objects, including empty arrays, and scalar
deleted handles
For example, here is the customized display of an object of the EmployeeInfo class.
Emp123 =
EmployeeInfo Dept: Product Development
Public Info
Name: 'Bill Tork'
Personal Info
Salary: 'Level: 10'
17-28
Password: '*******'
Implementation
The EmployeeInfo class overrides two matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay methods to

implement the display shown:
• displayScalarObject — Called to display valid scalar objects

• getPropertyGroups — Builds the property groups for display
displayScalarObject Method Override

MATLAB calls displayScalarObject to display scalar objects. The EmployeeInfo
class overrides this method to implement the scalar display. Once overridden, this
method must control all aspects of scalar object display, including creating the header,
property groups, and footer, if used.
This implementation:
• Builds a custom header using the getClassNameForHeader static method to return

a linked class name string and the value of the Department property to get the
department name.
• Uses
sprintf to add a new line to the header string

• Displays the header with the built-in disp function.
• Calls the getPropertyGroups override to define the property groups (see following
section).
• Displays the property groups using the displayPropertyGroups static method.
Here is the EmployeeInfo override of the displayScalarObject method. The

required protected access is inherited from the superclass.
scalarHeader = [className,' Dept: ',obj.Department];
header = sprintf('%s\n',scalarHeader);
disp(header)
propgroup = getPropertyGroups(obj);
matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.displayPropertyGroups(obj,propgroup)
17-29
end
end
getPropertyGroups Override
MATLAB calls getPropertyGroups when displaying scalar or nonscalar objects.
However, MATLAB does not call this method when displaying a scalar handle to a
deleted object.
The EmployeeInfo class overrides this method to implement the property groups for
scalar object display.
This implementation calls the superclass getPropertyGroups method if the input is

not scalar. If the input is scalar, this method:
• Defines two titles for the two groups

• Creates a cell array of property names that are included in the first group. MATLAB
adds the property values for the display
• Creates a struct array of property names with associated property values for the
second group. Using a struct instead of a cell array enables you to replace the values
that are displayed for the Salary and Password properties without changing the
personal information stored in the object properties.
• Constructs two matlab.mixin.util.PropertyGroup objects, which are used by
the displayScalarObject method.
Here is the EmployeeInfo override of the getPropertyGroups method. The required

protected access is inherited from the superclass.
if ~isscalar(obj)
else
level = round(obj.Salary/100);
propList2 = struct('Salary',...
['Level: ',num2str(level)],...
'Password',pd);
end
17-30
end
end

classdef EmployeeInfo4 < handle & matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay
properties
Name
JobTitle
Department
Salary
Password
end
methods
function obj = EmployeeInfo4
end
end

scalarHeader = [className,' Dept: ',obj.Department];
header = sprintf('%s\n',scalarHeader);
disp(header)
propgroup = getPropertyGroups(obj);
matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.displayPropertyGroups(obj,propgroup)
end

if ~isscalar(obj)
else
% property groups for scalars
level = round(obj.Salary/100);
propList2 = struct('Salary',...
['Level: ',num2str(level)],...
'Password',pd);
end
end
end
end
17-31
Customize Display of Object Arrays

This example shows how to customize the display of nonscalar objects, including empty
object arrays.
In this section...
“Design of Custom Display” on page 17-32
“The displayNonScalarObject Override” on page 17-33
“The displayEmptyObject Override” on page 17-34
Design of Custom Display
The objective of this customized display is to:
• Construct a custom header using some elements of the default header

• Display a subset of property-specific information for each object in the array.
• List handles to deleted objects in the array using a string with links to documentation
for handle objects and the class.
• Display empty objects with a slight modification to the default header
Here is the customized display of an array of three EmployeeInfo objects
1x3 EmployeeInfo array with members:

1. Employee:
Name: 'Bill Tork'
2. Employee:
Name: 'Alice Blackwell'
Department: 'QE'
3. Employee:
Name: 'Nancy Green'
Department: 'Documentation'
17-32
Deleted object handles in the array indicate their state:

1x3 EmployeeInfo members:
1. Employee:
Name: 'Bill Tork'
2. handle to deleted EmployeeInfo
3. Employee:
Name: 'Nancy Green'
Department: 'Documentation'
To achieve the desired result, the EmployeeInfo class overrides the following methods
of the matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay class:
• displayNonScalarObject — Called to display nonempty object arrays

• displayEmptyObject — Called to display empty object arrays
The displayNonScalarObject Override

MATLAB calls the displayNonScalarObject method to display object arrays. The
override of this method in the EmployeeInfo class:
• Builds a header string using convertDimensionsToString to obtain the array size

and getClassNameForHeader to get the class name with a link to the help for that
class.
• Displays the modified header string.
• Loops through the elements in the array, building two different subheaders
depending on the individual object state. In the loop, this method:
• Detects handles to deleted objects (using the isvalid handle class method). Uses
getDeletedHandleText and getClassNameForHeader to build a string for
array elements that are handles to deleted objects.
• Builds a custom subheader for valid object elements in the array
• Creates a PropertyGroup object containing the Name and Department properties
for valid objects
• Uses the displayPropertyGroups static method to generate the property display
for valid objects.
17-33
Here is the implementation of displayNonScalarObjects:

function displayNonScalarObject(objAry)
dimStr = matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.convertDimensionsToString(objAry);
cName = matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.getClassNameForHeader(objAry);
headerStr = [dimStr,' ',cName,' members:'];
header = sprintf('%s\n',headerStr);
disp(header)
for ix = 1:length(objAry)
o = objAry(ix);
if ~isvalid(o)
str1 = matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.getDeletedHandleText;
str2 = matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.getClassNameForHeader(o);
headerInv = [str1,' ',str2];
tmpStr = [num2str(ix),'. ',headerInv];
numStr = sprintf('%s\n',tmpStr);
disp(numStr)
else
numStr = [num2str(ix),'. Employee:'];
disp(numStr)
propList = struct('Name',o.Name,...
'Department',o.Department);
matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.displayPropertyGroups(o,propgrp);
end
end
end
end
The displayEmptyObject Override

MATLAB calls the displayEmptyObject method to display empty object arrays. The
implementation of this method in the EmployeeInfo class builds a custom header for
empty objects following these steps:
• Gets the array dimensions in string format using the convertDimensionsToString

static method.
• Gets a string with the class name linked to the helpPopup function using the
getClassNameForHeader static method.
• Builds and displays the custom string for empty arrays.
dimstr = matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.convertDimensionsToString(obj);
emptyHeader = [dimstr,' ',className,' with no employee information'];
header = sprintf('%s\n',emptyHeader);
disp(header)
end
17-34
end
For example, an empty EmployeeInfo object displays like this:

Empt = EmployeeInfo.empty(0,5)
Empt =
0x5 EmployeeInfo with no employee information

properties
Name
JobTitle
Department
Salary
Password
end
methods
end
end
function displayNonScalarObject(objAry)
dimStr = matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.convertDimensionsToString(objAry);
cName = matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.getClassNameForHeader(objAry);
headerStr = [dimStr,' ',cName,' members:'];
header = sprintf('%s\n',headerStr);
disp(header)
for ix = 1:length(objAry)
o = objAry(ix);
if ~isvalid(o)
str1 = matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.getDeletedHandleText;
str2 = matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.getClassNameForHeader(o);
headerInv = [str1,' ',str2];
tmpStr = [num2str(ix),'. ',headerInv];
numStr = sprintf('%s\n',tmpStr);
disp(numStr)
else
numStr = [num2str(ix),'. Employee'];
disp(numStr)
propList = struct('Name',o.Name,...
'Department',o.Department);
matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.displayPropertyGroups(o,propgrp);
end
end
17-35
end
dimstr = matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay.convertDimensionsToString(obj);
emptyHeader = [dimstr,' ',className,' with no employee information'];
header = sprintf('%s\n',emptyHeader);
disp(header)
end
end
end
17-36
Overload the disp Function
Overload the disp Function

