Methods - MATLAB & Simulink (original) (raw)

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Method syntax, attributes, and purpose

Methods are the operations defined by a class. Methods can overload MATLAB® functions to perform the operations on objects of the class. MATLAB determines which method or function to call based on the dominant argument. Class constructor methods create objects of the class and must follow specific rules.

Functions

Classes

Topics

Method Use

• Methods in Class Design
  Different kinds of methods perform specific tasks in MATLAB classes.
• Method Syntax
  Define class methods, including attributes and argument validation.
• Method Invocation
  Invoke class methods using dot or function syntaxes.
• Method Access List
  Specify a list of classes that can access a class method.
• Methods in Separate Files
  Define class methods in separate files for convenience and efficiency.

Method Types

• Method Attributes
  Method attributes control the behavior of methods.
• Ordinary Methods
  Define ordinary methods within the class definition file using method blocks.
• Class Constructor Methods
  The class constructor is a special method that creates instances of the class.
• Static Methods
  Static methods do not require an object of the class as an input argument.

Methods That Overload Functions

• Overload Functions in Class Definitions
  By overloading MATLAB functions for your class, objects of the class can support MATLAB operations.
• Class Support for Array-Creation Functions
  Add support for array-creation functions without overloading these functions in your class.
• Objects in Conditional Statements
  Enable the use of objects in conditional statements by defining relational operators for the class of the object.