How to create GUI's in MatLAB

Rigo Dicochea
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Introduction

Graphical User Interface (GUI) MatLab provides Graphical User Interface Development Environment(GUIDE) A MatLab tool used to create GUIs Decide between using GUIDE or writing the code from scratch GUIs give the user a simplified experience running a program Associates a function(s) with components of the GUI
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Graphical User Interface

GUI should be consistent and easily understood. Provide the user with the ability to use a program without having to worry about commands to run the actual program Possible components of a GUI
Pushbuttons Sliders List boxes Menus.etc
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Sample GUI

3 Essential Characteristics

Components
Graphical Components

pushbuttons, edit boxes, sliders, labels, menus, etc Frames, text strings,

Static Components

Both are created using the function uicontrol

Figures components are contained in figures Callbacks The functions which perform the required action when a component is pushed
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GUIDE Properties

Allows the user to drag and drop components that he/she wants in the layout area of the GUI All guide GUIs start with an opening function
Callback is performed before user has access to GUI

Saving automatically generates an .m file and .fig file .fig contains the binary GUI layout and .m contains the code that controls the GUI

Assessing the Value of Your GUI

Ask yourself two basic questions when designing your GUI.

Do the users always know where they are? Do they always know where to go next?

Constantly answering these two questions will help you keep in perspective the goal of your GUI.
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Callback Editor
The meat of the GUI process Opening function is first callback in every guide generated GUI Usually used to generate data used in GUI Callbacks define what will happen when a figure component is selected Must write CODE!!!!

GUI EXAMPLE

Utilize functions
Surf, Mesh, Contour

Types of plots performed on data in example peaks is a function of two variables, obtained by translating and scaling Gaussian distributions

Peaks

Membrane Sinc

sinc computes the sinc function of an input vector or array, where the sinc function is
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Summary

At command prompt type guide After laying out your GUI in the layour editor Define data in Opening Function Edit/Align your components using
Tools Menu

Align Property Inspector

View menu

Write the Callbacks

This is the most difficult aspect when creating GUIs
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Where to Get More Information

http://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab/ www.google.com http://www.mathworks.com/access/helpdesk/help /techdoc/ref/peaks.html http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileex change/loadFile.do?objectId=5439&objectType= file http://www.mathworks.com/access/helpdesk/help /techdoc/creating_guis/creating_guis.html?BB=1 Daniel Keller thanks for taking time to help!
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