default overloading method? or a way to return subclass objects of built-in classes?

I am trying to create a class that has some property, 'matrix'. If I have not explicitly defined an overloaded method for some function for my class, I would like to have it operate on this property, matrix, and then wrap it back up as an object of my class. Without a default method, I might have to use repeated try catch statements such as (for a simple with a single input and output):

try
    output_argument = some_function(obj);
catch ME
    if ME.identifier ... indicates the function only takes doubles
        output_argument = make_obj(some_function(obj.matrix)),obj_template);
    end
end

Is it possible to define a default catchall like this?

If that's not possible, is there a way to change the default behavior so that operations on subclasses of built-in classes return subclasses? (instead of "Operations on data values return objects of the superclass" as seen here http://www.mathworks.es/help/techdoc/matlab_oop/brgze9_-1.html#brr3cdl-1)

Thanks!

Answer 1

[Daniel Shub]

I think you can overload subsref to get behavior like this.

[Jared]

Can you provide an example of how one might do so? I was under the impression that subsref/subsasgn will only act when the object is indexed/used as an index.

i.e. A(B) for A an object and/or B an object, not for A a function.