ListenChar() and GetChar() fail under "matlab -nodesktop"

1
hey mario-
(using winxp sp2, 2007a, 3.0.8.148604056)
i'm trying to run some code that uses ListenChar()/GetChar() from a
matlab started under "-nodesktop". i try typing into my commandwindow
and neither ListenChar(2) nor GetChar(0) works -- the characters just
appear in the commandwindow and are not detected by the code. in a
matlab started without "-nodesktop", everything is fine.


if i try to execute the test from line 66 of PsychBasic\ListenChar.m
(or line 225 of PsychBasic\GetChar.m), i get:
>> exist('commandwindow', 'builtin')

ans =

0


even though:
>> which commandwindow
C:\MATLAB\R2007a\toolbox\matlab\codetools\commandwindow.m


note that:
>> exist('commandwindow')

ans =

2

>> help exist
EXIST Check if variables or functions are defined.
EXIST('A') returns:
0 if A does not exist
1 if A is a variable in the workspace
2 if A is an M-file on MATLAB's search path. It also returns 2 when
A is the full pathname to a file or when A is the name of an
ordinary file on MATLAB's search path

[...]


thus, the line that follows the builtin test for commandwindow in both
files:
"builtin('commandwindow', msg);"

yields:
??? Cannot find builtin function 'commandwindow'

(this assumes the variable 'msg' was defined, which it is not).

SO. if i disable the tests and just execute "commandwindow," focus
does indeed get sucked to my (nondesktop) commandwindow. but this
does not rescue the "-nodesktop" function.

also note, under "-nodesktop":

» usejava('jvm')

ans =

1

» usejava('awt')

ans =

1

» usejava('swing')

ans =

1

» usejava('desktop')

ans =

0

-erik