The workbench

The Desktop workbench keeps project files, source, execution controls, and results in one window.

Files and tools

The left side of the window contains the project tools:

• Files opens and manages project files.
• Search finds text across the project.
• Tests discovers and runs project tests.
• History shows file and project history for cloud projects.
• Settings controls Desktop and project behavior.

Select a file to open it in the editor. A single click opens a preview tab; editing the file or keeping the tab open makes it a regular tab. The tab indicates when the editor contains unsaved changes.

Editor

The editor provides MATLAB-aware syntax highlighting, completion, diagnostics, hover information, and navigation for .m files. Markdown files can open as source or as runnable notebooks. File-history comparisons open as read-only diffs.

Use the editor for scripts, functions, classes, packages, and project configuration. Diagnostics appear next to the relevant source and in the problem details available from the editor.

Run controls

The controls above the editor run the current file, notebook, or configured project entrypoint. The target menu shows where the code will execute. Local execution is the default; configured remote targets appear as additional choices.

While code is running, Stop requests cancellation. The run finishes at the next cancellation point, so output may continue briefly before its status changes to cancelled.

Command Window

The Command Window provides an interactive >> prompt. Use it for short calculations, inspecting a result, or trying an expression before adding it to a file.

Commands share the active project workspace. Variables created at the prompt remain available to later commands and can influence a script. Clear or restart the workspace before a clean reproducibility check.

You can place the Command Window in an editor tab or the lower panel from Settings.

Results

The Runtime area contains:

• Output for printed text, warnings, and errors;
• Variables for workspace values;
• Plots for interactive figures;
• Trace for captured execution events;
• the run selector for current and earlier results.

Selecting a run updates these views to show that run's available results. Check the selected run when output or figures appear to come from another file.

Panels can be resized, hidden, or maximized without interrupting execution. The buttons in the top bar toggle the editor, Runtime, and Agent areas.

Keep your bearings

Four labels identify the work currently on screen: the active project, open file, selected run, and execution target. Check them before rerunning code or comparing results.