In this section...
“Display Methods” on page 17-37
“Implement disp or disp and display” on page 17-37
“Relationship Between disp and display” on page 17-37
Display Methods
Subclassing matlab.mixin.CustomDisplay is the best approach to customizing object
display. However, if you do not derive your class from CustomDisplay, you can overload
the disp function to change how MATLAB displays objects of your class.
MATLAB calls an object’s display method whenever an object is referred to in a

statement that is not terminated by a semicolon. For example, the following statement
creates the variable a. MATLAB calls display, which displays the value of a in the
command line.
a = 5
a =
5
display then calls disp.
Implement disp or disp and display

The built-in display function prints the name of the variable that is being displayed, if
an assignment is made, or otherwise uses ans as the variable name. Then display calls
disp to handle the actual display of the values.
If the variable that is being displayed is an object of a class that overloads disp, then
MATLAB always calls the overloaded method. Overload disp or disp and display to
customize the display of objects. Overloading only display is not sufficient to properly
implement a custom display for your class.
Relationship Between disp and display

MATLAB invokes the built-in display function when:
17-37
• MATLAB executes a statement that returns a value and is not terminated with a
semicolon.
• There is no left-side variable, then MATLAB prints ans = followed by the value.
• Code explicitly invokes the display function.
If you invoke display explicitly:
• If the input argument is an existing variable, display prints the variable name and
equal sign, followed by the value.
• If the input is the result of an expression, display does not print ans =.
MATLAB invokes the built-in disp function when:
• The built-in display function calls disp.

• Code explicitly invokes disp.
For empty built-in types (numeric types, char, struct, and cell) the display function
displays:
• [] — for numeric types

• "0x0 struct array with no fields." — for empty structs.
• "Empty cell array: 0-by-1" — for empty cell arrays.
• '' — for empty char arrays
disp differs from display in these ways:
• disp does not print the variable name or ans.

• disp prints nothing for built-in types (numeric types, char, struct, and cell) when
the value is empty.
17-38
18
Implementing a Class for Polynomials

18 Implementing a Class for Polynomials
Class Design for Polynomials

In this section...
“Object Requirements” on page 18-2
“DocPolynom Class Members” on page 18-2
“DocPolynom Class Synopsis” on page 18-4
“The DocPolynom Constructor” on page 18-13
“Remove Irrelevant Coefficients” on page 18-14
“Convert DocPolynom Objects to Other Types” on page 18-15
“Overload disp for DocPolynom” on page 18-17
“Display Evaluated Expression” on page 18-18
“Redefine Indexed Reference” on page 18-18
“Define Arithmetic Operators” on page 18-21
Object Requirements
This example implements a class to represent polynomials in the MATLAB language.
The design requirements are:
• Value class behavior—a polynomial object should behave like MATLAB numeric
variables when copied and passed to functions.
• Specialized display and indexing
• Objects can be scalar only. The specialization of display and indexing functionality
preclude normal array behavior.
• Arithmetic operations
• Double converter simplifying the use of polynomial object with existing MATLAB
functions that accept numeric inputs.
DocPolynom Class Members

The class definition specifies a property for data storage and defines a folder
(@DocPolynom) that contains the class definition.
The following table summarizes the properties defined for the DocPolynom class.
18-2
DocPolynom Class Properties
Name Class Default Description

coef double [] Vector of polynomial coefficients [highest
order ... lowest order]
The following table summarizes the methods for the DocPolynom class.
DocPolynom Class Methods
Name Description
DocPolynom Class constructor
double Converts a DocPolynom object to a double (i.e., returns its
coefficients in a vector)
char Creates a formatted display of the DocPolynom object as powers
of x and is used by the disp method
disp Determines how MATLAB displays a DocPolynom objects on the
command line
subsref Enables you to specify a value for the independent variable as a
subscript, access the coef property with dot notation, and call
methods with dot notation.
plus Implements addition of DocPolynom objects
minus Implements subtraction of DocPolynom objects
mtimes Implements multiplication of DocPolynom objects
Using the DocPolynom Class
The following examples illustrate basic use of the DocPolynom class.
Create DocPolynom objects to represent the following polynomials. Note that

the argument to the constructor function contains the polynomial coefficients
and .
p1 = DocPolynom([1 0 -2 -5])
p1 =
x^3 - 2*x - 5
p2 = DocPolynom([2 0 3 2 -7])
18-3
p2 =
2*x^4 + 3*x^2 + 2*x - 7
Find the roots of the polynomial by passing the coefficients to the roots function.
roots(p1.coef)
ans =
2.0946 + 0.0000i
-1.0473 + 1.1359i
-1.0473 - 1.1359i
Add the two polynomials p1 and p2.
MATLAB calls the plus method defined for the DocPolynom class when you add two
DocPolynom objects.
p1 + p2
ans =
2*x^4 + x^3 + 3*x^2 - 12
DocPolynom Class Synopsis

classdef DocPolynom Value class that implements a
data type for polynomials.
properties Vector of polynomial coefficients
[highest order ... lowest order]
coef
end
methods For general information
about methods, see “Ordinary
Methods”
function obj = DocPolynom(c) Class constructor creates objects
using:
if nargin > 0
if isa(c,'DocPolynom')
obj.coef = c.coef;
else • Coefficient vector of existing
end
obj.coef = c(:).';
object
end • Coefficient vector passed as
argument
end
18-4

See “The DocPolynom
Constructor” on page 18-13
function obj = set.coef(obj,val) Set method for coef property:
if ~isa(val,'double')
• Allows coefficients only of

error('Coefficients must be doubles')
end
ind = find(val(:).'~=0); type double
if ~isempty(ind);
obj.coef = val(ind(1):end); • Removes leading zeros from
else the coefficient vector.
obj.coef = val;
end
end See “Remove Irrelevant
Coefficients” on page 18-14
function c = double(obj) Convert DocPolynom object
c = obj.coef; to double by returning the
end coefficients.
See “Convert DocPolynom

Objects to Other Types” on page
18-15
18-5

function str = char(obj) Convert DocPolynom object
if all(obj.coef == 0) to char that represents the
s = '0'; expression:
str = s;
y = f(x)
return
See “Convert DocPolynom
else
d = length(obj.coef)-1;
s = cell(1,d); Objects to Other Types” on page
ind = 1; 18-15
for a = obj.coef;
if a ~= 0;
if ind ~= 1
if a > 0
s(ind) = {' + '};
ind = ind + 1;
else
s(ind) = {' - '};
a = -a;
ind = ind + 1;
end
end
if a ~= 1 || d == 0
if a == -1
s(ind) = {'-'};
ind = ind + 1;
else
s(ind) = {num2str(a)};
ind = ind + 1;
if d > 0
s(ind) = {'*'};
ind = ind + 1;
end
end
end
if d >= 2
s(ind) = {['x^' int2str(d)]};
ind = ind + 1;
elseif d == 1
s(ind) = {'x'};
ind = ind + 1;
end
end
18-6

