Installing Octave 3.6

5/2/2015
InstallingOctave3.6.4onWindows8|DT097/1CAD/ProgrammingModule
DT097/1CAD/ProgrammingModule
ProgrammingNotes&Examples
InstallingOctave3.6.4onWindows8
PostedonOctober12,2013
Introduction
MATLABisanincrediblypowerfultoolforengineers,notjustfornumbercrunchingsolutionstospecific
problems,butasanaidtocreativity.MATLABpoweruserssometimestalkaboutitfeelingalmostlikean
extensionoftheirbrain.EvenforadyedinthewoolCprogrammerlikeme,itsreallyusefultosketchout
algorithmsinMATLABbeforeimplementingtheminC.MATLABsnotationformanipulatingarraysis
wonderfullyconciseandtheabilitytovisualisedatasetsatthedropofahatusingitsgraphingtoolsreallyhelps
thecreativeprocess.
ThemainproblemwithMATLABisthatitsaproprietaryplatformandeventhestudentversioncomeswitha
heftypricetag.ThisiswhereOctavecomesinitsbasicallyanopensourceimplementationoftheMATLAB
language.Thereareotherfreealternatives,likeScilabandFreeMat,butOctaveseemstobetheonethatsmost
consistentwithMATLAB.Providedthatyousteerclearofnoncompatibletoolboxes,yourOctaveMfilesshould
runfineinMATLAB.
InstallingOctaveonWindows
Unfortunately,itsnotimmediatelyobvioushowtoinstallOctaveonWindows.VisitorstotheOctavehomepage
needtodoabitofdetectiveworktofindtheirwaytothecorrectbinaryexecutableinstallerforWindows.
Personally,IthinkitwouldbereallygreatifthecorrectdownloadlinkwasgivenprideofplaceontheOctave
homepage.Icanthelpwonderingwhether9outofevery10peoplewhogolookingforOctaveendupabandoning
theideabecausetheyrenotquitesurewhichversiontotry.
Fortunately,onceyouknowwhattodo,installingOctaveonWindowsisfastandstraightforwardandreallyis
worththeeffort.IdonthaveMATLABinstalledonmylaptopatallanymoreIjustuseOctave.
TheexactfiletodownloadisOctave3.6.4forWindowsMicrosoftVisualStudiowhichisoneoftheversions
providedonOctaveForge.Heresthelink:
octave3.6.4vs2010setup.exe(68.2MB)
Runtheinstallerandacceptthedefaultinstallationlocation(C:\software\Octave3.6.4\)andotherdefault
options,asshowninthefollowingsequenceofscreenshots:
https://youneedtoprogram.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/installingoctave364onwindows8/
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Nowjustwaitwhiletheinstallationtakesplace
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FixforWindows8
IfyourerunningWindows8,youllprobablyrunintothesameproblemIdidwhenIfirstranOctavethe
commandpromptwasmissingfromthecommandwindow,asshownbelow:
Ifso,youjustneedtodoonesmallfixonthenewlyinstalledOctavetogetthingsworking.Asaworkaroundfora
gnulibWindows8compatibilitybug,youneedtoaddsomecommandlineswitchestotheoctave.exedesktop
shortcut:RightclicktheOctavedesktopshortcutandclickonProperties.Addthetext"ilineediting"tothe
endoftheTargetfield.AssumingyouinstalledOctaveinthedefaultlocation(C:\Software\Octave3.6.4\),the
completeTargetlinewillbeasfollows:
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C:\Software\Octave3.6.4\bin\octave3.6.4.exeilineediting
Hereshowitlookedonmylaptop:
UsingOctave
NowjustclickOKandyourereadytostartusingOctave.Doubleclickonthedesktopshortcuttostartitup.
HereshowitlookswhenIopenitonmylaptop.
Asyoucansee,itlooksverydifferentfromMATLAB.However,wecantypethesamecommandsinOctavethatwe
woulduseinMATLAB.Inthefollowingexample,Illcreateanarrayoftimevalues,useittogenerateasinusoidal
function,andthenplotthesinusoidinafigurewindow.
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JustlikeinMATLAB,asequenceofcommandscanbestoredinanMfile.However,youllneedtouseanexternal
texteditor.TheoneIstronglyrecommendisNotepad++whichisfreetodownloadfromhttp://notepadplus
plus.org/.Notepad++isanincrediblyusefultexteditorwhichcanbeusedforallkindsofprogrammingtasks
(editingMfilesisjustonethingitsgoodat).
HeresanexampleofwritinganMfileinNotepad++:
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OnceIsavedmyMfile,IranitintheOctavecommandwindowasshownbelow:
Follow
UsefulOctavecommands
Follow DT097/1
CAD /
Programming
Module
Inthefinalscreenshotabove,youcanseesomeusefulcommandsformovingbetweendifferentfolders.
Thepwdcommanddisplaysthepresentworkingdirectoryi.e.thefullpathofthefolderyourecurrently
Get every new post delivered
in.IfyouretryingtorunanMfile,pwdshoulddisplaythenameofthefolderthatcontainsyourMfile.
to your Inbox.
Thecdcommandisusedtochangedirectoryi.e.movetoadifferentfolderinsidetheoneyourein.
Enteryouremailaddress
Thecommandcd..leavesthecurrentfolderandreturnsyoutotheonethatcontainsit.
Theclccommandclearsthecommandwindow.
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7/32
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120ResponsestoInstallingOctave3.6.4onWindows8
bonineseenamamevisays:
January25,2014at10:32pm
Soanythanksforthis!rgds
Reply
batchloafsays:
Youreverywelcome.
Reply
Alonsays:
February3,2014at10:04pm
Thankalot!!!
Iwasthatclosedendingupasoneofthe9
Reply
happygerard63says:
February4,2014at9:12am
HiGoodDay!
FollowingyourabovestepsandwritingcommandsinMfileIgetNosuchfileorDirectory..
whenItypecd%home%andthecommandsmentionedinyourexampleontheOctavescreen.
FYIplsnoteIhavesavedOctaveinmyF:folderand
Notepad++inC:folder.
