How do I force MATLAB treat my variable 'range' as a variable instead of a function ?

I am doing a project for my sponsor. In the data he gives me, there is a matrix called 'range'. When I use this variable 'range' in my own function, MATLAB always treats it as its build-in function and gives me error. Since I cannot ask my sponsor to change the name of the variable, is there a way to force MATLAB treat 'range' as a variable ?

[Firepanda415]

I call load() first, that's where problem comes from

[Stephen23]

1. Never simply load into the workspace and make variables magically appear in the workspace. Always load into an output argument (which is a structure): S = load(...);
2. Do not use the variable name range. Always use which to check if a name is already in use.

Note that if you had load-ed into a structure then this issue would never have occurred!

Answer 1

[Steven Lord]

I suspect you're loading the variable into the workspace via load or eval, right? That's known as "poofing" a variable into the workspace. To avoid this:

1. Whenever I call load inside a function, I almost always call it with an output argument. This will make the output argument become a struct array with one field per variable in the MAT-file, which I can index using normal dot notation.
2. If you cannot call load with an output, make sure in your code (prior to calling load) that you assign a value to the variable. That will tell the MATLAB parser that the identifier must be a variable, not a function, in your code and it will treat it as such.

[Firepanda415]

You are right. I call load() in my function. Sorry I did not mention it in the description. Let me try your method.

Answer 2

[Alessandro]

Simply create a copy of the variable assigning a different name?

[Firepanda415]

As long as I use 'range' in my function, MATLAB will think I am calling its built-in function range()

[Alessandro]

I still don't understand the problem, as long as the 'range' variable is correctly indicized in the function. The following MWE works for me:

function [ range ] = test( range )
range = 2*range;
end

if I call

range = [1 2;3 4];
range = test(range)

from the workspace the result is

range =

       2     4
       6     8

[Firepanda415]

Sorry I did not make myself clear. I load a .mat which contains 'range' in my function, so it is a different situation.