MATLAB:

A short guide to getting started

Web-based support resources for beginners
July 2014.

MATLAB (Mathworks, Natick, MA, USA) is a high level programming environment which you will use
in your studies because of its suitability for engineering and maths applications, including data
analysis, algorithm development, image processing, data visualization and numeric computation.
This short guide aims to assist a novice MATLAB user at UCL in getting started. If you are new to
computer programming, use this starter guide to guide your first three hour session with MATLAB.
1. Obtaining access to MATLAB
Direct use from a campus PC though Desktop@UCL is available at UCL computer cluster rooms.
When off-campus, there are two ways to install or access MATLAB. The method shown below left
enables laptop or home computer use. Below right is an alternative remote method though WTS
access. Note that WTS requires fast broadband connection and can run slowly at busy times of term.
computer licence
Home

to the UCL software database

Go
http://swdb.ucl.ac.uk (using your UCL login) and

search for, then download, the appropriate
version
of MATLAB (PC, MAC and Linux)

Install
the software using your UCL email

address and the activation key :

00504-56720-71907-64328-60457.

Further installation instructions can be found at

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/common/software/in
stallation-documents/Matlab_Instructions.doc

Windows Terminal Server (WTS) or cluster room

If at UCL, see image below. If off-campus, access

the UCL WTS at -http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd-
extra/common/windows/wts-web

Select Remote Cluster WTS service (you may

need to install or update Java to run this)

Select Citrix Metaframe

and enter your UCL
username/password
selecting the
UCLUSERS group

MATLAB then runs from
the desktop (shown)

2. Introductory Mathworks videos

With MATLAB now installed, visit the Mathworks website which contains a documentation centre of
support resources, including tutorials and guides, to help you. Begin by watching this online
Mathworks video detailing some of the basic features that a newcomer to MATLAB can quickly use:

http://www.mathworks.co.uk/support/2014a/matlab/8.3/demos/GettingStartedwithMATLAB.html
Now watch a second Mathworks video, which explains more about the programming structure of
the MATLAB environment. Ensure that you are familiar with the terminology this video introduces,
for example the tool strip, the workspace function and the command window:

http://www.mathworks.co.uk/support/2014a/matlab/8.3/demos/WorkingInTheDevelopmentEnviro
nment.html

3. The Mathworks online tutorials

We now recommend you work sequentially down the tutorials list in the red box, following its
activities, to learn about some basic functions of MATLAB and its programming environment. This
work should complete your introductory three hour session. These tutorials can be found at:
http://www.mathworks.co.uk/help/matlab/getting-started-with-matlab.html

It is recommended that you open MATLAB alongside the suggested online tutorial and repeat the
functions shown as you work through each tutorial. You will find that by the 2-D and 3-D Plots
section, you are starting to produce useful content! Theoretical and real-world applications for this
new skill should start to come obvious to you in time, and will work on some of these in this module.

4. What to do if needing help

Getting stuck while programming is perfectly normal! There are many functions and scripts that
will lead to errors and you will almost certainly will need help to correct these. Luckily the help pages
within MATLAB are excellent and should be your first resource. Use MATLABs help function by
clicking on the icon shown centrally here in red or the Search documentation bar in top corner.

5. What next?

While a step too far for your first session, it is recommended that you return to this short guide
soon, review what you covered, and continue on to one extra tutorial, in this case below the red box
in section 3 Programming and Scripts. This tutorial will introduce you to key beginner concepts
in writing code using techniques such as loops and conditional statements. One final support
resource to remember, now you are ready for the module work, is this index of example scripts:

http://www.mathworks.co.uk/help/matlab/examples/index.html