Graphics

Object Properties

A graphics object's properties control many aspects of its appearance and behavior. Properties include general information such as the object's type, its parent and children, whether it is visible, as well as information unique to the particular class of object.

For example, from any given figure object you can obtain the identity of the last key pressed in the window, the location of the pointer, or the handle of the most recently selected menu.

MATLAB organizes graphics information into a hierarchy and stores this information in properties. For example, root properties contain the handle of the current figure and the current location of the pointer (cursor), figure properties maintain lists of their descendants and keep track of certain events that occur within the window, and axes properties contain information about how each of its child objects uses the figure colormap and the color order used by the plot function.

Changing Values

You can query the current value of any property and specify most property values (although some are set by MATLAB and are read only). Property values apply uniquely to a particular instance of an object; setting a value for one object does not change this value for other objects of the same type.

Default Values

You can set default values that affect all subsequently created objects. Whenever you do not define a value for a property, either as a default or when you create the object, MATLAB uses "factory-defined" values.

The reference entry for each object creation function provides a complete list of the properties associated with that class of graphics object.

Types of Graphics Objects

Properties Common to All Objects