Utilizing JavaScript to interact with MATLAB as a COM Automation Server

Question

Utilizing JavaScript to interact with MATLAB as a COM Automation Server

Struggling to create a link between Matlab and a Javascript (specifically typescript) program using a COM automation server, as recommended on the MathWorks website. While the documentation provides examples for certain languages supported by Microsoft, there is limited guidance for implementing this connection in JavaScript.

The challenge lies in establishing a COM connection with JavaScript, particularly given its association with Internet Explorer, an outdated feature from the past. This poses an issue since I am developing a VS Code extension that does not rely on Internet Explorer or ActiveXObjects.

Dilemma
My main concern is finding an alternative method to connect my typescript code to the Matlab instance without depending on deprecated technologies like ActiveXObjects.

Objective
The objective is to execute Matlab scripts in the VS Code terminal without launching a separate Matlab interface. The desired output should also be displayed within the VS Code terminal itself. Although this can be achieved effortlessly on MacOS and Linux through CLI tools, Windows presents compatibility challenges due to the platform-specific differences.

javascript matlab typescript com

Answer 1

Answer №1

My experience with TypeScript is limited, as I haven't used it much and the little exposure I had was a while back when it was still new.

Despite that, I discovered that the NPM package win32ole is compatible with NodeJS, leading me to believe it should work with TypeScript as well, possibly with some adjustments to the code or by creating a small wrapper around it.

win32ole npm page

This code snippet from the page demonstrates how to utilize win32ole to interact with Excel for creating and saving a worksheet.

try{
  var win32ole = require('win32ole');
  // var xl = new ActiveXObject('Excel.Application'); // You may write it as:
  var xl = win32ole.client.Dispatch('Excel.Application');
  xl.Visible = true;
  var book = xl.Workbooks.Add();
  var sheet = book.Worksheets(1);
  try{
    sheet.Name = 'sheetnameA utf8';
    sheet.Cells(1, 2).Value = 'test utf8';
    var rg = sheet.Range(sheet.Cells(2, 2), sheet.Cells(4, 4));
    rg.RowHeight = 5.18;
    rg.ColumnWidth = 0.58;
    rg.Interior.ColorIndex = 6; // Yellow
    var result = book.SaveAs('testfileutf8.xls');
    console.log(result);
  }catch(e){
    console.log('(exception cached)\n' + e);
  }
  xl.ScreenUpdating = true;
  xl.Workbooks.Close();
  xl.Quit();
}catch(e){
  console.log('*** exception cached ***\n' + e);
}

Answer 2

My experience with TypeScript is limited, as I haven't used it much and the little exposure I had was a while back when it was still new.

Despite that, I discovered that the NPM package win32ole is compatible with NodeJS, leading me to believe it should work with TypeScript as well, possibly with some adjustments to the code or by creating a small wrapper around it.

win32ole npm page

This code snippet from the page demonstrates how to utilize win32ole to interact with Excel for creating and saving a worksheet.

try{
  var win32ole = require('win32ole');
  // var xl = new ActiveXObject('Excel.Application'); // You may write it as:
  var xl = win32ole.client.Dispatch('Excel.Application');
  xl.Visible = true;
  var book = xl.Workbooks.Add();
  var sheet = book.Worksheets(1);
  try{
    sheet.Name = 'sheetnameA utf8';
    sheet.Cells(1, 2).Value = 'test utf8';
    var rg = sheet.Range(sheet.Cells(2, 2), sheet.Cells(4, 4));
    rg.RowHeight = 5.18;
    rg.ColumnWidth = 0.58;
    rg.Interior.ColorIndex = 6; // Yellow
    var result = book.SaveAs('testfileutf8.xls');
    console.log(result);
  }catch(e){
    console.log('(exception cached)\n' + e);
  }
  xl.ScreenUpdating = true;
  xl.Workbooks.Close();
  xl.Quit();
}catch(e){
  console.log('*** exception cached ***\n' + e);
}

Utilizing JavaScript to interact with MATLAB as a COM Automation Server

Answer №1

Similar questions

Using React with TypeScript to iterate over an array and add corresponding values from an object based on a common key

Guide to uploading information when a user enters three characters in the Kendo dropdown menu in Angular

Issue encountered while attempting to add .js.map file to AngularJs DateTimepicker within pug template

Can you explain the purpose of the argument provided to @Resolver in type-graphql?

What is the reasoning behind TypeScript's decision to permit implicit downcasting in method parameters?

When an element is appended, its image height may sometimes be mistakenly reported as

Issue with vue-template-compiler in Vue.js 3 webpack configuration

How can I execute a Python script on an HTML webpage by clicking a button?

Navigate to the Bootstrap Panel body when the relevant link is clicked

Detecting unutilized space in a collection of divs with varying sizes using JavaScript and CSS

Error: Unable to access 'target' property as it is undefined in React JS

"Switching to the active tab in Bootstrap has been updated

Stop specific words from being entered on a website

Using PHP and JQuery to disable a button after the letter "U" is typed

Obtain a button located within a div using a JavaScript file

contrasts in regex special characters: .net versus javascript

Show or hide a fixed position div using jQuery when clicked

Using dynamic classes within a v-for loop

The output from the Angular .then function is not showing up on the webpage

Obtaining zip files using AngularJS