Quiver Properties

Quiver chart appearance and behavior

Quiver properties control the appearance and behavior of a Quiver object. By changing property values, you can modify certain aspects of the quiver chart. Use dot notation to query and set properties.

q = quiver(1:10,1:10);
q.Color = 'red';

Arrows

Alignment — Arrow alignment with respect to data points

"tail" (default) | "center" | "head"

Arrow alignment with respect to the data points, specified as one of the options from this table. The pictures in the table show the data point markers for illustration purposes. By default, the markers do not display.

Alignment Value	Description	Appearance
"tail"	The tails of the arrows are positioned at the data points.
"center"	The shafts of the arrows are centered at the data points.
"head"	The arrow heads are positioned at the data points.

ShowArrowHead — Arrowhead display

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

Arrowhead display, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• 'on' — Display the vectors with arrowheads.

• 'off' — Display the vectors without arrowheads.

MaxHeadSize — Maximum size of arrowhead

0.2 (default) | scalar

Maximum size of arrowhead, specified as a scalar value in units relative to the length of the arrow.

Example: 0.1

Data Types: single | double | int8 | int16 | int32 | int64 | uint8 | uint16 | uint32 | uint64

ScaleFactor — Arrow scale factor

Read-only: scalar

Since R2024a

This property is read-only.

Arrow scale factor, returned as a scalar. MATLAB^® uses this value to scale the arrows in the plot. If the AutoScale property is "off", the value of this property is 1.

The ScaleFactor property is useful for maintaining the scale between the arrows and other graphics objects in the axes. For example, you can position markers at the heads of the arrows.

% Plot three arrows
x = [1 2 3];
y = [0 1.3 1];
u = [1.5 -2 1];
v = [1 1.5 3];
q = quiver(x,y,u,v);
hold on
 
% Place markers at the tips of the arrows
xp = x + q.ScaleFactor*u;
yp = y + q.ScaleFactor*v;
scatter(xp,yp,"*r")

Difference Between ScaleFactor and AutoScaleFactor

Quiver objects have two properties that determine the lengths of the arrows: ScaleFactor and AutoScaleFactor. You can set the AutoScaleFactor value, but it affects the arrow lengths only if the AutoScale property is set to "on". By contrast, the ScaleFactor is a read-only value.

Property	Role in Determining Arrow Lengths
AutoScaleFactor	If the AutoScale property has a value of "on", MATLAB automatically scales the lengths of the arrows to prevent overlap between them. Setting the AutoScaleFactor property applies an additional level of scaling. For example: If AutoScaleFactor is 1, then automatic scaling is unchanged. If AutoScaleFactor is 0.5, then automatic scaling is halved. If AutoScaleFactor is 2, then automatic scaling is doubled.
ScaleFactor	Regardless of the automatic scaling and the value of the AutoScaleFactor property, the ScaleFactor property always returns the actual conversion factor that MATLAB uses to calculate arrow lengths.

AutoScaleFactor — Automatic scale factor

0.9 (default) | scalar

Automatic scale factor, specified as a scalar. The automatic scale factor is a multiplier that adjusts the magnitudes of the arrows if the AutoScale property is "on". For example, a value of 2 doubles the length of the arrows, and a value of 0.5 halves the length of the arrows.

Note

• This property has no effect if the AutoScale property is set to "off".

• Adjusting the AutoScaleFactor property updates the ScaleFactor property.

AutoScale — Use automatic scale factor

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

Use the automatic scale factor to adjust arrow length, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• 'on' — Use the AutoScaleFactor value as a secondary multiplier to scale the arrow lengths to fit within the grid-defined coordinate data and scale arrows so that they do not overlap.

• 'off' — Do not scale the arrow lengths.

AlignVertexCenters — Sharp vertical and horizontal lines

'off' (default) | on/off logical value

Sharp vertical and horizontal lines, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

Value	Description	Appearance
'on'	Sharpen vertical and horizontal lines to eliminate an uneven appearance.
'off'	Do not sharpen vertical or horizontal lines. The lines might appear uneven in thickness or color.