d = d - 1;
end
end
str = [s{:}];
end
function disp(obj) Overload disp function. Display
c = char(obj); objects as output of char
if iscell(c) method.
disp([' ' c{:}])
else For information about this
code, see “Overload disp for
disp(c)
end
end DocPolynom” on page 18-17
function dispPoly(obj,x) Return evaluated expression
p = char(obj); with formatted output.
e = @(x)eval(p);
y = zeros(length(x)); Uses output of char method to
disp(['y = ',p]) evaluate polynomial at specified
values of independent variable.
for k = 1:length(x)
y(k) = e(x(k));
disp([' ',num2str(y(k)),...
For information about this
' = f(x = ',...
num2str(x(k)),')']) code, see “Display Evaluated
end Expression” on page 18-18
18-7

function b = subsref(a,s) Redefine indexed reference for
switch s(1).type DocPolynom objects.
case '()'
ind = s.subs{:}; For information about this
b = polyval(a.coef,ind); code, see “Redefine Indexed
Reference” on page 18-18
case '.'
switch s(1).subs
case 'coef'
b = a.coef;
case 'disp'
disp(a)
otherwise
if length(s)>1
b = a.(s(1).subs)(s(2).subs{:});
else
b = a.(s.subs);
end
end
otherwise
error('Specify value for x as obj(x)')
end
end
18-8

function r = plus(obj1,obj2) Define three arithmetic
obj1 = DocPolynom(obj1); operators:
obj2 = DocPolynom(obj2);
• Polynomial addition
k = length(obj2.coef) - length(obj1.coef);
zp = zeros(1,k);
zm = zeros(1,-k); • Polynomial subtraction
• Polynomial multiplication
r = DocPolynom([zp,obj1.coef] + [zm,obj2.coef]);
end
For information about this
function r = minus(obj1,obj2) code, see “Define Arithmetic
obj1 = DocPolynom(obj1); Operators” on page 18-21
zp = zeros(1,k);
defining operators, see “Class
zm = zeros(1,-k);
Operator Implementations”
r = DocPolynom([zp,obj1.coef] - [zm,obj2.coef]);
end
function r = mtimes(obj1,obj2)
r = DocPolynom(conv(obj1.coef,obj2.coef));
end
end
and for classdef.
end
classdef DocPolynom
% Documentation example
% A value class that implements a data type for polynomials
% See Implementing a Class for Polynomials in the
% MATLAB documentation for more information.
properties
coef
end
% Class methods
methods
function obj = DocPolynom(c)
18-9
if nargin > 0
obj.coef = c.coef;
else
obj.coef = c(:).';
end
end
end % DocPolynom
function obj = set.coef(obj,val)
end
% Remove leading zeros
ind = find(val(:).'~=0);
if ~isempty(ind);
obj.coef = val(ind(1):end);
else
obj.coef = val;
end
end % set.coef
function c = double(obj)
c = obj.coef;
end % double

% Created a formated display of the polynom
% as powers of x
if all(obj.coef == 0)
s = '0';
str = s;
return
else
s = cell(1,d);
ind = 1;
for a = obj.coef;
if a ~= 0;
if ind ~= 1
if a > 0
s(ind) = {' + '};
ind = ind + 1;
else
s(ind) = {' - '};
18-10
a = -a; %#ok<FXSET>
ind = ind + 1;
end
end
if a ~= 1 || d == 0
if a == -1
s(ind) = {'-'};
ind = ind + 1;
else
ind = ind + 1;
if d > 0
s(ind) = {'*'};
ind = ind + 1;
end
end
end
if d >= 2
ind = ind + 1;
elseif d == 1
s(ind) = {'x'};
ind = ind + 1;
end
end
d = d - 1;
end
end
str = [s{:}];
end % char
function disp(obj)
% DISP Display object in MATLAB syntax
c = char(obj);
if iscell(c)
disp([' ' c{:}])
else
disp(c)
end
end % disp
function dispPoly(obj,x)
% evaluate obj at x
p = char(obj);
18-11
e = @(x)eval(p);
y = zeros(length(x));
disp(['y = ',p])
for k = 1:length(x)
y(k) = e(x(k));
' = f(x = ',...
num2str(x(k)),')'])
end
end
function b = subsref(a,s)
% SUBSREF Implementing the following syntax:
% obj([1 ...])
% obj.coef
% obj.disp
% out = obj.method(args)
% out = obj.method
switch s(1).type
case '()'
ind = s.subs{:};
b = polyval(a.coef,ind);
case '.'
switch s(1).subs
case 'coef'
b = a.coef;
case 'disp'
disp(a)
otherwise
if length(s)>1
b = a.(s(1).subs)(s(2).subs{:});
else
b = a.(s.subs);
end
end
otherwise
end
end % subsref
function r = plus(obj1,obj2)
% PLUS Implement obj1 + obj2 for DocPolynom
18-12
zp = zeros(1,k);
zm = zeros(1,-k);
end % plus
function r = minus(obj1,obj2)
% MINUS Implement obj1 - obj2 for DocPolynoms.
zp = zeros(1,k);
zm = zeros(1,-k);
end % minus
% MTIMES Implement obj1 * obj2 for DocPolynoms.
end % mtimes
end % methods
end % classdef
The DocPolynom Constructor

The following function is the DocPolynom class constructor, which is in the file
@DocPolynom/DocPolynom.m:
methods
function obj = DocPolynom(c)
obj.coef = c.coef;
else
obj.coef = c(:).';
end
end
end
Constructor Calling Syntax
It is possible to all the DocPolynom constructor with two different arguments:
18-13
• Input argument is a DocPolynom object — If you call the constructor function with
an input argument that is already a DocPolynom object, the constructor returns a
new DocPolynom object with the same coefficients as the input argument. The isa
function checks for this input.
• Input argument is a coefficient vector — If the input argument is not a DocPolynom
object, the constructor attempts to reshape the values into a vector and assign them to
the coef property.
The coef property set method restricts property values to doubles. See “Remove
Irrelevant Coefficients” on page 18-14 for a description of the property set method.
An example use of the DocPolynom constructor is the statement:

p =
x^3 - 2*x -5
This statement creates an instance of the DocPolynom class with the specified
coefficients. Note the display of the object shows the equivalent polynomial using
MATLAB language syntax. The DocPolynom class implements this display using the
disp and char class methods.
Remove Irrelevant Coefficients

MATLAB software represents polynomials as row vectors containing coefficients ordered
by descending powers. Zeros in the coefficient vector represent terms that drop out of the
polynomial. Leading zeros, therefore, can be ignored when forming the polynomial.
Some DocPolynom class methods use the length of the coefficient vector to determine
the degree of the polynomial. It is useful, therefore, to remove leading zeros from the
coefficient vector so that its length represents the true value.
The DocPolynom class stores the coefficient vector in a property that uses a set method
to remove leading zeros from the specified coefficients before setting the property value.
methods
function obj = set.coef(obj,val)
end
ind = find(val(:).'~=0);
if ~isempty(ind);
18-14
obj.coef = val(ind(1):end);
else
obj.coef = val;
end
end
end
Convert DocPolynom Objects to Other Types

The DocPolynom class defines two methods to convert DocPolynom objects to other
classes:
• double — Converts to the double numeric type so functions can perform

mathematical operations on the coefficients.
• char — Converts to string used to format output for display in the command window
The Double Converter
The double converter method for the DocPolynom class simply returns the coefficient
vector:
methods
function c = double(obj)
c = obj.coef;
end
end
For the DocPolynom object p:

p = DocPolynom([1 0 -2 -5]);
the statement:
c = double(p)
returns:
c=
1 0 -2 -5
which is of class double:

class(c)
ans =
double
18-15
The Character Converter
The char method produces a character string that represents the polynomial displayed
as powers of x. The string returned is a syntactically correct MATLAB expression.
The char method uses a cell array to collect the string components that make up the
displayed polynomial.
The disp method uses char to format the DocPolynom object for display. The evalPoly
method uses char to create the MATLAB expression to evaluate,
Users of DocPolynom objects are not likely to call the char or disp methods directly,
but these methods enable the DocPolynom class to behave like other data classes in
MATLAB.
Here is the char method.

