Grouping Figures separately into windows and tabs

I have 4 plots to make, of vectors y1, y2, y3 and y4, all as a function of a vector x. I would like the first two plots to be grouped as tabs within a single Figure window, and the next two plots also grouped as tabs but in a separate window.

I tried this code:

figure
set(0,'DefaultFigureWindowStyle','docked')
plot(x,y1)
plot(x,y2)
figure
set(0,'DefaultFigureWindowStyle','normal')
plot(x,y3)
set(0,'DefaultFigureWindowStyle','docked')
plot(x,y4)

..but once tab grouping is re-enabled, plots are just added as new tabs appended to the old window rather than in a new window.

I played around with the order of the commands above but it didnt help. If anything, I only managed to get one of the plots overwritten in the same window. Please note i don't want any of the graphs to overlap, therefore "hold on" would not help.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Jim Hokanson]

My understanding is that Matlab, by default, only has one docked figure group. A solution to this problem most likely could be achieved by using https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/16650-setfigdockgroup That code allows creation of new docked figure group but involves some undocumented Matlab functionality.

[Ajay krishna Vasanthakumar]

Hello can someone help how to change the tab position from top to left programtically in the docked figures

[Mojgan Vaziri]

@Ajay krishna Vasanthakumar I also wonder that. Do you have an answer to that question by now?

Answer 1

[Jan]

You can create a window, which contains several docked figures:

desktop = com.mathworks.mde.desk.MLDesktop.getInstance;
myGroup = desktop.addGroup('myGroup');
desktop.setGroupDocked('myGroup', 0);
myDim   = java.awt.Dimension(4, 2);   % 4 columns, 2 rows
% 1: Maximized, 2: Tiled, 3: Floating
desktop.setDocumentArrangement('myGroup', 2, myDim)
figH    = gobjects(1, 8);
bakWarn = warning('off','MATLAB:HandleGraphics:ObsoletedProperty:JavaFrame');
for iFig = 1:8
   figH(iFig) = figure('WindowStyle', 'docked', ...
      'Name', sprintf('Figure %d', iFig), 'NumberTitle', 'off');
   drawnow;
   pause(0.02);  % Magic, reduces rendering errors
   set(get(handle(figH(iFig)), 'javaframe'), 'GroupName', 'myGroup');
   plot(1:10, rand(1, 10));
end
warning(bakWarn);

or after hitting the icon on the top right to move all figures inside tabs (or prgrammatically: by desktop.setDocumentArrangement('myGroup', 1, myDim) ) :

This uses heavily undocumented commands. It works since at least 2009a (except for the gobjects()), but I assume I should use the EDT instead of the magic pause(0.02). I hope that Yair will improve this snippet.

[z8080]

many thanks!!

[Pierre-Francois]

Great solution !!!

[Tobi]

Nice thing, but how can I save this complete figure? With savefig I always get an error that a valid figure handle is required.

[Image Analyst]

See The FAQ

[Basílio Gonçalves]

you're the man!!!

[Maciej Kaplan]

Hi!

This is exactly what I am looking for, however I have a very slight problem. the figures I want to display are saved as .fig files. Hence, I have to replace the line "plot(1:10, rand(1, 10));" with something else. I have tried:

set(0,'DefaultFigureWindowStyle','docked')
for n=1:3
    plot3(1:10, 1:10, rand(1,10))
    saveas(gcf, ['fig' num2str(n) '.fig'])
end
for n=3:6
    plot(1:10, rand(1,10))
    saveas(gcf, ['fig' num2str(n) '.fig'])
end

openfig('fig1.fig','reuse'); h(1) = gcf; 
openfig('fig2.fig','reuse'); h(2) = gcf;
openfig('fig3.fig','reuse'); h(3) = gcf;
openfig('fig4.fig','reuse'); h(4) = gcf;
openfig('fig5.fig','reuse'); h(5) = gcf;
openfig('fig6.fig','reuse'); h(6) = gcf;
% I also tried h(1,2,3...) = get(groot,'CurrentFigure'); insted of gcf
close all;

desktop = com.mathworks.mde.desk.MLDesktop.getInstance;
myGroup = desktop.addGroup('myGroup');
desktop.setGroupDocked('myGroup', 0);
myDim   = java.awt.Dimension(3, 2);   % 3 columns, 2 rows
% 1: Maximized, 2: Tiled, 3: Floating
desktop.setDocumentArrangement('myGroup', 2, myDim)
figH    = gobjects(1, 6);
bakWarn = warning('off','MATLAB:HandleGraphics:ObsoletedProperty:JavaFrame');
for iFig = 1:6
   figH(iFig) = figure('WindowStyle', 'docked', ...
      'Name', sprintf('Figure %d', iFig), 'NumberTitle', 'off');
   drawnow;
   pause(0.02);  % Magic, reduces rendering errors
   set(get(handle(figH(iFig)), 'javaframe'), 'GroupName', 'myGroup');
   h(iFig)
end
warning(bakWarn);

I do get the tiled 3 by 2 window that I want, however the tiles are all empty.

