MATLAB For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4

Starting, Storing, and Saving MATLAB Files

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding the MATLAB file structure

Working with MATLAB files

Storing data on disk

Computers have two kinds of storage bins: temporary memory in RAM and permanent memory on a storage device such as a hard drive. (There are also hard drive-like online storage bins, but they’ll count as hard drives for most of this chapter.) To make anything you create using MATLAB permanent, you must place it on the hard drive. Unfortunately, hard drives are huge, and if you want to find the data again later, you need to know where you placed the information. That’s why knowing something about the MATLAB file structure is important — because you use it to find a place to store your data and to recover that data later.

Data is stored in files, while folders are used to organize the data. To load your data into MATLAB, you must first find the right folder, open it, and then open the file. It works much the same as a filing cabinet. As long as the drawer is closed and the file folder remains inside, the data is inaccessible. Note as well that some of your data may be in the wrong format. When data formatting is a problem, you ...