Octave for Microsoft Windows: Difference between revisions

{{Note|Windows installers are available for the latest version of '''Octave ({{Release}}, released on {{Release Date}})''' from https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/octave/windows/.}}

# Manually create a shortcut to the {{Path|octave-launch.exe}} file in the main installation directory. (Right-click on the file, select 'Create Shortcut', and move the new shortcut to your desired location.)  

* Note: versions before 7.1.0 used .vbs and .bat files to start Octave.  The {{Path|octave.bat}} file is still available in {{Path|\mingw32\bin}} or {{Path|\mingw64\bin}}, depending on the version of Octave installed, for use cases requiring it for startup.  

The output for preinstalled global packages included with version 7.1.0 when installed into {{Path|C:\Octave}} is:

                   audio  |  2.0.4 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\audio-2.0.4

                biosig |  2.4.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\audio-2.4.0

        communications |  1.2.4 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\communications-1.2.4

                control |  3.4.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\control-3.4.0

        data-smoothing |  1.3.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\data-smoothing-1.3.0

              database |  2.4.4 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\database-2.4.4

              dataframe |  1.2.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\dataframe-1.2.0

                  dicom |  0.4.1 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\dicom-0.4.1

              financial |  0.5.3 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\financial-0.5.3

                  fits |  1.0.7 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\fits-1.0.7

    fuzzy-logic-toolkit |  0.4.6 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\fuzzy-logic-toolkit-0.4.6

                    ga | 0.10.3 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\ga-0.10.3

                general |  2.1.2 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\general-2.1.2

          generate_html |  0.3.2 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\generate_html-0.3.2

              geometry |  4.0.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\geometry-4.0.0

                    gsl |   2.1.1 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\gsl-2.1.1

                  image | 2.14.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\image-2.14.0

    instrument-control |  0.7.1 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\instrument-control-0.7.1

              interval |  3.2.1 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\interval-3.2.1

                    io |  2.6.4 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\io-2.6.4

        linear-algebra |  2.2.3 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\linear-algebra-2.2.3

                  lssa |  0.1.4 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\lssa-0.1.4

                  ltfat |  2.3.1 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\ltfat-2.3.1

                 mapping |  1.4.2 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\mapping-1.4.2

                matgeom |  1.2.3 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\matgeom-1.2.3

          miscellaneous |  1.3.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\miscellaneous-1.3.0

                    nan |   3.6.1 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\nan-3.6.1

                netcdf | 1.0.14 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\netcdf-1.0.14

                  nurbs |  1.4.3 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\nurbs-1.4.3

                    ocs |  0.1.5 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\ocs-0.1.5

                octproj |  2.0.1 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\octproj-2.0.1

                  optim |  1.6.1 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\optim-1.6.1

            optiminterp |  0.3.7 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\optiminterp-0.3.7

            quaternion |  2.4.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\quaternion-2.4.0

              queueing |  1.2.7 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\queueing-1.2.7

                signal |  1.4.1 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\signal-1.4.1

                sockets |  1.3.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\sockets-1.3.0

              sparsersb |  1.0.9 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\sparsersb-1.0.9

                splines |  1.3.4 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\splines-1.3.4

            statistics |  1.4.3 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\statistics-1.4.3

                    stk |  2.7.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\stk-2.7.0

                strings |   1.2.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\strings-1.2.0

                struct | 1.0.17 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\struct-1.0.17

              symbolic |  2.9.0 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\symbolic-2.9.0

                tisean |  0.2.3 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\tisean-0.2.3

                  video  |  2.0.2 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\video-2.0.2

                 windows  |  1.6.2 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\windows-1.6.2

                 zeromq  |  1.5.3 | C:\Octave\octave-7.1.0-w64\mingw64\share\octave\packages\zeromq-1.5.3

Note that all of the commands above will perform ''local'' or ''global'' package installs according to the user's Administrator access level.  E.g., if an update is found for a global package with a non-elevated user account, the updated version will be installed to the ''local'' package location, leaving the old version intact in the ''global'' package location.  This behavior can be changed by calling the install command with the {{Path|-global}} option. As of Octave 7.1.0 the {{Path|-global}} option also works with the {{Path|pkg update}} command. For example:

  >> pkg update -global

 

[https://www.msys2.org/ MSYS2] is a collection of tools and libraries providing an easy-to-use environment for building, installing and running native Windows software. GNU Octave is available as a [https://packages.msys2.org/base/mingw-w64-octave package] in MSYS2.

 

The best (and recommended) way to use Octave on Windows is to use the provided installers (see above). But for some special requirements, the version of Octave packaged by MSYS2 might be the better solution. Those special requirements might include:

* Users might want to use e.g. Octave packages that depend on third party packages not included in MXE Octave.

* Users might need features of newer versions of packages that are included in an older version in MXE Octave.

* ...

MSYS2 follows a rolling release cycle. So, its packages are most likely more up-to-date than the packages included in Octave's installer for Windows.

It includes a (working) package manager (<code>pacman</code>) that provides the option to install a much wider range of packages than what can possibly be included in Octave's installer for Windows.

To use Octave in MSYS2, install the MSYS2 environment following [https://www.msys2.org/#installation their instructions]. At the <code>bash</code> shell (use e.g. "MSYS2 MinGW 64-bit" from the start menu), update the installation by <code>pacman -Syu</code>. After that, install a version of Octave that matches your environment (and the shell you are using), e.g. <code>pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-octave</code>.

This will install (among others), the main executables of Octave <code>octave-gui</code> (linked with Qt, i.e., including the "qt" graphics toolkit and the GUI), <code>octave-cli</code> (linked without Qt, i.e., only "fltk" and "gnuplot" graphics toolkits and no GUI), and the wrapper executable <code>octave</code> that dispatches to one of the former executables depending on the used command line switches. The Octave GUI can be started with <code>octave --gui</code> from MSYS2's <code>bash</code> shell, the command line interface (CLI) with <code>octave</code>.

*'''Latest release:''' 2022-01-06

:octave-6.4.0-1

:Its announce on cygwin mailing list [https://sourceware.org/pipermail/cygwin-announce/2022-January/010389.html]

:Its announce on cygwin mailing list [https://sourceware.org/legacy-ml/cygwin-announce/2017-01/msg00078.html]

:  run  setup-x86_64.exe (for cygwin 64 bit) and select them in the Math category.  

tar -xf octave-6.4.0-1-src.tar.xz  

:see cygport documentation at /usr/share/doc/cygport/html/manual/toc_index.html for further info.