I have two classes, a superclass and subclass. The subclass inherits from the superclass.
The superclass redefines the default Matlab function disp(). However, I want the subclass to "cancel" this redefinition and go back to using the default Matlab version of disp(). Is there any way to do this?
I know that subclasses can call superclasses' methods via the following syntax
function result = CallTheSuperClassMethod(obj, arg1, arg2)
result = TheSuperClassMethod#TheSuperClass(obj, arg1, arg2)
end
But is there a way to call the Matlab default method via something like:
function result = CallTheDefaultMethod(obj, arg1, arg2)
result = SomeMethod#DefaultClass(obj, arg1, arg2)
end
where I am assuming that DefaultClass is the class from which all Matlab classes inherit.
Here's a concrete example. I have two classes, defined as follows:
classdef blah_super
properties
superprop = 'super property';
end
methods
function disp(obj)
disp('super');
end
end
end
classdef blah_sub < blah_super
properties
subprop = 'sub property';
end
end
Here are the results of a few commands that I get:
>> a = blah_super
a =
super
>> b = blah_sub
b =
super
But I want to modify blah_sub somehow (while still inheriting from blah_super) so the result is:
>> b = blah_sub
b =
blah_sub with properties:
subprop: 'sub property'
superprop: 'super property'
Thanks in advance.
Try using builtin
So the definition of blah_sub would be something like this:
classdef blah_sub < blah_super
properties
subprop = 'sub property';
end
methods
function disp(obj)
builtin('disp', obj);
end
end
end
Related
I like the OO programming style that matlabs App Designer uses (or at least the way I'm using it). Now I'm wondering if I can use the same style in my "normal" matlab class.
What I have now:
classdef myClass
properties
myVar;
end
methods
function Main(obj)
obj.myVar = "a";
obj = DoSomething(obj);
disp(obj.myVar) % outputs "c"
end
function obj = DoSomething(obj)
if(obj.myVar == "a")
obj.myVar="c";
else
obj.myVar = "b";
end
end
end
end
Which can be called externally using:
myClassInst = myClass;
myClassInst.Main()
I would like to get rid of all the "obj = " in the classdef, as is possible in App Designer. So something that would look like this:
classdef myClass
properties
myVar;
end
methods
function Main(obj)
obj.myVar = "a";
DoSomething(obj); % Just call the function without "obj = "
disp(obj.myVar) % outputs "a" because I didn't overwrite obj
end
function DoSomething(obj)
if(obj.myVar == "a")
obj.myVar="c";
else
obj.myVar = "b";
end
end
end
end
The equivalent of this seems to work in App Designer. So it appears you can modify variables in a class (instance?) in App Designer, while also being able to access the modified variable without explicitly overwriting your old class instance.
I noticed App Designer has all methods an properties set to (Access = private), though I'm not sure that has anything to do with it. Of course if I set everything to private, then I can't access the Main() method from outside anymore.
So my question is, how can I program in "normal" matlab, the same way as is possible in App Designer?
EDIT:
The following works in App Designer (I left out the methods/properties for the GUI elements):
classdef tmp < matlab.apps.AppBase
properties (Access = private)
myVar; % Description
end
methods (Access = private)
function doSomething(app)
if app.myVar == "a"
app.myVar = "c";
else
app.myVar = "b";
end
end
end
% Callbacks that handle component events
methods (Access = private)
% Code that executes after component creation
function startupFcn(app)
app.myVar = "a";
doSomething(app);
disp(app.myVar); % outputs "c"
end
end
end
You definitely can! All you have to do is inherit from the handle class, as opposed to a value class which is the default for matlab. You can also define private and public methods as in other languages.
The only thing you have to do is:
classdef myclass < handle % this is how you inherit from base class
properties
public_property
end
properties (Access=private)
private_property
end
methods
function obj = myclass() % class constructor
...
end
function public_function()
...
end
end
methods (Access=private)
function private_function()
...
end
end
end
Now every time you pass an object of this class to a function, you are not passing it by value, you are passing by reference (as you might be used to from python) and modifying it's properties modifies them also in the original object.
You need to inherit (< at the top of the class) from a handle class
classdef myClass < handle
properties
var
end
methods
function obj = myClass( varargin )
% Constructor function, called automatically when object is created
end
function someFunction( obj )
obj.randomizeVar(); % Equivalent to randomizeVar( obj );
end
function randomizeVar( obj )
obj.var = rand();
end
end
end
See the documentation for the difference between a "handle" and "value" class:
A value class constructor returns an object that is associated with the variable to which it is assigned. If you reassign this variable, MATLAB® creates an independent copy of the original object. If you pass this variable to a function to modify it, the function must return the modified object as an output argument. For information on value-class behavior, see Avoid Unnecessary Copies of Data.
