Nice to have - function output argument provide code assist when said function is called
Cody Brown
on 24 Jul 2025
Latest activity Reply by Steven Lord
on 25 Jul 2025
This is a feature which doesn't apear to currently exist, but I think alot of matlab users would like, particularly ones who write alot of custom classes.
Imagine i have a custom class with some properties:
classdef CustomClass < handle
properties
name (1,1) string = "default name"
varOne (1,1) double = 0
end
methods
function obj = CustomClass(name,varOne)
obj.name = name;
obj.VarOne = varOne;
end
end
end
Then imagine I have a function which returns one of these custom class objects:
function [obj] = Calculation(Var1,Var2,name)
arguments (Input)
Var1 (1,1) double
Var2 (1,1) double
end
arguments (Output)
obj (1,1) CustomClass
end
results = Var1 + Var2;
obj = CustomClass(name,result);
end
With this class and this function which returns one of these class objects, I would like the fact that I provided "(1,1) CustomClass" in the output arguemnts block of function "Calculation(Var1,Var2,name)" to trigger code assist automaticaly show me, when writing code that the retuned value from this funciton has properties "name" and "varOne" in the object.
For istance, if I write the following code with this function and the class in the Matlab search path
testObj = Calculation(1,1,"test");
testObj.varOne = 10; %the property "varOne" doesn't apear in code assist when writing this line of code
I would like that the fact function "Calcuation(Var1,Var2,name) has the output arguments block enforcing that this function must return an object of "CustomClass" to make code assist recognise that "testObj" is a "CustomClass" object, just as if testObj was an input argument to another function which had an input argument requiring that "testObj" was a "CustomClass" object.
Maybe this is a feature that may be added to matlab in future releases? (please and thank you LOL)
4 Comments
Time Descending
If you're using release R2025a or later, you could use the Feedback button on the Home tab of the toolstrip to submit feedback / feature requests as well.
I think a better place to post this would be the "Ideas" discussion forum:
Probably more of the Mathworkers who matter will see it there than here.
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