SubsequentlyplshelpmetoproceedfurtherandhavethedemoCode_investmentPortfolioandothercodesobtainedonthe
Octave.AlsoplsnoteIhaveWindows7only.
Reply
batchloafsays:
HiGerard,
MaybethisissomthingthatsdifferentbetweenWindows7andWindows8?
Insteadofcd%home%,trydoingthis:
cd%homepath%
Letmeknowifthatmakesanydifference.
Ted
Reply
happygerard63says:
HiTed,
Thanksforyrmail.
Sorry!itstillsaysNosuchfileorDirectory
Perhapsmaybeifitspossibleforyoutobeonlinefrom0400hrsto2300hrsIST(IndianTime)plsletme
knowyourconvenienttimeandIshallbethereandgostepbystep.
8/32
5/2/2015
Thanks
Gerard
batchloafsays:
HiGerard,
Canyousupplymoredetails?Ascreenshot(ormorethanone)wouldreallyhelpmetoworkoutwhats
goingwrongforyou.Idontknowwhatdirectoryyourein,orwheretheMfileyouwanttorunisstored
(inwhichdirectory).Ifyoucanprovidemoredetails,Illtrytoadvise.
Ted
happygerard63says:
HiTed,
Sorry,Iwasoutyesterday.Thanksforyourmail.Plsnotethefollowing:
BelowthescreenshotofOctavescreenwhenopened:
GNUOctave,version3.6.4
Copyright(C)2013JohnW.Eatonandothers.
Thisisfreesoftwareseethesourcecodeforcopyingconditions.
ThereisABSOLUTELYNOWARRANTYnotevenforMERCHANTABILITYor
FITNESSFORAPARTICULARPURPOSE.Fordetails,type`warranty.
Octavewasconfiguredfori686pcmingw32.
AdditionalinformationaboutOctaveisavailableathttp://www.octave.org.
Pleasecontributeifyoufindthissoftwareuseful.
Formoreinformation,visithttp://www.octave.org/getinvolved.html
Readhttp://www.octave.org/bugs.htmltolearnhowtosubmitbugreports.
Forinformationaboutchangesfrompreviousversions,type`news.
warning:load_path:.:Nosuchfileordirectory
Use`pkglisttoseealistofinstalledpackages.
MSYSshellavailable(F:\Octave3.6.4\msys).
Graphicsbackend:gnuplot.
octave3.6.4.exe:1>
BelowisthescreenshotofNotepad++
C:\DocumentsandSettings\Prakashpc\LocalSettings\Temp\nppLocalization\new1Notepad++
Ted,
Plsnote,Ihavebothindifferentfolders(F:\&C:\).WhenworkingontheabovegraphexampleinFig1,it
worksandIgetaseparatescreenwithgraph.
ButonenteringcommandsastocreationofMfiletocreateinitialcommandsasmentionedaboveitsays,
Nosuchfileordirectoryavailable.
Subsequentlywanttogotothe
demoCodeInvestmentPortfoliotoseetheTimeseriesofthePortfolioValuesthentonormalizingof
valuesandtoplotthenormalizedpricesoftheassetsofthePortfolio.
Plsadvise!
Thanks
Gerard
happygerard63says:
9/32
5/2/2015
HiTed,
Sorry.PlsnotemysystemisWindowsXPandnot&asstatedearlierafterverifyingwithmystaffwhichis
differentfrommylaptop.Thanks
Gerard
batchloafsays:
HiGerard,
Itsoundslikeyourinstallationmaybeworkingok,butyoujustdonthavetheworkingdirectorycorrectly
settotheactuallocationofyourMfile.IsuggestthatyoustartOctaveandthentypethepwdcomand
whichdisplaysthecurrentworkingdirectory(pwdisshortforpresentworkingdirectory).Thenmove
yourMfiletothatfolderandtryrunningitagain.
Icouldntseeyourscreenshotsproperlybytheway.WordPresswontletyoupostthemhere,butyoucan
justputtheminyourgoogledriveorwhatever,sharethempublicly,thempostthelinksinyourcomment.
Ted
happygerard63says:
HiTed,
Thanks!PlshelpmecreateaM.fileandIwillproceedaccordinglyandrevert.
Gerard
batchloafsays:
HiGerard,
AnMfileisjustaplaintextfilecontaininganumberofordinaryMATLABcommands.Forexample,paste
thefollowingintoaplaintextfile(e.g.usingNotepad)andsaveitasexample.m:
x=[1253191317483813]
plot(x)
TofindoutthecurrentworkingdirectoryinOctvave,usethepwdcommand.Onceyouknowwhich
directoryOctaveislookingin(thecurrentworkingdirectory),youcanjustsaveyourMfileinthatfolder
andthenrunitbytypingexampleinOctave.
Ted
happygerard63says:
HiTed,
Thanks!IhvstartedworkingwithMatlabandtheaboveexampleworksfinewheretherewasaplot.However
proceedingfurtherontopriceEuropeanOptions,investmentPortfolio,etc.,tryingtoplotthenormalized
pricesofassetportfoliofollowingisthescreenshotoftheMatlabeditor.(1)Plsidentifythemistakes
Iamcommittingfortheerrormessagesandrevertback(2)Plsletmeknowtheproceduretogetthepricesof
IBM,GOOGLE&SIforcomputingTimeSeriesValuesandforLogReturns.SorryfortroublingyouTed!
Thanks.
10/32
5/2/2015
>>functiondemoCode_investmentPortfolio
functiondemoCode_investmentPortfolio
|
Error:Functiondefinitionsarenotpermittedinthiscontext.
>>%%demo_investmentPortfolio:Timeseriesofportfoliovaluesfromtheseriesofassetprices(code).
>>formatshort
>>%%loadthedata
>>S=load(closingPrices_IBM_GOOG_SI_2007_07_01_2013_06_30.txt)
Errorusingload
Unabletoreadfile
closingPrices_IBM_GOOG_SI_2007_07_01_2013_06_30.txt':nosuch
fileordirectory.
>>S=S(1:7,:)%Lookatashortseriesofpricesforallassets
UndefinedvariableS.
>>%%Eachrowcorrespondstothetimeseriesofpricesofanasset
>>%Timeincreaseswiththeindexofthecolums
>>S=S
UndefinedfunctionorvariableS.
