Deploy MATLAB Classes to C++ Application Using MATLAB Data API

R2026b

This example shows how to package MATLAB® classes contained within a MATLAB package and deploy it to a C++ application. It uses the MATLAB Data API for managing data exchange between the MATLAB code and the C++ application. The MATLAB classes are accessed via a front-facing MATLAB function. The workflow is supported on Windows®, Linux®, and macOS.

Prerequisites

  • Create a new work folder that is visible to the MATLAB search path. This example uses a folder named work.

  • Verify that you have set up a C++ development environment. For details, see Set Up C++ Development Environment. This example uses MATLAB as a C++ development environment. Therefore, verify that you have a C++ compiler installed by typing mbuild -setup C++ at the MATLAB command prompt.

  • Verify that you have met all of the MATLAB Compiler SDK™ C++ target requirements. For details, see MATLAB Compiler SDK C++ Target Requirements.

  • End users must have an installation of MATLAB Runtime to run the application. For details, see Download and Install MATLAB Runtime.

    For testing purposes, you can use an installation of MATLAB instead of MATLAB Runtime when running the C++ application.

Files

Location of Example Files

Example Files

matlabroot\extern\examples\compilersdk\c_cpp\strongly_typed

Purpose of Each Example File

FilesPurpose
+shapesPackage containing two classes: MyPosition.m and MyRectangle.m.
MyPosition.mClass within the +shapes package that accepts the X and Y coordinates of a point and creates a MyPosition object.
MyRectangle.mClass within the +shapes package that accepts two points specified as MyPosition objects and creates a MyRectangle object.
calculatearea.mFunction that accepts a MyRectangle object as input and calculates the area of the rectangle.
shapes_mda.cppC++ application code that integrates the code archive (.ctf file) header (.hpp file) generated by packaging the MATLAB code.

Copy the example files to the current work folder.

appDir = fullfile(matlabroot,'extern','examples','compilersdk','c_cpp','strongly_typed');
copyfile(appDir)

Create MATLAB Function and Classes

  1. Examine the code for MyPosition.m, MyRectangle.m, and calculatearea.m.

    • The +shapes package contains two MATLAB classes: MyPosition.m and MyRectangle.m.

    • The calculatearea.m MATLAB function located outside of the +shapes package accepts a MyRectangle object as input and calculates the area of the rectangle.

    +shapes
|- MyPosition.m
|- MyRectangle.m
    classdef MyPosition
    properties
        X (1,1) double {mustBeReal}
        Y (1,1) double {mustBeReal}
    end
end

    classdef MyRectangle
    properties
        UpperLeft  (1,1) shapes.MyPosition
        LowerRight (1,1) shapes.MyPosition
    end
    methods
        function R = enlarge(R, n)
            arguments
                R (1,1) shapes.MyRectangle
                n (1,1) double {mustBeReal}
            end
            R.UpperLeft.X = R.UpperLeft.X - n;
            R.UpperLeft.Y = R.UpperLeft.Y - n;
            R.LowerRight.X = R.LowerRight.X + n;
            R.LowerRight.Y = R.LowerRight.Y + n;
        end
        function R = show(R)
            arguments
                R (1,1) shapes.MyRectangle
            end
            disp([R.UpperLeft.X R.UpperLeft.Y R.LowerRight.X R.LowerRight.Y]);
        end
    end
end

    function r = calculatearea(rect)

arguments
    rect (1,1) shapes.MyRectangle
end

r = (rect.LowerRight.Y - rect.UpperLeft.Y) * (rect.LowerRight.X - rect.UpperLeft.X);

end

    Established MATLAB users may find it unconventional to see a properties block in a class and an arguments block in a method or function, each detailed with data type information. Both blocks let you represent C++ data types with an equivalent MATLAB type. For instance, if your C++ application employs a double data type representing a value, you can now represent that in MATLAB as a double. You can also specify a MATLAB object as an argument or property type. For example, the MyRectangle class specifies shapes.MyPosition as the type for the UpperLeft and LowerRight properties of the MyRectangle class. This option to specify types is useful in situations where a C++ application has strict type requirements. For details, see Data Type Mappings Between C++ and Strongly Typed MATLAB Code.

