How to disable GUI M-file with the same name as FIL file

Hi everybody. I have created GUI, using guide and saved it in FIG figure file. While saving this figure, M-file with the same, as figure name, is created. I don't like to use it, all necessary code I have wrote in another M-file with another than figure name. How to disable execution of the M-file with the same as figure name? I suppose that such interaction of two M-files blocked correct execution.

Where in FIG file is stored name of corresponding M-file?

Thank you

Answer 1

[Steven Lord]

When you save a function file, MATLAB knows the main function in that file by the name of the file, not the name in the function declaration line, as stated on this documentation page.

In your example, the main function in your SpectRefl.m file is called using:

 someOutputs = SpectRefl(someInputs)

despite the function declaration line reading

 function varargout = SpectReflect(varargin )

You can confirm this by putting a disp statement inside the main function in the SpectRefl.m file (and commenting out the SpectRefl function defined after the main function) and calling it using the name SpectRefl. If you also try to define a function SpectRefl inside that file, you have two functions with the same name in the same file. That's not allowed.

To address your other question, it is possible to generate just a .fig file. Go to the Tools menu and select GUI Options. Change the option to generate just the .fig file. However, it's probably going to be more difficult to connect the callbacks for the components in your GUI to the function file you've generated. It's less likely to have the structure the GUI's callbacks expects as the function file generated by GUIDE. Instead, you might want to generate both the function file and the figure file and call your other functions inside the callbacks in the function file.

[Valeriy]

Thanks a lot, Steven Lord, for your answer.

>To address your other question, it is possible to generate just a .fig file. Go to the Tools menu and select GUI Options. Change the option to generate just the .fig file. However, it's probably going to be more difficult to connect the callbacks for the components in your GUI to the function file you've generated.

This is exactly what I was searching for. I think that different state of such option is reason of differerent reactions on the same code in different computers. Appreciate a lot your comment.

Answer 2

[Walter Roberson]

The .fig does not exactly store the name of the executable. However, when you use GUIDE to generate callbacks, then the callback it generates calls upon a function that is the same name as the saved fig, and those callbacks are stored as properties of the graphics objects in the .fig .

[Valeriy]

Thank you Walter. In one of computer FIG and M files worked without any problems and error messages, but when I copy two of these fils on another computer I have a lot of error messages referring to functions from automatically generated M file, which are absent in file which I wrote. Renaming of this auto-generated M-file did not fix issue. There is some small unknown details that made critical difference between two of these cases. What is this detal?

>...those callbacks are stored as properties of the graphics objects in the .fig . I did not see those callbacks into corresponding Property inspector. How to reach and remove them?

[Walter Roberson]

If you attach the .fig and the .m I will have a look

[Valeriy]

Thanks a lot Walter, appreciate your help. I'm attaching my M and FIG files, as well as guide-generated one.

[Walter Roberson]

That code is missing function convSmooth

saveRefl_Callback needs to pull reflFName from somewhere, probably from par.reflFName

SpectRefl.m refers to darkFName_Callback but defines DarkFName_Callback which is a problem because MATLAB is case-sensitive

Note: both SpectRefl.m and SpectReflect.m define the following functions. They will each use the local versions of the functions:

• edt_Finish_Callback
• edt_Start_Callback
• edt_Step_Callback

I do not see anything else.

[Valeriy]

Dear Walter

Thanks a lot for verification of my code and your kind help.

>That code is missing function convSmooth Correct, this is my function saved as separated M file, I use it for smoothing data, this is kind of smoothing data by moving average function.

>saveRefl_Callback needs to pull reflFName from somewhere, probably from par.reflFName

Correct, I store it in this structure.

>SpectRefl.m refers to darkFName_Callback but defines DarkFName_Callback which is a problem because MATLAB is case-sensitive

You are right, this is an error, I'll correct it.

>Note: both SpectRefl.m and SpectReflect.m define the following functions. They will each use the local versions of the functions:

    edt_Finish_Callback
    edt_Start_Callback
    edt_Step_Callback

SpectRefl.m works well under Win8.1/64, but when I run it under Win7/32 (I'm not sure that this difference is important reason) and the same Matlab version, I obtain following errors:

Undefined function 'SpectReflect' for input arguments of type 'char'.
Error in @(hObject,eventdata)SpectReflect('edt_reflInt_CreateFcn',hObject,eventdata,guidata(hObject))

Error using struct2handle
Error while evaluating uicontrol CreateFcn

Undefined function 'SpectReflect' for input arguments of type 'char'.
Error in @(hObject,eventdata)SpectReflect('edt_Finish_CreateFcn',hObject,eventdata,guidata(hObject))

Error using struct2handle
Error while evaluating uicontrol CreateFcn
Undefined function 'SpectReflect' for input arguments of type 'char'.
Error in @(hObject,eventdata)SpectReflect('edt_Step_CreateFcn',hObject,eventdata,guidata(hObject))

Error using struct2handle
Error while evaluating uicontrol CreateFcn
Undefined function 'SpectReflect' for input arguments of type 'char'.

Error in @(hObject,eventdata)SpectReflect('edt_Start_CreateFcn',hObject,eventdata,guidata(hObject))

Error using struct2handle
Error while evaluating uicontrol CreateFcn

Undefined function 'SpectReflect' for input arguments of type 'char'.

