Live Scripts and Functions

Program files that can include formatted text, images, and output to explain the code

Live scripts and live functions are program files useful for interacting with a series of MATLAB^® commands. Live scripts contain output and graphics with the code that produced them, together in a single interactive environment called the Live Editor. Live functions provide additional flexibility, allowing you to pass input values and return output values. You can add formatted text, images, hyperlinks, and equations to live scripts and functions to produce an interactive narrative that can be shared with others.

For more information about live scripts and functions, including incompatibilities and information about the Live Code file format, see What Is a Live Script or Function?.

To explore existing live scripts from the MATLAB community, see the MATLAB Live Script Gallery.

Topics

What Is a Live Script or Function?

MATLAB live scripts and live functions are interactive documents that combine MATLAB code with embedded output, formatted text, equations, and images in a single environment called the Live Editor.

Run Sections in Live Scripts

Divide live scripts into sections and run all sections or run each section individually.

Create Live Functions

Create live functions in the Live Editor with formatted text, images, and equations.

Add Help for Live Functions

Add help text to live functions that displays when you use the help and doc functions.

Add Interactive Controls to a Live Script

Add sliders, drop-downs, check boxes, edit fields, and buttons to live scripts to control variable values interactively.

Add Interactive Tasks to a Live Script

Add tasks to live scripts to explore parameters interactively and generate code.

Debug Code in the Live Editor

Diagnose problems in live scripts and functions using different debugging methods.

Share Live Scripts and Functions

Share live scripts and functions with other MATLAB users, or as static PDF, Microsoft^® Word, HTML, and LaTeX documents for viewing outside of MATLAB.

Compare and Merge Live Scripts and Functions

View and merge changes between two live scripts or functions.

Live Code File Format (.mlx)

The Live Code file format (.mlx) uses Open Packaging Conventions technology, which is an extension of the zip file format.

Related Information

Scripts

Using the Live Editor (4 min, 35 sec)

Featured Examples

Introduction to the Live Editor

An introduction to the Live Editor. In the Live Editor, you can create live scripts that show output together with the code that produced it. Add formatted text, equations, images, and hyperlinks to enhance your narrative, and share the live script with others as an interactive document.

Open Live Script

Accelerate Exploratory Programming Using the Live Editor

The following is an example of how to use the Live Editor to accelerate exploratory programming. This example demonstrates how you can use the Live Editor to:

Open Live Script

Create an Interactive Narrative with the Live Editor

The following is an example of how to create an interactive narrative in the Live Editor. An interactive narrative ties together the computations that you use to solve a problem. This example shows how to:

Open Live Script