Use an existing interactive MATLAB session with MATLAB Engine application

How can I use an already running interactive MATLAB session as the computation engine for a MATLAB Engine application? I'm quite certain that I read that this was possible on Windows, if the interactive session was started in a special way. But I am having a hard time finding it in the documentation.

Any pointers would be most appreciated.

Clarification: in other words, I want to share the workspace between an interactive MATLAB session (full GUI) and an Engine application's MATLAB.

[Ken Atwell]

Can you elaborate a bit more on what you are trying to do? My initial reaction is, "why bother with the engine interface at all when there is an interactive session of MATLAB already running?"

[Szabolcs]

Ken, it's for use with MATLink. That should explain why it's useful: share the workspace between the MATLink "instance" and the interactive "instance" (i.e. make them the same).

Answer 1

[Szabolcs]

I found a solution for this. From the already running MATLAB session evaluate the command

enableservice('AutomationServer', true)

Start the Engine application afterwards and it'll share the workspace with the already running MATLAB. The full convenient GUI is available.

Note: this is a Windows-only feature.

[Danny S]

Thanks, this is really handy!

Answer 2

[Kaustubha Govind]

I think you need to start MATLAB with the -automation flag from a command window to start it up as a COM Server. Not sure whether you can also use this as an interactive session also though.

[Szabolcs]

Unfortunately you can't. The command window that appears is the same that I can already bring up for engine applications on Windows. But in the meantime I found another way. See my answer below.