Error in @(hObject,eventdata)SpectReflect('edt_reflFName_CreateFcn',hObject,eventdata,guidata(hObject))

Error using struct2handle
Error while evaluating uicontrol CreateFcn

Undefined function 'SpectReflect' for input arguments of type 'char'.
Error in @(hObject,eventdata)SpectReflect('edt_DarkBoxcar_CreateFcn',hObject,eventdata,guidata(hObject))

Error using struct2handle
Error while evaluating uicontrol CreateFcn

Undefined function 'SpectReflect' for input arguments of type 'char'.

Error in @(hObject,eventdata)SpectReflect('edt_darkFName_CreateFcn',hObject,eventdata,guidata(hObject))

Error using struct2handle
Error while evaluating uicontrol CreateFcn

Undefined function 'SpectReflect' for input arguments of type 'char'.

Error in @(hObject,eventdata)SpectReflect('edt_refeBoxcar_CreateFcn',hObject,eventdata,guidata(hObject))

Error using struct2handle
Error while evaluating uicontrol CreateFcn

Undefined function 'SpectReflect' for input arguments of type 'char'.

Error in @(hObject,eventdata)SpectReflect('edt_refeFName_CreateFcn',hObject,eventdata,guidata(hObject))

Error using struct2handle
Error while evaluating uicontrol CreateFcn

Renaming SpectReflect.m didn't fix problem. This is not first GUI which I wrote, but never previously I met such situation. I suppose that problem is located inside automatically generated SpectReflect.m, because I didn't use suffix CreateFcn in the names of functions, but how to "switch off" it?

[Valeriy]

OK, situation becames clearer. I have found in Property Inspector for all Edit Text fields presence of CreateFcn functions, which I didn't wrote. It seems that I must to do this. But question is remain the same, why behaviour of the same M file is so different in different computers?

[Walter Roberson]

>>saveRefl_Callback needs to pull reflFName from somewhere, probably from par.reflFName

>Correct, I store it in this structure

saveRefl_Callback needs reflFName to be defined, but it is not defined in that function. The function before that had a variable by that name, but that variable would have disappeared when that other function returned.

[Valeriy]

All above illustrated error messages (my post of 1 Jun 2018 at 3:08) have following structure, see, for example, the first one:

Undefined function 'SpectReflect' for input arguments of type 'char'.
Error in @(hObject,eventdata)SpectReflect('edt_reflInt_CreateFcn',hObject,eventdata,guidata(hObject))

If I understand correctly, it is related to error in function edt_reflInt_CreateFcn. This function is present into automatically generated M-file but absent in user-defined M-file.

If I copy this function from automatically generated file and insert it into user-defined ones I see following error message:

Undefined function 'SpectReflect' for input arguments of type 'char'.
Error in @(hObject,eventdata)SpectReflect('edt_reflInt_CreateFcn',hObject,eventdata,guidata(hObject))

How to fix such issue?

Walter, did you have error messages like I shown above?

Thanks a lot for your help!

[Walter Roberson]

The easiest way is to add

function varargout = SpectReflect(varargin)
   [varargout{:}] = SpectRefl(varargin{:});

[Valeriy]

Thank you Walter. Do I understand you right, that it should be something like this:

function varargout = SpectReflect(varargin )
[varargout{:}] = SpectRefl(varargin {:}); 

end   % of SpectReflect

function SpectRefl(varargin)
....
end   % of SpectRefl

In such construction I have following error message:

Warning: File: SpectRefl.m Line: 6 Column: 10 Function with duplicate name "SpectRefl" cannot be called. The left hand side has varargout{:} inside brackets, which requires that varargout be defined, so that the number of expected results can be computed.

Error in SpectRefl (line 2) [varargout{:}] = SpectRefl(varargin {:});

I have try similar layout like this:

function varargout = SpectReflect(varargin )
[varargout{:}] = SpectRefl(varargin {:}); 

end   % of SpectReflect

function SpectRefl
....
end   % of SpectRefl

but error message is the same as previous.

If I remove {:} afer vargout and vargin:

function varargout = SpectReflect(varargin )
[varargout] = SpectRefl(varargin); 
end
...
Then I have following error message:

Warning: File: SpectRefl.m Line: 6 Column: 22 Function with duplicate name "SpectRefl" cannot be called. Maximum recursion limit of 500 reached. Use set(0,'RecursionLimit',N) to change the limit. Be aware that exceeding your available stack space can crash MATLAB and/or your computer.

Error in SpectRefl

Could you be more detailed in proposed structure?

[Valeriy]

Walter, slightly changing question: Do you have similiar error messages, like in my post of on 1 Jun 2018 at 3:08, while running SpectRefl.m?

As result of our discussion, it seems that now there are no way how to suppress autogenerated M-file. Is it correct?

Answer 3

[Jan]

It is a general feature of GUIDE to create the M file with the same name as the FIG file to store the callbacks. The name of the M file is stored in each callback, such that hacking it afterwards is a really tedious task and prone to bugs. Don't do this.

 I suppose that such interaction of two M-files blocked correct execution.

Di you have any evidence for this assumption? Of course Matlab can handle multiple functions. It is even a good programming style to keep the GUI and the actual processing separated from each other. This makes it easier to maintain both parts individually.

So if you really observe errors, fix them, but do not shred the interaction between the FIG and the M file.