I am thankful for any help!

EDIT: creating figures for the code to be executable.

[Image Analyst]

Maciej, you forgot to attach your figures. Make it easy for Jan to help you, not hard. Don't force him to have to create figures for you when you already have them.

[Maciej Kaplan]

Image Analyst, thank you! I'm sorry! I have now modified my first post. The code now creates the figures! What I basically wish for is 6 figures in one window, and then I want a second window with 6 more figures.

I included the plot3 since 3 of my plots are 3D-plots. I couldnt understand how to get the subplot to solve my problem (maybe it is possible..?).

[Veronica Taurino]

@Jan I am using your solution. However, since there are several "undocumented commands" as you said, could you please help me to understand how to change position to the docked group of figures? I read for docked figure you can't define position, so I created several figures in desired position. But when I dock them, I lose position and size. Could you help me?

[Giuseppe Naselli]

Hi @Jan

do you know a method to save all tiled figures in 1 single png or jpeg or any other format?

(from a function or script)

I tried with

img = getframe(gcf);
imwrite(img.cdata, [pwd '\pippo.png']);

But obviously gcf gets the last figure I tiled in my window

Thanks

G

[Jan]

@Giuseppe Naselli: I did not get the above code to run reliably in R2018b. But if you are able to do this, don't use gcf for accessing the single figures, but figH(iFig) .

[Image Analyst]

@Giuseppe Naselli, try exportgraphics().

[Roman Voronov]

Add a

while isempty(figH(iFig).Children)

%waiting for figure to be plotted

end

in there. Or, if your figures take a long time to generate, it will put them into the wrong tabs.

[Sylvain]

This is an astonishing example you provided.

I have tried to replace the figures buy uifigures, however, this is not supported by MATLAB.

Still looking for a workaround to tile both uifigures and figures (reason is to use the GUI Layout toolbox with the flex panels and uitrees)

[Kristoffer Florvaag-Dybvik]

Thank you!

[Daniel]

@Jan Got this warning are there any more stable ways?

Warning: The JavaFrame figure property will be removed in a future release. For more information see UI Alternatives for MATLAB

Apps on mathworks.com.

Answer 2

[Azzi Abdelmalek]

Use hold on

figure
set(0,'DefaultFigureWindowStyle','docked')
plot(x,y1)
hold on
plot(x,y2)

[AwedBy Matlab]

No, that doesn't do what I want. Please read my question again. "hold on" is not what I need, as I do not want overlapping plots. i want the first 2 plots grouped as tabs, and same for the net 2 plots but in a new window

[Jrod H]

Well, the set( ) function did exactly what I wanted!! Works great. Do you know what command to pass to get the windows to display in "Tile" mode rather than as tabs?

Answer 3

[Matthew]

I'm not too familiar, but I think using the "docked" approach to getting these tabbed figures, you will not be able to accomplish what you are trying to do. Any "docked" figures will all end up in one top level figures window. Any "normal" figures can exist on their own. You can not have two figure windows each with docked figures.

I think you could accomplish what you are trying to do with uifigures, but they may lack other capabilites you are looking for. See "Graphics Support in App Designer" in the matlab help for discussion of what uifigures do and do not support.

Answer 4

[Image Analyst]

MATLAB does not have a tab control. The best you can do is a panel. Put your stuff into panels and then set the visibility of each panel on or off using set(hPanel, 'Visibility', 'off') that is in the callback of something like checkboxes or pushbuttons that you put into an array atop where the panels go.

Alternatively you could use a new figure for each set of plots (I'd probably not have more than about an array of 3 by 4 on each window) and use subplot() to plot into the desired plot on that figure. Let me know if you don't know how to do this and it's what you want.

[AwedBy Matlab]

Thanks Image Analyst! In this case I'd much prefer having full-screen figures, but separated by tabs or windows, as I explained, rather than having them as small subplots.

I know Matlab doesnt offer tab control as such, however when you just need figures across tabs of a single window, the set(0,'DefaultFigureWindowStyle','docked') command does the job quite well. It's strange that switching between docked and normal doesnt do what I expected it to, i.e. start a new window and then tab the new figures ito that new window