Matlab App Designer - Press one button, then wait for the user to press another button, and get the name of the button pressed.

I would like to have the user select a button, then select another button to "link" the two buttons together. To do this, my plan was: once the first button is pushed, blink a lamp showing the program is waiting for another input, and then read the name/identifier of the next button that the user clicks on. I am unsure on how to do this, any advice would be much appriciated. Thanks

[Kevin Holly]

How did you want to link the two buttons? Will they share the same callback function once linked? Will they visibly be linked?

[Rik]

It is probably a good idea to have a sketch of your GUI (or a screenshot), along with what you have already tried.

Answer 1

[Divyanshu]

Hi Bertie,

Here are few assumptions based on the description provided:

• Linking two buttons is not physically linking instead it is a series of events getting linked.
• And the app should indicate to the user that the app is waiting for another button to be pushed, after the first one is clicked.

Based on these, here is a sample application:

methods (Access = private)
    % Code that executes after component creation
    function SettingUpFlag(app)
        app.Btn1PushedFlag = 0;
    end

    % Button pushed function: Button1
    function Btn1Pushed(app, event)
        app.Btn1PushedFlag = 1;
        app.MessageEditField.Value = "Waiting for other button to be pushed";
        app.ButtonPressedEditField.Value = "";
    end

    % Button pushed function: Button2
    function Btn2Pushed(app, event)
        if app.Btn1PushedFlag == 1
            app.ButtonPressedEditField.Value = "Button2 is pushed";
            app.MessageEditField.Value = "";
            app.Btn1PushedFlag = 0;
        else
            app.ButtonPressedEditField.Value = "";
        end
    end

    % Button pushed function: Button3
    function Btn3Pushed(app, event)
        if app.Btn1PushedFlag == 1
            app.ButtonPressedEditField.Value = "Button3 is pushed";
            app.MessageEditField.Value = "";
            app.Btn1PushedFlag = 0;
        else
            app.ButtonPressedEditField.Value = "";
        end
    end
end

Please refer the following documentation for better understanding about ‘startupFcn’ callback:

Startup Tasks and Input Arguments in App Designer - MATLAB & Simulink (mathworks.com)