How to select a specific .m function when two exist?

Question

First, here the way i\'m calling the function :

eval([functionName \'(\'\'stringArg\'\')\']); % functionName = \'someStringForTheFunctionName\'

Answer 1

You can also create a function handle for the shadowed function. The problem is that the first function is higher on the matlab path, but you can circumvent that by (temporarily) changing the current directory.

Although it is not nice imo to change that current directory (actually I'd rather never change it while executing code), it will solve the problem quite easily; especially if you use it in the configuration part of your function with a persistent function handle:

function outputpars = myMainExecFunction(inputpars)
    % configuration
    persistent shadowfun;
    if isempty(shadowfun)
        funpath1 = 'C:\........\x\fun';
        funpath2 = 'C:\........\y\fun'; % Shadowed

        curcd = cd;
        cd(funpath2);
        shadowfun = @fun;
        cd(curcd); % and go back to the original cd
    end

    outputpars{1} = shadowfun(inputpars); % will use the shadowed function
    oupputpars{2} = fun(inputparts); % will use the function highest on the matlab path
end

This problem was also discussed here as a possible solution to this problem.

I believe it actually is the only way to overload a builtin function outside the source directory of the overloading function (eg. you want to run your own sum.m in a directory other than where your sum.m is located.)