Running an interactive Matlab .m file with a batch call - matlab

Question

I have a Matlab .m file that I usually run interactively. I would like to run some jobs overnight, WITHOUT re-writing the .m file to remove the interactive queries for input. I used to be able to do this with Fortran or C or VB executables by running a batch file from the OS's command line. Is this possible with Matlab? (Also, I don't have the Matlab compiler. But I can have Matlab open the whole time.)
Skeleton of Program:
Input variable1 from keyboard;
Input variable2 from keyboard;
Long calculation;
Save results to file;
Stop
But, if I make a "batch" .m file to run Program, like this:
Program
0.2
0.47
Program
1.2
2.4
then Program just sits there forever waiting for my input from the keyboard. Is there a way to run Program so that it gets its interactive inputs from the calling .m file?

Answer 1

What environment/operating system are you working on? You refer to a batch file which leads one to think you are working in Windows. If you are working in Linux, you can use the echo command and pipe the results into your program. For example:
#my_bash_script.sh
echo "0.2
0.47
" | Program
Perhaps you can do something similar if you are working with Windows batch files. Check out this as one resource:
https://ss64.com/nt/syntax-redirection.html

Answer 2

This is a workaround, not an answer, but it is too long for a comment. After researching this for a while, I don't think Matlab can do what the question requests. (Not without compiling the Matlab code into an executable.) I got around it by writing a function (call it Meta) that reads the entire "batch" file of responses and returns them as a string array. I gave Program two extra input parameters: a flag for interactive/batch running (FlagBatch), and a string for the batch filename (BatchName). If FlagBatch is 1, Program uses Meta to read BatchName and generate ResponseArray, which is used to provide responses to any requests from Program. Kludgey, but it works, with minimal reprogramming of Program. (Of course, I had to have access to Program's code, but if I'd only had an executable from someone else, then I wouldn't have had this problem in the first place!)

Answer 3

Another workaround. Define myinput (see below), and use that everywhere to replace input. As in my other workaround, you give Program two extra input parameters: a flag for interactive/batch running (FlagBatch), and a string for the batch filename (BatchName). Also have
if FlagBatch==1, fid=open(BatchName); end
near top of Program. This approach is nice when you have dozens of input statements scattered all over Program (and various subroutines/functions).
function A=myinput(fileID,prompt,formatSpec,sizeA)
% A=myinput(fileID,prompt,formatSpec);
% Function myinput will read from either stdin (keyboard) or from a file,
% allowing programs' inputs to be entered interactively or from a file.
% Use it instead of Matlab's built-in functions input and fscanf.
% fileID = file ID (fid) of the opened file, or 0 for keyboard input.
% prompt = the prompt string (not used for file input)
% formatSpec = string containing Matlab format spec;
% not used for keyboard input
% sizeA = size of A; basically specifies how many times to use formatSpec;
% not used for keyboard input
%
% Example Uses in Program (where fid would have been set earlier):
% NumOrcs=myinput(fid,'Enter # of orcs','%i',1);
% MapFile=myinput(fid,'Enter filename for LotR map','s',1);
% [Sgimli,Slegolas]=myinput(fid,'Strengths of Gimli and Legolas?','%g',2);
%
if fileID==0
if formatSpec=='%s'
A=input(prompt,'s');
else
A=input(prompt);
end
else
A = fscanf(fileID,formatSpec, sizeA);
end
return