How to Install additional Toolboxes in MATLAB (PC Version)

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A Toolbox is a library of MATLAB functions. Examples are the Control Systems Toolbox, the Signal Processing Toolbox. The Student Edition of MATLAB includes Signals and Systems Toolbox and the Symbolic Toolbox. There are many user contributed matlab files that you can add to your MATLAB system to extend its capabilities (check the Mathworks Home Page)

Here I will explain how to install additional MATLAB Toolboxes (or collections of M-files) so that they can be accesses by your programs as regular matlab functions.

Here I will assume that MATLAB has been already installed in the default directories in the Hard disk C: and we want to install a toolbox, called MYTOOLS which consists of a set of M-files. First, we will copy these files into a directory of the MATLAB system and then add its path so that you can access these functions under MATLAB

Installing the Toolbox M-files

• Goto the directory where MATLAB stores its toolboxes, namely, C:\MATLAB\TOOLBOX (e.g. in a DOS box type cd c:\matlab\toolbox)
• Create new subdirectory called MYTOOLS (e.g. mkdir mytools). Now you will have the new directory c:\matlab\toolbox\mytools)
• Copy all the m-files of MYTOOLS into this new directory.

Extending MATLAB's path

• Goto the directory C:\MATLAB and edit the file MATLABRC.M that contains the MATLAB path to all the toolboxes.
• In your editor search for the line that containts the string "matlabpath([" (don't use the double quotes). That part of the file MATLABRC.M may look like

• Add the complete path to the new toolbox files at the beginning of matlabpath, just after the first line. For example, add the following line

• Save the updated MATLABRC.M file and close your editor.

Checking the installation

To verify that your installation is correct, open a new session of matlab and then type: help mytools. MATLAB should respond with a list of all the functions under this directory.

JC 9/17/96.