How to run standalone application from the folder where it is located?

I made a standalone app using matlab app designer. While making package, the default installation folder for package is showing as ProgramFiles or AppData. But I want to run from the local folder only where the app is located in the User PC. Please suggest the way for doing this.

Answer 1

[Image Analyst]

It sounds like you've discovered that the directory of the app that actually runs is not the same as your executable that you deployed and installed in some folder. That is true, but it's very confusing. You can click on the executable in the target folder however it unpacks the CTF and another executable in some other secret hidden location. If you want that to be the same folder, in Windows, you can set the environment variable MCR_CACHE_ROOT to be "." and it will unpack the stuff to the same folder. Search this forum for MCR_CACHE_ROOT for more detailed discussions.

But you should never assume that any file you want to access in your deployed executable is in the same folder as your executable, even if you install it there. You should ALWAYS use fullfile to build the known, full file name of your file. Otherwise it probably won't be found.

See these links:

Please read Loren's discussion here: Path management in deployed applications.

https://matlab.fandom.com/wiki/FAQ#What_is_the_path_in_my_deployed_application?

and

https://matlab.fandom.com/wiki/FAQ#Where_did_my_file_go?_The_risks_of_using_the_cd_function.

[Radhi]

Thank you. This information is really helpful.

[Jixiong Su]

However, it seems that I can't save the config.json file in the path where the exe is located (C drive) , it seems exe have no permissions to write?

[Image Analyst]

@Jixiong Su read the FAQ about where the path of your executable is:

https://matlab.fandom.com/wiki/FAQ#Why_can't_my_standalone_compiled_executable_find_my_files?

It's not a good idea to use "pwd" to get the folder of your executable and save your files there, if you're even allowed to (which you say you are not). It's always best to use fullfile to build up your full path name of your file so that your output files get saved to some known place (that you can write to, of course).

[Jixiong Su]

I got I just need to change the installation path of the exe from %ProgramFiles% to %AppData%, then I will have the permission to save files in the location where the exe is stored.

[Image Analyst]

Yeah, if you were using Windows and then installing your program into a subfolder of the Program Files folder, if you were also trying to have your program write your output data to a subfolder of C:\Program Files, then Windows won't allow that. You'd either have to install your program NOT under Program files, or specify your output folder for your output data in some folder not under Program Files.

Remember (if you read the FAQ) the program that installs to a subfolder of Program Files is not really the program. It's like a shell of the program while the actual program gets installed/extracted (when you run the program) in some weird secret location under c:\users (unless you have specified "MCR_CACHE=." as an environment variable, which you probably didn't do). So personally I install my programs under Program Files but then specify my output folder as a subfolder of my data folder, which I'll always have write capability to of course.

That's what I do. You can install your program to %Appdata% and it should work (as long as you're not specifying a folder or, if you are specifying a folder, that it's not a sub folder of Program Files). But I still recommend writing your output results to your data folder, or a subfolder of your data folder, rather than to a subfolder of your executable.

Answer 2

[Taylor]

cd yourLocalFolder;
system("yourApp.exe")
% If your app has additional inputs:
system('"yourApp.exe" arg1 arg2')

% If you don't want to change your working directory
system("fullPath\yourApp.exe")

Answer 3

[Hassaan]

Package the App as a Standalone Application:

• Open your app in MATLAB and use the Application Compiler (deploytool or the Apps tab in newer versions of MATLAB) to package your app.
• In the Application Compiler, specify all the required files and settings for your app.

Choose the Output Type:

• In the Application Compiler settings, select the type of output you want. For a local folder execution, you might want to create a "Standalone Application" or a "Web App" depending on your need.

Specify the Output Folder:

• You can specify the output directory where the packaged app and its executable will be stored. This can be any directory on your computer.

No Installation Setup:

• When you package the app, MATLAB creates an executable (.exe for Windows) in the specified output folder. This executable can be run directly from its location.
• Instead of a full installation setup, you can distribute this folder containing the executable and any other necessary files (like MCR, if needed).

Running the App:

• Users can run the standalone app by directly executing the .exe file from the folder.
• Ensure that the end users have the necessary MATLAB Runtime installed on their system, which is required for running standalone applications compiled with MATLAB. The MATLAB Runtime version should match the version of MATLAB used for compiling the app.
• If the MATLAB Runtime is not installed, you can include it in your distribution, or provide instructions for downloading and installing it.

Distribute the Folder:

• You can compress the folder containing your standalone application and distribute it. Users can then extract it to any location on their PC and run the app directly from there.

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[Radhi]

Thank you for the detailed response Muhammad. Exactly the same I had done. I think I would have explained the problem with some more details.

The standalone app was generated already as per the above steps you mentioned. Also, the app is stored in a user system in some local folder and is getting excuted by clicking on it. The requirement is: while running the app, it has to read/generate an input/output file and the file need to be taken/put from/in some folder which is also in the same path, where the execute is kept in User system. I am collecting the User system path using the following command, in the script made for the app.

appFolder = fileparts(mfilename('fullpath'))

When running the standalone app, the above path is showing as follows.

"C:\Users\radhi\AppData\Local\Temp\radhi\mcrCache9.11\TestGenT0\TestGenTool", which is not the local folder, where the app is located and the other required folders were set.

If I get the exact local folder and path where the app is stored in the User system, in appFolder, then my problem would be solved.

Hope I have explained my problem to clarity.

Please suggest me the way.

Thank you.

[Image Analyst]

@Radhi you are correct. I don't think this answer is right and is why I added my Answer. Have you read it yet?