Add Help Text

To create help text, add text at the beginning of the file, immediately before the function definition line (the line with the function keyword).

For example, create a live function named addme.mlx.

function c = addme(a,b)

switch nargin
    case 2
        c = a + b;
    case 1
        c = a + a;
    otherwise
        c = 0;
end

Add two values
C = ADDME(A) adds A to itself.
C = ADDME(A,B) adds A and B.

To add "See also" links, at the end of the help text, add a blank text line and then add a line that begins with the words See also followed by a list of function names.

See also SUM, PLUS

If the functions exist on the search path or in the current folder, the help command displays each of these function names as a hyperlink to its help text. Otherwise, help prints the function names as they appear in the help text. A blank line must precede the line containing the See also text for the links to display correctly.

When multiple files or functions have the same name, the help command determines which help text to display by applying the rules described in Function Precedence Order. However, if a file has the same name as a built-in function, the Help on Selection option in context menus displays the documentation for the built-in function.

You also can add help to live functions by inserting comments at the beginning of the file. Comments at the beginning of the file appear as help text when you use the help and doc commands, similar to how text at the beginning of the file appears. For more information about adding help using comments, see Add Help for Your Program.

View Help Text

Type help addme in the Command Window. The help text for the addme function appears in the Command Window, starting with name of the function, followed by the first line of help text (often called the H1 line). Then, MATLAB^® displays the syntax of the function. Finally, MATLAB displays any remaining help text.

Type doc addme to view the formatted help text in a separate browser.

Add Formatted Text and Examples

To enhance the documentation displayed when you use the doc command, you can format the help text and add hyperlinks, images, equations, and code examples. To format the help text, go to the Live Editor tab and select from the options in the Text section. To insert hyperlinks, images, equations, and code examples, go to the Insert tab and select from the available options.

For example, in the addme function, add an equation to the second syntax description and create a section for examples by adding a header and two MATLAB code examples before the "See Also" links.

For more information about formatting files in the Live Editor, see Format Text in the Live Editor.