matlab.engine.connect_matlab

Connect shared MATLAB session to MATLAB Engine for Python

Syntax

eng = matlab.engine.connect_matlab(name=None)

eng = matlab.engine.connect_matlab(___,background)

eng = matlab.engine.connect_matlab(___,async)

Description

eng = matlab.engine.connect_matlab(name=None) connects to the shared MATLAB^® session, name, and returns a MatlabEngine object as eng. The input argument name specifies the name of a MATLAB session that is already running on your local machine.

• If you specify name and the engine cannot find a shared MATLAB session of the same name, then you receive an EngineError exception.

• If you do not specify name and the engine cannot find any shared MATLAB sessions, then it starts a new shared MATLAB session.

• If you do not specify name and the engine finds multiple shared MATLAB sessions running, then it connects to the first created session.

eng = matlab.engine.connect_matlab(___,background) connects asynchronously if background is True. You can use this syntax with the name input argument in the previous syntax.

eng = matlab.engine.connect_matlab(___,async) connects asynchronously if async is True. Not recommended. Use the background argument instead. Do not use for Python^® Version 3.7 or later. For more information, see Version History.

Examples

Connect to MATLAB Session

Connect to a shared MATLAB session that is already running on your local machine.

import matlab.engine
eng = matlab.engine.connect_matlab()
eng.sqrt(4.0)

2.0

matlab.engine.connect_matlab connects to the first created shared MATLAB session. If no MATLAB sessions are shared, then matlab.engine.connect_matlab starts a new session.

Connect to MATLAB Sessions by Name

When there are multiple shared MATLAB sessions on your local machine, connect to two different sessions one at a time by specifying their names.

Connect to the first created MATLAB session.

import matlab.engine
names = matlab.engine.find_matlab()
names

('MATLAB_6830', 'MATLAB_7090')

Connect to the next MATLAB session.

eng = matlab.engine.connect_matlab('MATLAB_7090')
eng.sqrt(4.0)

2.0

Input Arguments

name — Name of shared MATLAB session

character array

Name of the shared MATLAB session, specified as a character array. The name must be a valid MATLAB variable name.

background — Start MATLAB synchronously or asynchronously

False (default) | logical

Connect to MATLAB synchronously or asynchronously, specified as a logical keyword argument.

Example: matlab.engine.connect_matlab(background=True)

async — Start MATLAB synchronously or asynchronously

False (default) | logical

Connect to MATLAB synchronously or asynchronously, specified as a logical keyword argument. Not recommended. Use the background argument instead. For more information, see Version History.

Output Arguments

eng — Python variable for communicating with MATLAB

MatlabEngine object

Python variable for communicating with MATLAB, returned as a MatlabEngine object. eng communicates with a shared MATLAB session that is already running on your local machine

Limitations

• Do not connect the engine multiple times to the same shared MATLAB session.

Version History

Introduced in R2015b

R2019a: Use background Argument to Start Engine Asynchronously

As of Python Version 3.7, async is a keyword and cannot be used as an argument for matlab.engine.start_matlab. Use the background argument instead for all supported versions of Python as listed in Versions of Python Compatible with MATLAB Products by Release.