diff --git a/.cproject b/.cproject
index b326ba62d..109495aaf 100644
--- a/.cproject
+++ b/.cproject
@@ -419,10 +419,10 @@
 <useDefaultCommand>true</useDefaultCommand>
 <runAllBuilders>true</runAllBuilders>
 </target>
-<target name="testVectorConfig.run" path="cpp" targetID="org.eclipse.cdt.build.MakeTargetBuilder">
+<target name="testVectorMap.run" path="cpp" targetID="org.eclipse.cdt.build.MakeTargetBuilder">
 <buildCommand>make</buildCommand>
 <buildArguments>-j2</buildArguments>
-<buildTarget>testVectorConfig.run</buildTarget>
+<buildTarget>testVectorMap.run</buildTarget>
 <stopOnError>true</stopOnError>
 <useDefaultCommand>true</useDefaultCommand>
 <runAllBuilders>true</runAllBuilders>
@@ -469,7 +469,6 @@
 </target>
 <target name="testBayesTree.run" path="cpp" targetID="org.eclipse.cdt.build.MakeTargetBuilder">
 <buildCommand>make</buildCommand>
-<buildArguments/>
 <buildTarget>testBayesTree.run</buildTarget>
 <stopOnError>true</stopOnError>
 <useDefaultCommand>false</useDefaultCommand>
@@ -477,6 +476,7 @@
 </target>
 <target name="testSymbolicBayesNet.run" path="cpp" targetID="org.eclipse.cdt.build.MakeTargetBuilder">
 <buildCommand>make</buildCommand>
+<buildArguments/>
 <buildTarget>testSymbolicBayesNet.run</buildTarget>
 <stopOnError>true</stopOnError>
 <useDefaultCommand>false</useDefaultCommand>
@@ -484,7 +484,6 @@
 </target>
 <target name="testSymbolicFactorGraph.run" path="cpp" targetID="org.eclipse.cdt.build.MakeTargetBuilder">
 <buildCommand>make</buildCommand>
-<buildArguments/>
 <buildTarget>testSymbolicFactorGraph.run</buildTarget>
 <stopOnError>true</stopOnError>
 <useDefaultCommand>false</useDefaultCommand>
@@ -676,7 +675,6 @@
 </target>
 <target name="testGraph.run" path="cpp" targetID="org.eclipse.cdt.build.MakeTargetBuilder">
 <buildCommand>make</buildCommand>
-<buildArguments/>
 <buildTarget>testGraph.run</buildTarget>
 <stopOnError>true</stopOnError>
 <useDefaultCommand>false</useDefaultCommand>
@@ -732,6 +730,7 @@
 </target>
 <target name="testSimulated2D.run" path="cpp" targetID="org.eclipse.cdt.build.MakeTargetBuilder">
 <buildCommand>make</buildCommand>
+<buildArguments/>
 <buildTarget>testSimulated2D.run</buildTarget>
 <stopOnError>true</stopOnError>
 <useDefaultCommand>false</useDefaultCommand>
@@ -769,6 +768,14 @@
 <useDefaultCommand>true</useDefaultCommand>
 <runAllBuilders>true</runAllBuilders>
 </target>
+<target name="testVectorBTree.run" path="cpp" targetID="org.eclipse.cdt.build.MakeTargetBuilder">
+<buildCommand>make</buildCommand>
+<buildArguments>-j2</buildArguments>
+<buildTarget>testVectorBTree.run</buildTarget>
+<stopOnError>true</stopOnError>
+<useDefaultCommand>true</useDefaultCommand>
+<runAllBuilders>true</runAllBuilders>
+</target>
 <target name="install" path="" targetID="org.eclipse.cdt.build.MakeTargetBuilder">
 <buildCommand>make</buildCommand>
 <buildArguments>-j2</buildArguments>
diff --git a/cpp/VectorBTree.h b/cpp/VectorBTree.h
index 0ce5767c4..58b8a561c 100644
--- a/cpp/VectorBTree.h
+++ b/cpp/VectorBTree.h
@@ -102,6 +102,10 @@ public:
 		SubVector operator[](const Symbol& j);
 		ConstSubVector operator[](const Symbol& j) const;
 
+		/** [set] and [get] provided for access via MATLAB */
+		void set(const Symbol& j, const Vector& v) { (*this)[j] = v; }
+		inline const Vector get(const Symbol& j) const { return (*this)[j];}
+
 		/** max of the vectors */
 		double max() const;
 
diff --git a/cpp/VectorMap.h b/cpp/VectorMap.h
index 8c2ec1e10..b1944e034 100644
--- a/cpp/VectorMap.h
+++ b/cpp/VectorMap.h
@@ -60,7 +60,12 @@ namespace gtsam {
 		Vector& operator[](const Symbol& j);
 		const Vector& operator[](const Symbol& j) const;
 
-    bool contains(const Symbol& name) const {
+		/** [set] and [get] provided for access via MATLAB */
+		inline Vector& get(const Symbol& j) { return (*this)[j];}
+		void set(const Symbol& j, const Vector& v) { (*this)[j] = v; }
+		inline const Vector& get(const Symbol& j) const { return (*this)[j];}
+
+		bool contains(const Symbol& name) const {
       const_iterator it = values.find(name);
       return (it!=values.end());
     }
diff --git a/cpp/testVectorBTree.cpp b/cpp/testVectorBTree.cpp
index 0f115eba8..9eb264233 100644
--- a/cpp/testVectorBTree.cpp
+++ b/cpp/testVectorBTree.cpp
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ TEST( VectorBTree, constructor_insert_get )
 	LONGS_EQUAL(1,actual.size())
 	CHECK(assert_equal(expected,actual))
 	CHECK(equal_with_abs_tol(v,actual[x1]))
+	CHECK(equal_with_abs_tol(v,actual.get(x1)))
 }
 
 /* ************************************************************************* */
diff --git a/cpp/testVectorMap.cpp b/cpp/testVectorMap.cpp
index e5b9ce674..d2c9d1ea7 100644
--- a/cpp/testVectorMap.cpp
+++ b/cpp/testVectorMap.cpp
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ TEST( VectorMap, equals1 )
    VectorMap actual;
    actual.insert("a",v);
    CHECK(assert_equal(expected,actual));
+   CHECK(assert_equal(expected["a"],actual.get("a")))
 }
 
 /* ************************************************************************* */