>>%%D:Numberofassets,N:lengthofthetimeseries
>>[D,N]=size(S)
UndefinedfunctionorvariableS.
>>%startcountingat0
>>N=N1
UndefinedfunctionorvariableN.
>>%%Plotthetimeseries
>>%%normalizethepricessothattheinitialvaluesareequal
>>initialValue=100.0
>>ford=1:D
normalizedS(d,:)=initialValue*S(d,:)/S(d,1)
end
UndefinedfunctionorvariableD.
>>normalizedS
UndefinedfunctionorvariablenormalizedS.
>>%%plotthenormalizedpricesoftheassetsintheportfolio
>>figure(1)clf
>>figure(1)clf
>>plot(0:N,normalizedS)
UndefinedfunctionorvariableN.
>>axis(tight)
>>xlabel(time(indays))
>>legend(IBM,GOOG,SI,0)
Warning:Plotempty.
>Inlegendat286
>>title(Timeseriesofprices)
>>
Gerard
mamasays:
THannksm8..appreciatethistutorial
Reply
11/32
5/2/2015
batchloafsays:
ThanksMama,Imgladyoufoundituseful.
Reply
DavidKoenigsays:
March1,2014at7:42pm
Thanksforthetutorial.Followingitallowedmetobreaktheice.IamanexperiencedMatlaberandaMatlabauthor.Iam
interestedinOctavesoIcanshowothershowtousesomeofmyscriptswithouthavingtobuyMatlab.
Dave
Reply
batchloafsays:
March2,2014at11:42am
HiDavid,
Yes,Ifeelmuchthesame.IusedtothinkthatOctavewasathreattoMATLAB,buthavinggivenitabitmore
thoughtIseethingsquitedifferentlynow.OctavewonteverreplaceMATLAB,butitdoescomplementitnicely.I
loveMATLAB,butIwouldbereluctanttoteachittoourundergradsiflearningitshackledthemtoaproprietary
platform.TheexistenceofafreealternativereassuresmethatpeoplelearningtoprograminMATLABwillbeable
topracticeanddeployforfreeiftheychoose.
Inclass,IthereforetrytosticktousingfeaturesthatworkthesameinMATLABandOctave,sothatstudentscan
workwithwhichevertheyprefer.
Ted
Reply
DavidKoenigsays:
March2,2014at6:39pm
HiTed,
Interestingcomments.SinceIamanewbietoOctaveIonlyknowalittleaboutthedifferencesbutIlikewhat
Ihaveseen.Iamretiredfromacompanywherein1989IwasthefirsttopurchaseMatlab(ona5.25inch
flexibledisc!).BythetimeIretiredin2001everyengineerhadtohavehisownMatlabsuite(whetherhe/she
useditornot).NowIthinkitisonthenetworksoanyonecanhaveaccess.Isupposethatmanyuniversities
alsohaveitavailabletotheirstudentsviaanetwork.But,asyoupointout,whathappenswhenthestudents
leaveschool?PerhapstheircompanywillhaveMatlab,too,butitisnicetohaveOctaveintheirhippocket.
Regards,
Dave
DavidKoenigsays:
March1,2014at9:54pm
Hello,IamworkingonconvertingaMatlabscriptintoOctavesuitableformat.Isthereabuiltinroutinesimilarto
audiorecorderthatcangathersoundwavesfromthelaptopmicrophone?
Thanks,
Dave
Reply
batchloafsays:
12/32
5/2/2015
HiDavid,
AudiocapturehasbeenabitofaproblemformeinOctavesinceIstartedusingit.Anumberofusefulfunctions
aresupplied:
http://www.gnu.org/software/octave/doc/interpreter/AudioProcessing.html
However,someofthemneverseemtoworkformeoutofthebox.Forexample,therecordfunctionisprobably
theoneclosesttowhatyourelookingfor,butthatdoesntworkforme.ImrunningOctaveonLinuxhereand
whenItrytousetherecordfunction,Igetsomethinglikethefollowing:
octave:10>x=record(2,22050)
PleasehitENTERandspeakafterwards!
dd:opening`/dev/dsp':Nosuchfileordirectory
error:fread:invalidstreamnumber=1
error:calledfrom:
error:/usr/share/octave/3.6.2/m/audio/record.matline53,column13
Whatthatshouldhavedoneisrecord2secondsofaudioatasamplingrateof22050Hz.Presumably,theerror
relatestothewaytheaudiohardwareissetuponmycomputer.(usingALSAratherthanOSSdrivers?Something
likethat.)
Anyway,youcantryrecordbutifthatdoesntworkforyou,perhapsyoucandowhatIdoandusethesystem
functioninOctavetorunacommandlineaudiorecorder(Imusingarecord)whichrecordsfromthemicrophone
intoawavfileandthenusethewavreadfunctiontoloadthedataintoanarray.Itsabitofahack,butworksfine
forme.Forexample,
system('arecordd2twavblah.wav')
RecordingWAVE'test.wav':Unsigned8bit,Rate8000Hz,Mono
x=wavread('test.wav')
Bytheway,arecordisalittlecommandlineaudiorecordingutilitywhichispartofALSAsoyoullprobablyneed
touseadifferentaudiorecorderinWindows.AccordingtothistutorialIjustcameacross,youcanuseWindows
builtinsoundrecordingutilityfromthecommandlineasfollows:
SoundRecorder/FILEtest.wma/DURATION0000:00:30
Hopethathelps!
Ted
Reply
DavidKoenigsays:
March2,2014at6:31pm
Thanks,Ted.Actually,IhavedecidedtorunOctaveinparallelwithAudacityandgenerateabeepsoundto
coordinatethedatacollection.ThenafterthecollectionisoverIcangointotheAudacitygeneratedwavfile
andpickoutthesoundsIwanttoanalyze.
Dave
batchloafsays:
March3,2014at4:47am
Okcool.Bestofluckgettingitworking!
DavidKoenigsays:
March5,2014at9:00pm
13/32
5/2/2015
HelloTed,
IhaveforgottenhowIoriginallypostedaquestionsoIwilltagitontoareply.