Color and Styling

Color — Arrow color

RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | 'r' | 'g' | 'b' | ...

Arrow color, specified as a three-element RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

• An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

• A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and the hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
"red"	"r"	[1 0 0]	"#FF0000"
"green"	"g"	[0 1 0]	"#00FF00"
"blue"	"b"	[0 0 1]	"#0000FF"
"cyan"	"c"	[0 1 1]	"#00FFFF"
"magenta"	"m"	[1 0 1]	"#FF00FF"
"yellow"	"y"	[1 1 0]	"#FFFF00"
"black"	"k"	[0 0 0]	"#000000"
"white"	"w"	[1 1 1]	"#FFFFFF"
"none"	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

This table lists the default color palettes for plots in the light and dark themes.

Palette	Palette Colors
"gem" — Light theme default Before R2025a: Most plots use these colors by default.
"glow" — Dark theme default

You can get the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for these palettes using the orderedcolors and rgb2hex functions. For example, get the RGB triplets for the "gem" palette and convert them to hexadecimal color codes.

RGB = orderedcolors("gem");
H = rgb2hex(RGB);

Before R2023b: Get the RGB triplets using RGB = get(groot,"FactoryAxesColorOrder").

Before R2024a: Get the hexadecimal color codes using H = compose("#%02X%02X%02X",round(RGB*255)).

Example: 'blue'

Example: [0 0 1]

ColorMode — Control how Color is set

"auto" (default) | "manual"

Control how the Color property is set, specified as one of these values:

• "auto" — MATLAB controls the value of the Color property by using the SeriesIndex property of the Quiver object and the ColorOrder property of the axes.

• "manual" — You set the value of the Color property directly, or indirectly as a function argument when you create the Quiver object.

If you change the value of the Color property manually, MATLAB changes the value of the ColorMode property to "manual".

LineStyle — Style of arrow stem

"-" (default) | "--" | ":" | "-." | "none"

Style of arrow stem, specified as one of the line styles listed in this table.

Line Style	Description	Resulting Line
"-"	Solid line
"--"	Dashed line
":"	Dotted line
"-."	Dash-dotted line
"none"	No line	No line

LineStyleMode — Control how LineStyle is set

"auto" (default) | "manual"

Control how the LineStyle property is set, specified as one of these values:

• "auto" — MATLAB controls the value of the LineStyle property by using the SeriesIndex property of the Quiver object and the LineStyleOrder property of the axes.

• "manual" — You set the value of the LineStyle property directly, or indirectly as a function argument when you create the Quiver object.

If you change the value of the LineStyle property manually, MATLAB changes the value of the LineStyleMode property to "manual".

LineWidth — Width of arrow lines

0.5 (default) | positive value

Width of arrow lines, specified as a positive value in point units. One point equals 1/72 inch. The default value is 0.5 point.

SeriesIndex — Series index

positive whole number (default) | "none"

Series index, specified as a positive whole number or "none". This property is useful for reassigning the colors, line styles, or markers of Quiver objects so that they match other objects.

By default, the SeriesIndex property is a number that corresponds to the order in which the Quiver object was created, starting at 1. MATLAB uses the number to calculate indices for automatically assigning color, line style, or markers when you call plotting functions. The indices refer to the rows of the arrays stored in the ColorOrder and LineStyleOrder properties of the axes. Any objects in the axes that have the same SeriesIndex number also have the same color (and line style and markers, if applicable).

A SeriesIndex value of "none" corresponds to a solid line with a neutral color that does not participate in the indexing scheme.

How Manually Setting Colors, Line Styles, or Markers Overrides SeriesIndex Behavior

To manually control the color, line style, and markers, set the Color, LineStyle, and Marker properties of the Quiver object.

When you manually set these properties of an object, MATLAB disables automatic color, line style, and marker selection for that object and allows your selection to persist, regardless of the value of the SeriesIndex property. The ColorMode, LineStyleMode, and MarkerMode properties indicate whether the colors, line styles, and markers have been set manually (by you) or automatically. For each of these mode properties, a value of "manual" indicates manual selection, and a value of "auto" indicates automatic selection.

To enable automatic selection again, set the ColorMode, LineStyleMode, MarkerMode, or all three properties to "auto", and set the SeriesIndex property to a positive whole number.

In some cases, MATLAB sets the SeriesIndex property to 0, which also disables automatic selection.

Markers

Marker — Marker symbol

"none" (default) | "o" | "+" | "*" | "." | ...

Marker symbol, specified as one of the values listed in this table. By default, the object does not display markers. Specifying a marker symbol adds markers at each data point or vertex.

Marker	Description	Resulting Marker
"o"	Circle
"+"	Plus sign
"*"	Asterisk
"."	Point
"x"	Cross
"_"	Horizontal line
"|"	Vertical line
"square"	Square
"diamond"	Diamond
"^"	Upward-pointing triangle
"v"	Downward-pointing triangle
">"	Right-pointing triangle
"<"	Left-pointing triangle
"pentagram"	Pentagram
"hexagram"	Hexagram
"none"	No markers	Not applicable

MarkerMode — Control how Marker is set

"auto" (default) | "manual"

Control how the Marker property is set, specified as one of these values:

• "auto" — MATLAB controls the value of the object's Marker property by using the SeriesIndex property of the Quiver object and the LineStyleOrder property of the axes.

• "manual" — You set the value of the Marker property directly, or indirectly as a function argument when you create the Quiver object.

If you change the value of the Marker property manually, MATLAB changes the value of the MarkerMode property to "manual".

MarkerSize — Marker size

6 (default) | positive value

Marker size, specified as a positive value in points, where 1 point = 1/72 of an inch.

MarkerEdgeColor — Marker outline color

"auto" (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | "r" | "g" | "b" | ...

Marker outline color, specified as "auto", an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name. The default value of "auto" uses the same color as the Color property.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

• An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

• A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and the hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
"red"	"r"	[1 0 0]	"#FF0000"
"green"	"g"	[0 1 0]	"#00FF00"
"blue"	"b"	[0 0 1]	"#0000FF"
"cyan"	"c"	[0 1 1]	"#00FFFF"
"magenta"	"m"	[1 0 1]	"#FF00FF"
"yellow"	"y"	[1 1 0]	"#FFFF00"
"black"	"k"	[0 0 0]	"#000000"
"white"	"w"	[1 1 1]	"#FFFFFF"
"none"	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

This table lists the default color palettes for plots in the light and dark themes.

Palette	Palette Colors
"gem" — Light theme default Before R2025a: Most plots use these colors by default.
"glow" — Dark theme default

You can get the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for these palettes using the orderedcolors and rgb2hex functions. For example, get the RGB triplets for the "gem" palette and convert them to hexadecimal color codes.

RGB = orderedcolors("gem");
H = rgb2hex(RGB);

Before R2023b: Get the RGB triplets using RGB = get(groot,"FactoryAxesColorOrder").

Before R2024a: Get the hexadecimal color codes using H = compose("#%02X%02X%02X",round(RGB*255)).

MarkerFaceColor — Marker fill color

"none" (default) | "auto" | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | "r" | "g" | "b" | ...

Marker fill color, specified as "auto", an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name. The "auto" option uses the same color as the Color property of the parent axes. If you specify "auto" and the axes plot box is invisible, the marker fill color is the color of the figure.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

• An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

• A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and the hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
"red"	"r"	[1 0 0]	"#FF0000"
"green"	"g"	[0 1 0]	"#00FF00"
"blue"	"b"	[0 0 1]	"#0000FF"
"cyan"	"c"	[0 1 1]	"#00FFFF"
"magenta"	"m"	[1 0 1]	"#FF00FF"
"yellow"	"y"	[1 1 0]	"#FFFF00"
"black"	"k"	[0 0 0]	"#000000"
"white"	"w"	[1 1 1]	"#FFFFFF"
"none"	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

This table lists the default color palettes for plots in the light and dark themes.

Palette	Palette Colors
"gem" — Light theme default Before R2025a: Most plots use these colors by default.
"glow" — Dark theme default

You can get the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for these palettes using the orderedcolors and rgb2hex functions. For example, get the RGB triplets for the "gem" palette and convert them to hexadecimal color codes.

RGB = orderedcolors("gem");
H = rgb2hex(RGB);

Before R2023b: Get the RGB triplets using RGB = get(groot,"FactoryAxesColorOrder").

Before R2024a: Get the hexadecimal color codes using H = compose("#%02X%02X%02X",round(RGB*255)).

Data

UData — Vector lengths in x-direction

vector | matrix

Vector lengths in x-direction, specified as a vector or a matrix. The UData, VData, and WData properties together specify the components of the vectors displayed as arrows in the quiver chart.

Example: 1:10

UDataSource — Variable linked to UData

'' (default) | character vector | string

Variable linked to UData, specified as a character vector or string containing a MATLAB workspace variable name. MATLAB evaluates the variable in the base workspace to generate the UData.

By default, there is no linked variable so the value is an empty character vector, ''. If you link a variable, MATLAB does not update the UData values immediately. To force an update of the data values, use the refreshdata function.

Note

If you change one data source property to a variable that contains data of a different dimension, you might cause the function to generate a warning and not render the graph until you have changed all data source properties to appropriate values.

VData — Vector lengths in y-direction

vector | matrix

Vector lengths in y-direction, specified as a vector or a matrix. The UData, VData, and WData properties together specify the components of the vectors displayed as arrows in the quiver chart.

Example: 1:10

VDataSource — Variable linked to VData

'' (default) | character vector | string

Variable linked to VData, specified as a character vector or string containing a MATLAB workspace variable name. MATLAB evaluates the variable in the base workspace to generate the VData.

By default, there is no linked variable so the value is an character vector, ''. If you link a variable, MATLAB does not update the VData values immediately. To force an update of the data values, use the refreshdata function.

Note

If you change one data source property to a variable that contains data of a different dimension, you might cause the function to generate a warning and not render the graph until you have changed all data source properties to appropriate values.

WData — Vector lengths in z-direction

vector | matrix

Vector lengths in z-direction, specified as a vector or a matrix. The UData, VData, and WData properties together specify the components of the vectors displayed as arrows in the quiver chart. For 2-D quiver charts, WData is an empty array.

Example: 1:10

WDataSource — Variable linked to WData

'' (default) | character vector | string

Variable linked to WData, specified as a character vector or string containing a MATLAB workspace variable name. MATLAB evaluates the variable in the base workspace to generate the WData.

By default, there is no linked variable so the value is an empty character vector, ''. If you link a variable, MATLAB does not update the WData values immediately. To force an update of the data values, use the refreshdata function.

Note

If you change one data source property to a variable that contains data of a different dimension, you might cause the function to generate a warning and not render the graph until you have changed all data source properties to appropriate values.

XData — x-coordinates

vector | matrix

x-coordinates, specified as a vector or matrix. The input argument X to the quiver function determines the x-coordinates. If you do not specify X, then quiver uses the indices of UData as the x-coordinates. XData must be equal in size to YData.

Setting this property sets the associated mode property to manual mode.

Example: 1:10

XDataMode — Selection mode for XData

'auto' | 'manual'

Selection mode for XData, specified as one of these values:

• 'auto' — Automatically select the values.

• 'manual' — Use manually specified values. To specify the values, set the XData property or use the input argument X to the function.

XDataSource — Variable linked to XData

'' (default) | character vector | string

Variable linked to XData, specified as a character vector or string containing a MATLAB workspace variable name. MATLAB evaluates the variable in the base workspace to generate the XData.

By default, there is no linked variable so the value is an empty character vector, ''. If you link a variable, then MATLAB does not update the XData values immediately. To force an update of the data values, use the refreshdata function.

Note

If you change one data source property to a variable that contains data of a different dimension, you might cause the function to generate a warning and not render the graph until you have changed all data source properties to appropriate values.

Example: 'x'

YData — y-coordinates

vector | matrix

y-coordinates, specified as a vector or matrix. The input argument Y to the quiver function determines the y-coordinates. If you do not specify Y, then quiver uses the indices of VData as the y-coordinates. YData must be equal in size to XData.

Setting this property sets the associated mode property to manual mode.

Example: 1:10

YDataMode — Selection mode for YData

'auto' | 'manual'

Selection mode for YData, specified as one of these values:

• 'auto' — Automatically select the values.

• 'manual' — Use manually specified values. To specify the values, set the YData property or use the input argument Y to the function.

YDataSource — Variable linked to YData

'' (default) | character vector | string

Variable linked to YData, specified as a character vector or string containing a MATLAB workspace variable name. MATLAB evaluates the variable in the base workspace to generate the YData.

By default, there is no linked variable so the value is an empty character vector, ''. If you link a variable, then MATLAB does not update the YData values immediately. To force an update of the data values, use the refreshdata function.

Note

If you change one data source property to a variable that contains data of a different dimension, you might cause the function to generate a warning and not render the graph until you have changed all data source properties to appropriate values.

Example: 'y'

ZData — z-coordinates

vector | matrix

z-coordinates, specified as a vector or matrix. The input argument Z to the quiver3 function determines the z-coordinates. For 2-D quiver charts, ZData is an empty array. For 3-D quiver charts, ZData must be equal in size to XData and YData.

Example: 1:10

ZDataSource — Variable linked to ZData

'' (default) | character vector | string

Variable linked to ZData, specified as a character vector or string containing a MATLAB workspace variable name. MATLAB evaluates the variable in the base workspace to generate the ZData.

By default, there is no linked variable so the value is an empty character vector, ''. If you link a variable, then MATLAB does not update the ZData values immediately. To force an update of the data values, use the refreshdata function.

Note

If you change one data source property to a variable that contains data of a different dimension, you might cause the function to generate a warning and not render the graph until you have changed all data source properties to appropriate values.

Example: 'z'

Legend

DisplayName — Legend label

'' (default) | character vector | string scalar

Legend label, specified as a character vector or string scalar. The legend does not display until you call the legend command. If you do not specify the text, then legend sets the label using the form 'dataN'.

Annotation — Include object in legend

Annotation object

Include the object in the legend, specified as an Annotation object. Set the underlying IconDisplayStyle property of the Annotation object to one of these values:

• "on" — Include the object in the legend (default).

• "off" — Do not include the object in the legend.

For example, to exclude the Quiver object named obj from the legend, set the IconDisplayStyle property to "off".

obj.Annotation.LegendInformation.IconDisplayStyle = "off";

Alternatively, you can control the items in a legend using the legend function. Specify the first input argument as a vector of the graphics objects to include. If you do not specify an existing graphics object in the first input argument, then it does not appear in the legend. However, graphics objects added to the axes after the legend is created do appear in the legend. Consider creating the legend after creating all the plots to avoid extra items.

Interactivity

Visible — State of visibility

"on" (default) | on/off logical value

State of visibility, specified as "on" or "off", or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of "on" is equivalent to true, and "off" is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• "on" — Display the object.

• "off" — Hide the object without deleting it. You still can access the properties of an invisible object.

DataTipTemplate — Data tip content

DataTipTemplate object

Data tip content, specified as a DataTipTemplate object. You can control the content that appears in a data tip by modifying the properties of the underlying DataTipTemplate object. For a list of properties, see DataTipTemplate Properties.

For an example of modifying data tips, see Create Custom Data Tips.

Note

The DataTipTemplate object is not returned by findobj or findall, and it is not copied by copyobj.

ContextMenu — Context menu

empty GraphicsPlaceholder array (default) | ContextMenu object

Context menu, specified as a ContextMenu object. Use this property to display a context menu when you right-click the object. Create the context menu using the uicontextmenu function.

Note

If the PickableParts property is set to 'none' or if the HitTest property is set to 'off', then the context menu does not appear.

Selected — Selection state

'off' (default) | on/off logical value

Selection state, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• 'on' — Selected. If you click the object when in plot edit mode, then MATLAB sets its Selected property to 'on'. If the SelectionHighlight property also is set to 'on', then MATLAB displays selection handles around the object.

• 'off' — Not selected.

SelectionHighlight — Display of selection handles

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

Display of selection handles when selected, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• 'on' — Display selection handles when the Selected property is set to 'on'.

• 'off' — Never display selection handles, even when the Selected property is set to 'on'.

Clipping — Clipping of object to axes limits

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

Clipping of the object to the axes limits, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• A value of 'on' clips parts of the object that are outside the axes limits.

• A value of 'off' displays the entire object, even if parts of it appear outside the axes limits. Parts of the object might appear outside the axes limits if you create a plot, set hold on, freeze the axis scaling, and then create the object so that it is larger than the original plot.

The Clipping property of the axes that contains the object must be set to 'on'. Otherwise, this property has no effect. For more information about the clipping behavior, see the Clipping property of the axes.

Callbacks

ButtonDownFcn — Mouse-click callback

'' (default) | function handle | cell array | character vector

Mouse-click callback, specified as one of these values:

• Function handle

• Cell array containing a function handle and additional arguments

• Character vector that is a valid MATLAB command or function, which is evaluated in the base workspace (not recommended)

Use this property to execute code when you click the object. If you specify this property using a function handle, then MATLAB passes two arguments to the callback function when executing the callback:

• Clicked object — Access properties of the clicked object from within the callback function.

• Event data — Empty argument. Replace it with the tilde character (~) in the function definition to indicate that this argument is not used.

For more information on how to use function handles to define callback functions, see Create Callbacks for Graphics Objects.

Note

If the PickableParts property is set to 'none' or if the HitTest property is set to 'off', then this callback does not execute.

CreateFcn — Creation function

'' (default) | function handle | cell array | character vector

Object creation function, specified as one of these values:

• Function handle.

• Cell array in which the first element is a function handle. Subsequent elements in the cell array are the arguments to pass to the callback function.

• Character vector containing a valid MATLAB expression (not recommended). MATLAB evaluates this expression in the base workspace.

For more information about specifying a callback as a function handle, cell array, or character vector, see Create Callbacks for Graphics Objects.

This property specifies a callback function to execute when MATLAB creates the object. MATLAB initializes all property values before executing the CreateFcn callback. If you do not specify the CreateFcn property, then MATLAB executes a default creation function.

Setting the CreateFcn property on an existing component has no effect.

If you specify this property as a function handle or cell array, you can access the object that is being created using the first argument of the callback function. Otherwise, use the gcbo function to access the object.

DeleteFcn — Deletion function

'' (default) | function handle | cell array | character vector

Object deletion function, specified as one of these values:

• Function handle.

• Cell array in which the first element is a function handle. Subsequent elements in the cell array are the arguments to pass to the callback function.

• Character vector containing a valid MATLAB expression (not recommended). MATLAB evaluates this expression in the base workspace.

For more information about specifying a callback as a function handle, cell array, or character vector, see Create Callbacks for Graphics Objects.

This property specifies a callback function to execute when MATLAB deletes the object. MATLAB executes the DeleteFcn callback before destroying the properties of the object. If you do not specify the DeleteFcn property, then MATLAB executes a default deletion function.

