Documentation

makephone Function

The makephone function takes a structure array as an input, modifies it, and supplies the modified array as an output.

Note:   For complete reference information about the MWArray class hierarchy, see the MWArray API documentation.

Procedure

1. If you have not already done so, copy the files for this example as follows:

   1. Copy the following folder that ships with MATLAB^® to your work folder:

      matlabroot\toolbox\dotnetbuilder\Examples\VSVersion\NET\PhoneBookExample

   2. At the MATLAB command prompt, cd to the new PhoneBookExample subfolder in your work folder.

2. Write the makephone function as you would any MATLAB function.

   The following code defines the makephone function:

   function book = makephone(friends)
   
   book = friends;
   for i = 1:numel(friends)
       numberStr = num2str(book(i).phone);
       book(i).external = ['(508) 555-' numberStr];
   end

   This code is already in your work folder in PhoneBookExample\PhoneBookComp\makephone.m.

3. From the MATLAB apps gallery, open the Library Compiler app.

4. Build the .NET component. See the instructions in Create a .NET Assembly for more details. Use the following information:

   Project Name	PhoneBookComp
   Class Name	phonebook
   File to compile	makephone.m

5. Write source code for an application that accesses the component.

   The sample application for this example is in matlabroot\toolbox\dotnetbuilder\Examples\VSVersion\NETPhoneBookExample\PhoneBookVBApp\PhoneBookApp.vb.

   The program defines a structure array containing names and phone numbers, modifies it using a MATLAB function, and displays the resulting structure array.

   The program listing is shown here.

    PhoneBookApp.vb

   ' Necessary package imports
   
   Imports MathWorks.MATLAB.NET.Arrays
   Imports PhoneBookComp
   
   '
   ' getphone class demonstrates the use of the MWStructArray class
   '
   Public Module PhoneBookVBApp
       Public Sub Main()
           Dim thePhonebook As phonebook   'Stores deployment class instance
           Dim friends As MWStructArray    'Sample input data
           Dim result As Object()          'Stores the result
           Dim book As MWStructArray       'Ouptut data extracted from result
   
           ' Create the new deployment object 
           thePhonebook = New phonebook()
   
           ' Create an MWStructArray with two fields 
           Dim myFieldNames As String() = {"name", "phone"}
           friends = New MWStructArray(2, 2, myFieldNames)
   
           ' Populate struct with some sample data --- friends and phone numbers 
           friends("name", 1) = New MWCharArray("Jordan Robert")
           friends("phone", 1) = 3386
           friends("name", 2) = New MWCharArray("Mary Smith")
           friends("phone", 2) = 3912
           friends("name", 3) = New MWCharArray("Stacy Flora")
           friends("phone", 3) = 3238
           friends("name", 4) = New MWCharArray("Harry Alpert")
           friends("phone", 4) = 3077
   
           ' Show some of the sample data 
           Console.WriteLine("Friends: ")
           Console.WriteLine(friends.ToString())
   
           ' Pass it to a MATLAB function that determines external phone number 
           result = thePhonebook.makephone(1, friends)
           book = CType(result(0), MWStructArray)
           Console.WriteLine("Result: ")
           Console.WriteLine(book.ToString())
   
           ' Extract some data from the returned structure '
           Console.WriteLine("Result record 2:")
   
           Console.WriteLine(book("name", 2))
           Console.WriteLine(book("phone", 2))
           Console.WriteLine(book("external", 2))
   
           ' Print the entire result structure using the helper function below 
           Console.WriteLine("")
           Console.WriteLine("Entire structure:")
           dispStruct(book)
       End Sub
   
   
       Sub dispStruct(ByVal arr As MWStructArray)
           Console.WriteLine("Number of Elements: " + arr.NumberOfElements.ToString())
           'int numDims = arr.NumberofDimensions
           Dim dims As Integer() = arr.Dimensions
           Console.Write("Dimensions: " + dims(0).ToString())
   
           Dim i As Integer
           For i = 1 To dims.Length
               Console.WriteLine("-by-" + dims(i - 1).ToString())
           Next i
           Console.WriteLine("")
           Console.WriteLine("Number of Fields: " + arr.NumberOfFields.ToString())
           Console.WriteLine("Standard MATLAB view:")
           Console.WriteLine(arr.ToString())
           Console.WriteLine("Walking structure:")
   
           Dim fieldNames As String() = arr.FieldNames
   
           Dim element As Integer
           For element = 1 To arr.NumberOfElements
               Console.WriteLine("Element " + element.ToString())
               Dim field As Integer
               For field = 0 To arr.NumberOfFields - 1
                   Dim fieldVal As MWArray = arr(arr.FieldNames(field), element)
                   ' Recursively print substructures, give string display of other classes 
                   If (TypeOf fieldVal Is MWStructArray) Then
                       Console.WriteLine("   " + fieldNames(field) + ": nested structure:")
                       Console.WriteLine("+++ Begin of \"" + fieldNames[field] + 
                                                         " \ " nested structure")
   
                       dispStruct(CType(fieldVal, MWStructArray))
                       Console.WriteLine("+++ End of \"" + fieldNames[field] + 
                                                         " \ " nested structure")
                   Else
                       Console.Write("   " + fieldNames(field) + ": ")
                       Console.WriteLine(fieldVal.ToString())
                   End If
               Next field
           Next element
       End Sub
   End Module

   The program does the following:

   • Creates a structure array, using MWStructArray to represent the example phonebook data.

   • Instantiates the plotter class as thePhonebook object, as shown: thePhonebook = new phonebook();

   • Calls the makephone method to create a modified copy of the structure by adding an additional field, as shown: result = thePhonebook.makephone(1, friends);

6. Build thePhoneBookVBApp application using Visual Studio^® .NET.

   1. The PhoneBookVBApp folder contains a Visual Studio .NET project file for this example. Open the project in Visual Studio .NET by double-clicking PhoneBookVBApp.vbproj in Windows^® Explorer. You can also open it from the desktop by right-clicking PhoneBookVBApp.vbproj > Open Outside MATLAB.

   2. Add a reference to the MWArray component, which is matlabroot\toolbox\dotnetbuilder\bin\architecture\framework_version\mwarray.dll.

   3. If necessary, add (or fix the location of) a reference to the PhoneBookVBComp component which you built in a previous step. (The component, PhoneBookComp.dll, is in the \PhoneBookExample\PhoneBookVBApp\x86\V2.0\Debug\distrib subfolder of your work area.)

7. Build and run the application in Visual Studio .NET.

   The getphone program should display the output:

   Friends: 
   2x2 struct array with fields:
       name
       phone
   Result: 
   2x2 struct array with fields:
       name
       phone
       external
   Result record 2:
   Mary Smith
   3912
   (508) 555-3912
   
   Entire structure:
   Number of Elements: 4
   Dimensions: 2-by-2
   Number of Fields: 3
   Standard MATLAB view:
   2x2 struct array with fields:
       name
       phone
       external
   Walking structure:
   Element 1
      name: Jordan Robert
      phone: 3386
      external: (508) 555-3386
   Element 2
      name: Mary Smith
      phone: 3912
      external: (508) 555-3912
   Element 3
      name: Stacy Flora
      phone: 3238
      external: (508) 555-3238
   Element 4
      name: Harry Alpert
      phone: 3077
      external: (508) 555-3077