methods
if all(obj.coef == 0)
s = '0';
str = s;
return
else
s = cell(1,d);
ind = 1;
for a = obj.coef;
if a ~= 0;
if ind ~= 1
if a > 0
s(ind) = {' + '};
ind = ind + 1;
else
s(ind) = {' - '};
a = -a;
ind = ind + 1;
end
end
if a ~= 1 || d == 0
if a == -1
s(ind) = {'-'};
ind = ind + 1;
else
ind = ind + 1;
if d > 0
s(ind) = {'*'};
ind = ind + 1;
end
end
18-16
end
if d >= 2
ind = ind + 1;
elseif d == 1
s(ind) = {'x'};
ind = ind + 1;
end
end
d = d - 1;
end
end
str = [s{:}];
end
end
Overload disp for DocPolynom

To provide a more useful display of DocPolynom objects, this class overloads disp in the
class definition.
This disp method relies on the char method to produce a string representation of the
polynomial, which it then displays on the screen.
The char method returns a cell array or the character '0' if the coefficients are all zero.
methods
function disp(obj)
c = char(obj);
if iscell(c)
disp([' ' c{:}])
else
disp(c)
end
end
end
When MATLAB Calls the disp Method
The statement:
creates a DocPolynom object. Because the statement is not terminated with a semicolon,
the resulting output is displayed on the command line:
p =
18-17
x^3 - 2*x - 5
Display Evaluated Expression

The char converter method forms a MATLAB expression for the polynomial represented
by a DocPolynom object. The dispPoly method evaluates the expression returned by
the char method with a specified value for x.
methods
function dispPoly(obj,x)
p = char(obj);
e = @(x)eval(p);
y = zeros(length(x));
disp(['y = ',p])
for k = 1:length(x)
y(k) = e(x(k));
' = f(x = ',...
num2str(x(k)),')'])
end
end
end
Create a DocPolynom object p:

p =
x^3 - 2*x - 5
Evaluate the polynomial at x equal to three values, [3 5 9]:

dispPoly(p,[3 5 9])
y = x^3 - 2*x - 5
16 = f(x = 3)
110 = f(x = 5)
706 = f(x = 9)
Redefine Indexed Reference

The DocPolynom class redefines indexed reference to better serve the use of objects
representing polynomials. In the DocPolynom class, a subscripted reference to an object
18-18
causes an evaluation of the polynomial with the value of the independent variable equal
to the subscript.
For example, given the following polynomial:
Create a DocPolynom object p:
p =
x^3 - 2*x - 5
The following subscripted expression evaluates the value of the polynomial at x = 3 and
at x = 4, and returns the resulting values:
p([3 4])
ans =
16 51
Indexed Reference Design Objectives
Redefine the default subscripted reference behavior by implementing a subsref method.
If a class defines a subsref method, MATLAB calls this method for objects of this class
whenever a subscripted reference occurs. The subsref method must define all the
indexed reference behaviors, not just a specific case that you want to change.
The DocPolynom subsref method implements the following behaviors:
• p(x = [a1...an]) — Evaluate polynomial at x = a.

• p.coef — Access coef property value
• p.disp — Display the polynomial as a MATLAB expression without assigning an
output.
• obj = p.method(args) — Use dot notation to call methods arguments and return
a modified object.
• obj = p.method — Use dot notation to call methods without arguments and return
a modified object.
18-19
subsref Implementation Details
The subsref method overloads the subsref function.
For example, consider a call to the polyval function:
p =
x^3 - 2*x - 5
polyval(p.coef,[3 5 7])
ans =
16 110 324
The polyval function requires the:
• Polynomial coefficients
• Values of the independent variable at which to evaluate the polynomial
The polyval function returns the value of f(x) at these values. subsref calls polyval
through the statements:
case '()'
ind = s.subs{:};
When implementing subsref to support method calling with arguments using dot
notation, both the type and subs structure fields contain multiple elements.
The subsref method implements all subscripted reference explicitly, as show in the
following code listing.
methods
function b = subsref(a,s)
switch s(1).type
case '()'
ind = s.subs{:};
case '.'
switch s(1).subs
case 'coef'
b = a.coef;
case 'disp'
disp(a)
otherwise
18-20
if length(s)>1
b = a.(s(1).subs)(s(2).subs{:});
else
b = a.(s.subs);
end
end
otherwise
end
end
end
Define Arithmetic Operators

Several arithmetic operations are meaningful on polynomials. The DocPolynom class
implements these methods:
Method and Syntax Operator Implemented

plus(a,b) Addition
minus(a,b) Subtraction
mtimes(a,b) Matrix multiplication
When overloading arithmetic operators, consider the data types you must support.
The plus, minus, andmtimes methods are defined for the DocPolynom class to
handle addition, subtraction, and multiplication on DocPolynom — DocPolynom and
DocPolynom — double combinations of operands.
Define + Operator
If either p or q is a DocPolynom object, this expression:

p + q
Generates a call to a function @DocPolynom/plus, unless the other object is of higher

precedence.
The following method overloads the plus (+) operator for the DocPolynom class:
methods
function r = plus(obj1,obj2)
18-21
zp = zeros(1,k);
zm = zeros(1,-k);
end
end
Here is how the function works:
• Ensure that both input arguments are DocPolynom objects so that expressions such
as
p + 1
that involve both a DocPolynom and a double, work correctly.

• Access the two coefficient vectors and, if necessary, pad one of them with zeros to
make both the same length. The actual addition is simply the vector sum of the two
coefficient vectors.
• Call the DocPolynom constructor to create a properly typed object that is the result of
adding the polynomials.
Define - Operator
Implement the minus operator (-) using the same approach as the plus (+) operator.
The minus method computes p - q. The dominant argument must be a DocPolynom

object.
methods
function r = minus(obj1,obj2)
zp = zeros(1,k);
zm = zeros(1,-k);
end
end
Define the * Operator
Implement the mtimes method to compute the product p*q. The mtimes method
implements matrix multiplication since the multiplication of two polynomials is the
convolution (conv) of their coefficient vectors:
methods
18-22
end
end
Using the Arithmetic Operators
Given the DocPolynom object:
p = DocPolynom([1 0 -2 -5]);
The following two arithmetic operations call the DocPolynom plus and mtimes
methods:
q = p+1;
r = p*q;
to produce
q =
x^3 - 2*x - 4
r =
x^6 - 4*x^4 - 9*x^3 + 4*x^2 + 18*x + 20
18-23
19
Designing Related Classes
• “A Simple Class Hierarchy” on page 19-2

• “Containing Assets in a Portfolio” on page 19-20
19 Designing Related Classes
A Simple Class Hierarchy

In this section...
“Shared and Specialized Properties” on page 19-2
“Designing a Class for Financial Assets” on page 19-3
“DocAsset Class Definition” on page 19-4
“Summary of the DocAsset Class” on page 19-4
“The DocAsset Constructor Method” on page 19-5
“The DocAsset Display Method” on page 19-6
“Designing a Class for Stock Assets” on page 19-7
“DocStock Class Definition” on page 19-7
“Summary of the DocStock Class” on page 19-7
“Designing a Class for Bond Assets” on page 19-10
“DocBond Class Definition” on page 19-10
“Summary of the DocBond Class” on page 19-10
“Designing a Class for Savings Assets” on page 19-14
“DocSavings Class Definition” on page 19-14
“Summary of the DocSavings Class” on page 19-14
“DocAsset Class Code Listing” on page 19-17
“DocStock Class Code Listing” on page 19-17
“DocBond Class Code Listing” on page 19-18
“DocSavings Class Code Listing” on page 19-19
Shared and Specialized Properties