    In this example, properties and arguments blocks with data type information are used to illuminate subtle nuances. However, remember that including type information is entirely optional. The deployment process remains unchanged even without it. Various parts of this example underscore the areas where this difference manifests. So, if data types aren't crucial in your deployment, the specification of type information is not necessary.

  2. Create a MATLAB script named runshapes.m with the following code and execute it at the MATLAB command prompt. This script illustrates how the classes and function interact to generate an output.

    % Import shapes package
import shapes.*;

%% Create Rectangle 1 
% Create MyPosition object for point 1
p1 = MyPosition; 
p1.X = 10;
p1.Y = 5;
% Create MyPosition object for point 2
p2 = MyPosition; 
p2.X = 50;
p2.Y = 20;
% Create MyRectangle object
r1 = MyRectangle; 
r1.UpperLeft = p1;
r1.LowerRight = p2;
% Calculate area of rectangle 1
a1 = calculatearea(r1);
% Display rectangle 1 info
disp('Rectangle 1')
disp(['Point 1 = ' '(' num2str(p1.X,'%.6f'), ',' num2str(p1.Y,'%.6f') ')'])
disp(['Point 2 = ' '(' num2str(p2.X,'%.6f'), ',' num2str(p2.Y,'%.6f') ')'])
disp(['Rectangle ' '(' num2str(p1.X,'%.6f'), ',' num2str(p1.Y,'%.6f') ')',...
    ' -> ' '(' num2str(p2.X,'%.6f'), ',' num2str(p2.Y,'%.6f') ')'])

%% Create Rectangle 2 
% Create rectangle 2 by enlarging rectangle 1
r2 = r1.enlarge(10);
% Get positions of rectangle 2
q1 = r2.UpperLeft();
q2 = r2.LowerRight();
% Calculate area of rectangle 2
a2 = calculatearea(r2);
% Display rectangle 2 info
disp('Rectangle 2')
disp(['Point 1 = ' '(' num2str(q1.X,'%.6f'), ',' num2str(q1.Y,'%.6f') ')'])
disp(['Point 2 = ' '(' num2str(q2.X,'%.6f'), ',' num2str(q2.Y,'%.6f') ')'])
disp(['Rectangle ' '(' num2str(q1.X,'%.6f'), ',' num2str(q1.Y,'%.6f') ')',...
    ' -> ' '(' num2str(q2.X,'%.6f'), ',' num2str(q2.Y,'%.6f') ')'])

%% Display the area of the two rectangles
disp(['Area of rectangle r1 = ' num2str(a1)])
disp(['Area of rectangle r2 = ' num2str(a2)])
    runshapes
    Rectangle 1
Point 1 = (10.000000,5.000000)
Point 2 = (50.000000,20.000000)
Rectangle (10.000000,5.000000) -> (50.000000,20.000000)
Rectangle 2
Point 1 = (0.000000,-5.000000)
Point 2 = (60.000000,30.000000)
Rectangle (0.000000,-5.000000) -> (60.000000,30.000000)
Area of rectangle r1 = 600
Area of rectangle r2 = 2100

Create C++ Shared Library Using compiler.build.cppSharedLibrary

Create a code archive (.ctf file) and header (.hpp file) from the MATLAB function and classes using the compiler.build.cppSharedLibrary function.

files = ["calculatearea.m", "+shapes"];
buildResults = compiler.build.cppSharedLibrary(files, OutputDir="output", LibraryName="libshapes", Verbose="on")

The function generates the following files in a folder named output in your current working directory.

P:\MATLAB\WORK\OUTPUT
│   GettingStarted.html
│   includedSupportPackages.txt
│   mccExcludedFiles.log
│   readme.txt
│   requiredMCRProducts.txt
│   unresolvedSymbols.txt
│
└───v2
    └───generic_interface
            libshapes.ctf
            libshapesv2.hpp
            readme.txt

To finalize integration, you need the libshapes.ctf code archive file and the libshapesv2.hpp header file from the generic_interface folder. You can view the header file here:

#include "MatlabTypesInterface.hpp"
#include <map>

namespace shapes {
    class MyPosition : public MATLABObject<MATLABControllerType> {
    public:

        // constructors
        MyPosition() : MATLABObject() {}

        MyPosition(std::shared_ptr<MATLABControllerType> matlabPtr) :
            MATLABObject(matlabPtr, u"shapes.MyPosition")
        {}

