Programming

Object Indexing Within Methods

If a subscripted reference is made within a class method, MATLAB uses its built-in subsref function to access data within the method's own class. If the method accesses data from another class, MATLAB calls the overloaded subsref function in that class. The same holds true for subscripted assignment and subsasgn.

The following example shows a method, testref, that is defined in the class, employee. This method makes a reference to a field, address, in an object of its own class. For this, MATLAB uses the built-in subsref function. It also references the same field in another class, this time using the overloaded subsref of that class.

• % ---- EMPLOYEE class method: testref.m ----
  function testref(myclass,otherclass)
  
  myclass.address                 % use built-in subsref
  otherclass.address              % use overloaded subsref
  

The example creates an employee object and a company object.

• empl = employee('Johnson','Chicago');
  comp = company('The MathWorks','Natick');
  

The employee class method, testref, is called. MATLAB uses an overloaded subsref only to access data outside of the method's own class.

• testref(empl,comp)
  ans =                            % built-in subsref was called
     Chicago
  
  ans =                            % @company\subsref was called
  Executing @company\subsref ...
     Natick
  

Handling Subscripted Assignment

Defining end Indexing for an Object

© 1994-2005 The MathWorks, Inc.