Function error | Error: Function definitions are not permitted at the prompt or in scripts.

Hello everybody,

I'm a new member of this community. I'd appreciate your help for a problem that I'm having with a little, silly function whom I type the code here.

 function [val_min, pos_min] = comparison1(Isole_mat,Elhierro_mat)

 [r,c]=size(Isole_mat);

 for i = 1:r

    latP = Isole_mat(i,2);
    lonP = Isole_mat(i,3);

    diffLat = latP - Elhierro_mat(:,2);
    diffLon = lonP - Elhierro_mat(:,3);

    distanza(:,i) = diffLat.^2+diffLon.^2;

    %[dmin, I] = min(distanza(:));

 end       

 [val_min, pos_min] = min(distanza);

What's wrong with it? Why do I get always the error message | Error: Function definitions are not permitted at the prompt or in scripts.

I saved the function in a m.file within the same name...

Please, help me understand.

Thank you in advance!

[Honglei Chen]

How are you calling the function?

[Gaia]

With the name I gave her: comparison1

That's also the name I used to save the m file. I already used this function and as far as I remember it worked... Maybe I'm calling it in the editor in the wrong way?

[Walter Roberson]

Please check that in your comparison1.m file, that the only lines before the "function" line, are comment lines and blank lines.

[Gaia]

Yes they are.

Answer 1

[per isakson]

Do you have more than one m-file with the name, comparison1? Check with

    which comparison1 -all

Is

    function [val_min, pos_min] = comparison1(Isole_mat,Elhierro_mat)

.

the first line in the m-file? And is

    end

.

the last line of the m-file? The "end", which match "function" is optional, but I think it makes the function easier to read.

The Code Analyzer box (or mlint-box) at the right top of the editor is it green or at least not red?

[Gaia]

I have just one file named comparison1.

In the first line I have some comments lines and blank lines, and in the last lines there are the outputs values:

[val_min, pos_min] = min(distanza);

The box is orange, but this was a problem I already had; anyway it is due to the letter "c" in this statement:

[r,c]=size(Isole_mat);

because "the value assigned might never be used", and to the following line:

distanza(:,i) = diffLat.^2+diffLon.^2;

because "it might be growing inside a loop. Consider preallocating for speed."

Answer 2

[Gaia]

A silly silly mistake... I was trying to call the function in the wrong way, forgetting that the variables aren't general but local...

Thank you all for your kind help!