Is there a way to prevent a variable from being edited within the Variables window?

I often accidentally click an element in an array I have on the screen which can cause the value to be deleted/changed. The only way to fix this is if you see it happen and can ctrl+z. Is there a setting/command that protects variables from being edited within the Variables window? I only use that window to view data and never to edit. If I want to edit element (1,1) in a matrix named "x" I will always type x(1,1) = val; and never click element (1,1) in the window and edit it there. Thanks.

Answer 1

[Aniket]

Hi @Eric Hestekin,

As of R2024b, MATLAB does not provide a built-in setting to make the Variables Editor read-only, but you can use the following workaround to protect your variables from accidental modifications by maintaining a saved backup and restoring it if needed:

1. Before working with variables, save a snapshot of your workspace:

save('workspace_backup.mat');
% save('workspace_backup.mat', 'x', 'y');  % Saves only x and y

2. Restore Variables if accidently modified:

load('workspace_backup.mat');
% load('workspace_backup.mat', 'x', 'y');  % Restores only x and y

This can be bundled together in a function as shown below:

function restoreBackup()
    if exist('workspace_backup.mat', 'file')
        load('workspace_backup.mat');
        disp('Workspace restored from backup.');
    else
        disp('No backup found.');
    end
end

The custom function restoreBackup() can be called whenever you need to restore the variables.

I hope this will help you engage with variables without fearing the accidental changes.