Matlab Interface - Gui vs command line

Matlab is designed to operate efficiently in a command line (termina) interface. It is licensed on all servers in the Department of mathematics. Simply login to calclab1.math.tamu.edu and type
calclab1% matlab
You will then be presented with the characteristic matlab prompt ">>". The first thing to do is to take a tour through the basics of Matlab.
Quick intro to Matlab - Basic Commands: [output is from Matlab R12 6.0.0.88]
  1. Matlab Help:
    >> help
    
    HELP topics:
    
    matlab/general       -  General purpose commands.
    matlab/ops           -  Operators and special characters.
    matlab/lang          -  Programming language constructs.
    matlab/elmat         -  Elementary matrices and matrix manipulation.
    matlab/elfun         -  Elementary math functions.
    matlab/specfun       -  Specialized math functions.
    matlab/matfun        -  Matrix functions - numerical linear algebra.
    matlab/datafun       -  Data analysis and Fourier transforms.
    matlab/audio         -  Audio support.
    matlab/polyfun       -  Interpolation and polynomials.
    matlab/funfun        -  Function functions and ODE solvers.
    matlab/sparfun       -  Sparse matrices.
    matlab/graph2d       -  Two dimensional graphs.
    matlab/graph3d       -  Three dimensional graphs.
    matlab/specgraph     -  Specialized graphs.
    matlab/graphics      -  Handle Graphics.
    matlab/uitools       -  Graphical user interface tools.
    matlab/strfun        -  Character strings.
    matlab/iofun         -  File input/output.
    matlab/timefun       -  Time and dates.
    matlab/datatypes     -  Data types and structures.
    matlab/verctrl       -  Version control.
    matlab/demos         -  Examples and demonstrations.
    toolbox/local        -  Preferences.
    toolbox/optim        -  Optimization Toolbox.
    toolbox/pde          -  Partial Differential Equation Toolbox.
    toolbox/symbolic     -  Symbolic Math Toolbox.
    wavelet/wavelet      -  Wavelet Toolbox.
    wavelet/wavedemo     -  Wavelet Toolbox Demonstrations.
    webserver/webserver  -  MATLAB Web Server.
    webserver/wsdemos    -  (No table of contents file)
    
    For more help on directory/topic, type "help topic".
    
  2. General Commands:
    >> help matlab/general
    
      General purpose commands.
      MATLAB Toolbox   Version 6.0 (R12)  06-Oct-2000
    
      General information
        help        - On-line help, display text at command line.
        helpwin     - On-line help, displayed in the help browser.
        helpdesk    - Comprehensive hypertext documentation and
    troubleshooting.
        support     - Open MathWorks Technical Support Web Page.
        demo        - Run demonstrations.
        java        - Use of Java from MATLAB.
        ver         - MATLAB, SIMULINK, and toolbox version information.
        whatsnew    - Access Release Notes.
    
      Managing the workspace.
        who         - List current variables.
        whos        - List current variables, long form.
        workspace   - Display Workspace Browser, a GUI for managing the
    workspace.
        clear       - Clear variables and functions from memory.
        pack        - Consolidate workspace memory.
        load        - Load workspace variables from disk.
        save        - Save workspace variables to disk.
        quit        - Quit MATLAB session.
    
      Managing commands and functions.
        what        - List MATLAB-specific files in directory.
        type        - List M-file.
        edit        - Edit M-file.
        open        - Open files by extension.
        which       - Locate functions and files.
        pcode       - Create pre-parsed pseudo-code file (P-file).
        inmem       - List functions in memory.
        mex         - Compile MEX-function.
    
      Managing the search path
        path        - Get/set search path.
        addpath     - Add directory to search path.
        rmpath      - Remove directory from search path.
        pathtool    - Modify search path.
        rehash      - Refresh function and file system caches.
        import      - Import Java packages into the current scope.
    
      Controlling the command window.
        echo        - Echo commands in M-files.
        more        - Control paged output in command window.
        diary       - Save text of MATLAB session.
        format      - Set output format.
        beep        - Produce beep sound.
    
      Operating system commands
        cd          - Change current working directory.
        copyfile    - Copy a file.
        pwd         - Show (print) current working directory.
        dir         - List directory.
        delete      - Delete file.
        getenv      - Get environment variable.
        mkdir       - Make directory.
        !           - Execute operating system command (see PUNCT).
        dos         - Execute DOS command and return result.
        unix        - Execute UNIX command and return result.
        vms         - Execute VMS DCL command and return result.
        web         - Open Web browser on site or files.
        computer    - Computer type.
        isunix      - True for the UNIX version of MATLAB.
        ispc        - True for the PC (Windows) version of MATLAB.
    
  3. Arithmetic Operations:
    >> help matlab/ops
    
      Operators and special characters.
    
      Arithmetic operators.
        plus       - Plus                               +
        uplus      - Unary plus                         +
        minus      - Minus                              -
        uminus     - Unary minus                        -
        mtimes     - Matrix multiply                    *
        times      - Array multiply                    .*
        mpower     - Matrix power                       ^
        power      - Array power                       .^
        mldivide   - Backslash or left matrix divide    \
        mrdivide   - Slash or right matrix divide       /
        ldivide    - Left array divide                 .\
        rdivide    - Right array divide                ./
        kron       - Kronecker tensor product         kron
    
      Relational operators.
        eq         - Equal                             ==
        ne         - Not equal                         ~=
        lt         - Less than                          <
        gt         - Greater than                       >
        le         - Less than or equal                <=
        ge         - Greater than or equal             >=
    
