=====Octave syntax and library overview=====
====Installing packages====
Fetch the package files from [[http://octave.sourceforge.net/|octaveforge]].
Then create (or add to) the file ~/.octaverc the following content:
<code matlab>
addpath(genpath('~/octave'))
</code>
And run ''pkg install packagename-1.0.0.tar.gz'' or whatever the package is called from inside octave.
Now the package should be available.

====plotting====
<code matlab>
h = [1,2,3,4,5];
plot(h);
xlabel("some numbers");
print("myfile.pdf", "-dpdf");
</code>
This code plots a a vector with a label on the x-axis, and exports it to a pdf file.

<code matlab>
h=wavread('h.wav');
hfft=abs(fft(h));
semilogx(hfft(1:end/2))
</code>
This code loads an audiofile, and plots its frequency spectrum on a logartihmical scale.

====function====
<code matlab>
function retval = myfunction(param1, param2)
  retval = param1 + param2;
end;
</code>

====strings====
<code matlab>
mystring = 'hello world'; % create string
sizeof(mystring) % get length of string

mystrilyng2 = [ mystring, 'fisk']; % concatenate two strings

</code>
sizeof on works in octave. in matlab the length of a string cannot be obtained!

====string array====
<code matlab>
myemptyarray = {}; % create empty string array.

myarray = { 'hello', 'world' }; % create array with two strings.
myarray(1) % prints 'hello'
myarray(3) = 'blah'; %inserts another string into the array.

sizeof(myarray) % get number of elements
sizeof(myarray(1)) %get length of first string

% Iterate strings in string array
for str = myarray
  disp(str)
end

</code>
Note: Arrays are 1-based, not 0-based as they usually are in real programming languages.
Note: sizeof is an octave-only function. size can be used to get the array size in matlab.

====if then else====
<code matlab>
a = 1;

if a == 1
  "a is one"
end;

if a == 2
  "a is two"
else
  "a is not two"
end;
</code>

====for while====
<code matlab>
list = 1:10

for i = list
  i
end;

a = 1;
while a < 11
  a
  a = a + 1;
end; 
</code>

====switch case====
<code matlab>
yesno = "yes"

switch yesno
case {"Yes" "yes" "YES" "y" "Y"}
  value = 1;
case {"No" "no" "NO" "n" "N"}
  value = 0;
case "blah"
  value = 42;
otherwise
  error ("invalid value");
endswitch
</code>
Note: In matlab the ''endswitch'' should be replaced by ''end''

====Links====
  * http://www.mathworks.com/access/helpdesk/help/techdoc/index.html

====More complex examples====
<code matlab>
rootfolder = pwd % Print Working Directory - specifies root folder so we don't have to cd
for s=scans
  scanfolder=sprintf('ret_scan%02d', s)
  folders=dir([rootfolder,'/',scanfolder,'/*_bg'])
  numfolders=size(folders);
  folderiterator = 1:numfolders(1);
  for folder=folderiterator
    files=dir([rootfolder,'/',scanfolder,'/',folders(folder).name,'/*.mat'])
    numfiles=size(files);
    fileiterator = 1:numfiles(1);
    for file=fileiterator
      file
      filename=[rootfolder,'/',scanfolder,'/',folders(folder).name,'/',files(file).name]
      %filename
      load (filename) % Loads the bg-file (no laser)
    end;
  end;
end; 
</code>