Creating Graphical User Interfaces

Files for Programmatically Created GUIs

When you create a GUI programmatically, these are two approaches you can use to structure your GUI files:

• Single M-File Using GUIDE as a Model
• Single M-File Using Nested Funtions

Single M-File Using GUIDE as a Model

In this approach, the file is ordered in the following sections:

1. Comments that are displayed in response to the MATLAB help command.
2. Command to make the figure invisible so the user can't see it being constructed.
3. Construction of components and menus. Don't set the callback properties yet.
4. Command to generate a structure of component handles to pass to the callbacks.
5. Associating callbacks with components by setting the component callback properties. See Associating Callbacks with Components for more information.
6. Initialization tasks. Make the figure visible.
7. Callbacks for the components. See Callbacks in Programmatically Created GUIs for information about the callbacks.

This is a template for such a file.

• function mygui(arg1,arg2,...)
  % mygui These comments are displayed at the command line 
  %       in response to the help command. 
  
  %  Hide the GUI as it is being constructed.
  f = figure('Visible','off');
  
  %  Construct the components.
  hb = uicontrol('Style','pushbutton','String','Plot',...
                 'Tag','pushbutton',...);
  ha = axes('Tag','axes',...);
  ...
  
  %  Generate the structure of handles.
  handles = guihandles;
  
  %  Associate callbacks with components.
  set(hb,'Callback',{@pushbutton_callback,handles,...},...
         'ButtonDownFcn',...
         {@pushbutton_buttondownfcn,handles,...},...);
  set(ha,'ButtonDownFcn',{@axes_buttondownfcn,handles,...},...
         'CreateFcn',{@axes_createfcn,handles,...},...);
  ...
  
  %  Initialize the GUI.
  set(f,'Position',[100,100,300,500],'Visible','on',...);
  ...
  
  %  Callbacks for mygui
  function pushbutton_callback(source,eventdata,handles,...)
  ...
  function pushbutton_buttondownfcn(source,eventdata,handles,...)
  ...
  function axes_buttondownfcn(source,eventdata,handles,...)
  ...
  function axes_createfcn(source,eventdata,handles,...)
  ...
  

Single M-File Using Nested Funtions

In this approach, the file is ordered in the following sections. For general information about nested functions, see Nested Functions in the MATLAB documentation.

1. Comments that are displayed in response to the MATLAB help command.
2. Command to make the figure invisible so the user can't see it being constructed.
3. Construction of components and menus. Set each component's callback properties as you construct the component. See Associating Callbacks with Components for more information.
4. Initialization tasks. Make the figure visible.
5. Callbacks for the components. Define them as nested functions under the main function. These callbacks automatically have access to all component handles because the handles are defined at a higher level. See Callbacks in Programmatically Created GUIs for information about the callbacks.

This is a template for such a file.

• function mygui(arg1,arg2,...)
  % mygui These comments are displayed at the command line 
  %       in response to the help command. 
  
  %  Hide the GUI as it is being constructed.
  f = figure('Visible','off');
  
  %  Construct the components
  hb = uicontrol('Style','pushbutton','String','Plot',...
                 'Tag','pushbutton',...
                  'Callback',{@pushbutton_callback,in_arg1,...},...
                  'ButtonDownFcn',...
                  {@pushbutton_buttondownfcn,in_arg1,...},...);
  ha = axes('Tag','axes',...
            'ButtonDownFcn',{@axes_buttondownfcn,in_arg1,...},...
            'CreateFcn',{@axes_createfcn,in_arg1,...},...);
  ...
  
  %  Initialize the GUI
  set(f,'Position',[100,100,300,500],'Visible','on',...);
  ...
  
  %  Callbacks for mygui. These callbacks automatically have 
  %  access to handles ha and hb because they are nested at a 
  %  lower level.
       function pushbutton_callback(source,eventdata,in_arg1,...)
       ...
       end
       function pushbutton_buttondownfcn(source,eventdata,...
                in_arg1,...)
       ...
       end
       function axes_buttondownfcn(source,eventdata,in_arg1,...)
       ...
       end
       function axes_createfcn(source,eventdata,in_arg1,...)
       ...
       end
  end
  

GUIDE M-Files and FIG-Files

Associating Callbacks with Components

© 1994-2005 The MathWorks, Inc.