Matlab's pause() function

Let's talk about Matlab's pause() function.

pause()

The function itself is pretty straightforward. It doesn't take any parameters.

When encountered in a script, it suspends the program's execution until the user presses a key.

It's important to note that pause() doesn't interrupt the program's execution; it merely puts it on hold temporarily. Execution resumes once the user presses a key.

Now, you may be wondering why we'd want to pause a script. Well, sometimes we need to wait for user input before continuing the program's execution, and that's where pause() comes in handy.

Let's try a practical example to illustrate how pause() works.

Say we have this script:

a=3;
b=4;
disp("The sum of the numbers is ");
disp(a+b);
disp("Press any key to continue");
pause();
disp("The product of the numbers is ");
disp(a*b);

When we run this script, the first result, which is the sum of the numbers, is displayed on the screen.

The user is then prompted to press any key to continue.

The sum of the numbers is

7

Press any key to continue

Once they do, the program's execution resumes, and the second result, which is the product of the numbers, is displayed.

The sum of the numbers is

7

Press any key to continue

The product of the numbers is

12

So, there you have it. The pause() function is a handy tool for making scripts interactive and waiting for user input when necessary.