How to generate random Patient ID numbers?

Hello, I'm trying to create a GUI for a patient intake form in the research lab I work in. I need to be able to assign the patient a random number ID to refer to them by for patient confidentiality. I'm trying to use App Designer for this (I've inserted my code below, excluding what app designer does for you). I've only just started so I don't have all the info they need to put in added yet, but I keep getting an error of "Error using save 'app.PatientID' is not a valid variable name.". I would want to be able to save that patient info into another file with that patient ID as the file name. Any help with that would be appreciated! Please let me know if what I said doesn't make sense.

classdef Patient_Intake_Form < matlab.apps.AppBase

    % Properties that correspond to app components
    properties (Access = public)
        UIFigure                       matlab.ui.Figure
        PatientIntakeFormLabel         matlab.ui.control.Label
        FirstNameEditFieldLabel        matlab.ui.control.Label
        FirstNameEditField             matlab.ui.control.EditField
        LastNameEditFieldLabel         matlab.ui.control.Label
        LastNameEditField              matlab.ui.control.EditField
        WeightlbsEditFieldLabel        matlab.ui.control.Label
        WeightlbsEditField             matlab.ui.control.NumericEditField
        DOBDatePickerLabel             matlab.ui.control.Label
        DOBDatePicker                  matlab.ui.control.DatePicker
        SaveButton                     matlab.ui.control.Button
        HeightinEditFieldLabel         matlab.ui.control.Label
        HeightinEditField              matlab.ui.control.NumericEditField
        PatientIDDonotfillinEditFieldLabel  matlab.ui.control.Label
        PatientIDDonotfillinEditField  matlab.ui.control.NumericEditField
    end

    
    properties (Access = private)
        PatientID
        FirstName
        LastName 
        Weight 
        Height 
        DOB 
        % Description
    end
    

    % Callbacks that handle component events
    methods (Access = private)

        % Button pushed function: SaveButton
        function SaveButtonPushed(app, event)
           save('PatientID.mat','app.PatientID','app.FirstName','app.LastName','app.Weight','app.Height','app.DOB')
           publish('PatientID.mat')
        end

        % Value changed function: FirstNameEditField
        function FirstNameEditFieldValueChanged(app, event)
            app.FirstName = app.FirstNameEditField.Value;
            
        end

        % Value changed function: LastNameEditField
        function LastNameEditFieldValueChanged(app, event)
            app.LastName = app.LastNameEditField.Value;
            
        end

        % Value changed function: WeightlbsEditField
        function WeightlbsEditFieldValueChanged(app, event)
            app.Weight = app.WeightlbsEditField.Value;
            
        end

        % Value changed function: HeightinEditField
        function HeightinEditFieldValueChanged(app, event)
            app.Height = app.HeightinEditField.Value;
            
        end

        % Value changed function: DOBDatePicker
        function DOBDatePickerValueChanged(app, event)
            app.DOB = app.DOBDatePicker.Value;
            
        end

        % Value changed function: PatientIDDonotfillinEditField
        function PatientIDDonotfillinEditFieldValueChanged(app, event)
            rng('shuffle');
            app.PatientIDDonotfillinEditField.Value = rand(1);
            
            app.PatientID = app.PatientIDDonotfillinEditField.Value;
            
        end
    end

Answer 1

[Rik]

The save function has two modes: saving variables and saving a struct.

The easiest way to solve this error is to store the data in separate variables and save those.

Like this:

PatientID=app.PatientID;
save('PatientID.mat','PatientID')

[Emily Czopek]

Thank you! I will try this out