        MyPosition(std::shared_ptr<MATLABControllerType> matlabPtr, 
            std::vector<matlab::data::Array> _args) {
            m_matlabPtr = matlabPtr;
            matlab::data::Array _result = MATLABCallOneOutputMethod(u"shapes.MyPosition", _args);
            m_object = _result;
        }

        MyPosition(std::shared_ptr<MATLABControllerType> matlabPtr, matlab::data::Array obj) :
            MATLABObject(matlabPtr, obj)
        {}

        // properties
        double getX() { return MATLABGetScalarProperty<double>(u"X"); }
        void setX(double value) { return MATLABSetScalarProperty(u"X", value); }
        double getY() { return MATLABGetScalarProperty<double>(u"Y"); }
        void setY(double value) { return MATLABSetScalarProperty(u"Y", value); }

        // methods
    };
}

namespace shapes {
    class MyRectangle : public MATLABObject<MATLABControllerType> {
    public:

        // constructors
        MyRectangle() : MATLABObject() {}

        MyRectangle(std::shared_ptr<MATLABControllerType> matlabPtr) :
            MATLABObject(matlabPtr, u"shapes.MyRectangle")
        {}

        MyRectangle(std::shared_ptr<MATLABControllerType> matlabPtr, 
            std::vector<matlab::data::Array> _args) {
            m_matlabPtr = matlabPtr;
            matlab::data::Array _result = MATLABCallOneOutputMethod(u"shapes.MyRectangle", _args);
            m_object = _result;
        }

        MyRectangle(std::shared_ptr<MATLABControllerType> matlabPtr, matlab::data::Array obj) :
            MATLABObject(matlabPtr, obj)
        {}

        // properties
        shapes::MyPosition getUpperLeft() {
            matlab::data::Array obj = MATLABGetScalarProperty<matlab::data::Array>(u"UpperLeft");
            return shapes::MyPosition(m_matlabPtr, obj);
        }
        void setUpperLeft(shapes::MyPosition obj) {
            MATLABSetScalarProperty(u"UpperLeft", matlab::data::Array(obj));
        }
        shapes::MyPosition getLowerRight() {
            matlab::data::Array obj = MATLABGetScalarProperty<matlab::data::Array>(u"LowerRight");
            return shapes::MyPosition(m_matlabPtr, obj);
        }
        void setLowerRight(shapes::MyPosition obj) {
            MATLABSetScalarProperty(u"LowerRight", matlab::data::Array(obj));
        }

        // methods
    private:
        template<size_t nargout>
        struct return_type_show { typedef void type; };

    public:
        template<size_t nargout = 1>
        typename return_type_show<nargout>::type show() {
            static_assert(nargout <= 1, "Too many outputs specified. Maximum outputs is 1.");
        }

    private:
        template<size_t nargout>
        struct return_type_enlarge { typedef void type; };

    public:
        template<size_t nargout = 1>
        typename return_type_enlarge<nargout>::type enlarge(double n) {
            static_assert(nargout <= 1, "Too many outputs specified. Maximum outputs is 1.");
        }

    };
    template<>
    struct MyRectangle::return_type_show<0> { typedef void type; };

    template<>
    struct MyRectangle::return_type_show<1> { typedef matlab::data::Array type; };

    template<>
    void MyRectangle::show<0>() {
        matlab::data::ArrayFactory _arrayFactory;
        std::vector<matlab::data::Array> _args = {
            m_object };
        m_matlabPtr->feval(u"show", 0, _args);
    }

    template<>
    matlab::data::Array MyRectangle::show<1>() {
        matlab::data::ArrayFactory _arrayFactory;
        std::vector<matlab::data::Array> _args = {
            m_object };
        matlab::data::Array _result_mda = m_matlabPtr->feval(u"show", _args);
        matlab::data::Array _result;
        _result = _result_mda;
        return _result;
    }

    template<>
    struct MyRectangle::return_type_enlarge<0> { typedef void type; };

    template<>
    struct MyRectangle::return_type_enlarge<1> { typedef matlab::data::Array type; };

