Accessing code for built-in functions
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Hi,
I cannot use the open or edit commands to see the source code for built-in functions. When I do it I can only see the comments that are included for that function but not the actual code.
I'm trying this on functions like plot.m and fft.m
I hope somenone can give me advice.
Best,
Taygun
1 Comment
  Steven Lord
    
      
 on 20 Jan 2022
				What were you hoping to do with the source code for those built-in functions? If you were hoping to convert them to another language (specifically C or C++) some of them are supported by MATLAB Coder. fft is supported by MATLAB Coder, plot is not.
Answers (2)
  Max Heimann
      
 on 20 Jan 2022
        
      Edited: Max Heimann
      
 on 20 Jan 2022
  
      These functions are not accessible to users as they are MATLABs proprietary code. They are p-coded, which its matlabs way to obscure code. You can only see the header of p-coded files.
You may still place breakpoints and see what they do with the workspace, but you will not be able to see the source code.
2 Comments
  Walter Roberson
      
      
 on 20 Jan 2022
				more correctly, a lot of them are built-in functions coded in C or C++ with occasional Fortran as well.
  Gerardo
 on 27 Aug 2025
        did you try with dbtype?
then you just have to copy it on notepad++ and with select column delete the colum number to work on it
For example
% dbtype ode113
% Returns 670 lines as such
1     function varargout = ode113(ode,tspan,y0,options,varargin)
2     %ODE113  Solve non-stiff differential equations, variable order method.
3     %   [TOUT,YOUT] = ODE113(ODEFUN,TSPAN,Y0)  with TSPAN = [T0 TFINAL] integrates 
4     %   the system of differential equations y' = f(t,y) from time T0 to TFINAL 
5     %   with initial conditions Y0. ODEFUN is a function handle. For a scalar T
6     %   and a vector Y, ODEFUN(T,Y) must return a column vector corresponding 
7     %   to f(t,y). Each row in the solution array YOUT corresponds to a time 
8     %   returned in the column vector TOUT.  To obtain solutions at specific 
9     %   times T0,T1,...,TFINAL (all increasing or all decreasing), use TSPAN = 
10    %   [T0 T1 ... TFINAL].     
11    %   
1 Comment
  Steven Lord
    
      
 on 27 Aug 2025
				ode113 is a MATLAB function file that is included as part of MATLAB. But I wouldn't call it a built-in function in the same way that something like plot or fft are.
which ode113
which plot
which fft
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