External Interfaces

Using MAT-Files

This section describes the various techniques for importing data to and exporting data from the MATLAB environment. The main topics that are discussed are:

• Importing Data to MATLAB
• Exporting Data from MATLAB
• Exchanging Data Files Between Platforms
• Reading and Writing MAT-Files
• Writing Character Data
• Finding Associated Files

The most important approach to importing and exporting data involves the use of MAT-files, the data file format that MATLAB uses for saving data to your disk. MAT-files provide a convenient mechanism for moving your MATLAB data between different platforms and for importing and exporting your data to other stand-alone MATLAB applications.

To simplify your use of MAT-files in applications outside of MATLAB, we have developed a library of access routines with a mat prefix that you can use in your own C or Fortran programs to read and write MAT-files. Programs that access MAT-files also use the mx prefixed API routines discussed in Creating C Language MEX-Files and Creating Fortran MEX-Files.

Importing and Exporting Data

Importing Data to MATLAB

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