How to create an executable .exe file from a .m file

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I was wondering if there is a way to create a '.exe' file from ' .m' file in MATLAB, such that it can be run in machine which does not have MATLAB (like it can be done in C, C++).

I know writing a MATLAB function is one way, but I am not sure if it can run in machine without MATLAB.

Also I would like to hide my code and just create a script which can be run by a user using his own data files.

8 Answers

The Matlab Compiler is the standard way to do this. mcc is the command. The Matlab Runtime is required to run the programs; I'm not sure if it can be directly integrated with the executable or not.

If you have MATLAB Compiler installed, there's a GUI option for compiling. Try entering

deploytool

in the command line. Mathworks does a pretty good job documenting how to use it in this video tutorial: http://www.mathworks.com/products/demos/compiler/deploytool/index.html

Also, if you want to include user input such as choosing a file or directory, look into

uigetfile % or uigetdir if you need every file in a directory

for use in conjunction with

guide

Try:

mcc -m yourfile

Also see help mcc

If your code is more of a data analysis routine (vs. visualization / GUI), try GNU Octave. It's free and many of its functions are compatible with MATLAB. (Not 100% but maybe 99.5%.)

mcc -?

explains that the syntax to make *.exe (Standalone Application) with *.m is:

 mcc -m <matlabFile.m> 

For example:

mcc -m file.m

will create file.exe in the curent directory.

It used to be possible to compile Matlab to C with older versions of Matlab. Check out other tools that Matlab comes with.

Newest Matlab code can be exported as a Java's jar or a .Net Dll, etc. You can then write an executable against that library - it will be obfuscated by the way. The users will have to install a freely available Matlab Runtime.

Like others mentioned, mcc / mcc.exe is what you want to convert matlab code to C code.

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