Live Scripts and Functions

Program files that can include formatted text, images, and output to explain the code

Live scripts and live functions are program files useful for interacting with a series of MATLAB^® commands. Live scripts contain output and graphics with the code that produced them, together in a single interactive environment called the Live Editor. Live functions provide additional flexibility, allowing you to pass input values and return output values. You can add formatted text, images, hyperlinks, and equations to live scripts and functions to produce an interactive narrative that can be shared with others. For more information, see What Is a Live Script or Function?.

To explore existing live scripts from the MATLAB community, see the MATLAB Live Script Gallery.

Functions

export Convert live script or function to standard format (Since R2022a)

Topics

Create Live Scripts in the Live Editor

Create live scripts in the Live Editor with formatted text, images, videos, hyperlinks, and equations, and view the generated output and graphics with the code that produced it.
- Format Text in the Live Editor
- Edit and Format Code
- Modify Figures in Live Scripts
- Insert Equations into the Live Editor
What Is a Live Script or Function?

MATLAB live scripts and live functions are interactive documents that combine MATLAB code with embedded output, formatted text, equations, and images in a single environment called the Live Editor. They can be saved using two different file formats, a binary Live Code file format (.mlx) and a plain text Live Code file format (.m).
- Live Code File Format (.mlx)
- Live Code File Format (.m)
Create and Run Sections in Code
Divide MATLAB code files into sections and run all sections or run each section individually. (Since R2021b)
Create Live Functions
Create live functions in the Live Editor with formatted text, images, and equations.
Add Help for Live Functions
Add help text to live functions that displays when you use the help and doc functions.
Add Interactive Controls to a Live Script
Add sliders, spinners, drop-down lists, check boxes, edit fields, buttons, file browsers, color pickers, and date pickers to live scripts to control variable values interactively.
Add Interactive Tasks to a Live Script
Add tasks to live scripts to explore parameters interactively and generate code.
Ways to Share and Export Live Scripts and Functions
Share live scripts and functions with other MATLAB users, or export them as PDF files, Microsoft^® Word documents, HTML files, LaTeX files, Markdown files, or Jupyter^® notebooks for viewing outside of MATLAB.
Compare and Merge Live Scripts and Functions
View and merge changes between two live scripts or functions.
Editor/Debugger Settings
Use Editor/Debugger settings to customize the Editor.

Related Information

Scripts
Using the Live Editor (4 min, 35 sec)
Acknowledgments

Featured Examples

Introduction to the Live Editor

An introduction to the Live Editor. In the Live Editor, you can create live scripts that show output together with the code that produced it. Add formatted text, equations, images, and hyperlinks to enhance your narrative, and share the live script with others as an interactive document.

Open Live Script

Accelerate Exploratory Programming Using the Live Editor

The following is an example of how to use the Live Editor to accelerate exploratory programming. This example demonstrates how you can use the Live Editor to:

Open Live Script

Create an Interactive Narrative Using the Live Editor

The following is an example of how to create an interactive narrative in the Live Editor. An interactive narrative ties together the computations that you use to solve a problem. This example shows how to: