graphical Output to Notebook

A Matlab function analyses individual objects within two-dimensional images. Each object is analysed and 4 separate graphical windows are generated. Running this function from the Matlab window produces all the figures visibly on the screen. The analysis is paused between each individual object optionally. The figures are then redrawn. On termination these figures are all visible.

When using the Matlab notebook facility, all works well and the text output is a visible as you would expect. However the only graphical output that is visible is the final figure and none of the other intermediate ones.

Is there anyway to force each individual figure onto the notebook stack? I really do need to see each of these figures that is generated.

Answer 1

[Prateekshya]

Hello Craig,

When using MATLAB in a notebook environment or when generating multiple figures in a script, you might encounter situations where only the last figure is displayed. This is because notebooks typically show only the final output of a cell unless instructed otherwise. To ensure that each figure is displayed, you can explicitly force the display of each figure. Here are a few strategies you can use to achieve this:

• Use drawnow: Insert drawnow after each figure creation to force MATLAB to render the figure immediately.
• Use pause: Use pause to halt execution temporarily, allowing you to view each figure before proceeding. This is especially useful if you have a pause mechanism in your script already.
• Use figure Command: Explicitly call `figure` with a specific number to ensure each figure is treated as a separate entity.

Here is a sample code for the same:

function analyzeObjects(images)
    for i = 1:length(images)
        % Analyze each object and generate figures
        figure(i); % Ensure each figure is a separate window
        imshow(images{i}); % Display the image (replace with actual analysis visualization)
        title(sprintf('Analysis of Object %d', i));
        
        % Force the figure to render
        drawnow;
        
        % Optional pause for viewing
        pause(1); % Pause for 1 second or use input('Press Enter to continue') for manual control
    end
end

I hope this helps!