Ways to Share Apps

There are several ways to share your apps.

  • Share MATLAB Files Directly — This approach is the simplest way to share an app, but your users must have MATLAB® installed on their systems, as well as other MathWorks® products that your app depends on. They must also be familiar with executing commands in the MATLAB Command Window and know how to manage the MATLAB path.

  • Package Your App — This approach uses the app packaging tool provided with MATLAB. When your users install a packaged app, the app appears in the Apps tab in the MATLAB Toolstrip. This approach is useful for sharing apps with larger audiences, or when your users are less familiar with executing commands in the MATLAB Command Window or managing the MATLAB path. As in the case of sharing MATLAB files directly, your users must have MATLAB installed on their systems (as well as other MathWorks products that your app depends on).

  • Create a Deployed Web App — This approach lets you create apps that users within an organization can run in their web browsers. To deploy a web app, you must have MATLAB Compiler™ installed on your system. Your users must have a web browser installed that can access your intranet, but they do not need to have MATLAB installed.

  • Create a Standalone Desktop Application — This approach lets you share desktop apps with users that do not have MATLAB installed on their systems. To create the standalone application, you must have MATLAB Compiler installed on your system. To run the application, your users must have MATLAB Runtime installed on their systems. For more information, see https://www.mathworks.com/products/compiler/matlab-runtime.html.

Share MATLAB Files Directly

If you created your app in GUIDE, share the .fig file, the .m file, and all other dependent files with your users.

If you created your app programmatically, share all .m files and other dependent files with your users.

If you created your app in App Designer, share the .mlapp file and all other dependent files with your users. To provide a richer file browsing experience for your users, provide a name, version, author, summary, and description by clicking App Details in the Designer tab of the App Designer toolstrip. The App Details dialog box also provides an option for specifying a screen shot. If you do not specify a screen shot, App Designer captures and updates a screen shot automatically when you run the app.

MATLAB provides your app details to some operating systems for display in their file browsers. Specifying apps details also makes it easier to package and compile your apps. The .mlapp file provides those details automatically to those interfaces.

App Details dialog box showing fields for the app name, version, author, summary, and description.

To specify input arguments and whether your app can run multiple instances at a time or only a single instance, expand the Code Options section and select from the available options.

App Details dialog box with the Code Options section expanded.

Package Your App

To package your app and make it accessible in the MATLAB Apps tab, create an .mlappinstall file by following the steps in Package Apps in App Designer or Package Apps From the MATLAB Toolstrip. The resulting .mlappinstall file includes all dependent files.

You can share the .mlappinstall file directly with your users. To install it, they must double-click the .mlappinstall file in the MATLAB Current Folder browser.

Alternatively, you can share your app as an add-on by uploading the .mlappinstall file to MATLAB Central File Exchange. Your users can find and install your add-on from the MATLAB Toolstrip by performing these steps:

  1. In the MATLAB Toolstrip, on the Home tab, in the Environment section, click the Add-Ons icon.

  2. Find the add-on by browsing through available categories on the left side of the Add-On Explorer window. Use the search bar to search for an add-on using a keyword.

  3. Click the add-on to open its detailed information page.

  4. On the information page, click Add to install the add-on.

Note

Although .mlappinstall files can contain any files you specify, MATLAB Central File Exchange places additional limitations on submissions. Your app cannot be submitted to File Exchange when it contains any of the following files:

  • MEX-files

  • Other binary executable files, such as DLLs. (Data and image files are typically acceptable.)

Create a Deployed Web App

Web apps are MATLAB apps that can run in a web browser. You create an app in App Designer, package it using the Web App Compiler, and then use the MATLAB Web Apps Manager to serve the app in a web browser. Then you can share the app within your organization by sharing a URL. Creating deployed web apps requires MATLAB Compiler, and only App Designer apps can be deployed as web apps.

Once you have MATLAB Compiler on your system, you can open the Web App Compiler from within App Designer by clicking Share in the Designer tab and selecting Web App. For more information, see Web Apps (MATLAB Compiler).

Create a Standalone Desktop Application

Creating a standalone desktop application lets you share an app with users who do not have MATLAB on their systems. However, you must have MATLAB Compiler installed on your system to create the standalone application. Your users must have MATLAB Runtime on their systems to run the app.

Once you have MATLAB Compiler on your system, you can open the Application Compiler from within App Designer by clicking Share in the Designer tab and selecting Standalone Desktop App.

If you used GUIDE or created your app programmatically, you can open the Application Compiler from the MATLAB Toolstrip, on the Apps tab, by clicking the Application Compiler icon.

See Create Standalone Application from MATLAB (MATLAB Compiler) for instructions on using the Application Compiler.

Related Topics

MATLAB Documentation

Support