Object Save and Load

Customize the object save and load process

MATLAB^® provides default behavior for load and save with objects, but you can customize the process of serializing (saving) and deserializing (loading) objects using one of two approaches:

Recommended: Inherit from matlab.mixin.CustomElementSerialization (since R2024b).
Implement saveobj and loadobj methods.

See When to Customize the Serialization Process for more information.

Classes

`matlab.mixin.CustomElementSerialization`	Customize how objects are serialized and deserialized (Since R2024b)
`matlab.serialization.ElementSerializationContent`	Representation of serialized object (Since R2024b)
`matlab.serialization.SerializationContext`	Context in which objects are serialized (Since R2024b)

Functions

`saveobj`	Customize save process for objects
`loadobj`	Customize load process for objects

Topics

Default Behavior for `save` and `load` with Objects

Default Save and Load Process for Objects
MATLAB follows some default guidelines to serialize (save) and deserialize (load) objects.
Avoid Property Initialization Order Dependency
Avoid initialization order dependency by defining set methods for dependent properties.

Customize Object Serialization

When to Customize the Serialization Process
Modify the save and load process for objects.
Maintain Backward and Forward Compatibility Between Class Definitions
Modify the save and load process to provide class version compatibility.
Serialization with Class Hierarchies
Subclasses can call matlab.mixin.CustomElementSerialization methods of their superclasses.
Transitioning Serialization and Deserialization Processes to matlab.mixin.CustomElementSerialization
Consider transitioning to matlab.mixin.CustomElementSerialization from older loadobj and saveobj implementations.
Code Patterns for saveobj and loadobj
Use these patterns to implement custom save and load processes using saveobj and loadobj.