why can't I use uitable to display a table on a figure?

I want to show the parameters of a matlab system object within a figure.

I use get to return the parameters as a struct

I use struct2table to convert it to a table

I use uitable to display the table and get

Warning: This implementation of uitable is no longer supported and will be removed in a future release.

See the documentation for correct uitable usage:

help uitable and doc uitable

Warning: This implementation of uitable is no longer supported and will be removed in a future release.

> In uitable_deprecated

So now I understand that it's deprecated. I'm directed to the help documentation but the documentation does not to help

So I use cell2mat to get an array of values

I write a few lines of matlab to get an array of strings

I use table to create a table from the two arrays

I use uitable on this table and I get

Error using uitable

Functionality not supported with figures created with the figure function.

Error in uitable (line 54)

thandle = builtin('uitable', varargin{:});

I give up

[dale finney]

I point out that the error message says 'not supported with figures created with the figure function'

The help documentations says

'uit = uitable creates a table UI component in the current figure and returns the Table UI component object. If there is no figure available, MATLAB® calls the figure function to create one.'

what am I missing?

[Voss]

You describe trying a couple of different things, but each one ultimately tries to use a table array (i.e., a table variable, such as those produced by the table function or the struct2table function) as the uitable's Data, which is not supported for uitables in figures created with the figure function. See my answer for examples of using other classes of variables as uitable Data in figures created with the figure function.

Answer 1

[Voss]

A uitable's Data cannot be a table variable if the uitable is in a figure created with the figure function. See the description under Data here:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/matlab.ui.control.table-properties.html#bvboy7l-1_sep_bvboy7l-1-Data

• Table array (uifigure-based apps only) — Displays any combination of data types that table arrays support, such as datetime, duration, and categorical.
• Numeric array — Displays numeric values such as double or single.
• Logical array — Displays check boxes. true values correspond to selected boxes, whereas false values display cleared boxes.
• Cell array — Displays any combination of numeric, logical, or character array values.
• String array — Displays characters and text.
• Cell array of character vectors — Displays characters and text.

Every class listed there besides "table array" is (supposedly) supported in uitables in figures created by the figure function, so you'll have to choose one of those. (Actually, I find that using a string array gives the same error that using a table array does.)

Examples:

data = rand(4,3); % numeric array
figure('Position',[10 10 300 100])
t = uitable('Position',[1 1 300 100],'Data',data);

data = [false, false; true, false; true true]; % logical array
figure('Position',[10 10 300 100])
t = uitable('Position',[1 1 300 100],'Data',data);

data = {1.2,true,'c';3.4,false,'f'}; % cell array
figure('Position',[10 10 300 100])
t = uitable('Position',[1 1 300 100],'Data',data);

data = {'a','bb','ccc';'dddd','eeeee','ffffff'}; % cell array of character vectors
figure('Position',[10 10 300 100])
t = uitable('Position',[1 1 300 100],'Data',data);

try
    data = ["a","b","c";"d","e","f"]; % string array (doesn't work)
    figure('Position',[10 10 300 100])
    t = uitable('Position',[1 1 300 100],'Data',data);
catch e
    disp(e.message);
end

Functionality not supported with figures created with the figure function.

try
    data = table([1;2;3],["a";"b";"c"],[true;false;true]); % table array (doesn't work)
    figure('Position',[10 10 300 100])
    t = uitable('Position',[1 1 300 100],'Data',data);
catch e
    disp(e.message);
end

Functionality not supported with figures created with the figure function.

[dale finney]

OK evidently uitable only works with figures created with the uifigure function?

[Voss]

No. uitable works for figures created with the figure function or the uifigure function. However, a uitable's Data property has constraints when the uitable is in a figure created with the figure function. Those constraints are apparently that the Data cannot be a table array (i.e., a table variable), which is documented, and that the Data cannot be a string array (which may be undocumented).

My answer shows four figures (created with the figure function), each containing a uitable. One uitable has Data that is a numeric array, one has logical array Data, and the other two have cell array Data (one is a cell array of character vectors, and one is a cell array containing mixed data types).

[dale finney]

thank you!

[Voss]

You're welcome!