export

Convert live script or function to standard format

Since R2022a

Syntax

path = export(file)

path = export(file,outputfile)

path = export(___,Name=Value)

Description

path = export(file) converts the specified live script or function to a PDF file with the same name and returns the full path to the converted file. The converted file closely resembles the appearance of the live script or function when viewed in the Live Editor with output inline. If the live script contains controls or tasks, the Live Editor saves them as code in the converted file.

This syntax saves the converted file to the current folder. By default, export uses the values specified by the matlab.editor export settings when creating the converted file.

path = export(file,outputfile) specifies the filename and location for the converted file. If outputfile includes a file extension, the export function converts the live script or function to that format.

path = export(___,Name=Value) specifies options for customizing the converted file by using one or more name-value arguments in addition to the input argument combinations in previous syntaxes. For example, you can convert the specified file to a Microsoft^® Word document instead of a PDF file, specify whether to hide code, or adjust the paper size and page orientation of the converted file.

Examples

Export Live Script to PDF File

Convert a live script to a PDF file including the code, output, and formatted text, and save it in the current folder.

export("myscript.mlx")

ans =
    'C:\myfiles\myscript.pdf'

Export Live Script to Microsoft Word Document

Convert a live script to a Microsoft Word document including the code, output, and formatted text.

wordfile = export("myscripts\myscript.mlx","myconvertedfiles\livescripts\myscript.docx")

wordfile =
    'C:\myfiles\myconvertedfiles\livescripts\myscript.docx'

Export Live Script to Markdown File

Convert a live script to a Markdown file, first without and then with embedded images and figures.

Convert myscript.mlx to a Markdown file. By default, images and figures are not embedded in the Markdown file. MATLAB^® creates the Markdown file and a folder named myscript_media containing the images and figures generated from the live script.

mdfile = export("myscript.mlx",Format="markdown")

mdfile =
    'C:\myfiles\myscript.md'

Convert myscript.mlx to a Markdown file that includes HTML markup and embedded images and figures. This customization is useful when the application in which you plan to use the converted file supports HTML markup and embedded images and figures.

mdfile = export("myscript.mlx",Format="markdown",EmbedImages=true, ...
    AcceptHTML=true)

mdfile =
    'C:\myfiles\myscript.md'

Customize Converted File

Use name-value arguments to hide the code and change the page size and orientation of the converted file.

wordfile = export("myscript.mlx","C:\Work\myfiles\myscript.docx", ...
    HideCode=true,PageSize="A4",Orientation="Landscape")

wordfile =
    'C:\Work\myfiles\myscript.docx'

Input Arguments

file — Name of live script or function to convert

string scalar | character vector

Name of the live script or function to convert, specified as a string scalar or character vector. Specify file as an absolute or relative path. If file is not on the MATLAB path, include the .mlx extension.

outputfile — Name of converted file

string scalar | character vector

Name of the converted file, specified as a string scalar or character vector. Specify outputfile as an absolute or relative path. The destination folder specified by outputfile must exist and be writable.

export uses the file extension of outputfile to determine the format of the converted file. For example, if outputfile has a .docx extension, export converts the live script or function to a Microsoft Word document.

Name-Value Arguments

Specify optional pairs of arguments as Name1=Value1,...,NameN=ValueN, where Name is the argument name and Value is the corresponding value. Name-value arguments must appear after other arguments, but the order of the pairs does not matter.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx",Format="docx")

Output Options

Format — Output format

"pdf" (default) | "html" | "docx" | "latex" | "m" | "markdown" | "ipynb"

Output format, specified as one of the values in the table.

Value	Output Format	Default File Extension
"pdf" (default)	Portable Document Format (PDF)	.pdf
"html"	Hypertext Markup Language	.html
"docx"	Microsoft Word document	.docx
"latex"	LaTeX	.tex
"m"	MATLAB code file	.m
"markdown" (since R2023b)	Markdown file	.md
"ipynb" (since R2023b)	Jupyter® notebook	.ipynb

Format takes precedence over the format specified by outputfile. If outputfile does not include a file extension, export uses the default file extension for the specified Format.

When exporting to LaTeX, MATLAB creates a separate matlab.sty file in the same folder as the output document, if one does not exist already. STY files, also known as LaTeX Style documents, give you more control over the appearance of the output document.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx","myfiles/outfile.xml",Format="html") creates an HTML file with a .xml extension.

OpenExportedFile — Whether to open converted file

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Whether to open the converted file after creating it, specified as a numeric or logical 0 (false) or 1 (true).

