Is it possible to exchange data files between platforms?

Why do I receive an "invalid Figure file format" error when I try to open a figure file on a platform different from the one it had been created on? or

Is it possible to exchange data files between platforms?

For example, can I export a binary file from a SUN workstation to an SGI?

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

MATLAB applications consist of MATLAB files, which contain functions and scripts, and MAT-files and FIG-files which contain binary data. Both types of files can be transported directly between different computers.

MATLAB files are ASCII files consisting of ordinary text. They are machine-independent.

MAT-files and FIG-files can be transported between machines because they contain a machine signature in the file header. MATLAB checks the signature when it loads a file, and, if a signature indicates the file is foreign, it performs the necessary conversion.

To use MATLAB across several different machine architectures, you need a facility for exchanging both binary and ASCII data between the two machines. Examples of this type of facility include FTP, NFS, Kermit, and other communication programs.

PLEASE NOTE: When using these programs, be careful to transmit binary files in binary mode, and ASCII files in ASCII mode. Failure to set these modes correctly with these programs corrupts the data.