The instructions for MATLAB depend on the operating system you are using.

#### MATLAB on Linux, Mac OS X and similar Unix-like systems

The installation directory is also the same one where the additional files `TranslateSBML`.extension, `OutputSBML`.extension and `CheckAndConvert.m` will have been placed. These files implement the MATLAB interface to libSBML. On Linux and Unix-based systems including Mac OS X, the `LD_LIBRARY_PATH`/`DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH` environment variable may need to be set in the terminal shell from which MATLAB is started prior to starting MATLAB. (Otherwise, MATLAB itself will not "see" the value of the variable.)

Important: some versions of MATLAB produced for Linux include a version of the stdc++ library that conflicts with the version provided by the operating system, causing a mystifying error when MATLAB tries to run or compile code involving libSBML. Please see the section in the Known Issues document for more information.

An additional step is necessary in the MATLAB environment itself: adding the same directory to the list of directories that MATLAB searches to find functions. If DIR is the directory where the libSBML shared library as well as `TranslateSBML`.extension, `OutputSBML`.extension, and `CheckAndConvert.m` have been installed, then the following MATLAB command must be executed:

    addpath('DIR');

For example, suppose you are using an Intel-based Mac OS X system and you have configured libSBML to install itself into `/usr/local`. Then the files `TranslateSBML.mexmaci`, `OutputSBML.mexmaci` and `CheckAndConvert.m` will have been installed as `/usr/local/lib/TranslateSBML.mexmaci`, `/usr/local/lib/OutpuSBML.mexmaci` and `/usr/local/lib/CheckAndConvert.m`. You will need to set your `DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH` environment variable to `/usr/local/lib`, and also execute the following command (or an equivalent) in MATLAB:

    addpath('/usr/local/lib');

To save the trouble of having to type the command above each time you start MATLAB, you may wish to put it in your `startup.m` file (i.e., the file MATLAB uses for user initialization). Please refer to the MATLAB documentation for more information about `startup.m` and where it is located.

#### MATLAB on Windows systems

Most Windows users will probably prefer to install libSBML using the self-extracting installer provided separately and available for downloading from the same servers as the libSBML source code distribution. The installer will take care of placing the MATLAB files in directories where MATLAB can find them. Nothing further needs to be done in that case. You should be able to start MATLAB at will, and be able to invoke functions like `TranslateSBML` and `OutputSBML`.

If you are compiling and installing libSBML from the sources, or else want/need to install the MATLAB bindings directly from the libSBML source distribution on Windows, follow these simple steps:

1. Start MATLAB.
2. Within MATLAB, change directory to the directory in your libSBML source tree containing the MATLAB code. This directory will be `libsbml/src/bindings/matlab`, where `libsbml` is the root of your libSBML source directory on your computer.
3. Execute `buildSBML` in MATLAB.
4. Execute `installSBML` in MATLAB.

After these steps, you should be able to invoke functions such as `TranslateSBML` and `OutputSBML`. These will be accessible after you restart MATLAB and even when you are no longer in the libSBML directory.