MATLAB 6.5 Release Notes (MATLAB Release Notes)

MATLAB Release Notes

Creating Graphical User Interfaces (GUIDE) Features

MATLAB 6.5 adds the following features and enhancements to GUIDE:

New structure for the generated M-file makes it easier to understand and program
New GUIDE Quick Start dialog and GUI templates. When you first open GUIDE, the GUIDE Quick Start dialog box provides access to new GUI templates--simple examples of GUIs that you can modify for your own purposes.
Tab Order Editor enables you to change the order in which GUI components are selected when a user clicks the Tab button.
Changes to component tags automatically update callbacks and M-file code
Export option in the File menu enables you to export a GUI to a single M-file that does not require a FIG-file.
MATLAB Editor icon on the toolbar provides easier access to the editor.

Changes to the M-file Generated by GUIDE

The associated M-file generated by GUIDE has the following differences for Release 13:

Most of the GUI initialization is performed in a separate function, which you do not need to edit.
The GUI M-file contains an opening function, where you can add code to create data or perform other tasks before the GUI becomes visible to the user.
The GUI M-file contains an output function for returning variables to the command line.
A new calling syntax simplifies passing user defined arguments to the GUI M-file.
You can pass figure property name/value pairs as arguments when creating the GUI.
Generated callback function stubs no longer include a varargin argument. If you want to add more arguments to a callback subfunction, you must add the arguments to the function definition.

The following sections describe changes to the associated M-file in greater detail.

New Calling Syntax for GUI M-File. You can call the GUI M-file with the following syntax:

my_gui
my_gui('PropertyName', PropertyValue,...)
my_gui(UserArgs,...)
my_gui('PropertyName',PropertyValue,...,UserArgs,...)

my_gui without arguments starts the GUI.
Calling my_gui('Property', Value,...), where 'Property' is a valid figure property, creates a new my_gui using the given property value pairs.
Calling my_gui('My_function', hObject, eventdata, handles) calls the subfunction my_function in the GUI M-file with the given input arguments.

Opening Function Code. The generated GUI M-file now includes a subfunction for any initialization code you want to execute. If you call the GUI with input arguments, they are passed to the opening function. The GUI M-file calls the opening function with the following arguments:

function myGUI_OpeningFcn(hObject, eventdata, handles, varargin)

hObject--handle to figure
eventdata--to be defined in a future version of MATLAB
handles--structure with handles and user data (see guidata)
varargin-- command line arguments to my_gui (see varargin)

Output Function Code. The GUI M-file now includes a subfunction for passing output arguments to the command line. The GUI M-file calls the output function with the following arguments:

function varargout = myGUI_OutputFcn(hObject, eventdata, handles)

hObject--handle to figure
eventdata--to be defined in a future version of MATLAB
handles--structure with handles and user data (see guidata)
varargin--unrecognized property name/value pairs from the command line

GUIDE Quick Start Dialog and Templates

GUIDE now provides four templates that make it easier to construct GUIs. The templates are simple examples of GUIs that you can modify for your purposes. You can access the templates from the new GUIDE Quick Start dialog that appears when you open GUIDE, or when you select New from the file menu. It is often easier to build a GUI from an existing template rather than starting with a blank GUI.

openfig Accepts Property Name/Value Pair--Returns User Args

The openfig function enables you to specify figure property name/value pairs that are applied to the figure before it is displayed. See the openfig reference page for more information.

uiputfile and uigetfile Return Filter Index

The uigetfile and uiputfile functions can now optionally return an index value that enables you to determine which filter was selected by the user. See the uigetfile and uiputfile reference pages for more information.

uigetdir

The new uigetdir function displays a dialog box in which the user can select a directory, and returns the directory name as a string.

External Interfaces/API Features Major Bug Fixes