'Out of memory. The likely cause is an infinite recursion within the program.

Hi all,

I've seen many people reporting the appearance of this error in relation to some functions, and there are many responses on how to fix those functions to avoid infinite recursion. However, in my case, I get this error when I'm trying to use any functions (even those which has been working properly before) and even when trying to open a script or a figure (!). I can't even load the data.

Any idea how I can fix this?

[Walter Roberson]

restoredefaultpath
rehash toolboxcache

[Steven Lord]

Show us a small (no more than 5-10 lines if possible) section of code that causes this error as well as the full and exact text of the error message (all the text displayed in red.) That information will likely help us determine what the cause and how to correct the problem.

[Magdalena Kachlicka]

Hi Steven,

The problem occurs not only when I try to run the code:

but also when I'm trying to open a figure, or dataset:

so I'm not sure if copying the code could help?

Walter, thanks for your suggestion. It helped me to open the data/script, but as soon as I add other folders to the path (e.g., those which are inside my default Matlab folder - somehow it restored the path to the main folder only, and not to its subfolders) - the problem comes back and I can't do anything...

Maybe I'm missing something very simple, but I'd appreciate your help!

[Guillaume]

Would you have a function or script called isrow.m in your matlab folder?

I would suggest renaming your matlab folder (the one returned by userpath) so it's not on the path. If that fixes the problem, it's because you have a m file that shadows an essential matlab function.

[Jan]

Guillaume hits the point. Posting the error message revealed the problem immediately, so it should be the standard when posting a question. Your isrow function is calling itself recursively.

@Guillaume: Please post this as answer.

[Walter Roberson]

The problem could be a fileparts.m

[Steven Lord]

It could be a fileparts.m, but the fileparts function included in MATLAB does call isrow as part of its execution.

Answer 1

[Steven Lord]

Guillaume is correct. You've written your own isrow.m that shadows the built-in isrow function.

The fileparts function that is part of MATLAB calls isrow as part of its execution. The isrow function that is part of MATLAB (and which fileparts normally calls) is a built-in function, but the error message shows that the error occurs on line 11 of isrow.m which calls fileparts. Calling fileparts calls isrow which calls fileparts which calls isrow .... Many functions (including open) call fileparts and so enter this infinite loop.

Rename or remove the isrow.m file. You may also want to check (using which) if you've shadowed additional built-in functions in the same directory and rename or remove them as well.

[Magdalena Kachlicka]

Thank you all for your help! I really appreciate it!

There is indeed a function called "inrow.m" in the FieldTrip toolbox folder! I was looking for a problem in Matlab and my own scripts, and it didn't make much sense, but it didn't cross my mind to check the very contents of the downloaded toolboxes I'm using.

This very much explains why the problem was coming back after cleaning cache and adding those folders back to the path. Something must have happened with my folders settings - my default path for FieldTrip should only include selected folders, not all of them, so when I deselected those I'm not using (incl. the one containing this function!), the problem was solved!

Once again big thanks!

Answer 2

[Arhant Jain]

Inside the eeglab lab folder, just delete the folder associated with fieldtrip box. It will solve your problem.

Answer 3

[Deepak Khani]

Out of memory. The likely cause is an infinite recursion

within the program.

Error in vdp1 (line 3)

[t,y] = ode45(@vdp1,[0 20],[2; 0]);

[Walter Roberson]

You have a function in a file named vdp1.m . Inside that function, you ask to run ode45 on ode function @vdp1 . But @vdp1 is a reference to the same file that needs to run ode45 to complete that needs to run vdp1 to complete that needs ode45 to complete ...

[Deepak Khani]

%my1''+cy1'+ky1=0 is the equation of viscous damping Single degree of freedom.
%Rewrite this equation as a system of first order ODEs by making the
%substitution y1'=y2 and m=20kg ,c=10, k=30;
function dydt = vds1(t,y)
c=10;
k=20;
m=20;
dydt=[y(2);-(c*y(2)+k*y(1))/m];
[t,y]=ode45(@vds1,[0 20],[2; 0]);
plot(t,y(:,1),'-o',t,y(:,2),'-o')
title('Solution of viscous damping force with ODE45');
xlabel('Time t');
ylabel('Solution y');
legend('y_1','y_2')
end

[Deepak Khani]

I got infinite recursion in this code

[Walter Roberson]

%calls to the function go **before** the function definition
[t,y]=ode45(@vds1,[0 20],[2; 0]);
plot(t,y(:,1),'-o',t,y(:,2),'-o')
title('Solution of viscous damping force with ODE45');
xlabel('Time t');
ylabel('Solution y');
legend('y_1','y_2')

%my1''+cy1'+ky1=0 is the equation of viscous damping Single degree of freedom.
%Rewrite this equation as a system of first order ODEs by making the
%substitution y1'=y2 and m=20kg ,c=10, k=30;
function dydt = vds1(t,y)
c=10;
k=20;
m=20;
dydt=[y(2);-(c*y(2)+k*y(1))/m];
end

This can all go in one file instead of splitting into two files, but if you put it in one file, then the one file cannot be named vds1.m

[Deepak Khani]

Thank you sir for helping me out, i am just a begineer in matlab.

Answer 4

[Brianna Biondo]

Out of memory. The likely cause is an infinite recursion

within the program.

Error in odearguments (line 90)

f0 = feval(ode,t0,y0,args{:}); %ODE15I sets args{1} to yp0.

[Brianna Biondo]

function dNcelldt = intcellstorednitrogen (~, Ncell)
muMax = 0.26;
KN = 0.033;
KS = 0.077;
KiS = 500;
KiX = 152;
YXN = 27;
KiN = 0.073;
N0 = [5;0];
tRange = (0:144);
[~,NSol] = ode45(@nitrogenconsumption,tRange, N0 );
S0 = [100;0];
[~,SSol] = ode45(@glucoseconsumption,tRange, S0 );
Xf0 = [0.2;0];
[~,XfSol] = ode45(@lipidfreecellgrowth,tRange, Xf0 );
    for N = 1:numel(NSol); S = 1:numel(SSol) ; Xf = 1:numel(XfSol);
        muS = muMax .* (N/(KN +N)) .* (S/(KS+S)) .* (1/(1+(S/KiS))) .* (1/(1+(Xf/KiX)));
        muN = muMax .*(1./(1+(N/KiN))) .* (Ncell./((1/(10.*YXN))+Ncell)) .* (S./(KS+S)) .* (1./(1+(S/KS))).* (1./(1+(Xf./KiS)));
        dNcelldt = (-(((1/(3.*YXN))-Ncell).*muS)+(((2/(3.*YXN))+Ncell).*muN))*t;
    end
end

[Steven Lord]

You call the ode45 function three times in this code. One of those calls (with nitrogenconsumption, glucoseconsumption, or lipidfreecellgrowth as the ODE functions) will eventually have them call ode45 with that function as the ODE function.

So for example if nitrogenconsumption includes a line that says

[~, Nsol] = ode45(@nitrogenconsumption, % some other code

then nitrogenconsumption would call ode45 which would call nitrogenconsumption which would call ode45 which would call nitrogenconsumption which would call ode45 which would call nitrogenconsumption which would call ode45 ... and eventually MATLAB throws this error.

Move the ode45 call outside the function that it will call (that you've specified as the first input argument.)

Answer 5

[Christine Anne]

Out of memory. The likely cause is an infinite recursion within the program.

Error in fluEpidemic>SIRmodel (line 17)

SIRmodel

tRange = [0 14];
Y0 = [999; 1; 0];
[tSol,YSol] = ode45(@SIRmodel,tRange,Y0);