    template<>
    void MyRectangle::enlarge<0>(double n) {
        matlab::data::ArrayFactory _arrayFactory;
        std::vector<matlab::data::Array> _args = {
            m_object,
            _arrayFactory.createArray<double>({1,1}, {n}) };
        m_matlabPtr->feval(u"enlarge", 0, _args);
    }

    template<>
    matlab::data::Array MyRectangle::enlarge<1>(double n) {
        matlab::data::ArrayFactory _arrayFactory;
        std::vector<matlab::data::Array> _args = {
            m_object,
            _arrayFactory.createArray<double>({1,1}, {n}) };
        matlab::data::Array _result_mda = m_matlabPtr->feval(u"enlarge", _args);
        matlab::data::Array _result;
        _result = _result_mda;
        return _result;
    }
}

template<size_t nargout>
struct return_type_calculatearea { typedef void type; };

template<size_t nargout = 1>
typename return_type_calculatearea<nargout>::type calculatearea(
    std::shared_ptr<MATLABControllerType> _matlabPtr, shapes::MyRectangle rect) {
    static_assert(nargout <= 1, "Too many outputs specified. Maximum outputs is 1.");
}
template<>
struct return_type_calculatearea<0> { typedef void type; };

template<>
struct return_type_calculatearea<1> { typedef matlab::data::Array type; };

template<>
void calculatearea<0>(std::shared_ptr<MATLABControllerType> _matlabPtr, 
    shapes::MyRectangle rect) {
    matlab::data::ArrayFactory _arrayFactory;
    std::vector<matlab::data::Array> _args = { rect };
    _matlabPtr->feval(u"calculatearea", 0, _args);
}

template<>
matlab::data::Array calculatearea<1>(std::shared_ptr<MATLABControllerType> _matlabPtr, 
    shapes::MyRectangle rect) {
    matlab::data::ArrayFactory _arrayFactory;
    std::vector<matlab::data::Array> _args = { rect };
    matlab::data::Array _result_mda = _matlabPtr->feval(u"calculatearea", _args);
    matlab::data::Array _result;
    _result = _result_mda;
    return _result;
}

For an in-depth discussion of how the MATLAB classes and function and mapped to C++ in the header file, see Map MATLAB Classes and Functions to C++.

For details on data type mappings, see Data Type Mappings Between C++ and Strongly Typed MATLAB Code.

Integrate MATLAB Code Archive into C++ Application

You can finalize the integration process in your preferred C++ development environment, including MATLAB or alternatives such as Microsoft® Visual Studio® on Windows. This example, however, uses MATLAB as a C++ development environment. For details, see Set Up C++ Development Environment.

To integrate the generated MATLAB code archive (.ctf file) and header (.hpp file) into a C++ application, adhere to these guidelines:

  • Use a #include directive to incorporate the generated header file (.hpp file) in your C++ application code.

  • Ensure the code archive (.ctf file) is positioned in a location that the C++ executable can access.

Completing the integration step requires proficient C++ skills for writing application code. You can use the following sample C++ application code as guide when writing your own application.

  1. In the work folder for this example create a new file named shapes_mda.cpp with the following code:

    // Include header files
#include <cmath> // for abs
#include <iostream>
#include "MatlabCppSharedLib.hpp"
#include "output/v2/generic_interface/libshapesv2.hpp"

using namespace shapes;

// Start MATLAB Runtime, initialize it, and return an object to it
std::shared_ptr<matlab::cpplib::MATLABApplication> setup()
{
    auto mode = matlab::cpplib::MATLABApplicationMode::IN_PROCESS;
    std::vector<std::u16string> options = { u"-nojvm" };
    std::shared_ptr<matlab::cpplib::MATLABApplication> matlabApplication =
        matlab::cpplib::initMATLABApplication(mode, options);
    return matlabApplication;
}

// This is an example of a new function that can be written in the C++ driver code without having to
// modify the MATLAB code.
static double calculateperimeter(MyRectangle rectangle)
{
    // Get the positions of the upper left and lower right corners.
    MyPosition upperLeft = rectangle.getUpperLeft();
    MyPosition lowerRight = rectangle.getLowerRight();

    // Calculate the width and height of the rectangle.
    double width = abs(lowerRight.getX() - upperLeft.getX());
    double height = abs(upperLeft.getY() - lowerRight.getY());

