Get path from running script

Greetings!

I know that this is a bit hackneyed, but I couldn't get a working solution.

I run a script (not function) saved as m-file. Now I want to get path to the m-file from inside the script.

Widely suggested mfilename('fullpath') returns nothing, because it should be called from a function (but not from script).

Can you suggest a viable solution please?

Thank you!

Answer 1

[Sean Collins]

I was trying to solve the same problem, and I discovered an answer based on an answer from Jacob Halbrooks to another related question (see this question and answer). Inserting the following into my script worked for me, even when running the script with the "Run Section" tool or when highlighting a piece of the code, right clicking, and selecting "Evaluate Selection". This assumes that the script that you are executing will be the active file in the editor window, but I believe that should be the case.

As a note, this solution will work for a script that you are currently executing, but would not be appropriate for use inside a function to get the name of that function. In that case, it could give unexpected results, as it should return the path to the currently active file in the editor window, regardless of which function executed the command.

I hope that helps, or at least helps someone else running into the same challenge in the future!

filePath = matlab.desktop.editor.getActiveFilename;
fprintf('%s\n',filePath);
% note - I edited the variable name from "path" to "filePath" based on
% Image Analyst's comment. Thanks for the heads up on the naming conflict!

[Noah Homolka]

This worked for me! Both in console and in a script. Thank you so much :)

[Michael Judge]

Very helpful! Long-term issue for me and my team just resolved.

[Haris K.]

Mr Collins, you are a legend. Thanks.

[Image Analyst]

OK, but please use a different variable name than "path". That is a very important built-in function!

[Josep Llobet]

This comand is so useful

[Ask Finderup]

What does the '%s\n' do?

[Image Analyst]

It's standard format definition just like most languages.

The %s says to take the variable and put it in that place as a character string.

Then the \n says to follow that with a line feed to put the cursor at the beginning of the next line so that the command line prompt >> will start at the left edge instead of in the middle of the command window immediately after the string it just printed.

[Yongqi Shi]

Thanks a lot Collins! It solves a long-term problem for me. It also works perfectly in the Live Editor mode. BTW, where can I find other similar commands starting with matlab.desktop.editor...? Or simply, where is the introduction of this line?

[Image Analyst]

@Yongqi Shi, try just typing it in and see what auto-completion brings up.

You'll also like to look at @Yair Altman's site: Undocumented Matlab

[Yair Altman]

I just came across this thread due to IA's mention... FWIW, I added an answer to the OP's question that does not rely on running the script from within the editor, namely using the dbstack function:

stk = dbstack; filepath = which(stk(1).file)

Answer 2

[Ming Li]

mfilePath = mfilename('fullpath');
if contains(mfilePath,'LiveEditorEvaluationHelper')
    mfilePath = matlab.desktop.editor.getActiveFilename;
end
disp(mfilePath);

This code will give the right result no matter you run the code by "Alt+Enter" or run the whole mfile directly, even the mfile is called by another mfile.

[Johannes]

Very good, works!

Answer 3

[the cyclist]

mfilename('fullpath')

actually works for me, even inside a script. However, you could try this instead:

[pwd,'/',mfilename]

[the cyclist]

You may need to put that slash in the other direction on a PC. I forget.

[Image Analyst]

No, you don't. Windows PCs will work just fine with slashes in either direction.

[Wouter]

note:

mfilename()

this only returns the path of your script if you press F5 (run entire script). If you use CTRL + enter to run a section, it will not work. (then it shows some temporary location)

Answer 4

[Image Analyst]

Andrey, you're getting confused between the command and the function. They behave differently so, granted, it can be confusing. When you don't put parentheses around a command's arguments, it acts like the arguments are the actual filename, not the contents of the variable with that name. When you use parentheses, it's using the function, not the command and will replace the variable name with the contents of it.

For example

>> load mymatfile

will try to load a file called mymatfile - I think it may add .mat extension though by default so it really loads mymatfile.mat. If you do

>> load(mymatfile)

it will look at the variable called mymatfile and see if it's the name of a file and try to load it. For example

>>mymatfile = 'abc.mat';
>> s = load(mymatfile);

will load abc.mat, not mymatfile.mat. The only difference is the parentheses. Note that if you didn't assign mymatfile to a string, you'd get an error.

Now look at this script, test.m:

mfilename
mfilename('fullpath') 
which(mfilename)
which('mfilename')

What do you think it will return? It returns this:

ans =
test
ans =
D:\Matlab\work\Tests\test
D:\Matlab\work\Tests\test.m
built-in (C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2013a\toolbox\matlab\lang\mfilename)

mfilename is a function. The first time I call it, it returns the base filename - no folder and no extension. When I call "mfilename('fullpath')" it returns almost the full path - it returns the folder, base filename, but no extension.

Now, when I call which(mfilename), that is the same as issuing the command "which('test')" and that will tell MATLAB to return the full filename of the script I'm running. It's interesting to note that it returns more of the full filename than mfilename('fullpath') because it includes the extension.

Now, finally when I call which('mfilename') - with single quotes around mfilename - it considers mfilename literally as the name of an m-file that you want information on (the full path and name, including any other files with similar name in other folders on the search path). So it's really saying which('mfilename.m') which means "tell me where the function named mfilename.m lives. And since mfilename is actually a function that is contained in an m-file, it returns built-in (C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2013a\toolbox\matlab\lang\mfilename). This is the full path and name of the m-file where the mfilename function is contained.

