Interpreting a struct returned by engGetVariable
3 views (last 30 days)
Show older comments
Hi,
I am adapting matlab code to run from C++ through the matlab engine and I need to retrieve and put a struct which contains scalars, strings and matrices...
How do I navigate through the struct (returned in an mxArray) once I have it and accordingly how do i put info into various sections?
Is it even possible to manipulate a struct variable once returned?
Thanks, Sean
0 Comments
Accepted Answer
Chirag Gupta
on 27 Apr 2011
You should be able to use mx* struct functions to manipulate and traverse your structure.
bool mxIsStruct(const mxArray *pm)
for example lets you test whether the mxArray is a structure.
Look at the phonebook.c example in MATLABROOT/extern/examples/refbook/
More Answers (2)
James Tursa
on 27 Apr 2011
When you retrieve a variable with engGetVariable you are getting a deep copy of the variable from the engine into your program. You can manipulate it all you want and it will not affect the variable in the engine workspace. In the External Interfaces section of the doc, look at mxIsStruct, mxGetField, mxGetFieldByNumber, mxSetField, mxSetFieldByNumber and friends. If you are changing the contents of a currently existing field, be sure to use mxDestroyArray on the current field first or you will get a memory leak. e.g., do something like this:
mx = engGetVariable(etc);
field = mxGetField(etc);
mxDestroyArray(field);
mxSetField(etc);
Also, be careful not to reuse the same variable to set multiple fields or you will risk a program bomb when the variable gets destroyed. There is a way to do this correctly by bumping up the reference count of the variable, but this technique is not officially supported.
James Tursa
See Also
Categories
Find more on MATLAB Compiler in Help Center and File Exchange
Products
Community Treasure Hunt
Find the treasures in MATLAB Central and discover how the community can help you!
Start Hunting!