qc_set_priority :: QUARC MATLAB Functions

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qc_set_priority

Sets the priority of the MATLAB process and/or thread on the host.

Syntax

qc_set_priority(process_priority, thread_priority)  % Set the process and thread priorities
qc_set_priority(thread_priority)                    % Set the thread priority
qc_set_priority                                     % Restore normal priorities

Description

Sets the priority of the MATLAB process and/or thread. This function is typically used when implementing a control system in a MATLAB script or when time-sensitive operations are performed. This function MUST BE USED WITH CAUTION because MATLAB can interfere with other applications and even the operating system itself if the priorities are set too high.

Parameters

process_priority

The priority for the MATLAB process. Valid values in Windows are:

Priority	Description
-2	idle priority (use for very low priority background processing)
-1	below normal priority (helpful if MATLAB or Simulink is hogging the CPU)
0	normal priority
1	above normal priority
2	high priority
3	real-time priority (NOT RECOMMENDED because MATLAB could hang the system!)

thread_priority

The priority for the MATLAB thread, relative to the process priority. Valid values in Windows for all process priorities except real-time priority are:

Priority	Description
-3	idle priority (use for very low priority background processing)
-2	lowest priority
-1	below normal priority
0	normal priority
1	above normal priority
2	high priority
3	time critical priority

If the process priority is set to real-time priority, then the thread priories may range from -8 to 7 on Windows, with -8 being the idle priority and 7 being the time critical priority. Priority 0 is still normal priority in this case.

Outputs

This function has no outputs.

Examples

qc_set_priority(3); % bump up the priority of the MATLAB thread to time critical
try
    % ... do time critical operations ...
catch
end
qc_set_priority; % restore normal priority

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