As an example of how subclasses are specializations of more general classes, consider
an asset class that can be used to represent any item that has monetary value. Some
examples of assets are stocks, bonds, and savings accounts. This example implements
four classes — DocAsset, and the subclasses DocStock, DocBond, DocSavings.
The DocAsset class holds the data that is common to all of the specialized asset
subclasses in class properties. The subclasses inherit the super class properties in
addition to defining their own properties. The subclasses are all kinds of assets.
19-2
The following diagram shows the properties defined for the classes of assets.
DocAsset
Properties
Description
Date
Type
CurrentValue
DocStocks DocBonds DocSavings

(is a DocAsset) (is a DocAsset) (is a DocAsset)
Inherited Props Inherited Props Inherited Props
Description Description Description
Date Date Date
Type Type Type
CurrentValue CurrentValue CurrentValue
DocStocks Props DocBonds Props DocSavings Props

NumShares FaceValue InterestRate
SharePrice Yield
CurrentBondYield
The DocStock, DocBond, and DocSavings classes inherit properties from the DocAsset
class. In this example, the DocAsset class provides storage for data common to all
subclasses and shares methods with these subclasses.
Designing a Class for Financial Assets

This class provides storage and access for information common to all asset children.
It is not intended to be instantiated directly, so it does not require an extensive set of
methods. The class contains the following methods:
• Constructor
19-3
• A local setter function for one property
DocAsset Class Definition

For a full code listing for the DocAsset class, see “DocAsset Class Code Listing” on page
19-17
To use the class, create a folder named @DocAsset and save the class code as
DocAsset.m in this folder. The parent folder of @DocAsset must be on the MATLAB
path.
Summary of the DocAsset Class

The class is defined in one file, DocAsset.m, which you must place in an @ folder of the
same name. The parent folder of the @DocAsset folder must be on the MATLAB path.
See the addpath function for more information.
The following table summarizes the properties defined for the DocAsset class.
DocAsset Class Properties

Description char '' Description of asset
CurrentValue double 0 Current value of asset
Date char date Date when record is created (set
by date function)
Type char 'savings' Type of asset (stock, bond,
savings)
The following table summarizes the methods for the DocAsset class.
DocAsset Class Methods

Name Description
DocAsset Class constructor
disp Displays information about this object
set.Type Set function for Type. Property tests for correct value when
property is set.
19-4
The DocAsset Constructor Method

This class has four properties that store data common to all of the asset subclasses. All
except Date are passed to the constructor by a subclass constructor. Date is a private
property and is set by a call to the date function.
• Description — A character string that describes the particular asset (e.g., stock
name, savings bank name, bond issuer, and so on).
• Date — The date the object was created. This property's set access is private so that
only the constructor assigns the value using the date command when creating the
object.
• Type — The type of asset (e.g., savings, bond, stock). A local set function provides
error checking whenever an object is created.
• CurrentValue — The current value of the asset.
The following code block shows how the properties are defined. Note the set function
defined for the Type property. It restricts the property's values to one of three strings:
bond, stock, or savings.
properties
Description = '';
CurrentValue = 0;
end
Date % Set value in constructor
Type = 'savings'; % Provide a default value
end
Constructor Method Code
The DocAsset class is not derived from another class, so you do not need to call a
superclass constructor. MATLAB constructs an object when you assign values to the
specified output argument (a in the following code):
function a = DocAsset(description,type,current_value)
% DocAsset constructor
if nargin > 0
a.Description = description;
a.Date = date;
a.Type = type;
19-5
a.CurrentValue = current_value;
end
end % DocAsset
Set Function for Type Property
In this class design, there are only three types of assets—bonds, stocks, and savings.
Therefore, the possible values for the Type property are restricted to one of three possible
stings by defining a set function as follows:
function obj = set.Type(obj,type)
if ~(strcmpi(type,'bond') || strcmpi(type,'stock') || strcmpi(type,'savings'))
error('Type must be either bond, stock, or savings')
end
obj.Type = type;
end %Type set function
The MATLAB runtime calls this function whenever an attempt is made to set the Type
property, even from within the class constructor function or by assigning an initial value.
Therefore, the following statement in the class definition would produce an error:
properties
Type = 'cash';
end
The only exception is the set.Type function itself, where the statement:
obj.Type = type;
does not result in a recursive call to set.Type.
The DocAsset Display Method

The asset disp method is designed to be called from child-class disp methods. Its
purpose is to display the data it stores for the child object. The method simply formats
the data for display in a way that is consistent with the formatting of the child's disp
method:
function disp(a)
% Display a DocAsset object
fprintf('Description: %s\nDate: %s\nType: %s\nCurrentValue:%9.2f\n',...
a.Description,a.Date,a.Type,a.CurrentValue);
end % disp
The DocAsset subclass display methods can now call this method to display the data
stored in the parent class. This approach isolates the subclass disp methods from
changes to the DocAsset class.
19-6
Designing a Class for Stock Assets

Stocks are one type of asset. A class designed to store and manipulate information about
stock holdings needs to contain the following information about the stock:
• The number of shares

• The price per share
In addition, the base class (DocAsset) maintains general information including a

description of the particular asset, the date the record was created, the type of asset, and
its current value.
DocStock Class Definition

For a full code listing for the DocAsset class, see “DocStock Class Code Listing” on page
19-17
To use the class, create a folder named @DocStock and save the class code as
DocStock.m in this folder. The parent folder of @DocStock must be on the MATLAB
path.
Summary of the DocStock Class

This class is defined in one file, DocStock.m, which you must place in an @ folder of the
same name. The parent folder of the @DocStock folder must be on the MATLAB path.
See the addpath function for more information.
DocStock is a subclass of the DocAsset class.
The following table summarizes the properties defined for the DocStock class.
DocStock Class Properties

NumShares double 0 Number of shares of a particular
stock
SharePrice double 0 Current value of asset
Properties Inherited from the DocAsset Class
19-7

Date char date Date when record is created (set by
date function)
Type char '' Type of asset (stock, bond, savings)
The following table summarizes the methods for the DocStock class.
DocStock Class Methods
Name Description
DocStock Class constructor
disp Displays information about the object
Specifying the Base Class
The < symbol specifies the DocAsset class as the base class for the DocStock class in
the classdef line:
classdef DocStock < DocAsset
The following code shows how the properties are defined:
properties
NumShares = 0;
SharePrice = 0;
end
Using the DocStock Class
Suppose you want to create a record of a stock asset for 200 shares of a company called
Xdotcom with a share price of $23.47.
Call the DocStock constructor function with the following arguments:
• Stock name or description

• Number of shares
• Share price
19-8
For example, the following statement:
XdotcomStock = DocStock('Xdotcom',200,23.47);
creates a DocStock object, XdotcomStock, that contains information about a stock asset
in Xdotcom Corp. The asset consists of 200 shares that have a per share value of $23.47.
The DocStock Constructor Method
The constructor first creates an instance of a DocAsset object since the DocStock class
is derived from the DocAsset class (see “The DocAsset Constructor Method” on page
19-5). The constructor returns the DocStock object after setting value for its two
properties:
function s = DocStock(description,num_shares,share_price)
if nargin ~= 3 % Support no argument constructor syntax
description = '';
num_shares = 0;
share_price = 0;
end
s = s@DocAsset(description,'stock',share_price*num_shares);
end % DocStock
The DocStock disp Method
When you issue the statement (without terminating with a semicolon):
XdotcomStock = DocStock('Xdotcom',100,25)
the MATLAB runtime looks for a method in the @DocStock folder called disp. The disp
method for the DocStock class produces this output:
Description: Xdotcom
Date: 17-Nov-1998
Type: stock
Current Value: $2500.00
Number of shares: 100
Share price: $25.00
The following function is the DocStock disp method. When this function returns from
the call to the DocAsset disp method, it uses fprintf to display the Numshares and
SharePrice property values on the screen:
19-9
function disp(s)
disp@DocAsset(s)
fprintf('Number of shares: %g\nShare price: %3.2f\n',...
end % disp
Designing a Class for Bond Assets

