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Live Code File Format (.mlx)

MATLAB® stores live scripts and functions using the Live Code file format in a file with a .mlx extension. The Live Code file format uses Open Packaging Conventions technology, which is an extension of the zip file format. Code and formatted content are stored in an XML document separate from the output using the Office Open XML (ECMA-376) format.

Benefits of Live Code File Format

  • Interoperable Across Locales — Live code files support storing and displaying characters across all locales, facilitating sharing files internationally. For example, if you create a live script with a Japanese locale setting, and open the live script with a Russian locale setting, the characters in the live script display correctly.

  • Extensible — Live code files can be extended through the ECMA-376 format, which supports the range of formatting options offered by Microsoft Word. The ECMA-376 format also accommodates arbitrary name-value pairs, should there be a need to extend the format beyond what the standard offers.

  • Forward Compatible — Future versions of live code files are compatible with previous versions of MATLAB by implementing the ECMA-376 standard's forward compatibility strategy.

  • Backward Compatible — Future versions of MATLAB can support live code files created by a previous version of MATLAB.

Source Control

To determine and display code differences between live scripts or functions, use the MATLAB Comparison Tool.

If you use source control, register the .mlx extension as binary. For more information, see Register Binary Files with SVN or Register Binary Files with Git.

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