end (MATLAB Functions)

Terminate block of code, or indicate last index of array

Syntax

while expression % (or if, for, or try)
     statements  
end
B = A(index:end,index)

Description

end is used to terminate for, while, switch, try, and if statements. Without an end statement, for, while, switch, try, and if wait for further input. Each end is paired with the closest previous unpaired for, while, switch, try, or if and serves to delimit its scope.

end also marks the termination of an M-file function, although in most cases, it is optional. end statements are required only in M-files that employ one or more nested functions. Within such an M-file, every function (including primary, nested, private, and subfunctions) must be terminated with an end statement. You can terminate any function type with end, but doing so is not required unless the M-file contains a nested function.

The end function also serves as the last index in an indexing expression. In that context, end = (size(x,k)) when used as part of the kth index. Examples of this use are X(3:end) and X(1,1:2:end-1). When using end to grow an array, as in X(end+1)=5, make sure X exists first.

You can overload the end statement for a user object by defining an end method for the object. The end method should have the calling sequence end(obj,k,n), where obj is the user object, k is the index in the expression where the end syntax is used, and n is the total number of indices in the expression. For example, consider the expression

```
A(end-1,:)
```

MATLAB will call the end method defined for A using the syntax

```
end(A,1,2)
```

Examples

This example shows end used with the for and if statements.

for k = 1:n
    if a(k) == 0
        a(k) = a(k) + 2;
    end
end

In this example, end is used in an indexing expression.

A = magic(5)

A =

    17    24     1     8    15
    23     5     7    14    16
     4     6    13    20    22
    10    12    19    21     3
    11    18    25     2     9

B = A(end,2:end)

B =

    18    25     2     9

See Also

break, for, if, return, switch, try, while

elseif eomday