The Command Window
The prompt, arithmetic, ans, clc, the up arrow, and how to read an error message.
>>ansclc%
Lesson 2
Variables and the Workspace
Naming values, the semicolon, naming rules, and seeing and clearing what MATLAB holds in memory.
=;whowhosclear
Lesson 3
Folders and the Path
Where MATLAB looks for files and functions, and how to put EEGLAB on the path.
pwdcdlsaddpathwhicheeglab
Lesson 4
Characters and Strings
Character vectors and strings, joining text, and building file names with sprintf.
'text'"text"sprintfstrcmp
Lesson 5
Arrays and Matrices
Vectors and matrices, counting from 1, the colon, and why EEG data is a channels-by-time matrix.
[ ]x(end)A(2, :)mean(x, 2).*
Lesson 6
Structs and the EEG Variable
Structs and fields, then a loaded dataset: EEG.srate, EEG.data, channel labels, and events.
s.fieldpop_loadsetEEG.dataEEG.chanlocs
Lesson 7
Functions
Inputs and outputs, help, the EEG = pop_...(EEG, ...) pattern, and writing a function file.
f(x)[a, b] = f(x)helpfunction
Lesson 8
Loops and Scripts
for loops, cell arrays of participant IDs, if, and a script that filters every participant.
for{ }ifscript
How each lesson works
- The lesson is on the left and a practice window on the right. The practice window copies the MATLAB desktop: Current Folder, Workspace, Command Window, and in lessons 7 and 8 the Editor.
- Every example has a Run button, or you can type it yourself. Typing is better practice.
- "Your turn" at the end lists a few things to do. Each one ticks itself when you do it.
- "Start over" resets the practice window. Nothing is saved between visits.
What the practice window is, and is not
It is a small model of MATLAB that runs in your browser. It understands the commands in these lessons, gives MATLAB's error messages for the common mistakes, and has a pretend computer with an EEGLAB folder and three datasets. The data are simulated: 32 channels, 60 seconds at 500 Hz. It does not draw plots or open the EEGLAB window, and pop_eegfiltnew records the filter without changing the numbers.
To follow along in real MATLAB, download EEGLAB from the EEGLAB download page, unzip it into your Documents/MATLAB folder, and start at lesson 3 to put it on the path. Your version number will differ from the eeglab2025.1 used here.
Where this leads
The ERP Pipeline series picks up from here: filtering, re-referencing, epoching, artifact detection, and measurement, each with the EEGLAB or ERPLAB command used in lab.