Variables not saved after function completes. Help needed

Hi all,

I have this function in checkfile.m

function [] = checkfile(filename, pathname)

if isequal(filename,0)
    warndlg('File not selected.', 'Warning!', 'modal');
else
    cd(pathname);
    load(filename);            % load variables
end
end

Inside this file, there are a number of variables. When this function completes, the variables are deleted. I do not want to save the variables as an array.

For example, inside file1.mat, there are 3 variables, a,b & c.

I want these 3 variables, a,b & c to be in the workspace as it is after the function exits.

How can I make the functions such that the variables do not delete itself after the function exits.

Answer 1

[Arthur]

The cleanest (and probably fastest) method is to let load(filename) store into a variable, and let the function return this variable. So like this

function myData = checkfile(filename, pathname)

if isequal(filename,0)
    warndlg('File not selected.', 'Warning!', 'modal');
    myData = [];
else
    cd(pathname);
    myData = load(filename);            % load variables
end
end

Note that I also added myData = [] for the case that there was no file selected. Otherwise your function would fail in this case.

myData will be a structure containing all the variables of the file. So in your case it will contain myData.a, myData.b and myData.c.

[Rick]

Thanks!! This is exactly what i needed.

Answer 2

[José-Luis]

Have the function return the variables you want to keep, otherwise they are destroyed upon exit.

function [a,b,c] = checkfile(filename,pathname)
%etc

[Rick]

I see.

I have the same numbers of variables for each file. But the names are all different.

As such, i want to save the variables as what they were named.

Answer 3

[Azzi Abdelmalek]

In your function use

 data=load(filename)

If filname.mat contains variables x y and z, you can get them, after caling your function

 data= checkfile(filename,pathname)

by:

 x=data.x
 y=data.y
 z=data.z

and don't forget to change, like mentioned by José luis

 function data=checkfile(filename,pathname)