A handle class constructor returns a handle object that is a reference to the object created. You can assign the handle object to multiple variables or pass it to functions without causing MATLAB to make a copy of the original object. A function that modifies a handle object passed as an input argument does not need to return the object.
Moreover, if you edit matlab.apps.AppBase, the class which you app designer code inherits, you can see that the first line is
classdef AppBase < handle
So you are literally doing the same thing, without the AppBase middle-man.
Matlab does not allow to define different methods to define multiple constructors with different list of parameters, for instance this will not work:
classdef MyClass
methods
function [this] = MyClass()
% public constructor
...
end
end
methods (Access = private)
function [this] = MyClass(i)
% private constructor
...
end
end
end
But, as illustrated in above example, it is sometimes useful to have private constructors with particular syntax that cannot be called from public interface.
How would you best handle this situation where you need to define both public and private constructors ?
Checking call stack ???
classdef MyClass
methods
function [this] = MyClass(i)
if (nargin == 0)
% public constructor
...
else
% private constructor
checkCalledFromMyClass();
...
end
end
end
methods(Static=true, Access=Private)
function [] = checkCalledFromMyClass()
... here throw an error if the call stack does not contain reference to `MyClass` methods ...
end
end
end
Define a helper base class ???
% Helper class
classdef MyClassBase
methods (Access = ?MyClass)
function MyClassBase(i)
end
end
end
% Real class
classdef MyClass < MyClassBase
methods
function [this] = MyClass()
this = this#MyClassBase();
end
end
methods (Static)
function [obj] = BuildSpecial()
obj = MyClassBase(42); %%% NB: Here returned object is not of the correct type :( ...
end
end
end
Other solution ???
One sneaky trick that I've used to try and work around this limitation is to use another 'tag' class that can only be constructed by MyClass, and then use that to work out which constructor variant you need. Here's a simple sketch:
classdef MyClass
properties
Info
end
methods
function o = MyClass(varargin)
if nargin == 2 && ...
isa(varargin{1}, 'MyTag') && ...
isnumeric(varargin{2}) && ...
isscalar(varargin{2})
o.Info = sprintf('Private constructor tag: %d', varargin{2});
else
o.Info = sprintf('Public constructor with %d args.', nargin);
end
end
end
methods (Static)
function o = build()
% Call the 'private' constructor
o = MyClass(MyTag(), 3);
end
end
end
And
classdef MyTag
methods (Access = ?MyClass)
function o = MyTag()
end
end
end
Note the Access = ?MyClass specifier which means that only MyClass can build instances of MyTag. There's more about using that sort of method attribute in the doc: http://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_oop/method-attributes.html
You can have a constructor that accepts multiple syntaxes by taking advantage of varargin:
classdef MyClass
methods (Access = public)
function obj = MyClass(varargin)
% Do whatever you want with varargin
end
end
end
You might, more typically, have some inputs that are required for all syntaxes, and then some optional inputs as well:
classdef MyClass
methods (Access = public)
function obj = MyClass(reqInput1, reqInput2, varargin)
% Do whatever you want with varargin
end
end
end
If you want to have even more control over how things are constructed, I would have a constructor and then also have some public static methods that called the constructor.
For example, let's say I wanted to be able to construct an object either by supplying parameters directly, or by supplying the name of a config file containing parameters:
classdef MyClass
methods (Access = public)
function obj = MyClass(reqInput1, reqInput2, varargin)
% Do whatever you want with varargin
end
end
methods (Static, Access = public)
function obj = fromFile(filename)
myparams = readmyconfigfile(filename);
obj = MyClass(myparams.reqInput1, myparams.reqInput2, ...);
end
end
end
Then you can create an object either with o = MyClass(inputs) or o = MyClass.fromFile(filename).
If you wanted to allow people to construct only from a config file, you could then make the constructor private. And you could add additional public static methods if you wanted to call the constructor in other ways.
In any case, the main point is that the idiomatic way to have a constructor that accepts multiple syntaxes is to take advantage of varargin.
I'd be tempted to go for a modification on your 1st option, but to modify the constructor to have an undocumented "mode" rather than just any input arg.
In the example below I gave that name **private** but you could have anything you want that the end users are unlikely to stumble across....
To be doubly sure you could still check the stack.
function [this] = MyClass(i)
if (nargin == 0)
% public constructor
else
% private constructor
if ischar ( i ) && strcmp ( i, '**private**' )
this.checkCalledFromMyClass();
else
error ( 'MyClass:Consturctor', 'Error calling MyClass' );
end
end
end
end
I'd like to save a particular class property to disk, while ignoring the rest of the class properties. I think MATLAB allows the saveobj method to be overridden for this purpose. However, this saves the class object with only that property attached. I want to save the property itself, without any of the class information.
