What is the Matlab install directory on 64bit or how to get it in Python?
Question: I have Matlab2013b on my system at :

> C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2013b\bin

I am writing Python script that searches for Matlab.exe first at this location
and then at location for 64 bit. The Python script will be run on a server
which might have a 64 bit instead of 32 bit. So, I need to search for both
locations.  
Since I don't have 64 bit version on my machine, I don't know the location.

I am speculating it will be:

> C:\Program Files (x86)\MATLAB\R2013b\bin

But can anybody confirm that?  
Thanks  
sedy


Answer: You can read out the environment variable **PATH** (I'd say it's quite sure
_MATLAB_ it's included) and use some string operations to get the Matlab path:

    
    
    import os
    path = os.environ.get('path')
    pathlist = path.split(';')
    matlabpath = [s for s in pathlist if all(x in s for x in ['MATLAB','R','bin'])]
    print(matlabpath)
    

this way you don't need to _speculate_ what I would consider a generally bad
programming practice.

* * *

In my case there is also an toolbox **polyspace** on the same path, you need
to exclude that:

    
    
    matlabpath = [s for s in pathlist if all(x in s for x in ['MATLAB','R','bin']) and not 'polyspace' in s]
    

There may be other toolboxes writing itself into **path** \- it could be
cumbersome to exclude all of them, so the easiest would be to just return the
shortest of all Matlab related paths:

    
    
    import os
    path = os.environ.get('path')
    pathlist = path.split(';')
    matlabpath = min([s for s in pathlist if 'MATLAB' in s], key=len) 
    print(matlabpath)
    