The DocBond class is similar to the DocStock class in that it is derived from the
DocAsset class to represent a specific type of asset.
DocBond Class Definition

For a full code listing for the DocBond class, see “DocBond Class Code Listing” on page
19-18
To use the class, create a folder named @DocBond and save the class code as DocBond.m
in this folder. The parent folder of @DocBond must be on the MATLAB path.
Summary of the DocBond Class

This class is defined in one file, DocBond.m, which you must place in an @ folder of the
same name. The parent folder of the @DocBond folder must on the MATLAB path.
DocStock is a subclass of the DocAsset class.
The following table summarize the properties defined for the DocBond class
DocBond Class Properties

FaceValue double 0 Face value of the bond
SharePrice double 0 Current value of asset
Date char date Date when record is created (set by
date function)
19-10

Type char '' Type of asset (stock, bond, savings)
The following table summarizes the methods for the DocStock class.
DocBond Class Methods
Name Description
DocBond Class constructor
disp Displays information about this object and calls the
DocAsset disp method
calc_value Utility function to calculate the bond's current value
The < symbol specifies the DocAsset class as the base class for the DocBond class in the
classdef line:
classdef DocBond < DocAsset
The following code block shows how the properties are defined:
properties
FaceValue = 0;
Yield = 0;
CurrentBondYield = 0;
end
Using the DocBond Class
Suppose you want to create a record of an asset that consists of an xyzbond with a face
value of $100 and a current yield of 4.3%. The current yield for the equivalent bonds
today is 6.2%, which means that the market value of this particular bond is less than its
face value.
Call the DocBond constructor function with the following arguments:
• Bond name or description
19-11
• Bond's face value

• Bond's interest rate or yield
• Current interest rate being paid by equivalent bonds (used to calculate the current
value of the asset)
For example, this statement:

b = DocBond('xyzbond',100,4.3,6.2);
creates a DocBond object, b, that contains information about a bond asset xyzbond with
a face value of $100, a yield of 4.3%, and also contains information about the current
yield of such bonds (6.2% in this case) that is used to calculate the current value.
Note The calculations performed in this example are intended only to illustrate the use
of MATLAB classes and do not represent a way to determine the actual value of any
monetary investment.
The DocBond Constructor Method
The DocBond constructor method requires four arguments. It also supports the no
argument syntax by defining default values for the missing input arguments:
function b = DocBond(description,face_value,yield,current_yield)
if nargin ~= 4
description = '';
face_value = 0;
yield = 0;
current_yield = 0;
end
market_value = DocBond.calc_value(face_value,yield,current_yield);
b = b@DocAsset(description,'bond',market_value);
b.FaceValue = face_value;
b.Yield = yield;
b.CurrentBondYield = current_yield;
end % DocBond
The calc_value Method
The DocBond class determines the market value of bond assets using a simple formula
that scales the face value by the ratio of the bond's interest yield to the current yield for
equivalent bonds.
19-12
Calculation of the asset's market value requires that the yields be nonzero, and should be
positive just to make sense. While the calc_value method issues no errors for bad yield
values, it does ensure bad values are not used in the calculation of market value.
The asset's market value is passed to the DocAsset base-class constructor when it is
called within the DocBond constructor. calc_value has its Static attribute set to
true because it does not accept a DocBond object as an input argument. The output of
calc_value is used by the base-class (DocAsset) constructor:
methods (Static)
function market_value = calc_value(face_value,yield,current_yield)
if current_yield <= 0 || yield <= 0
market_value = face_value;
else
market_value = face_value*yield/current_yield;
end
end % calc_value
end % methods
The DocBond disp Method
When you issue this statement (without terminating it with a semicolon):

b = DocBond('xyzbond',100,4.3,6.2)
the MATLAB runtime looks for a method in the @DocBond folder called disp. The disp
method for the DocBond class produces this output:
Description: xyzbond
Date: 17-Nov-1998
Type: bond
Face value of bonds: $100
Yield: 4.30%
The following function is the DocBond disp method. When this function returns from
the call to the DocAsset disp method, it uses fprintf to display the FaceValue,
Yield, and CurrentValue property values on the screen:
function disp(b)
disp@DocAsset(b) % Call DocAsset disp method
fprintf('Face value of bonds: $%g\nYield: %3.2f%%\n',...
b.FaceValue,b.Yield);
end % disp
19-13
Designing a Class for Savings Assets

The DocSavings class is similar to the DocStock and DocBond class in that it is
derived from the DocAsset class to represent a specific type of asset.
DocSavings Class Definition

For a full code listing for the DocAsset class, see “DocSavings Class Code Listing” on
page 19-19
To use the class, create a folder named @DocSavings and save the class code as
DocSavings.m in this folder. The parent folder of @DocSavings must be on the
MATLAB path.
Summary of the DocSavings Class

This class is defined in one file, DocSavings.m, which you must place in an @ folder
of the same name. The parent folder of the @DocSavings folder must on the MATLAB
path. See the addpath function for more information.
The following table summarizes the properties defined for the DocSavings class.
DocSavings Class Properties

InterestRate double '' Current interest rate
paid on the savings
account
CurrentValue double 0 Current value of
asset
Date char date Date when record is
created (set by date
function)
Type char '' The type of asset
(stock, bond, savings)
19-14
The following table summarizes the methods for the DocSavings class.
DocSavings Class Methods
Name Description
DocSavings Class constructor
The < symbol specifies the DocAsset class as the base class for the DocBond class in the
classdef line:
classdef DocSavings < DocAsset
The following code shows how the property is defined:
properties
InterestRate = 0;
end
Using the DocSavings Class
Suppose you want to create a record of an asset that consists of a savings account with a
current balance of $1000 and an interest rate of 2.9%.
Call the DocSavings constructor function with the following arguments:
• Bank account description

• Account balance
• Interest rate paid on savings account
For example, this statement:
sv = DocSavings('MyBank',1000,2.9);
creates a DocSavings object, sv, that contains information about an account in MyBank
with a balance of $1000 and an interest rate of 2.9%.
19-15
The DocSavings Constructor Method
The savings account interest rate is saved in the DocSavings class InterestRate
property. The asset description and the current value (account balance) are saved in the
inherited DocAsset object properties.
The constructor calls the base class constructor (DocAsset.m) to create an instance
of the object. It then assigns a value to the InterestRate property. The constructor
supports the no argument syntax by providing default values for the missing arguments.
function s = DocSavings(description,balance,interest_rate)
if nargin ~= 3
description = '';
balance = 0;
interest_rate = 0;
end
s = s@DocAsset(description,'savings',balance);
s.InterestRate = interest_rate;
end % DocSavings
The DocSavings disp Method
When you issue this statement (without terminating it with a semicolon):
sv = DocSavings('MyBank',1000,2.9)
the MATLAB runtime looks for a method in the @DocSavings folder called disp. The
disp method for the DocSavings class produces this output:
Description: MyBank
Date: 17-Nov-1998
Type: savings
Interest Rate: 2.90%
The following function is the DocSaving disp method. When this function returns from
the call to the DocAsset disp method, it uses fprintf to display the Numshares and
SharePrice property values on the screen:
function disp(b)
disp@DocAsset(b) % Call DocAsset disp method
fprintf('%s%3.2f%%\n','Interest Rate: ',s.InterestRate);
end % disp
19-16
DocAsset Class Code Listing

classdef DocAsset
% file: @DocAsset/DocAsset.m
properties
Description = '';
CurrentValue = 0;
end