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx",OpenExportedFile=true)

PageSize — Page size

"Letter" | "Legal" | "Tabloid" | "A2" | "A3" | "A4" | "A5"

Page size of the converted file, specified as one of the standard paper type values in this table.

Value	Paper Size (Width-by- Height)
"Letter"	8.5-by-11 in (default in US)
"Legal"	8.5-by-14 in
"Tabloid"	11-by-17 in
"A2"	42-by-59.4 cm
"A3"	29.7-by-42 cm
"A4"	21-by-29.7 cm (default in Europe and Asia)
"A5"	14.8-by-21 cm

This option is available only when converting to a Microsoft Word document, PDF file, or LaTeX file.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx",PageSize="Legal")

Orientation — Page orientation

"Portrait" (default) | "Landscape"

Page orientation of the converted file, specified as "Portrait" or "Landscape".

This option is available only when converting to a Microsoft Word document, PDF file, or LaTeX file.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx",Orientation="Landscape")

Margins — Document margins

[72 72 72 72] (default) | 1-by-4 vector

Document margins of the converted file, specified as a 1-by-4 vector of margin values with the format [left top right bottom]. Each margin value is specified in points as a positive integer between 0 and 255. A value of 72 points is equivalent to 1 inch or 2.54 cm.

This option is available only when converting to a Microsoft Word document, PDF file, or LaTeX file.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx",Margins=[25 72 72 25])

IncludeOutputs — Whether to include outputs

true or 1 (default) | false or 0

Since R2023b

Whether to include outputs in the converted file, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false).

This option is available only when converting to a Markdown file or Jupyter notebook.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx","mylivescript.md",IncludeOutputs=false)

Code Options

Run — Whether to run code

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Whether to run the code and include the output in the converted file, specified as a numeric or logical 0 (false) or 1 (true).

Running export with Run set to true is not supported in the Live Editor. To run export with Run set to true, use the Command Window or Editor.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx",Run=true)

CatchError — Whether to catch errors

true or 1 (default) | false or 0

Whether to catch errors when running the live script or function during conversion, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). If CatchError is true and an error occurs, export includes the error in the converted file. If CatchError is false and an error occurs, export displays the error in the Command Window and does not create a converted file.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx",CatchError=false)

HideCode — Whether to hide code

true or 1 | false or 0

Whether to hide the code, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). If HideCode is true, the code in the live script or function is hidden (not included) in the converted file. If HideCode is false, the code is included. If this option is not specified, export uses the current saved state of the live script or function to determine whether to hide the code in the converted file. For example, if the specified live script or function was last saved with the code hidden, then the code is also hidden in the converted file.

Note

When exporting to PDF, Microsoft Word, HTML, LaTeX, Markdown, or Jupyter notebooks, the Live Editor saves controls and tasks as code. If you have a live script that contains controls and tasks and you hide the code before exporting, the converted file does not contain the controls or tasks.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx",HideCode=false)

ProgrammingLanguage — Programming language of code

"matlab" (default) | string scalar | character vector

Since R2023b

Programming language of the code to be converted, specified as a string scalar or character vector. Supported languages include "matlab" and "python".

This option is available only when converting to a Markdown file or Jupyter notebook.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx","mylivescript.md",ProgrammingLanguage="python")

AcceptHTML — Whether to include HTML

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Since R2023b

Whether to include HTML in the converted file, specified as a numeric or logical 0 (false) or 1 (true). Set AcceptHTML to 1 or true if the application in which you plan to use the converted file supports HTML. If AcceptHTML is 0 or false, the color of titles, the alignment of images, and the size of images and figures are not preserved in the converted file.

This option is available only when converting to a Markdown file.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx","mylivescript.md",AcceptHTML=true)

RenderLaTeXOnline — Whether to render LaTeX markup using external online service

"off" (default) | "svg" | "png" | "jpeg"

Since R2023b

Whether to render LaTeX markup using an external online service, specified as one of these options:

• "off" (default) — Do not render LaTeX and TeX markup. Many Markdown renderers can natively render LaTeX and TeX markup, so the export function does not need to render the markup.

• "svg" — Use an external online service to render LaTeX and TeX markup and generate SVG images of the rendered markup.

• "png" — Use an external online service to render LaTeX and TeX markup and generate PNG images of the rendered markup.

• "jpeg" — Use an external online service to render LaTeX and TeX markup and generate JPEG images of the rendered markup.

If you set RenderLaTeXOnline to "svg", "png", or "jpeg", then you must set AcceptHTML to true so that the export function can insert the generated images into the converted file.

This option is available only when converting to a Markdown file.

