Briefly explain two main differences between writing MATLAB code as a user-defined function compared with just writing a script file?

So im not sure about this one. Is it to do with the different input streams of a script to a function?

Please help thanks!!

[Walter Roberson]

http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/6200-tutorial-how-to-ask-a-question-on-answers-and-get-a-fast-answer

Answer 1

[Stephen23]

Scripts are just a collection of commands, whereas:

1. Functions each have their own workspace.
2. Functions can have input and output arguments
3. Functions make debugging easier

http://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_prog/scripts-and-functions.html

You should learn to write functions. As the documentation says "Program files can be scripts that simply execute a series of MATLAB® statements, or they can be functions that also accept input arguments and produce output... However, functions are more flexible and more easily extensible."

http://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/learn_matlab/scripts-and-functions.html

• "Scripts, which do not accept input arguments or return output arguments. They operate on data in the workspace."
• "Functions, which can accept input arguments and return output arguments. Internal variables are local to the function."

Scripts are great for testing something out. But if your code is going to hang around for more than a day, turn it into a function.

[Jan]

And: You can define subfunctions in functions files only, not in script files.

[Walter Roberson]

Historically, the Just In Time compiler worked only on functions; however lately it increasingly works on scripts as well.