SimTK: OpenSim: [#3183] Multiuser capability of Matlab Scripting Environment (Windows)

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Date:
2022-06-24 11:25

Priority:
3

State:
Open

Submitted by:
Lorenz Winkler (lenz)

Assigned to:
Nobody (None)

Summary:
Multiuser capability of Matlab Scripting Environment (Windows)

Detailed description
https://simtk-confluence.stanford.edu:8443/display/OpenSim/Scripting+with+Matlab#ScriptswithMatlab-MatlabSetupSettingUpYourMatlab-ScriptsEnvironment. I think the above setup is not intended for a multi-user Windows system, certainly not for classrooms where normal users do not have write permissions. In the instructions, a directory within a user profile (C:\User\<username>\Documents\OpenSim\4.3\Code\Matlab\Utilities) is added to the MATLAB search path of the machine-wide MATLAB installation (C:\Programs\MATLAB\R2022a\toolbox\local\pathdef.m). Another user who logs into Windows and starts MATLAB gets severe errors with this because he does not have access to the Documents folder of the one user. I suggest writing a manual setup or a configureOpenSim.m that adds the OpenSim Utilities' directory to MATLAB's PATH "USER" variable (pathdef.m in userprofile: C:\Users\<username>\Documents\MATLAB\pathdef.m). Alternatively, you could write a startup.m in the current userprofile (C:\Users<username>\Documents\MATLAB\) that writes the path to the MATLAB PATH variable for the current MATLAB session only, without having to permanently edit pathdef.m: See example of a startup.m Users who do not have write permissions also cannot add to the PATH system environment variable (as shown in the instructions). However, they can edit the PATH user variable.
https://simtk-confluence.stanford.edu:8443/display/OpenSim/Scripting+with+Matlab#ScriptswithMatlab-MatlabSetupSettingUpYourMatlab-ScriptsEnvironment. I think the above setup is not intended for a multi-user Windows system, certainly not for classrooms where normal users do not have write permissions. In the instructions, a directory within a user profile (C:\User\<username>\Documents\OpenSim\4.3\Code\Matlab\Utilities) is added to the MATLAB search path of the machine-wide MATLAB installation (C:\Programs\MATLAB\R2022a\toolbox\local\pathdef.m). Another user who logs into Windows and starts MATLAB gets severe errors with this because he does not have access to the Documents folder of the one user. I suggest writing a manual setup or a configureOpenSim.m that adds the OpenSim Utilities' directory to MATLAB's PATH "USER" variable (pathdef.m in userprofile: C:\Users\<username>\Documents\MATLAB\pathdef.m). Alternatively, you could write a startup.m in the current userprofile (C:\Users<username>\Documents\MATLAB\) that writes the path to the MATLAB PATH variable for the current MATLAB session only, without having to permanently edit pathdef.m: See example of a startup.m Users who do not have write permissions also cannot add to the PATH system environment variable (as shown in the instructions). However, they can edit the PATH user variable.

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Date: 2022-06-24 12:11 Sender: Lorenz Winkler For example, at "Having trouble? Try manual setup..." you could offer the following step as an alternative to pathtool: * In the MATLAB Command Window, type "edit(fullfile(userpath,'startup.m'))". * Add following lines to the end of the file: up = getenv('userprofile'); sub = '\Documents\OpenSim\4.3\Code\Matlab\Utilities'; addpath([up sub]) clearvars up sub * On macOS, use forward slashes (/) instead of back slashes (\). * Remove any entries for previous versions of OpenSim. * Save changes to "startup.m".

Attachments:

Size	Name	Date	By	Download
119 bytes	startup.m	2022-06-24 11:25	lenz	startup.m

Field	Old Value	Date	By
File Added	797: startup.m	2022-06-24 11:25	lenz

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