Can't run external program

I have C program that I compiled and can run in a command window without a problem. I am trying to execute from the matlab command window using the ! operator:

>>!myprogram.exe

When I do this command, matlab seems to accept the line without an error, but the code is not executed. I have tried the system command (nothing happens but I get a returned results of -1.073741515000000e+09). If I execute system commands like !del junkfile.txt

the file gets deleted. But nothing happens when I run my external program. I have tried calling with the full path, but that does not work and I get the same behavior.

Would appreciate any help you can give,

- Paul

[Nick Blackwell]

I have the identical problem. I can run my program from the Windows command line, and I can run other system commands from Matlab no problem, but this one isn't working. It's on the system path and user path, as well as Matlab path, but nothing happens when I send that system command. Gives back the status of -1073741511. I've tried using !, system(), and dos(). I can even use "!where myprogram" and it gives the right location. I have tried running it from within the folder it's in, as well as from another folder, with the same result. Any help?

[Josh Philipson]

Paul, Nick,

Did you ever figure this out? //josh

Answer 1

[Philipp Krauter]

The problem is that newer versions of Matlab are adding a folder to the Path environmental variable each time, the system() or dos() function are called. For me, removing this new path by calling

system('set path=%path:C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2018b\bin\win64;=% & myprog.exe');

instead of

system('myprog.exe');

solves the problem.

Please note, that the folder to be removed from the environmental variable can differ. It can be read out using

system('path');

[Shilpa Nayak]

thanks, this solved it!

I had the exact same issue, with any application that used Windows drivers. I use MATLAB 2018a.

[isla ziyat]

Thanks!

Answer 2

[Josh Philipson]

Hi, I think I may have found something potentially helpful.

I had a very similar issue, and just resolved it. In case it's relevant, I was using Intel's Fortran compiler in a Visual Studio project to build a fortran file. TLDR; The built EXE was trying to load some dll that it couldn't do from within MATLAB, but within native windows cmd window, or double-click, evidently it could load it.

The relevant bit was from the magician, "Ian H (blackbelt)", over at https://software.intel.com/en-us/forums/intel-fortran-compiler/topic/759093 who posted this bit:

• You need to change the runtime library setting for your project within Visual Studio - the default within Visual Studio is to produce an executable that requires the Fortran runtime libraries.
• Change to a Release configuration, then rIght click on your project in the solution explorer, select Properties, then in the Configuration Properties > Fortran > Libraries page change the Runtime Library option to "Multithreaded". Rebuild your project.
• (If you use OpenMP within your project, then you will still have a dependency on some of the OpenMP DLL's.)

I sort of backed into this when I tried to run my compiled .exe on another PC that didn't have the same build environment setup, and it barfed on me indicating "libmmdd.dll" was not found. Additionally, I tried system('cmd &') to have Matlab open up a command window..and I found that one compiled version (i.e. via G77) worked, and the one I used Visual Studio for, didn't work!

From there I guess that it couldn't load that library in the MATLAB "system" scaffolding. I am not sure.

Regardless, for me the key was changing the "Runtime Library" option to "Multithreaded", from "Multithreaded dll". As soon as I could do it, the exe was runnable. Note: runnable from within Matlab, as well as runnable on the other Windows PC, that did not have the same development-environment. Seems all dependencies was 'packaged' into the fortran .exe.

Hope this helps someone! :)

Josh

Answer 3

[Image Analyst]

Try the dos() function instead.

Is the current folder the folder with the executable that you're trying to run?

Can you get a console window in the operating system and run the program from that? What operating system are you using?

[Nicolas Juarez]

dos() seem to work for me, thanks for the help!

Answer 4

[Avner Atias]

Hi guys,

I know it's been a while and this issue may be resolved. I solved it in another approach. To bypass the faulty 'system' MATLAB command, the C++ program (or any other for that matter) can be ran via a BATCH file. Wrote the following simple function that generates a BATCH file:

function [] = Generate_Batch_File(Fullpath,Command)

FID = fopen(Fullpath,'w');

fprintf(FID,'echo on\n');

fprintf(FID,'%s',Command);

fclose(FID);

%%

This generates a temporary BATCH file. Running the file succeeds and the C++ program in it runs smoothly with all the command line paraeters. Just pass the command line you want to execute instead of the 'Command' variable and u are set.

Hope this helps

Avner