    // Calculate and return the perimeter.
    return 2 * (width + height);
}

// Initialize the code archive (.ctf file), specify input arguments, call the MATLAB function, 
// and print the result
int mainFunc(std::shared_ptr<matlab::cpplib::MATLABApplication> app, const int argc, 
const char* argv[])
{
    try {
        auto libPtr = matlab::cpplib::initMATLABLibrary(app, u"libshapes.ctf");
        std::shared_ptr<MATLABControllerType> matlabPtr(std::move(libPtr));
      
        // Create a rectangle from two points
        MyPosition p1(matlabPtr);
        p1.setX(10);
        p1.setY(5);
        std::cout << "Rectangle 1\n";
        p1.show();
        MyPosition p2(matlabPtr);
        p2.setX(50);
        p2.setY(20);
        p2.show();
        MyRectangle r1(matlabPtr);
        r1.setUpperLeft(p1);
        r1.setLowerRight(p2);
        r1.show();

        // Call MATLAB function to calculate first rectangle area and print result
        matlab::data::TypedArray<double> area1 = calculatearea(matlabPtr, r1);
        std::cout << "Area of rectangle r1 = " << area1[0] << "\n";
        std::cout << "Perimeter of rectangle r1 = " << calculateperimeter(r1) << std::endl;
        
        // Create second rectangle by enlarging the first one
        MyRectangle r2(matlabPtr, r1.enlarge(10.0));
        MyPosition p1r2(matlabPtr, r2.getUpperLeft());
        MyPosition p2r2(matlabPtr, r2.getLowerRight());
        std::cout << "Rectangle 2\n";
        p1r2.show();
        p2r2.show();
        r2.show();

        // Call MATLAB function to calculate second rectangle area and print result
        matlab::data::TypedArray<double> doubles = calculatearea(matlabPtr, r2);
        std::cout << "Area of rectangle r2 = " << doubles[0] << "\n";
        std::cout << "Perimeter of rectangle r2 = " << calculateperimeter(r2) << std::endl;

    }
    catch (const std::exception& exc) {
        std::cerr << exc.what() << std::endl;
        return -1;
    }
    return 0;
}

// Call setup() to initialize MATLAB Runtime, use runMain() to run mainFunc(), 
// and reset MATLAB Runtime after completion
int main(const int argc, const char* argv[])
{
    int ret = 0;
    try {
        auto matlabApplication = setup();
        ret = matlab::cpplib::runMain(mainFunc, std::move(matlabApplication), argc, argv);
        matlabApplication.reset();
    }
    catch (const std::exception& exc) {
        std::cerr << exc.what() << std::endl;
        return -1;
    }
    return ret;
}

    Note

    When writing C++ application code, you must include the header file (.hpp file) generated by the mcc command or the C++ Shared Library Compiler app and the MatlabCppSharedLib.hpp header file using #include directives. Modify the path to the file as needed.

  2. Compile and link the application by executing the mbuild function at the MATLAB command prompt.

    mbuild -v shapes_mda.cpp -outdir output\bin

Handling the Code Archive (.ctf file)

To ensure your C++ application can access the code archive (.ctf file) containing MATLAB code, place the file in a location accessible to the executable. For this example we are going to do this by setting the CPPSHARED_BASE_CTF_PATH environment variable in the MATLAB desktop environment. 

setenv("CPPSHARED_BASE_CTF_PATH","P:\MATLAB\work\strongly_typed\output\v2\generic_interface")

If you're using Visual Studio, see Set Environment Variables in Visual Studio.

For a complete list of code archive (.ctf file) placement options, see Code Archive (.ctf file) Placement.

Run C++ Application

For testing purposes, you can run the application from the MATLAB command prompt. This does not require a MATLAB Runtime installation.

!output\bin\shapes_mda.exe
Rectangle 1
Point (10.000000, 5.000000)
Point (50.000000, 20.000000)
Rectangle (10.000000, 5.000000) -> (50.000000, 20.000000)
Area of rectangle r1 = 600
Rectangle 2
Point (0.000000, -5.000000)
Point (60.000000, 30.000000)
Rectangle (0.000000, -5.000000) -> (60.000000, 30.000000)
Area of rectangle r2 = 2100

See Also

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