How can I modify private properties from inside a class

Is it possible for me to modify a private property from inside a class?  When I call a public method to change a private property, the property appears to not actually be changed.  No errors are returned.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

The default MATLAB class is a 'value' class.  If you call a method that changes a property of a 'value' class object, the operation will return a new object with the modification.  However the original object will remain unchanged unless reassigned.  To avoid this, inherit from the 'handle' class instead.  For more information about the difference between 'value' and handle classes, see the following documentation link:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_oop/comparing-handle-and-value-classes.html

The following code will give an example of using a public method to change a private property:

 

classdef CTester < handle

properties (Access = private) 
expectedResult = []; 
end 

methods 
    function setExpectedResult(obj,In) 
        obj.expectedResult = In; 
    end 
    function y = getExpectedResult(obj) 
        y = obj.expectedResult; 
    end 
    end 

end

Now try running to check that it works:

>> tester = CTester;
>> tester.setExpectedResult(2.87);
>> tester.getExpectedResult