Hi Dimitrii,
The issue stems from how MATLAB handles namespaces and package folders, especially when you start nesting them or referencing them from different locations. When you moved your “DeviceA” class and the “enumVolumeLevels” enumeration into a “+Drivers” subpackage for use in “ProjectA”, MATLAB's ability to resolve the reference to “enumVolumeLevels” from within “DeviceA” was affected because the namespace in which "DeviceA" expects to find “enumVolumeLevels” has changed.
To resolve the visibility problem and maintain an organized folder structure that accommodates reuse across multiple projects, consider the following solutions:
1. Use Fully Qualified Names
One immediate solution is to use fully qualified names when referencing the “enumeration” class. This means specifying the entire package path whenever you refer to “enumVolumeLevels” inside your “DeviceA” methods.
For example, in your “DeviceA” setter method, instead of:
mode Manufacturer.enumVolumeLevels
You would use:
mode Drivers.Manufacturer.enumVolumeLevels
However, this approach tightly couples your “DeviceA” class to the “Drivers” package, reducing its reusability outside of this specific structure.
2. Dynamic Path Management
A more flexible solution involves dynamically adding the required package paths at runtime, ensuring that MATLAB can always resolve the enumeration class regardless of the project structure. This can be achieved by modifying the class constructor or creating an initialization script that adds the necessary package directories to MATLAB's path. For example:
classdef DeviceA
methods
function obj = DeviceA()
% Add the Manufacturer package to the path if not already present
manufacturerPath = fullfile(fileparts(mfilename('fullpath')), '..', 'Manufacturer');
if ~contains(path, manufacturerPath)
addpath(manufacturerPath);
end
end
end
end
This script checks if the “Manufacturer” package directory is on MATLAB's path and adds it if not. This way, references to “enumVolumeLevels” can be resolved regardless of the project structure. However, be cautious with dynamic path modifications, as they can lead to conflicts or unexpected behavior if not managed carefully.
3. Reconsider the Folder Structure
Another approach is to reconsider the folder structure to ensure that all related classes and enumerations are always within the same namespace, reducing the need for fully qualified names or dynamic path adjustments. For example, you could structure your folders like this:
+Manufacturer
+DeviceA
- @DeviceA
DeviceA.m
- SomeMethod.m
- enumVolumeLevels.m
And then, when incorporating it into ProjectA, instead of nesting it further, you could place it at a level where the “Manufacturer” namespace remains consistent:
+Drivers
+Manufacturer
...
ProjectA.m
In this structure, ProjectA.m or any function/script within the ProjectA context would reference DeviceA and enumVolumeLevels through the Drivers.Manufacturer namespace, maintaining consistency across projects.
I hope this helps!
Sameer
