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Find Functions to Use

This example shows how to find the name and description of a MathWorks® function from the Command Window using the Function browser.

  1. In the Command Window, click the Browse for functions button to the left of the prompt. The Function browser opens.

    Function browser showing a list of categories for each product

    Tip

    The Function browser closes when you move the pointer outside of it. To keep the browser open, drag it by the top edge to a different location.

  2. Optionally, select a subset of products to display in the list. Click the product area at the bottom of the browser (where the text All installed products appears by default), and then set the Selected Products preference and click OK.

  3. Find functions by browsing the list or by typing a search term. For example, search for the term fourier.

    Function browser showing a list of categories and functions that contain the word fourier and the instances of the word fourier highlighted in blue

    In the search results, a parenthetical term after a function name indicates either that the function is in a product folder other than MATLAB®, or that there are multiple functions with the same name. For example, fft (comm) corresponds to the fft function in the Communications Toolbox™ folder.

  4. Select a function that you would like to use or learn more about, as follows.

    • Insert the function name into the current window by double-clicking the name. Alternatively, drag and drop the function name into any tool or application.

    • View syntax information for the function by single-clicking its name. A brief description for each of the syntax options displays in a yellow pop-up window.

      Function browser showing a list of categories and functions that contain the word fourier, the row for the fft function selected, and a window open showing the syntax information for the fft function

      Tip

      The pop-up window automatically closes when you move your pointer to a new item in the results list. To keep the pop-up window open, drag it by the top edge to a different location.

You can change the font that the Function browser uses by setting preferences. On the Home tab, in the Environment section, select Preferences > Fonts. By default, the Function browser uses the desktop text font and the pop-up window uses the Profiler font.