I might think that a suitable method would look like:
classdef myClass
properties
myProp
end
methods
def b = saveobj(a)
b = a.myProp;
end
def Save(a,fname)
save(fname,'a.myProp');
end
end
end
But neither of these have the desired effect. Can anyone help me, please?
You can overload the save function itself without having to go through saveobj:
classdef myClass
properties
myProp
end
methods
function [] = save(a,fname,varargin)
myProp = a.myProp; %#ok<PROP,NASGU>
save(fname,'myProp',varargin{:});
end
end
end
Then on the command window:
>> foo = myClass();
>> foo.myProp = 4;
>> foo.save('var.txt');
>> bar = load('var.txt','-mat');
>> bar.myProp
ans =
4
The first method (the one involving saveobj) is actually correct. For the purposes of discussion let us consider this simple class:
classdef testclass
properties
x
end
methods
function this = testclass(x)
this.x = x ;
end
function a = saveobj(this)
a = this.x ;
end
end
end
When you ask MATLAB to save an instance of your class, it will use the saveobj method when you call save if one exists. The output of this method can be an object, a struct, an array, whatever. You want to test that this has occurred, and you do something natural like this:
>> obj = testclass('hi')
obj =
testclass with properties:
x: 'hi'
>> save tmp.mat obj
>> clear all
>> load tmp.mat
>> obj
obj =
testclass with properties:
x: []
>>
And this is where I suspect your confusion arises. You expect obj to be a char but instead it's an empty object of class testclass. (You can verify that it is just an instance of the object based on the saved definition of the class, and that it is not created by calling the empty constructor.)
This may seem rather confusing until you understand how loadobj works. In order for MATLAB to know which static method to call on load, it saves the class definition in conjunction with whatever output you are providing from your custom saveobj method. When you call load it then loads the class definition and calls the loadobj static method if one exists. We can test this by modifying the class definition above:
classdef testclass
properties
x
end
methods
function this = testclass(x)
this.x = x ;
end
function a = saveobj(this)
a = this.x ;
end
end
methods( Static )
function this = loadobj(a)
this = testclass(a) ;
end
end
end
If you set a breakpoint in the loadobj method you can verify that the type of a is indeed char as you expect.
I have couple methods in Matlab class. I am accessing few of them in some of these methods but somehow, in order to call those methods, I need to place "instaceName." in start of method names. I have c# background and does not feel comfortable. In C#, different level of visibility of methods can be defined.
classdef SampleClass
%UNTITLED2 Summary of this class goes here
% Detailed explanation goes here
properties
result ;
end
methods
function method1 (obj, a , b)
obj.result = obj.method2 (a,b) ;
end
end
methods (Access= private)
function y = method3 ( a , b)
y = a + b ;
end
end
end
If I define methods as static which I want to use internally in that class then will it work.
Is there a suggestion to deal this issue.
classdef SampleClass
%UNTITLED2 Summary of this class goes here
% Detailed explanation goes here
properties
result ;
end
methods
function method1 (obj, a , b)
obj.result = SampleClass.method2 (a,b) ;
end
end
methods (Static)
function y = method2 ( a , b)
y = a + b ;
end
end
end
Unfortunately there is no workaround for the issue that you mention. Class method signatures must always pass the "instance" into itself:
function output = DoSomething(this, arg1, arg2)
There are several methods to call a class method (take for example the above method DoSomething from Class MyClass):
my_instance = MyClass(...);
% Call type 1
output = my_instance.DoSomething(arg1, arg2)
% Call type 2
output = DoSomething(my_instance, arg1, arg2)
The type 2 feels more intuitive and aligned with the function signature.
In your example, both the instance method and the static method are interchangeable because you are not using method properties. But that's not always the case: static methods cannot access the private/protected properties of the class.
Extra note: as far as I know, many OO languages do the same but behind the scenes (C++ and C# automatically add the instance argument to the method, but correct me if I am wrong). The only difference is that in Matlab you must do it explicitly.
C++ explanation.
I have the following class in MATALB.
classdef MyClass
properties
a;
end
methods
function foo(obj)
obj.a = 1;
end
end
end
Now, I do this.
mc = MyClass;
mc.foo();
Now we have this.
mc.a == []
This is something I don't understand. I was expecting
mc.a == [1]
Why hasn't the function foo changed the state of the object?
I am sorry if this is a very basic question. I am used to languages like Java and C#, where the semantics is clearly according to what I'm expecting.
I've discovered that if I do the following, it works are expected.
classdef MyClass < handle
But how to get the desired behavior with a value class in MATLAB (i.e. not a handle class)?
Since a value class is passed by value, not by reference, you need foo to return the updated object:
classdef MyClass
properties
a;
end
methods
function obj = foo(obj)
obj.a = 1;
end
end
end
Then
mc = MyClass;
mc = mc.foo();
This is why I only use handle classes.