In over 30 years of programming in multiple different programming languages and environments, I have found Matlab to be second to none in the depth, width and extent of its hidden niches. When I first discovered a few such functions and properties it merely seemed like a nice way to get the job done. Over time I found that many other Matlab programmers have similar problems which could be solved by these hidden programming components. At some point in time I started to like the challenge of actively seeking and experimenting with these hidden gems. In many cases it became a detective/deductive challenge which I found out to be most rewarding.
After several years of sporadic research in between “real” programming and managerial work, I published this collected knowledge in my “Undocumented Matlab” blog, which is dedicated to the hidden, unsupported and undocumented parts of Matlab. This quickly developed into a full-fledged Matlab consulting business, which has been going strong since 2009.
During these past years, Matlab has not kept still. Mathworks, the company which manufactures Matlab, has started releasing product updates several times a year. Each of these versions deleted or modified some hidden elements, and added a few more. It has been a real challenge to keep up with this rate of change, and continue posting new material concurrently with full-time consulting work.
I welcome your feedback, suggestions, and questions. Please either leave a reply within the blog, or email me directly.
For more information about me and my services, read my Consulting page.
You may also find some interest in an interview with me on the MathWorks “MATLAB Community” blog.
Strong Disclaimer and Warning
Don’t use any undocumented feature or function unless you’re fully aware of the possible consequences: such features are generally unsupported by Mathworks; may break in future Matlab versions without prior notice; may behave differently on different platforms or systems; may have undiscovered undesirable side-effects and may even cause Matlab to crash or hang (become unresponsive).
I invest a lot of effort into ensuring correctness and accuracy of the presented information. However, due to its very nature, I cannot guaranty that it is complete or error-free. I welcome reader feedback in cases where I am wrong or misleading, but I cannot take any responsibility of possible consequences using this info. When using my suggestions, sample code or ideas, readers must therefore take extreme care and understand that they either use them at their own risk, or not at all. If you wish to ensure that your program works properly on various platforms, releases or use-cases, contact me for a professional consulting proposal.
That being said, then as Michelle Hirsch (Matlab Product Management lead) suggested, have fun poking around!
Yair Altman
altmany at gmail dot com
