Editing Version 5 GUIs with Version 7 GUIDE :: Getting Started with GUIDE (Creating Graphical User Interfaces)

Creating Graphical User Interfaces

Editing Version 5 GUIs with Version 7 GUIDE

In MATLAB Version 5, GUIDE saved GUI layouts as MAT-file/M-file pairs. Since MATLAB Version 6, GUIDE saves GUI layouts as FIG-files. GUIDE also generates an M-file to program the GUI callbacks. However, this M-file does not contain layout code as did M-files created in Version 5.

Use the following procedure to edit a Version 5 GUI with Version 7 GUIDE:

Display the Version 5 GUI.
Obtain the handle of the GUI figure. If the figure's handle is hidden (i.e., the figure's HandleVisibility property is set to off), set the root ShowHiddenHandles property to on:

```
set(0,'ShowHiddenHandles','on')
```

Then get the handle from the root's Children property:
- ```
hObject = get(0,'Children');
```
This statement returns the handles of all figures that exist when you issue the command. For simplicity, ensure that the GUI is the only figure displayed.

Pass the handle as an argument to the guide command:

```
guide(hObject)
```

Saving the GUI in Version 7 GUIDE

When you save the edited GUI with Version 7 GUIDE, MATLAB creates a FIG-file that contains all the layout information. The original MAT-file/M-file combination is no longer used. To display the revised GUI, run the M-file generated by GUIDE.

Note GUI FIG-files that are created or modified with MATLAB 7.0 or a later MATLAB version, are not automatically compatible with Version 6.5 and earlier versions. To make a FIG-file, which is a kind of MAT-file, backward compatible, you must check the MAT-file Ensure backward compatibility (-v6) preference in the Preferences dialog box under General -> MAT-Files.

Updating Callbacks

Ensure that the Callback properties of the uicontrols in your GUI are set to the desired callback string or callback M-file name when you save the FIG-file. If your Version 5 GUI used an M-file that contained a combination of layout code and callback routines, then you should restructure the M-file to contain only the commands needed to initialize the GUI and the callback functions. The M-file generated by Version 7 GUIDE can provide a model of how to restructure your code.

Programming the GUI M-file Creating a GUI