Disappointment with change to section highlighting and run section capability in MATLAB functions after MATLAB 2020b

There is significant information on MATLAB central about this topic already. Here's a typical question, paraphrased by me:

• I recently upgraded from MATLAB 2020b to MATLAB 2023b. I can no longer highlight sections nor can I run sections. How can I recover the old capability?

Here's my answer:

• The new highlighting and run section capability is limited to scripts, not functions in the newer versions of MATLAB! Even with scripts, highlighting requires that one right-click on the left margin (the one with the line numbers) and ensure "Show code folding margin" is enabled with a check mark. This allows a blue bar to be displayed in the margin of the current section (that is, the one in which the cursor appears). The section can be run using either the menu or by clicking the blue bar. But only in scripts, not functions!

Here's are my disappointments:

• In the older versions, I really appreciated the ability to highlight the current section. I prefer to write functions rather than scripts, because I frequently build them into larger MATLAB systems. The new suppression of the old highlighting capability in functions is a real loss to me -- the instant visibility of the current section was very valuable.
• Similarly, the inability to run sections in functions is a loss of capability. I did not use it frequently, but many of my colleagues use it all the time. Now when they help work on my codes, they won't have that capability.
• This seemed like a needless loss of capability in an upgrade to the (relatively expensive) software development system that MATLAB represents.
• The native MATLAB documentation on this is dreadfully lacking. I have spent hours getting to the bottom of this, searching every menu, preference list, and MATLAB Central posting I can find, to no avail.
• The MATLAB Central documentation is all over the map, and there don't seem to be very clear answers anywhere. (I hope this posting helps.)

Here are my recommendations:

• Please restore the highlighting and run section capability for functions in the next MATLAB release!
• I far prefer block coloring of the current section than the blue bar. I don't like the extra margin width required by the code folding margin, and I find the blue bar less visible than coloring of the section.
• At minimum, all of this should be tailorable as user options.

Thank you.

[Cris LaPierre]

You have posted this in a community-run forum. If you want your feedback to be seen by MathWorks, please share it here:

https://www.mathworks.com/support/contact_us.html

[Ivan Kirschner]

Thank you, Cris. I have copied the posting to the link you provided.

[DGM]

Related:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/1567418-section-color-no-longer-an-option-in-2021b

[Ivan Kirschner]

Thanks, DGM. Yes -- I saw this. It was the primary basis for my comment. That posting was somewhat helpful, but not completely helpful. I appreciate your flagging that again. ---INK