MATLAB Function Reference

ancestor

Get ancestor of graphics object

Syntax

• p = ancestor(h,type)
  p = ancestor(h,type,'toplevel')
  

Description

p = ancestor(h,type) returns the handle of the closest ancestor of h, if the ancestor is one of the types of graphics objects specified by type. type can be:

• a string that is the name of a single type of object. For example, 'figure'
• a cell array containing the names of multiple objects. For example, {'hgtransform','hggroup','axes'}

If MATLAB cannot find an ancestor of h that is one of the specified types, then ancestor returns p as empty.

Note that ancestor returns p as empty but does not issue an error if h is not the handle of a Handle Graphics object.

p = ancestor(h,type,'toplevel') returns the highest-level ancestor of h, if this type appears in the type argument.

Examples

Create some line objects and parent them to an hggroup object.

• hgg = hggroup;
  hgl = line(randn(5),randn(5),'Parent',hgg);
  

Now get the ancestor of the lines.

• p = ancestor(hgg,{'figure','axes','hggroup'});
  get(p,'Type')
  ans =
  
  hggroup
  

Now get the top-level ancestor

• p=ancestor(hgg,{'figure','axes','hggroup'},'toplevel');
  get(p,'type')
  ans =
  
  figure
  

See Also

findobj

ancestor

and

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