Why do I receive an error starting MATLAB regarding java.lang.​AbstractMe​thodError: org.apache​.xerces.do​m.Elementl​mpl.getTex​tContent()​Ljava/lang​/String?

When starting MATLAB on Mac OS X, I get the following error:

ERROR: Error Starting Desktop:
java.lang.AbstractMethodError: org.apache.xerces.dom.DeferredElementImpl.getTextContent()Ljava/lang/String;
com.mathworks.services.binding.MatlabKeyBindings.getEntries(MatlabKeyBindings.java:547)
com.mathworks.services.binding.MatlabKeyBindings.readFilesFromXML(MatlabKeyBindings.java:518)
com.mathworks.services.binding.MatlabKeyBindings.<clinit>(MatlabKeyBindings.java:484)
...
...

What does this error mean, and how can I bypass the error so I can start MATLAB?

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

This error occurs when you have the "xerces" Java extension installed in your Mac OS X machine. In order for MATLAB to work properly, there should be no Java extensions installed under Mac OS X. To resolve this issue you can remove the extension at fault. To do so, check the following locations for extensions:

/Library/Java/Extensions

~/Library/Java/Extensions

NOTE: Both locations can be opened from Finder by clicking the Go menu and selecting "Go to Folder".

If either location has a xerces file, remove the file and restart your OS X machine. On a default installation of Mac OS X, these folders should be empty and both folders should be empty in order for MATLAB to function optimally.

Once removed, try MATLAB again. MATLAB should now start properly. If you are still unable to start MATLAB after these steps, contact the Installation and Licensing team here:

https://www.mathworks.com/support/contact_us.html