Find custom graphics control object from graphics handle

I am trying to implement a controller family, managing gui interaction. My class should replace the standard m-file created when using guide.

Currently the controller class is very simple:

classdef Figure < handle
    %FIGURE Summary of this class goes here
    %   Detailed explanation goes here

      properties
          gfx
      end

      methods
          function obj = Figure()
              % create new figure
              obj.gfx = matlab.ui.Figure();
          end
      end

end

I would now like to add other elements to my figure. Matlab graphics therefore implements a composite pattern which enables adding or removing other matlab.ui elements in a simple fashion, i.e. each element has "Parent" and "Children" references. Moreover this enables travelling up and down the tree representing the structure of the graphical user interface.

At some point I might like to find my corresponding customized controller object. But since the composite is located in matlab.ui, this is not directly accessible.

What is the best solution to achieve this?

Thanks, Daniel

[Adam]

I don't really understand the question here. What is your 'customized controller object'? And where is it supposed to be stored? I'm not sure what component you are referring to by "the composite is located in matlab.ui".

[Darim]

Adam, thanks for the quick reply! Maybe my description is a little bit confusing, sorry. Please let me add some code.

I enhanced my controller class:

classdef Figure < handle
    %FIGURE Summary of this class goes here
    %   Detailed explanation goes here

      properties
          gfx
      end

      methods
          function obj = Figure()
              % create new figure
              obj.gfx = matlab.ui.Figure();
              % add callback to figure
              set(obj.gfx, 'ButtonDownFcn', @obj.atButtonDown);
              set(obj.gfx, 'DeleteFcn', @obj.atDelete);
          end
      end

      methods
          function delete(obj)
              disp('Controller deleted')
          end
      end

      methods
          function atButtonDown(obj, src, evnt)
              disp('Hello')
          end
          function atDelete(obj, src, evnt)
              delete(obj);
          end
      end

end

I create a new figure:

Figure();

I store the figure:

savefig('f')

I close and clear everything:

close all
clear all

I reload the figure:

openfig('f.fig')

Then I click in the figure, which executes the callback. Obviously Matlab has restored the controller attached to the callbacks. This is nice. But I'd like to acces the controller object or even all controller objects in the subtree of the matlab.ui, i.e. all Children controller (i.e. the composite in Matlab graphics object's property "Children"). I even cannot get the controller of the figure. I hope this is more clear now. Can you give a hint?

Thanks, Daniel

[Adam]

If you use savefig and openfig all you are saving and loading is the Matlab figure and its contents. The object of your 'Figure' class is not saved or reloaded at all.

To do this you would need to save it as a .mat file not saving the current figure.

I still don't understand what you define as a 'controller' though. Do you just mean the graphics object? I have various classes containing the word controller, but they contain many functions that I have written that act on figures and their components so the terminology is confusing to me in your case.

If you are referring to your Figure class as the controller then I'm not sure what you mean by 'all controller objects in the subtree' as you only have the one controller, which is your 'Figure' object.

You can access child objects via the usual method of

gfx.Children

and then onwards down the tree from there.

Answer 1

[Steven Lord]

It sounds like you may be trying to do the same type of thing App Designer is doing. You may want to see if that satisfies your needs (or comes close enough that you can use the code it creates as a starting point.)