PATHMAN -- A Simple Path Manager for MATLAB

MATLAB finds functions/classes/packages by searching the current working directory, followed by the list of directories in its path variable. Directories can be added or removed from the path via the addpath and rmpath functions.

Often, when using MATLAB for data analysis, I want to run algorithms or visualisation code that I have written myself, or retrieved from, for example, the MathWorks File Exchange (FEX). In order to do this, I either need to add all the code-containing directories to my path, or write the analysis scripts in the code directory itself.

Doing the analysis in the same directory as the code is a poor option if its an algorithm you intend to reuse, but getting all the directories right to add the necessary path directories can be cumbersome as well. Finally, just adding all your code permanently to your path can result in name collisions. This can be avoided by using smart naming schemes, and packages, but in the case of third-party code, you may not have that control.

PATHMAN is a tool, implemented in MATLAB, to help with this situation. In particular it allows you to give short names to packs of code, and add/remove them from the path using the commands

pathman use shortname
% and
pathman unuse shortname

It also allows you to list installed packs via

pathman list [glob]

where glob can be used to narrow pack names, and update installed packs after editing their source directories via

pathman update packname

Such usage becomes particularly useful if you have many different code packs in different locations, or complex logic to add code directories to the path (see below).

USAGE¶

Here I will discuss a sample use-case. (All subsequent commands are intended to be run on the MATLAB command line).

Suppose I’ve got some algorithms developed during a recent research project located in ~/research/somealgs which I now want to add to PATHMAN with the name “somealgs”. Suppose the source directory looks like

somealgs/
    somesubalgs/
        % functions
    moresubalgs/
        % functions
    examples/
        % example scripts
    % more functions

If I run

pathman install ~/research/somealgs as somealgs

then this directory will be copied to a configurable PATHMAN root directory, and that copy directory, and all subdirectories can be added to path via

pathman use somealgs

and removed via

pathman unuse somealgs

Suppose I then realize the examples/ subdirectory should not be added to the path.

In my source directory, I can add the functions addtopath and rmfrompath to implement this addpath, rmpath logic.

% addtopath.m
function addtopath(root)
    % root will be passed by pathman, specifying the root of source
    % tree
    addpath(root);
    addpath(fullfile(root, 'somesubalgs'));
    addpath(fullfile(root, 'moresubalgs'));
end

% rmfrompath.m
function rmfrompath(root)
    rmpath(root);
    rmpath(fullfile(root, 'somesubalgs'));
    rmpath(fullfile(root, 'moresubalgs'));
end

Finally, to tell PATHMAN about my updated source tree I call

pathman update somealgs

Now PATHMAN will use that logic when I call use and unuse.

Alternatively, I can tell PATHMAN to exclude that directory when copying and then just use the default use/unuse logic. To do so, add the file .pathmanignore to the source directory containing the single line

example

This will cause PATHMAN to delete the copied example subdirectory after copying the source tree. (Note that the lines of .pathmanignore should be relative paths to subdirectories, or files only. globs, etc, do not work).

Installation and More Information¶

For install information and further usage guidelines see the PATHMAN repository and the PATHMAN MATLAB help

pathman help
% or
help(pathman)

which lists and documents all the command-line options for pathman.

Feel free to ask any questions here or there as well.