Date
Type = 'savings';
end
% Class methods
methods
function a = DocAsset(description,type,current_value)
% DocAsset Constructor function
if nargin > 0
a.Description = description;
a.Date = date;
a.Type = type;
a.CurrentValue = current_value;
end
end % DocAsset
function disp(a)
% Display a DocAsset object
fprintf('Description: %s\nDate: %s\nType: %s\nCurrent Value: $%4.2f\n',...
a.Description,a.Date,a.Type,a.CurrentValue);
end % disp
function obj = set.Type(obj,type)

if ~(strcmpi(type,'bond') || strcmpi(type,'stock') || strcmpi(type,'savings'))
error('Type must be either bond, stock, or savings')
end
obj.Type = type;
end % Set.Type
end
end % classdef
DocStock Class Code Listing

classdef DocStock < DocAsset
properties
NumShares = 0;
SharePrice = 0;
end
methods
function s = DocStock(description, num_shares, share_price)
if nargin ~= 3
19-17
description = '';
num_shares = 0;
share_price = 0;
end
s = s@DocAsset(description, 'stock', share_price*num_shares);
end
function disp(s)
disp@DocAsset(s)
fprintf('Number of shares: %g\nShare price: $%2.2f\n',...
end
end
end
DocBond Class Code Listing

classdef DocBond < DocAsset
properties
FaceValue = 0;
Yield = 0;
CurrentBondYield = 0;
end
methods
function b = DocBond(description,face_value,yield,current_yield)
if nargin ~= 4
description = '';
face_value = 0;
yield = 0;
current_yield = 0;
end
market_value = DocBond.calc_value(face_value,yield,current_yield);
b = b@DocAsset(description,'bond',market_value);
b.FaceValue = face_value;
b.Yield = yield;
b.CurrentBondYield = current_yield;
end
function disp(b)
disp@DocAsset(b)
fprintf('Face value of bonds: $%g\nYield: %3.2f%%\n',...
b.FaceValue,b.Yield);
end
end

function market_value = calc_value(face_value,yield,current_yield)
if current_yield <= 0 || yield <= 0
market_value = face_value;
19-18
else
market_value = face_value*yield/current_yield;
end
end
end
end
DocSavings Class Code Listing

classdef DocSavings < DocAsset
properties
InterestRate = 0;
end
methods
function s = DocSavings(description,balance,interest_rate)
if nargin ~= 3
description = '';
balance = 0;
interest_rate = 0;
end
s = s@DocAsset(description,'savings',balance);
s.InterestRate = interest_rate;
end
function disp(s)
disp@DocAsset(s)
fprintf('%s%3.2f%%\n','Interest Rate: ',s.InterestRate);
end
end
end
19-19
Containing Assets in a Portfolio

In this section...
“Kinds of Containment” on page 19-20
“Designing the DocPortfolio Class” on page 19-20
“Displaying the Class Files” on page 19-21
“Summary of the DocPortfolio Class” on page 19-21
“The DocPortfolio Constructor Method” on page 19-23
“The DocPortfolio disp Method” on page 19-24
“The DocPortfolio pie3 Method” on page 19-24
“Visualizing a Portfolio” on page 19-25
“DocPortfolio Class Code Listing” on page 19-26
Kinds of Containment
Aggregation is the containment of objects by other objects. The basic relationship is that
each contained object "is a part of" the container object. Composition is a more strict form
of aggregation in which the contained objects are parts of the containing object and are
not associated with any other objects. Portfolio objects form a composition with asset
objects because the asset objects are value classes, which are copied when the constructor
method creates the DocPortfolio object.
For example, consider a financial portfolio class as a container for a set of assets (stocks,
bonds, savings, and so on). It can group, analyze, and return useful information about
the individual assets. The contained objects are not accessible directly, but only via the
portfolio class methods.
“A Simple Class Hierarchy” on page 19-2 provides information about the assets collected
by this portfolio class.
Designing the DocPortfolio Class

The DocPortfolio class is designed to contain the various assets owned by an
individual client and to provide information about the status of his or her investment
portfolio. This example implements a somewhat over-simplified portfolio class that:
• Contains an individual's assets
19-20
• Displays information about the portfolio contents

• Displays a 3-D pie chart showing the relative mix of asset types in the portfolio
Displaying the Class Files

For a full code listing for the DocAsset class, see “DocPortfolio Class Code Listing” on
page 19-26
To use the class, create a folder named @DocPortfolio and save the class code as
DocPortfolio.m in this folder. The parent folder of @DocPortfolio must be on the
MATLAB path.
Summary of the DocPortfolio Class

This class is defined in one file, DocPortfolio.m, which you must place in an @ folder
of the same name. The parent folder of the @DocPortfolio folder must on the MATLAB
path. See the addpath function for more information.
The following table summarizes the properties defined for the DocPortfolio class.
DocPortfolio Class Properties

Name char '' Name of client owning the portfolio
IndAssets cell {} A cell array containing individual
asset objects
TotalValue double 0 Value of all assets (calculated in the
constructor method)
The following table summarizes the methods for the DocPortfolio class.
DocBond Class Methods

Name Description
DocPortfolio Class constructor
pie3 Overloaded version of pie3 function designed to take a
single portfolio object as an argument
19-21
The following code block shows how the properties are defined:
properties
Name = '';
end
IndAssets = {};
TotalValue = 0;
end
How Class Properties Are Used
• Name — Stores the name of the client as a character string. The client's name is
passed to the constructor as an input argument.
• IndAsset — A cell array that stores asset objects (i.e., DocStock, DocBond,
and DocSavings objects). These asset objects are passed to the DocPortfolio
constructor as input arguments and assigned to the property from within the
constructor function.
• IndAsset — The structure of this property is known only to DocPortfolio class
member functions so the property's SetAccess attribute is set to private.
• TotalValue — Stores the total value of the client's assets. The class constructor
determines the value of each asset by querying the asset's CurrentValue property
and summing the result. Access to the TotalValue property is restricted to
DocPortfolio class member functions by setting the property's SetAccess
attribute to private.
Using the DocPortfolio Class
The DocPortfolio class is designed to provide information about the financial assets
owned by a client. There are three possible types of assets that a client can own: stocks,
bonds, and savings accounts.
The first step is to create an asset object to represent each type of asset owned by the
client:
XYZStock = DocStock('XYZ Stocks',200,12.34);

USTBonds = DocBond('U.S. Treasury Bonds',1600,3.2,2.8);
SaveAccount = DocSavings('MyBank Acc # 123',2000,6);
VictoriaSelna = DocPortfolio('Victoria Selna',...
19-22
XYZStock,...
SaveAccount,...
USTBonds)
The DocPortfolio object displays the following information:
VictoriaSelna =
Assets for Client: Victoria Selna

Description: XYZ Stocks
Date: 11-Mar-2008
Type: stock
Number of shares: 200
Share price: $12.34
Description: MyBank Acc # 123
Date: 11-Mar-2008
Type: savings
Interest Rate: 6.00%
Description: U.S. Treasury Bonds
Date: 11-Mar-2008
Type: bond
Face value of bonds: $1600
Yield: 3.20%
Total Value: $6296.57
“The DocPortfolio pie3 Method” on page 19-24 provides a graphical display of the
portfolio.
The DocPortfolio Constructor Method