IamtryingtousesaveandloadtoexchangedatabetweenOctavescriptsandMatlabscriptsandsofarIfind
thatMatlabdoesnotliketoreadmatfilegeneratedbyOctave.IsthereanoptionthatIshouldusewhenI
saveafilefromanOctavescriptthatwillgenerateamatfilethatMatlablikes?
Thanks,
Dave
batchloafsays:
March6,2014at2:38am
HiDave,
TheshortansweristhatIdontknow,butmyfirstinstinctwouldbetoincludeanoptioninthesave
commandtoexplicitlyspecifythatanativeMATLABformatisused.Forexample,tosaveintheMATLAB
v6binaryformat,dosomethinglikethis:
M=[123456789]
savematbinaryexample.matM
Thereareequivalentoptionsforversions4and7(mat4binaryandmat7binaryrespecitively),soif
theabovedoesntworkyoucouldtrythoseinstead.Checkthispageforalistofavailableformats:
https://www.gnu.org/software/octave/doc/interpreter/SimpleFileI_002fO.html
Unfortunately,IdonthaveMATLABtohandtocheckwhetherthisworksornot,butthatswhatIwould
tryfirstmyself.
Ted
DavidKoenigsays:
March6,2014at3:49am
Ted,thanksforyourresponse.AfterfoolingaroundabitIstumbleduponthefollowing:
InOctave:
>z=1:10
>save(z,ascii)
InMatlab
>clear
>loadz
>whos
NameSizeBytesClassAttributes
z11080double
>z
z=12345678910
(whereMatlabandOctavearepointedtothesamedirectory).ThisistheonlytimeIhavebeenableto
transferdatafromOctavetoMatlab.
batchloafsays:
March6,2014at9:56am
Gladtohearyougotitworking!
Ted
JCsays:
14/32
5/2/2015
March3,2014at5:34pm
Thankyou!yourWindows8tipsworkedonmywin8PCinstantly!whatalifesaver
Reply
batchloafsays:
March3,2014at8:23pm
Gladyoufoundituseful!
Ted
Reply
Pingback:Fixinggnuplotonoctave3.6.4forWindows8|Ceegees
RudigerEscobarWolfsays:
Thisisgreat,exactlywhatIneeded.Itfixedmyproblem!
Reply
batchloafsays:
Thanks,gladyoufoundituseful!
Reply
JonathanEdwinsays:
March23,2014at1:42pm
heymynameisEdwin,whydoeseverytimeiclosetheoctaveprogram,itsaysthatOcatvehasstoppedworking?thx
Reply
batchloafsays:
March24,2014at12:09pm
HiEdwin,
Sorry,Imnotsurewhyyoureseeingthaterror.Areyouexitingproperlyi.e.bytypingexitorareyoujust
closingtheconsolewindow?
Iwoulddefinitelyrecommendexitingbytypingexit,soifyourenotdoingthatalreadythentryitandseeifit
makesadifference.
Ted
Reply
J.Petersonsays:
Bytheway,anewerversionofOctavewiththenewGUIisfoundhere:
http://mxeoctave.osuv.de/
Reply
Davsays:
April16,2014at10:50pm
15/32
5/2/2015
Hi!Thankyouverymuchfortheseexplanations.IalsohavebeenworkingbyseveralyearswithMATLAB,andIminterested
inOctave.Atthistime,myproblemisthatIwouldliketousetheOctave3.6.4packages(signals,communications,etc.)ina
Windows8environmentso,anyhelponhowtoinstallthesepackageswouldbegreatThankyouverymuchinadvance
Reply
batchloafsays:
HiDav,
IhaventinstalledanyadditionalOctavepackagesmyselfunderWindows8,soIprobablycanttellyoumuchyou
dontalreadyknow.Haveyoutriedjustinstallingthemthenormalway,usingthepkgcommand.Forexample,if
youvedownloadedapackagefilecalledsomepackage1.0.0.tar.gz,youcouldtrythefollowingcommandatthe
Octavecommandline:
pkginstallsomepackage1.0.0.tar.gz
Theressomemoreinformationaboutithere:
http://www.gnu.org/software/octave/doc/interpreter/InstallingandRemovingPackages.html
SorryIcantbemorehelp.
Ted
Reply
Davsays:
April20,2014at6:46am
HelloTed.Thanksforyourquickresponse.Ireallyappreciateyouranswerthatwas,indeed,helpful.I
installedthepackagesavailableinthislink(
http://sourceforge.net/projects/octave/files/Octave%20Windows%20binaries/Octave%203.6.4%20for%20Windows%20MinG
)foraWindows7OS,andIfollowedtheinstructionsgiventhere(Ihadsometroublesinunderstandingthe
instructions,sinceImaWindowsguynotaccustomedtocommands,excepttheMATLABones).Justsome
hoursagoIrepeatedthesameonaWindows8OSanditworkedgood.So,thanksagain.
batchloafsays:
Great,gladtohearyougotitworking!
Ted
CyprienAutexier(@sandorfr)says:
Thanks,fixedmyissues
Reply
batchloafsays:
Yourewelcome!
Ted
Reply
pavanyadikisays:
16/32
5/2/2015
May11,2014at10:18am
Thankyousomuch.Itwouldhavetakenmyweekstimetogetitinstalledwithoutthehelpofthisblog.Sopreciseand
informative.
Reply
batchloafsays:
May11,2014at3:28pm
ThanksPavanyadikigladyoufoundituseful!
Ted
Reply
Bayerwaldlersays:
June14,2014at4:27pm
ItriedtoinstallOctaveunderWindows8beforebutitdidntworkbecauseofthepromptbug.Thanksfortheveryclear
instructions!Seemstoworkfine,thegnuplottookquiteawhiletoinvokeatfirst.Thefollowingcallswentveryfastthough.
Reply
batchloafsays:
June15,2014at11:57pm
Isupposegnuplottakesawhiletopopupbecauseithastheoverheadoflaunchinganewprocess.Ittakesafew
secondsformetoo.