      Logical operators.
        and        - Logical AND                        &
        or         - Logical OR                         |
        not        - Logical NOT                        ~
        xor        - Logical EXCLUSIVE OR
        any        - True if any element of vector is nonzero
        all        - True if all elements of vector are nonzero
      Special characters.
        colon      - Colon                              :
        paren      - Parentheses and subscripting      ( )
        paren      - Brackets                          [ ]
        paren      - Braces and subscripting           { }
        punct      - Function handle creation           @
        punct      - Decimal point                      .
        punct      - Structure field access             .
        punct      - Parent directory                   ..
        punct      - Continuation                       ...
        punct      - Separator                          ,
        punct      - Semicolon                          ;
        punct      - Comment                            %
        punct      - Invoke operating system command    !
        punct      - Assignment                         =
        punct      - Quote                              '
        transpose  - Transpose                         .'
        ctranspose - Complex conjugate transpose        '
        horzcat    - Horizontal concatenation          [,]
        vertcat    - Vertical concatenation            [;]
        subsasgn   - Subscripted assignment          ( ),{ },.
        subsref    - Subscripted reference           ( ),{ },.
        subsindex  - Subscript index
    
      Bitwise operators.
        bitand     - Bit-wise AND.
        bitcmp     - Complement bits.
        bitor      - Bit-wise OR.
        bitmax     - Maximum floating point integer.
        bitxor     - Bit-wise XOR.
        bitset     - Set bit.
        bitget     - Get bit.
        bitshift   - Bit-wise shift.
    
      Set operators.
        union      - Set union.
        unique     - Set unique.
        intersect  - Set intersection.
        setdiff    - Set difference.
        setxor     - Set exclusive-or.
        ismember   - True for set member.
    
  4. Elementary Functions:
    >> help matlab/elfun
    
      Elementary math functions.
    
      Trigonometric.
        sin         - Sine.
        sinh        - Hyperbolic sine.
        asin        - Inverse sine.
        asinh       - Inverse hyperbolic sine.
        cos         - Cosine.
        cosh        - Hyperbolic cosine.
        acos        - Inverse cosine.
        acosh       - Inverse hyperbolic cosine.
        tan         - Tangent.
        tanh        - Hyperbolic tangent.
        atan        - Inverse tangent.
        atan2       - Four quadrant inverse tangent.
        atanh       - Inverse hyperbolic tangent.
        sec         - Secant.
        sech        - Hyperbolic secant.
        asec        - Inverse secant.
        asech       - Inverse hyperbolic secant.
        csc         - Cosecant.
        csch        - Hyperbolic cosecant.
        acsc        - Inverse cosecant.
        acsch       - Inverse hyperbolic cosecant.
        cot         - Cotangent.
        coth        - Hyperbolic cotangent.
        acot        - Inverse cotangent.
        acoth       - Inverse hyperbolic cotangent.
    
      Exponential.
        exp         - Exponential.
        log         - Natural logarithm.
        log10       - Common (base 10) logarithm.
        log2        - Base 2 logarithm and dissect floating point number.
        pow2        - Base 2 power and scale floating point number.
        sqrt        - Square root.
        nextpow2    - Next higher power of 2.
    
      Complex.
        abs         - Absolute value.
        angle       - Phase angle.
        complex     - Construct complex data from real and imaginary parts.
        conj        - Complex conjugate.
        imag        - Complex imaginary part.
        real        - Complex real part.
        unwrap      - Unwrap phase angle.
        isreal      - True for real array.
        cplxpair    - Sort numbers into complex conjugate pairs.
    
      Rounding and remainder.
        fix         - Round towards zero.
        floor       - Round towards minus infinity.
        ceil        - Round towards plus infinity.
        round       - Round towards nearest integer.
        mod         - Modulus (signed remainder after division).
        rem         - Remainder after division.
        sign        - Signum.
    
  5. Elementary Matrix Functions:
    >> help matlab/elmat
    
      Elementary matrices and matrix manipulation.
    
      Elementary matrices.
        zeros       - Zeros array.
        ones        - Ones array.
        eye         - Identity matrix.
        repmat      - Replicate and tile array.
        rand        - Uniformly distributed random numbers.
        randn       - Normally distributed random numbers.
        linspace    - Linearly spaced vector.
        logspace    - Logarithmically spaced vector.
        freqspace   - Frequency spacing for frequency response.
        meshgrid    - X and Y arrays for 3-D plots.
        :           - Regularly spaced vector and index into matrix.
    
      Basic array information.
        size        - Size of matrix.
        length      - Length of vector.
        ndims       - Number of dimensions.
        disp        - Display matrix or text.
        isempty     - True for empty matrix.
        isequal     - True if arrays are identical.
        isnumeric   - True for numeric arrays.
        islogical   - True for logical array.
        logical     - Convert numeric values to logical.
    
      Matrix manipulation.
        reshape     - Change size.
        diag        - Diagonal matrices and diagonals of matrix.
        blkdiag     - Block diagonal concatenation.
        tril        - Extract lower triangular part.
        triu        - Extract upper triangular part.
        fliplr      - Flip matrix in left/right direction.
        flipud      - Flip matrix in up/down direction.
        flipdim     - Flip matrix along specified dimension.
        rot90       - Rotate matrix 90 degrees.
        :           - Regularly spaced vector and index into matrix.
        find        - Find indices of nonzero elements.
        end         - Last index.
        sub2ind     - Linear index from multiple subscripts.
        ind2sub     - Multiple subscripts from linear index.
    
      Special variables and constants.
        ans         - Most recent answer.
        eps         - Floating point relative accuracy.
        realmax     - Largest positive floating point number.
        realmin     - Smallest positive floating point number.
        pi          - 3.1415926535897....
        i, j        - Imaginary unit.
        inf         - Infinity.
        NaN         - Not-a-Number.
        isnan       - True for Not-a-Number.
        isinf       - True for infinite elements.
        isfinite    - True for finite elements.
        why         - Succinct answer.
    

Some references