Note

By default, export does not use an external online service to render LaTeX markup. If you specify RenderLaTeXOnline as "svg", "png", or "jpeg", then export uses the https://latex.codecogs.com/ external online service to render your LaTeX markup.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx","mylivescript.md",RenderLaTeXOnline="svg")

Media Options

FigureFormat — Figure format

"png" | "jpeg" | "bmp" | "svg" | "eps" | "pdf"

Figure format of output figures in the converted file, specified as "png", "jpeg", "bmp", "svg", "eps", or "pdf". By default, the value of this name-value argument for PDF files, Markdown files, and Jupyter notebooks is "png". For LaTeX files, the default value is "eps".

This option is available only when converting to a PDF file, LaTeX file, Markdown file, or Jupyter notebook. In addition, the Run name-value argument must be true for this option to have an effect.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx",Run=true,FigureFormat="jpeg")

FigureResolution — Figure resolution

600 (default) | positive integer

Figure resolution of output figures in the converted file, specified in DPI as a positive integer between 36 and 2880.

This option is available only when converting to a PDF file, LaTeX file, Markdown file, or Jupyter notebook. In addition, the Run name-value argument must be true for this option to have an effect.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx",Run=true,FigureResolution=800)

EmbedImages — Whether to embed images and figures

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Since R2023b

Whether to embed images and figures in the converted file, specified as a numeric or logical 0 (false) or 1 (true). If EmbedImages is true, images and figures are stored in the converted file. If EmbedImages is false, images and figures are stored in a separate folder. This folder is located in the same folder as the converted file, and the folder name is the name of the file to convert with "_media" appended to it.

This option is available only when converting to a Markdown file or Jupyter notebook.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx","mylivescript.md",EmbedImages=true)

GenerateFigureAnimationVideo — Whether to export figure animations as videos

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Since R2023b

Whether to export figure animations as videos, specified as a numeric or logical 0 (false) or 1 (true). If GenerateFigureAnimationVideo is true, you also must specify a value for FigureAnimationVideoFormat.

This option is available only when converting to an HTML file, and only on Windows^® and macOS systems.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx","mylivescript.html",GenerateFigureAnimationVideo=true,FigureAnimationVideoFormat="MPEG-4")

FigureAnimationVideoFormat — Format of generated video

"MPEG-4"

Since R2023b

Format of generated video, specified as "MPEG-4". You must set GenerateFigureAnimationVideo to true for this option to have an effect.

This option is available only when converting to an HTML file, and only on Windows and macOS systems.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx","mylivescript.html",GenerateFigureAnimationVideo=true,FigureAnimationVideoFormat="MPEG-4")

MediaLocation — Location for saving generated videos

string scalar | character vector

Since R2023b

Location for saving generated videos, specified as a string scalar or character vector. Specify MediaLocation as an absolute or relative path. If you do not specify MediaLocation, export saves generated videos to a folder named file_media, where file is the name of the live script or function to convert.

This option is available only when converting to an HTML file, LaTeX file, Markdown file or Jupyter notebook, and only on Windows and macOS systems.

Example: path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx","mylivescript.html",GenerateFigureAnimationVideo=true,FigureAnimationVideoFormat="MPEG-4",MediaLocation="myfiles/mymedia")

Version History

Introduced in R2022a

R2024a: AcceptHTML and EmbedImages name-value arguments are false by default

The default value of the AcceptHTML and EmbedImages name-value arguments is now false or 0. Previously, the default value of these name-value arguments was true or 1. Set AcceptHTML to true to include HTML markup when converting to Markdown files. Set EmbedImages to true to embed images and figures when converting to Markdown files or Jupyter notebooks.

R2023b: Save figure animations as videos on Windows and macOS systems

You can save figure animations as videos when exporting to HTML by using the GenerateFigureAnimationVideo, FigureAnimationVideoFormat, and MediaLocation name-value arguments. Saving figure animations as videos is supported only on Windows and macOS systems.

For example, convert the live script mylivescript.mlx to HTML and save the figure animations generated by mylivescript.mlx as MPEG-4 videos.

path = export("myfiles/mylivescript.mlx","mylivescript.html", ...
  GenerateFigureAnimationVideo=true,FigureAnimationVideoFormat="MPEG-4", ...
  MediaLocation="myfiles/mymedia")

R2023b: Convert live scripts and functions to Markdown files and Jupyter notebooks

You can convert live scripts and functions to Markdown files and Jupyter notebooks by specifying an output filename with a .md or .ipynb extension. Alternatively, you can set the Format name-value argument to "markdown" or "ipynb".

For example, convert the live script penny.mlx to a Markdown file and a Jupyter notebook.

export("penny.mlx","penny.md")
export("penny.mlx","penny.ipynb")