Ted
Reply
Alansays:
June15,2014at6:40am
SoherewasmetryingtogetOctaveupandrunningonmynewcomputer,andIgoogledmyselfbroughttothisblog,onlyto
findthatitsmyoldfriendTedwhowalkedmethroughit!CheersTed!Hopealliswellwithyou!
Reply
batchloafsays:
June16,2014at12:07am
Wow,itreallyisasmallworld!Howareyou?RichardandIwereonlytalkingaboutyouonFriday.Funnyenough,
itwasntunrelatedtoMATLAB.IvebeenthinkingaboutdoingabitofLPCimplementationonamicrocontroller
foranassistivetechnologyidea,butIthoughtIdbeginbydoingitinMATLAB/Octavefirst,justtogetmyhead
arounditproperly.IwasmentioningtoRichardthattheconversationyouandIhadaboutitacoupleofyears
backinAnseoreallyhelpedtoclarifymyunderstanding.
Ted
Reply
Nosleepbynightpersonsays:
June16,2014at7:48am
Thankyousomuchforyourblogpage.Veryclearandconcise.BestRegards.
Reply
batchloafsays:
June16,2014at11:29am
17/32
5/2/2015
Thanks,yourewelcome!
Reply
bardonthewiresays:
June18,2014at4:49am
Thanksmuch!Iwaswonderingwhattodowhenthecommandpromptdidntshowup,andwassogladIfoundyourarticle.
Reply
batchloafsays:
June18,2014at6:10am
Yourewelcome!Gladyoufoundituseful.
Ted
Reply
lastdreambendersays:
July24,2014at9:15pm
Thankyouforyourpost!Ihaveaquestiontoask.Ihaveamakefiletorun,incommandpromptmakecommandresultsin
errorsaying,octave:commandnotfound.ThenIfollowtheinstructionsyoudeclare,butstillIgetthesameerror.Doyou
haveanyideawhatthereasonmightbe?Thanksalready!
Reply
batchloafsays:
July25,2014at7:59am
Imnotsurewhyamakefilewouldbecallingoctave.Whatisthemakefileyourerunning?Ifitreallyistryingto
runOctaveforsomereason(maybeyourebuildingapluginforOctaveorsomething?)thenyouprobablyneedto
ensurethattheOctaveinstallationfolder(theonewheretheactualOctavebinaryexecutabletheexefile)isin
yoursystempath.
Ted
Reply
JohnChadwicksays:
August16,2014at9:24pm
FantasticexplanationjustwhatIneededtogetOctaveworking.ThanksTed.
P.S>Tochangetoadirectorywithspacesinitthenencloseinquotes,e.g.cdMyOctaveFiles
Reply
batchloafsays:
ThanksJohn!
Ted
Reply
PaulDayssays:
Thanks!ItworksonWin8.1withOctave3.2.4
18/32
5/2/2015
Reply
batchloafsays:
August18,2014at9:06am
ThanksPaulthatsgoodtoknow.
Reply
HugoCabrerasays:
Thankyouverymuch.Yousavedmydayatleast.
HugoCabrera
GreetingsfromZrich
Reply
batchloafsays:
Yourewelcome!
Ted
Reply
Jacksays:
InUsingOctave.whatlanguageareyouusing?
Reply
batchloafsays:
ItsbasicallythesamelanguageasMATLAB.Thereareprobablysomeminorsyntaxdifferences,butImnotaware
ofthem.ThebigdifferenceyoullencounteristhatmanyofMATLABsapplicationspecifictoolboxesarenot
availableinOctave,whichmeansthatifyoureanexperiencedMATLABuseryoumayfindthatsomefamiliar
commandsaremissinginOctave.Forexample,onethingthatImissinOctaveisMATLABsuicontrol,whichI
useforcreatingsmallGUIapplications.
Reply
Jacksays:
September1,2014at12:20am
Thankyouverymuch!
SACHUsays:
Thankyouallfortheusefulinfo,isoctaveonlyforMATLAB?orcanIuseitwithvisualstudioc++.Ifsohowtoplotfrom
.cppcoding.Itwouldbeagreathelpformyproject.
Reply
batchloafsays:
HiSACHU,
ItiscertainlypossibletointegrateOctavecodeintoC++usingthesuppliedC++library.Forexample,seethis
19/32
5/2/2015
exampleontheOctavepageonWikipedia.However,ifyoujustneedtoplotagraphofsomenumbersthatyou
haveinaC/C++array,usingOctaveprobablyisntthesimplestoption.Ontheotherhand,ifyouneedtouseother
featuresthatOctaveisgoodat,suchasalotofmatrixcalculation,thenitcouldwellbeworthconsidering.
Canyouexplainalittlemoreaboutexactlywhatyouretryingtodo?Ifso,IcantrytoworkoutwhetherOctaveis
anappropriatesolution.
Ted
Reply
batchloafsays:
Oh,andIforgottoansweryourquestion:YouaskedwhetherOctaveisonlyforMATLAB.Well,inaway
yes,andinanotherwayno.Insimpleterms,OctaveisafreealternativetoMATLABitssomethingyou
useinsteadofMATLABtorunMATLABcode.
Personally,IstilluseMATLABinmyclassroomteaching,sinceitsreallyusefulforourstudentstobe
familiarwithitwhentheygooutintoindustry.However,whenImwritingMATLABcode(i.e.Mfiles)on
myownlaptop,IuseOctavebecauseitsfree.Also,IencouragemystudentstoinstallOctaveontheirown
computerssothattheycanpracticewritingMATLABcodeathome.Also,Octavemakesanabsolutely
brilliantdesktopcalculator,soIuseitallthetimeforthat.
OnethingthatsreallyreallyusefulaboutOctaveis:Ifyouhavesomecode(sayanalgorithm)thatyouve
writteninMATLAB,butyouwanttodeployitinaprogramthatneedstorunoncomputersthatdont
haveMATLABinstalled,Octaveprovidesawayofdoingthat,eitherasastandaloneprogram,orby
embeddingyourMATLABcodeintoanotherlanguauge(e.g.C++,Python).Mathworks(whosupply
MATLAB)dosupplyacommercialproductfordeployingMATLABcodeasastandaloneapplication,and
itsreallygood,but(atleastthelasttimeIlooked)itsveryexpensive.