The DocPortfolio constructor method takes as input arguments a client's name and
a variable length list of asset objects (DocStock, DocBond, and DocSavings objects in
this example).
The IndAssets property is a cell array used to store all asset objects. From these
objects, the constructor determines the total value of the client's assets. This value is
stored in the TotalValue property:
function p = DocPortfolio(name,varargin)
19-23
if nargin > 0
p.Name = name;
for k = 1:length(varargin)
p.IndAssets{k} = varargin(k);
asset_value = p.IndAssets{k}{1}.CurrentValue;
p.TotalValue = p.TotalValue + asset_value;
end
end
end % DocPortfolio
The DocPortfolio disp Method

The portfolio disp method lists the contents of each contained object by calling the
object's disp method. It then lists the client name and total asset value:
function disp(p)
fprintf('\nAssets for Client: %s\n',p.Name);
for k = 1:length(p.IndAssets)
disp(p.IndAssets{k}{1}) % Dispatch to corresponding disp
end
fprintf('\nTotal Value: $%0.2f\n',p.TotalValue);
end % disp
The DocPortfolio pie3 Method

The DocPortfolio class overloads the MATLAB pie3 function to accept a portfolio
object and display a 3-D pie chart illustrating the relative asset mix of the client's
portfolio. MATLAB calls the @DocPortfolio/pie3.m version of pie3 whenever the
input argument is a single portfolio object:
function pie3(p)
% Step 1: Get the current value of each asset
stock_amt = 0; bond_amt = 0; savings_amt = 0;
if isa(p.IndAssets{k},'DocStock')
stock_amt = stock_amt + p.IndAssets{k}.CurrentValue;
elseif isa(p.IndAssets{k},'DocBond')
bond_amt = bond_amt + p.IndAssets{k}.CurrentValue;
elseif isa(p.IndAssets{k},'DocSavings')
savings_amt = savings_amt + p.IndAssets{k}.CurrentValue;
end % if
end % for
% Step 2: Create labels and data for the pie graph

k = 1;
if stock_amt ~= 0
19-24
label(k) = {'Stocks'};
pie_vector(k) = stock_amt;
k = k + 1;
end % if
if bond_amt ~= 0
label(k) = {'Bonds'};
pie_vector(k) = bond_amt;
k = k + 1;
end % if
if savings_amt ~= 0
label(k) = {'Savings'};
pie_vector(k) = savings_amt;
end % if
% Step 3: Call pie3, adjust fonts and colors

pie3(pie_vector,label);set(gcf,'Renderer','zbuffer')
set(findobj(gca,'Type','Text'),...
'FontSize',14,'FontWeight','bold')
colormap prism
stg(1) = {['Portfolio Composition for ',p.Name]};
stg(2) = {['Total Value of Assets: $',num2str(p.TotalValue,'%0.2f')]};
title(stg,'FontSize',10)
end % pie3
There are three parts in the overloaded pie3 method.
• Step 1 — Get the CurrentValue property of each contained asset object and
determine the total value in each category.
• Step 2 — Create the pie chart labels and build a vector of graph data, depending on
which objects are present in the portfolio.
• Step 3 — Call the MATLAB pie3 function, make some font and colormap
adjustments, and add a title.
Visualizing a Portfolio
You can use a DocPortfolio object to present an individual's financial portfolio. For
example, given the following assets:
XYZStock = DocStock('XYZ Stocks',200,12.34);
USTBonds = DocBond('U.S. Treasury Bonds',1600,3.2,2.8);
SaveAccount = DocSavings('MyBank Acc # 123',2000,6);
VictoriaSelna = DocPortfolio('Victoria Selna',...
XYZStock,...
SaveAccount,...
USTBonds);
you can use the class's pie3 method to display the relative mix of assets as a pie chart.
19-25
pie3(VictoriaSelna)
DocPortfolio Class Code Listing

classdef DocPortfolio
properties
Name = '';
end
IndAssets = {};
TotalValue = 0;
end
methods
function p = DocPortfolio(name,varargin)
if nargin > 0
p.Name = name;
for k = 1:length(varargin) % Store objects in a cell array
p.IndAssets{k} = varargin(k);
asset_value = p.IndAssets{k}{1}.CurrentValue;
p.TotalValue = p.TotalValue + asset_value;
end
19-26
end
end
function disp(p)
fprintf('\nAssets for Client: %s\n',p.Name);
disp(p.IndAssets{k}{1})
end
fprintf('\nTotal Value: $%0.2f\n',p.TotalValue);
end
function pie3(p)
stock_amt = 0; bond_amt = 0; savings_amt = 0;
for k=1:length(p.IndAssets)
if isa(p.IndAssets{k}{1},'DocStock')
stock_amt = stock_amt + p.IndAssets{k}{1}.CurrentValue;
elseif isa(p.IndAssets{k}{1},'DocBond')
bond_amt = bond_amt + p.IndAssets{k}{1}.CurrentValue;
elseif isa(p.IndAssets{k}{1},'DocSavings')
savings_amt = savings_amt + p.IndAssets{k}{1}.CurrentValue;
end
end
i = 1;
if stock_amt ~= 0
label(i) = {'Stocks'};
pie_vector(i) = stock_amt;
i = i +1;
end
if bond_amt ~= 0
label(i) = {'Bonds'};
pie_vector(i) = bond_amt;
i = i +1;
end
if savings_amt ~= 0
label(i) = {'Savings'};
pie_vector(i) = savings_amt;
end
pie3(pie_vector,label)
set(findobj(gca,'Type','Text'),'FontSize',14,'FontWeight','bold')
set(gcf,'Renderer','zbuffer')
colormap prism
stg(1) = {['Portfolio Composition for ',p.Name]};
stg(2) = {['Total Value of Assets: $',num2str(p.TotalValue,'%0.2f')]};
title(stg,'FontSize',10)
end
end
end
19-27

Matlab OOP

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Matlab OOP

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Matlab OOP

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MATLAB®

Latest news: www.mathworks.com

Sales and services: www.mathworks.com/sales_and_services

User community: www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral

Technical support: www.mathworks.com/support/contact_us

The MathWorks, Inc.

Using Object-Oriented Design in MATLAB

Why Use Object-Oriented Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Class Diagram Notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

Handle Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

MATLAB Classes Overview

Developing Classes — Typical Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Class to Manage Writable Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19

Class to Represent Structured Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24

Class to Implement Linked Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36

Class for Graphing Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54

Class Definition—Syntax Reference

Class Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Classdef Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

Methods and Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Methods In Separate Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20

Events and Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24

Attribute Specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-26

Call Superclass Methods on Subclass Objects . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29

Representative Class Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-31

MATLAB Code Analyzer Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36

Objects In Switch Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-38

Operations on Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-45

Using the Editor and Debugger with Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-49

Automatic Updates for Modified Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-50

Compatibility with Previous Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-56

Comparing MATLAB with Other OO Languages . . . . . . . . . 4-59

Defining and Organizing Classes

Class Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Class Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5

Expressions in Class Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

Class and Path Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14

Class Precedence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17

Packages Create Namespaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19

Importing Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24

Which Kind of Class to Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

The Handle Superclass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11

Handle Class Destructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16

Finding Handle Objects and Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22

Implementing a Set/Get Interface for Properties . . . . . . . . 6-23

Properties — Storing Class Data

Defining Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4

Property Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7

Mutable and Immutable Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13

Property Access Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14

Property Set Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19

Property Get Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22

Properties Containing Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28

Dynamic Properties — Adding Properties to an Instance . 7-30

Methods — Defining Class Operations

Method Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5

Ordinary Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7

Method Invocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9

Static Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-23

Overload Functions for Your Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25