If you specify this property as a function handle or cell array, you can access the object that is being deleted using the first argument of the callback function. Otherwise, use the gcbo function to access the object.

Callback Execution Control

Interruptible — Callback interruption

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

Callback interruption, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

This property determines if a running callback can be interrupted. There are two callback states to consider:

• The running callback is the currently executing callback.

• The interrupting callback is a callback that tries to interrupt the running callback.

MATLAB determines callback interruption behavior whenever it executes a command that processes the callback queue. These commands include drawnow, figure, uifigure, getframe, waitfor, and pause.

If the running callback does not contain one of these commands, then no interruption occurs. MATLAB first finishes executing the running callback, and later executes the interrupting callback.

If the running callback does contain one of these commands, then the Interruptible property of the object that owns the running callback determines if the interruption occurs:

• If the value of Interruptible is 'off', then no interruption occurs. Instead, the BusyAction property of the object that owns the interrupting callback determines if the interrupting callback is discarded or added to the callback queue.

• If the value of Interruptible is 'on', then the interruption occurs. The next time MATLAB processes the callback queue, it stops the execution of the running callback and executes the interrupting callback. After the interrupting callback completes, MATLAB then resumes executing the running callback.

Note

Callback interruption and execution behave differently in these situations:

• If the interrupting callback is a DeleteFcn, CloseRequestFcn, or SizeChangedFcn callback, then the interruption occurs regardless of the Interruptible property value.

• If the running callback is currently executing the waitfor function, then the interruption occurs regardless of the Interruptible property value.

• If the interrupting callback is owned by a Timer object, then the callback executes according to schedule regardless of the Interruptible property value.

Note

When an interruption occurs, MATLAB does not save the state of properties or the display. For example, the object returned by the gca or gcf command might change when another callback executes.

BusyAction — Callback queuing

'queue' (default) | 'cancel'

Callback queuing, specified as 'queue' or 'cancel'. The BusyAction property determines how MATLAB handles the execution of interrupting callbacks. There are two callback states to consider:

• The running callback is the currently executing callback.

• The interrupting callback is a callback that tries to interrupt the running callback.

The BusyAction property determines callback queuing behavior only when both of these conditions are met:

• The running callback contains a command that processes the callback queue, such as drawnow, figure, uifigure, getframe, waitfor, or pause.

• The value of the Interruptible property of the object that owns the running callback is 'off'.

Under these conditions, the BusyAction property of the object that owns the interrupting callback determines how MATLAB handles the interrupting callback. These are possible values of the BusyAction property:

• 'queue' — Puts the interrupting callback in a queue to be processed after the running callback finishes execution.

• 'cancel' — Does not execute the interrupting callback.

PickableParts — Ability to capture mouse clicks

'visible' (default) | 'none'

Ability to capture mouse clicks, specified as one of these values:

• 'visible' — Capture mouse clicks when visible. The Visible property must be set to 'on' and you must click a part of the Quiver object that has a defined color. You cannot click a part that has an associated color property set to 'none'. If the plot contains markers, then the entire marker is clickable if either the edge or the fill has a defined color. The HitTest property determines if the Quiver object responds to the click or if an ancestor does.

• 'none' — Cannot capture mouse clicks. Clicking the Quiver object passes the click to the object below it in the current view of the figure window. The HitTest property of the Quiver object has no effect.

HitTest — Response to captured mouse clicks

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

Response to captured mouse clicks, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• 'on' — Trigger the ButtonDownFcn callback of the Quiver object. If you have defined the ContextMenu property, then invoke the context menu.

• 'off' — Trigger the callbacks for the nearest ancestor of the Quiver object that meets one of these conditions:

  • HitTest property is set to 'on'.

  • PickableParts property is set to a value that enables the ancestor to capture mouse clicks.