Allthingsconsidered,IthinkOctavecomplementsMATLABverywell.MATLABistheoriginalandstill
thebestinfact,Ithinkitsoneofthemostprofoundlyempoweringsoftwaretoolsforengineering
creativitythathaseverbeencreated.However,ifImexperimentingwithanalgorithmofsomekind,Im
muchhappiertowriteitinMATLABcodenow,becauseIknowIllhavetheoptionofdeployingitwithout
licenserestrictionsiftheneedarises.
SACHUsays:
Thankyousirforyourkindreply,
ActuallyIamanavionicsstudentandIhavemyalgorithmcodeinc++,toviewtheanimatedoutputofhowtheunmanned
aerialsystemfindsitspathinanobstacleenvironment,avoidingtheobstaclesiswhatmyprojectis..howoctaveisusefulfor
this?andwhatarethecommandsthatineedtousetointerfacewithit?
Reply
MathStudentsays:
Thanksabunchforthis,youjustsavedmealotoftroublewithfiguringouthowtosetupOctaveforWin8.Iwasalmostready
torunitinavirtuallinuxbox.
Reply
batchloafsays:
Yourewelcome.Gladtohearyougotitworking!
Ted
Reply
20/32
5/2/2015
Kylesays:
Ispentalongtimetrying(andfailing)toinstallthisonmylaptoponmyown,thismadeitsomucheasier!Installed&
everythingseemstobeworkingperfectly,thankyou!
Reply
batchloafsays:
ThanksKyle,Imgladtohearyoufoundituseful!
Ted
Reply
SACHUsays:
September6,2014at4:09pm
Thankyousirforyourkindreply,
ActuallyIamanavionicsstudentandIhavemyalgorithmcodeinc++,toviewtheanimatedoutputofhowtheunmanned
aerialsystemfindsitspathinanobstacleenvironment,avoidingtheobstaclesiswhatmyprojectis..howoctaveisusefulfor
this?andwhatarethecommandsthatineedtousetointerfacewithit?
Reply
EdSongsays:
Imtryingtotestasimpleprogramonnotepad++andseeifitrunsonOctave.Thenotebook.mfileissavedin
C:\software\Octave3.6.4\bin\name.m.txtNotepad++
ItypepwdandtheresponseinC:\software\Octave=3.6.4
sometimesItype
bin/
andtheresponseissyntaxerror
Howeverbin\seemstowork,
ThenItype
name
andIgetsyntaxerror.Myprocedurefollowstheproceduredescribedabove.Howcomemyprocedureisnotworking?
Reply
batchloafsays:
HiEd,
Ithinktheremightbeafewthingswrongthere.
Firstly,IwouldntsuggeststoringyourownOctaveprogramsinC:\software\Octave3.6.4\bin\.That
directoryisforfilesthatarepartofOctaveitself,ratherthanthecodeyouwriteyourself.Isuggestyoucreatea
directorysomewhereelse(suchasonyourDesktop)tostoreyourcode.Forthesakeofargument,letsassume
thatyoucreateafoldercalledC:\Users\Ed\Desktop\MyOctaveFiles\
Now,whenyouwriteyourOctaveprograminNotepad++,itsabsolutelyessentialthatyousavethefilewith
the.mextension(andonlythatextension).Theremustnotbeanyfurtherfileextensionafterthat,sofor
exampleyourfilename"name.m.txt"wontwork.Letsassumethatyousaveyourfileas
C:\Users\Ed\Desktop\MyOctaveFiles\name.m
21/32
5/2/2015
Ifforsomereasonyourtexteditorisautomaticallyaddingthe.txtfileextension,tryusingtheSaveAsoption
andfromthefiletypedropdownlist,select"AllFiles*.*"(Imightnothavethatexactlyrightletterfor
letter,buthopefullyitwillbeclearwhattoselectfromthedropdownlist).Thentypeinthefilenameas
"name.m"
Therearetwowaysyoucanrunyourprogram.ThefirstwayistorunOctavesothatyouhaveitsinteractive
commandwindowinfrontofyou,thenmovetothedirectorywhereyourname.mfileisstored(usingthecd
command)andtypenametorunyourprogram.Forexample,onceyouhavetheOctavecommandwindowin
frontofyou
cdC:\Users
cdEd
cdDesktop
cdMyOctaveFiles
name
Thesecondwayyoucanrunthesame.mfileistolaunchOctavedirectlyfromtheWindowscommandline
withthenameofyour.mfileincludedasacommandlineargument.Youwouldjusttypeinsomethinglikethe
following(Imincludingthefullpathforoctave.exeincaseitsnotinyourdefaultWindowspath)intoa
regularcommandwindow(i.e.notinOctave):
C:\software\Octave3.6.4\bin\octave.exeC:\Users\Ed\Desktop\MyOctaveFiles\name.m
Ted
Reply
EdSongsays:
Thanks.Illgiveyoursuggestionsatry.However,Ialwayssavemyfileintheformofname.m.However,the
computerautomaticallyaddsthe.txttothenameofthefile.
batchloafsays:
HiEd,
YourprogramwontruncorrectlyinOctaveifthefileissavedwiththe.txtextensionsoyouneedto
eliminatethat.IfyouarewritingyourprograminNotepad++,itseasyjustfollowthesestepsexactly:
1. ClickFile>SaveAs
2. IntheSaveAsdialogbox,navigatetothedirectorywhereyouwanttosavethefile,e.g.
"C:\Users\Ed\Desktop\MyOctaveFiles\"
3. IntheSaveastype:dropdownbox,selectAllFiles(*.*)
4. IntheFilename:field,typeinname.m
5. ClicktheSavebutton.
Ifyoufollowthestepsabove,the.txtextensionwillnotbeaddedtoyourfile.
Ted
EdSongsays:
Thanks.Thisshouldbehelpful.Infact,Imgoingtogetaprintoutofyourinstructions.
batchloafsays:
Bestofluckandpleaseletmeknowhowyougeton.
Ted
22/32
5/2/2015
EdSongsays:
Unfortunately,Igetanewerrormessage:nameundefinednearline5column1.
