Give Focus to GUI Window

Hi everybody,

I have programmed a function that starts off with a set of instructions on a GUI, and the user clicks a button to indicate they've read the instructions. After they click the button, the Matlab command line interface comes up asking them to type in their name. After they type in their name and hit enter, I want the GUI to pop back into view instead of having to manually bring up the window. Is there some sort of focus property that I can set to bring the focus back to the GUI window?

Jeff

Answer 1

[Paulo Silva]

figure(FigHandle) %FigHandle is the handle for the GUI figure

[Jeff]

figure(hObject) generates the error:

"Requested figure handle in use by another object"

This line of code is executed inside a separate function which is called by a callback function (a button callback function which responds to the user indicating they've read the instructions) in the GUI function. I should note that hObject and handles are both passed into the separate function.

[Petr Kryze]

In MATLAB apps:

figure(app.UIFigure)

placed directly after the line that defocuses the App window.

Answer 2

[Jan]

Unfortunately "figure(FigHandle)" does not work reliably in opposite to the documentation. E.g. a pressed button can keep the keyboard focus. Therefore I've added this code to all callback of my buttons:

set(ButtonH, 'Enable', 'off');
drawnow;
set(ButtonH, 'Enable', 'on');

Then the figure gets the focus. Another solution is the FEX: WindowAPI, which allows to move the focus also.

[Sean de Wolski]

++ THAT IS GENIUS!!

(sorry for the scream, I've been looking for a solution to that for quite some time)

[Jan]

See also: http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/newsreader/view_thread/235825 and http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/555-controlling-background-color-of-selected-uicontrol-popup .

[Charles]

Jan:

5 years later, and this helped me. Thanks!

[Jenny Lu]

Thank you! A solution to my problems for quite some time.

[Kris Hoffman]

I'm using the arrow keys to visually tally events in a video (in lieu of some computer vision algorithm later).

I got it to switch focus away from the button, but to where? Right now I STILL have to click some blank space in a panel or elswhere to begin using the keyboard.

Answer 3

[Jeff]

figure(FigHandle) was the correct approach, where FigHandle is the title of your figure.

Answer 4

[claudio]

You can access directly to java handle and set focus request

% warning off MATLAB:HandleGraphics:ObsoletedProperty:JavaFrame
jFig = get(hFig,'JavaFrame');
jFig.requestFocus

In this way you have not to force enable property of your uicontrols

[Mohammad Askari]

Superb! This is much faster than using drawnow. Thanks.

[Christoph]

With 2017b this does not work for me, furthermore I get this warning:

Warning: figure JavaFrame property will be obsoleted in a future release. For more information see the JavaFrame resource on the MathWorks web site. 

https://de.mathworks.com/products/matlab/app-designer/java-swing-alternatives.html?s_tid=OIT_20611

In my case

figure(FigHandle)

did the job.

Answer 5

[Bernard]

figure(app.UIFigure) works from within an app function for me.

I have to use this often when calling uigetfile because after selecting a file, the focus does not return to the app even though that was the previously active window.

[Petr Kryze]

I can confirm this works perfectly in MATLAB apps as of July 2023. Just put the

figure(app.UIFigure)

line directly after the command that defocuses the app window (uigetfile and such).