matlab in C C++ and C C++ in matlab [closed]

Answer 1

I only have expreience with calling C or C++ functions from MATLAB. It looks to me like the only difference between calling functions in a shared library and calling functions from a MEX file is that with a shared library, you have to call the function with 'calllib' which is a command line type function and MEX functions allow you to call functions as if they are built-in functions so the interface is a little cleaner.

My suggestion is to use MEX files if

• You are using C++ (you may have to write a wrapper to use a C++ in a shared library)
• You are using MATLAB as the glue for a large number of optimized C or C++ routines. You'll want to be able to call them cleanly.

Use shared library if

• You already have an existing C library that can be used without modification.
• You only need a small number of calls to C functions.

Really, it comes down to the interface. I personally prefer the MEX file route because it provides the cleanest interface from MATLAB to your C or C++ function. You can call it like just another function with standard MATLAB types. With a shared library, you may have to do some data formatting before calling the library function

Answer 2

I think the methods you've named are correct (it's been a while since I've used them)

The matlab C-compiler isn't really special; it is possible to use different compilers. See link list of supported compilers. This does not include gcc, but MS Visual studio is included. You'll run into issues when linking with the supplied libraries.

Basically: calling matlab from C is something you'd do if you need a tight interface; for instance if you want to synchronise 2 tools, or your S-function (simulink) requires additional information. But then, such a file is propably called by Matlab/simulink in the first place.

Calling c from matlab is what you want to do if you write your own S-functions or extensions to matlab.

The choice between C and C++ is yours; if you start from a blank sheet I suggest you use C++; you don't need to use the complete functionality but it allows more freedom. Also more libraries tend to be available for C++ nowadays.

C is the language of choice if you need to migrate to very different environments; i.e. to compile C to DSPs for instance. Or if you have got legacy code in C to start from. Mixing C and C++ is possible, but a can be a bit cumbersome; I'm sure you'll find topics on StackOverflow on this subject alone.