MyprocedurewastocreateanewfolderonmydesktopcallMyOctaveFilesandIsavedname.cominthe
folderasaAllFiles(*.*).Thatdideliminatethe.textlabelingproblem.
ThenIsavedinsidethefolderthefilename.m.Idoseethepathwaylistedas
C:\Users\Ed\Desk\MyOctaveFiles\name.m
IthenontheOctavecommandwindowtyped
cdC\:Users
cdEd
cdDesktop
cdMyOctaveFiles
mostofthetimetheabovesequenceworked,butonceinawhileIgotaerrormessage.
FinallyItypedname,andalwaysgettheerrormessageabove.
batchloafsays:
Donotsaveyourfileasname.com!Thatwillnotwork.
Yourfilenamemustendinthe.mextensions.Forexample,name.m
IneedtodoublecheckthatyouaretypingthesecommandsintheOctavecommandwindow:
cdC:\Users
cdEd
cdDesktop
cdMyOctaveFiles
name
Inotherwords,youneedtorunOctaveandthentypethecommandsintotheOctavewindow.Typing
themintoanormalWindowscommandwindowdefinitelywillnotwork.Thecdcommandscouldwork,
butthename.mprogramdefinitelywillnotrun.
Ifitstilldoesntwork,theninOctavebeforeyourunyourprogrambytypingname,runthepwd
commandtocheckthatyouaredefinitelyinthecorrectdirectory.Ifyouareinadirectoryotherthanthe
onewherename.misstored,itdefinitelywillnotwork.
Thecdcommandchangesthedirectoryyouarein,soifanyofthosecommandsproducedanerror,then
youreprobablyinthewrongdirectory.
Youcanalsotypethelscommandtolistthefilesinthecurrentdirectory(Notethatthatcommandistwo
letters:lforlemonandsforsimon).Ifyoutypelsandthefilename.misnotshowninthelistoffiles,
thentypingnamedefinitelywillnotrunyourprogram.
Ted
EdSongsays:
Onceagain,thanksforyourtime.Ivedonewhatyousuggested,andwhenItypelswhileintheC:\Users\Eddirectory,
MyOctaveFilesnevershowsuponthelis,butProgramsdidshowup.ThenIputMyOctaveFilesintoPrograms.Ithentyped
cdPrograms.Thatworked,thenItypedlsagain,andsomeofmyfoldersandfileswaslisted,butnotMyOctaveFiles.Sothere
isaproblemofOctaveingettingittorecognizeMyOctaveFilesasadirectory.
23/32
5/2/2015
FYI,theprogramIvetypedis3+4,andwhenItypename,Iwant7toshowuponthescreen.
Reply
EdSongsays:
IshouldclarifyandsaythatwhileIwasintheC:\Users\Ed\Desktopdirectory(andMyOctaveFileswasstoredonthe
Desktop)MyOctaveFilesnevershoweduponthelist,butProgramsdid.
Reply
batchloafsays:
HiEd,
Ok,IvedonethebasicprocessonmyPCandcapturedscreenshotsofeachstage,whichyoucanhopefullyuseto
identifywhereyouregoingwrong.
First,IopenedNotepad++andtypedinyourveryshortprogram:
ThenIselectedSaveAsfromtheFilemenu.Inavigatedtothefolder
"C:\Users\admin\Desktop\MyOctaveFiles",settheSaveastype:dropdownboxtoAlltypes(*.*),andsetthe
filenameto"name.m".Finally,IclickedtheSavebutton.
Here,youcanseethefilesittinginthefolder"C:\Users\admin\Desktop\MyOctaveFiles":
24/32
5/2/2015
ThenIranOctaveandtypedinthecommandsshownbelow:
ThefourcdcommandsareusedtomoveintothefolderC:\Users\admin\Desktop\MyOctaveFiles.Asyoucan
see,onceIminthecorrectfolder,thenameprogramrunswithoutanydifficulty.
Finally,justtoshowyouwhatyoushouldseewhenyourunthepwdandlscommands,hereshowitlookedonmy
screen:
25/32
5/2/2015
Hopefullythatmakesitclearer?
Ted
Reply
EdSongsays:
Hallelujah!andthanks.Itfinallyworked,butImstillscratchingmyhead.TheonlythingIchangedwasthe
nameofthefilefromPikettyEffect.mtoname.m.Forsomereasonthatchangedfixedeverything.
batchloafsays:
Ohwell,nowthatyouhaveoneexampleworkingatleastyoushouldbeabletoexperimentwithOctavea
bittolearnyourwayaround.Bestofluckusingit!
Ted
EdSongsays:
Thanks.Imnowabletocreatefilesinnotebook++andrunthemproperlyingnuoctave.However,Im
unabletosaveplotsasjpegorlatexformattedfiles.Itseemslikegnuoctaveautomaticallysavesthefilesas
postscriptfiles,whichImunabletoopen.Iveexperimentedformanyhours,tryingtofigureoutthecouple
ofmanualsIhave.ThemanualssuggestthatItypeprint(h,filename,fmt).Togetitinjpegformat,Ieither
typeforfmt.jpgorjpeghowever,thatdoesntwork.
26/32
5/2/2015
Ivecreatedanewfile(test.m)thatcreatesaplotofasinefunction.Thecodeis
x=linspace(0,9,21)
y=sin(x)
plot(x,y)
IfItype
printhfilename,jpg
Octavesavestheprogramasjpg.ps.Ivetriedaboutathousanddifferentcombinations,andtheresultis(if
thereisnoerrormessage)apsfilesavedinMyOctaveFiles.
Note,IgetanerrormessageifItype
Print(h,filename,jpg)
Seemsliketheparenthesesisnottherightsyntaxeventhoughthemanualtellsyoutousetheparentheses.
TrinhTransays:
Hi,IhavefollowedyourveryhelpfulinstructionsforWindow8.itworks,howeveritcrasheswheneverIcloseitandasmall
windowsaidoctave3.6.4.exehasstoppedworking.
Reply
batchloafsays:
HiTrinh,
IsitpossiblethatyoureclosingOctavebyclickingtheXbuttononthetopcornerofthewindow?Ifso,Iwould
recommendtypingexitinstead,whichprobablyallowsOctavetoclosemoregracefully.ThatswhatIdoanyway
andIhaventexperiencedtheproblemyoudescribed.
