Matlab open command

OPEN Open files by extension.
open NAME where NAME must contain a string, does different things
depending on the type of the object named by that string:

Type Action
—- ——
variable open named array in Array Editor
.mat file open MAT file; store variables in a structure in the workspace
.fig file open figure in Handle Graphics
.m file open M-file in M-file Editor
.mdl file open model in SIMULINK
.p file open the matching M-file if there is one
.html file open HTML document in Help Browser

open works similar to LOAD in the way it searches for files.

If NAME exists on MATLAB path, open file returned by WHICH.

If NAME exists on file system, open file named NAME.

Examples:

open(‘handel’) error if handel.mdl, handel.m, and handel
are not on the path.

open(‘handel.mat’) error if handle.mat is not on path.

open(‘d:\temp\data.mat’) error if data.mat is not in d:\temp.

open is user-extensible. To open a file with the extension “.XXX”,
open calls the helper function OPENXXX, that is, a function
named ‘OPEN’, with the file extension appended.

For example,
open(‘foo.m’) calls openm(‘foo.m’)
open foo.m calls openm(‘foo.m’)
open myfigure.fig calls openfig(‘myfigure.fig’)

You can create your own OPENXXX functions to change the way standard
file types are handled, or to set up handlers for new file types.
open will call whatever OPENXXX function it finds on the path.

Special cases:
for workspace variables, open calls OPENVAR
for image files, open calls OPENIM

If there is no matching helper function found, open calls OPENOTHER.

See also saveas, which, load, uiopen, uiload, path.

Overloaded methods
help scribehandle/open.m
help serial/open.m