Note

The PickableParts property determines if the Quiver object can capture mouse clicks. If it cannot, then the HitTest property has no effect.

BeingDeleted — Deletion status

Read-only: on/off logical value

This property is read-only.

Deletion status, returned as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

MATLAB sets the BeingDeleted property to 'on' when the DeleteFcn callback begins execution. The BeingDeleted property remains set to 'on' until the component object no longer exists.

Check the value of the BeingDeleted property to verify that the object is not about to be deleted before querying or modifying it.

Parent/Child

Parent — Parent

Axes object | Group object | Transform object

Parent, specified as an Axes, Group, or Transform object.

Children — Children

empty GraphicsPlaceholder array | DataTip object array

Children, returned as an empty GraphicsPlaceholder array or a DataTip object array. Use this property to view a list of data tips that are plotted on the chart.

You cannot add or remove children using the Children property. To add a child to this list, set the Parent property of the DataTip object to the chart object.

HandleVisibility — Visibility of object handle

"on" (default) | "off" | "callback"

Visibility of the object handle in the Children property of the parent, specified as one of these values:

• "on" — Object handle is always visible.

• "off" — Object handle is invisible at all times. This option is useful for preventing unintended changes by another function. Set HandleVisibility to "off" to temporarily hide the handle during the execution of that function.

• "callback" — Object handle is visible from within callbacks or functions invoked by callbacks, but not from within functions invoked from the command line. This option blocks access to the object at the command line, but permits callback functions to access it.

If the object is not listed in the Children property of the parent, then functions that obtain object handles by searching the object hierarchy or querying handle properties cannot return it. Examples of such functions include the get, findobj, gca, gcf, gco, newplot, cla, clf, and close functions.

Hidden object handles are still valid. Set the root ShowHiddenHandles property to "on" to list all object handles regardless of their HandleVisibility property setting.

Identifiers

Type — Type of graphics object

Read-only: 'quiver'

This property is read-only.

Type of graphics object, returned as 'quiver'. Use this property to find all objects of a given type within a plotting hierarchy, such as searching for the type using findobj.

Tag — Object identifier

'' (default) | character vector | string scalar

Object identifier, specified as a character vector or string scalar. You can specify a unique Tag value to serve as an identifier for an object. When you need access to the object elsewhere in your code, you can use the findobj function to search for the object based on the Tag value.

UserData — User data

[] (default) | array

User data, specified as any MATLAB array. For example, you can specify a scalar, vector, matrix, cell array, character array, table, or structure. Use this property to store arbitrary data on an object.

If you are working in App Designer, create public or private properties in the app to share data instead of using the UserData property. For more information, see Share Data Within App Designer Apps.

Version History

Introduced before R2006a

R2024a: Calculate arrow lengths using ScaleFactor property

Query the ScaleFactor property of a quiver plot to access the value that MATLAB uses to scale the lengths of the arrows.

R2023b: Opt out of automatic color and line style selection with SeriesIndex="none"

Opt out of automatic color and line style selection for Quiver objects by setting the SeriesIndex property to "none". When you specify "none", the Quiver object has a solid line style and a neutral color with no markers.

To enable automatic selection again, set the SeriesIndex property to a positive whole number.

R2022a: Control alignment of arrows and data points with the Alignment property

Set the Alignment property of a Quiver object to control how the arrows align with the data points.

R2020a: Control automatic color and line style selection with the SeriesIndex property

Set the SeriesIndex property of any Quiver object to control how the objects vary in color, line style, and marker symbol. Changing the value of this property is useful when you want to match the colors, line styles, and markers of different objects in the axes.

R2020a: UIContextMenu property is not recommended

Setting or getting UIContextMenu property is not recommended. Instead, use the ContextMenu property, which accepts the same type of input and behaves the same way as the UIContextMenu property.

There are no plans to remove the UIContextMenu property, but it is no longer listed when you call the set, get, or properties functions on the Quiver object.