Ted
Reply
esong98says:
MyGnuOctaveprogramnowcrashes.Whentestingtheprogramout,itseemsliketheonlyproblemisthattheprogram
doesnthaveenoughmemorytomakethecalculations.ButIcantbelievethatstheproblem.Myexcelprogramwasableto
runtheprogramatthisstageinthedevelopment.IcantbelievethatGnuOctavewouldbelesspowerfulthanexcel.The
problembeganwhenIwroteinawhilestatement.WhenItrytoruntheprogramnothinghappens.Iremovethewhile
statement,anditstilldoesntwork.Thisisperplexing,becausetheprogramwithoutthewhilestatementworkedbefore.In
fact,itworkedwiththewhileprocedureacoupleoftimesbeforecrashing.NowmyprogramonlyworkswhenIremovemost
oftheprogramsuchthatonlysimplecalculationsareleft.
Doyouhaveanysuggestions?Imonlyabout1/1000donewiththeprogramming.IfgnuoctavecanthandlewhatlittleI
have,whataremyoptions?
Reply
esong98says:
Oh,Idiscoveredtheproblem.Imadeatypoerror,whichcausedaninfiniteloop.
Reply
batchloafsays:
Ok,gladtohearyousolvedtheproblem.Iwasgoingtosaythatitsoundedlikeaninfiniteloopproblem.
27/32
5/2/2015
Bestofluckgettingtheremaining99.9%ofyourprogramwritten!
Ted
esong98says:
Thanks!
Giuliasays:
Thankyou!IhadthesameproblemsyoudescribedandsinceImastudentwhohasNEVERseenmatlaborsimilarIwas
nearlylostbeforeIfoundyourguide!
Haveaniceday.
Reply
batchloafsays:
HiGiulia,
Imgladyoufoundituseful!
MATLAB/Octavecanbealittleintimidatingatfirstifyouhaventusedanythingsimilarbefore,butstickwithit
itsdefinitelyworththeeffort.InDIT,weuseittoteachprogrammingtofirstyearengineersonsomeofour
programmesandforthosethatsuccessfullynavigatetheinitiallearningcurve,itsincrediblyempowering.
Bestofluckwithitandthanksagainforyourcomment.
Ted
Reply
SteveDuncansays:
October9,2014at11:12am
Thankyousomuch,probablysavedmehalfaday!
Reply
batchloafsays:
October9,2014at2:02pm
Yourewelcome!Thanksforlettingmeknow.
Ted
Reply
MartinIsays:
Thanksforthis.Reallyhelped.
Reply
batchloafsays:
Youreverywelcome!
Ted
28/32
5/2/2015
Reply
hoiakonisays:
Sir,thanksforthisone.
Iwouldalsoliketohowtogoaboutwhentryingtoinstallapackage,sayio.Afterdownloadingthe.tarfile,inwhatdirectory
wouldyouplacethefilebeforecallingtheinstallpackagecommand?Thanksyou!
Reply
batchloafsays:
SorryHoiakoni,IhaventdonethismyselfsoIcantreallyadvise.OnceOctaveisinstalled,Ithinkyoushouldbe
abletojustfollowthenormalinstallationinstructionsforthepackagethough.
Ted
Reply
Guillermolvarezsays:
THANKYOUSOOOOOOMUCH!
Reply
batchloafsays:
Ted
Reply
Alexsays:
November2,2014at12:46pm
Thankyou,iprobablywouldhaveabandonedtheideaofinstallingoctavewithoutyourhelp
Reply
batchloafsays:
Ted
Reply
AdamFeldmansays:
Thanksthisgotmegoingaftersomefrustration.Usingthepersistoptioninthebatchfilewaskey.Withoutit,Icouldnt
understandwhytheOctavewindowdidntstayup.
Reply
batchloafsays:
29/32
5/2/2015
Yourewelcome!
Ted
Reply
SKSsays:
November16,2014at8:19am
Thanks!Thathelped
Reply
batchloafsays:
November17,2014at9:21am
yourewelcome!
Ted
Reply
asymptoticssays:
December11,2014at4:50pm
ThankyouTed.
IjustcopypastedthewholethinggivenintheTargetbox.Itworked.Copypastingjusttheextrathingshowedsome
problems.NowIamin8thheaven
Reply
batchloafsays:
December15,2014at11:52am
Gladtohearitworkedforyou!
Ted
Reply
Ballosays:
Thx.reallyhappyaboutthisinfo.nowIcanpracticeeasily
Reply
batchloafsays:
ThanksBallo!
Ted
Reply
TEJsays:
December31,2014at9:16am
HiTed!!!
Iamcurrentlyworkingonaapplicationwhichrequireslinuxnativec(MEX)filestobecompiledinmatlab,windows.The
onlysolutionthatiknowofisbyinstallingCYGWIN.Butthatdidnotsolvemyproblem.Iamstillfacinganissuewith
pthreadrelatedfiles.WillOctavesolvemyproblem.Anyhelpwouldbeappreciated.Thanksinadvance.
Reply
30/32
5/2/2015
sbladessays:
RebloggedthisonSimpleprogrammingforscientificdataanalysisandcommented:
Iranintothesameproblemandforthislinkveryuseful.
Reply
FelipeN.Martinssays:
January12,2015at11:18am
IhadthesameproblemonWindows8.1(promptwasmissing).Thanksforthehelpfulpost!
Reply
batchloafsays:
ThanksFelipe!
Ted
Reply
Prabhsays:
Thanksthiswasreallyveryhelpful
Reply
batchloafsays:
ThanksPrabh,Imgladyoufoundituseful.
Reply
shyjuwilsonsays:
Thankyouverymuchforyourvaluableinformation
Reply
batchloafsays:
Yourewelcome!
Ted
Reply
RahulSinghsays:
thanksalotforthedetailedinfouprovidedfortheinstallation,ithelpedalot
Reply
batchloafsays:
31/32
5/2/2015
YourewelcomeRahul.
Ted
Reply
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