I hope that explains things better and makes it more understandable.

Anyone know where this command/function distinction/difference is explained in the help?

[Andrey Kazak]

I'm sorry for such a long delay. I create a script Test.m and put in the MATLAB folder in My Documents:

mfilename
mfilename('fullpath') 
which(mfilename)
which('mfilename')

and on my PC this script return the following:

ans =
     ''
ans =
     ''
'' not found.
built-in (C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2013a\toolbox\matlab\lang\mfilename)

What do I do wrong? Why I get different results than you did?

[Image Analyst]

I have no idea. I just did it again and got what I said, not blanks like you got.

[William Haselden]

Really late so just for people checking this tread out later but you're probably running it from matlab's command window. Put the mfilename('fullpath') command in a script, run the script, and it should give you that script's location.

Answer 5

[Roberto Osorio]

This reply is very late, but I hope it can help users who get to this thread by searching. Experimenting with mfilename in scripts, I observed that the behavior that Andrey Kazak reports, i.e., empty strings returned from mfilename, occurs when you run the script manually (highlighting + Right-Click Evaluate or clicking Run Section in the Toolstrip). This is equivalent to typing the command in the Command Window.

To get the normal documented behavior of mfilename, you need to run the script either from a batch job or by clicking the Run button in the Toolstrip.

[Andrey Kazak]

Thank you for confirming. I create a script in R2015a and save it somewhere. Ctrl+Enter fails. Green Run button at the Toolstrip works.

Is this a bug or a feature?

[Image Analyst]

Or this:

Answer 6

[Joao Pereira]

I just tested this with MATLAB R2021a and

mfilename('fullpath')

worked for me both from a script and a function. It might be that this behaviour changed recently, let's not forget we can define functions inside scripts now.

Answer 7

[Yair Altman]

mfilename('fullpath') does indeed return the full path to the currently-running script file, at least on the latest Matlab release (R2022b).

On older Matlab releases where mfilename('fullpath') doesn't work, you can use this alternative:

stk = dbstack; filepath = which(stk(1).file)

[hassan]

one can use dbstack with '-completenames' argument to avoid relying on which command in case where the file is not seen in Matlab path.

This would be :

stk = dbstack('-completenames'); filepath = stk(1).file;

Answer 8

[Andrey Kazak]

mfilename('fullpath') returns empty string on R0213a at Windows 7. [pwd,'/',mfilename] is not exactly what I need, because if your pwd is different from location of the script it will return wrong path.

[the cyclist]

This "answer" would be better placed as a comment on the relevant answer.

[Zhengyi]

The documentation says:

When called from the command line, mfilename returns an empty character vector.

Answer 9

[the cyclist]

Try

which(mfilename)

This potentially has some foibles, too, if you have same-named scripts in multiple directories.

[Andrey Kazak]

Unfortunately the result of which(mfilename):

'' not found.

[the cyclist]

Hm. This is pretty weird. Any chance that you redefined mfilename itself? What you do you get if you type

which mfilename

?

[the cyclist]

Also, I notice that

which('mfilename')   [EDITED, Jan, missing quotes added]

will return

'' not found

when I type it in the command window, but gives the result you want (I think) if you call it from inside a running script.

[Andrey Kazak]

>> which mfilename

built-in (C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2013a\toolbox\matlab\lang\mfilename)

But the script executes exactly as if you typed all the code of script from command window. Are you sure you're running a script, but not a function?

[the cyclist]

Yes, I am sure I am in a script.

Answer 10

[Andrey Kazak]

Try to do the same in R2017a on Windows, but get empty strings even if I push green Run button.

Can you confirm this?

[Image Analyst]

Are you sure you're not doing it from the command line? I just tried it and if you do it from the command window, it will give you empty string but if you do it from a script m-file, it gives you the actual m-file name.

Please use the snipping tool to save a screenshot and post it here with the green and brown frame icon:

Answer 11

[Martin Bubel]

Hi,

I usually use the following workaround, since mfilename('fullpath') did not work for me as well.

When you start a MatLab-Script, you have to change directory to the script you want to execute. While in that specific directory, you can use the following:

directory_content = dir; % contains everything of the current directory
exe_path = directory_content(1).folder; % returns the path that is currently open

The above mentioned workaround however does not work if the script called from any other directory than it's location (for example if it has been added to the searchpath or if it has been imported).

I hope this helps!

[Jeffrey Daniels]

This question assumes you don't already know which directory to change to.

You have just recreated the existing Matlab function pwd.m.

Answer 12

[David Weigt]

cd(erase(mfilename('fullpath'), mfilename('class'))) %Change the direction

erase(mfilename('fullpath'), mfilename('class')) %Gives you only the path of the skript

workingpath = erase(mfilename('fullpath'), mfilename('class')) %You can save it in a value

This is the easiest way, beacuse pwd gives you only the current path not the script path.

I dont know what do you mean with

Widely suggested mfilename('fullpath') returns nothing, because it should be called from a function (but not from script).

But I think this is the easiest solution.