how to make syntax highlight function names with bold ?

In other languages the function names are written with bold characters

I think this makes the code more intelligible

Is this possible to set up in MATLAB ?

Answer 1

[Jordan Ross]

Hello,

I work for MathWorks and currently there is no supported way highlight function names in the MATLAB environment.

I have forwarded this enhancement request to the appropriate product team.

[William Braithwaite]

Has there been any updates to this? It would be very handy to highlight the functions within a script.

[John D'Errico]

There are serious problems in this, I imagine. Suppose your script has this line in it:

plot = 5;

So in the current workspace, plot has now become a variable, instead of function.

Now, edit at a second script, one that uses plot. Would plot be a variable, or a function? How should MATLAB know which it is?

[timo]

at least class members function names ?

[Guillaume]

class member functions names have exactly the same issue. How is matlab going to know in

a.b

if b is a member function of object a, a property (which could be dynamic) of object a, a static function of class a, or a field of structure a. I'm sure I'm forgetting more possibilities.

It wouldn't be impossible to do for functions but for scripts I'm not sure it can be done.

[Stephen Cobeldick]

"It wouldn't be impossible to do for functions..." Thanks to the magic of string evaluation I would argue that it is impossible to do in functions as well.

[John D'Errico]

The point is that in MATLAB, knowing if something is a function or not is possible to do only in context, at the time of execution. But to try to highlight something in the editor as a function or not is prone to failure in multiple ways. Again, consider this simple code:

% my EVIL script
plot(1:5)
eval(char([112 108 111 116  32  61  32 114  97 110 100  40  49  48  48  44  49  41  59]))
plot(1:5)

At first, plot is a function, and plot(1:5) will produce a plot. But the second time plot(1:5) occurs, it is no longer a function call. While this code is very simple, and what you want to see highlighted may appear obvious, the only way to know what is a function and is not, is to execute the code itself.

By the way, in case you want to know:

char([112 108 111 116  32  61  32 114  97 110 100  40  49  48  48  44  49  41  59])
ans =
    'plot = rand(100,1);'

Honestly, I think such an idea would be the code from hell to write and try to produce a useful, accurate, consistent result. If MathWorks chooses to implement it, AND manages to find a way to do so in a robust way, then hey, GREAT!

However, the problems we have pointed out are real. If I were the MathWorks programmer assigned this task, I'd run screaming from the room in terror, as if Cthulhu himself was there. :) If I were the manager who chose to task some poor sot with the job, I'd think about investing TMW programming resources in a better place.

Remember that MathWorks has a finite set of resources. So their management needs to allocate those resources to tasks that have real value, AND will produce a stable result, not a bug filled mess.

Bug filled messes are something that management typically wishes only on their competition.