Adding Second Callback to UIAxes Toolbar in App Designer

I'm trying to find out how to add a second callback to the existing toolbar function(s) in App Designer so that one may, for example, hit the Restore View button and have the normal view restore callback as well as a custom function. I found some help here, but I wasn't able to get it to work properly. This was my attempt:

function callback2(app,~)
    disp('The button was pushed.')
end

axtoolbar(app.UIAxes,{'export','pan','zoomin','zoomout','restoreview'}) %create toolbar for app.UIAxes
%@(e,d)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(d.Axes,true) %original function for ButtonPushedFcn
ax = app.UIAxes;
ax.Toolbar.Children(5).ButtonPushedFcn = cellfun(@(x)feval(x,app,ax),...
    {@(app)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(ax,true),...
    @(app)callback2(app)});  %change the restoreview callback to include the original function and my custom function

I don't think this is very difficult to do, but I was in a rush and ended up doing something else anyway. For future reference, this would be beneficial to know though. The version I'm using is 2020b.

[Adam Danz]

What is d?

I can't get this to work but am interested.

app.UIAxes = uiaxes; 
axtoolbar(app.UIAxes,{'export','pan','zoomin','zoomout','restoreview'}) %create toolbar for app.UIAxes
% NOTE: changed ax to app.UIAxes
app.UIAxes.Toolbar.Children(5).ButtonPushedFcn = cellfun(@(x)feval(x,app,d),...
    {@(app,d)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(d.Axes,true),...
    @(app)callback2(app)});  %change the restoreview callback to include the original function and my custom function

Error

Unrecognized function or variable 'd'.
Error in @(x)feval(x,app,d) 

When I change it to,

app.UIAxes.Toolbar.Children(5).ButtonPushedFcn = cellfun(@(x)feval(x,app,[]),...
%                                                                        ^^

Error

Dot indexing is not supported for variables of this type.
Error in @(app,d)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(d.Axes,true)

Error in @(x)feval(x,app,[])                    

[Cameron B]

Sorry, I had posted the wrong version of code. I've since updated it, thanks.

[Adam Danz]

Thanks, Cameron B but now I'm getting this error in r2020b and 21a,

app.UIFig = uifigure(); 
app.UIAxes = uiaxes(app.UIFig); 

axtoolbar(app.UIAxes,{'export','pan','zoomin','zoomout','restoreview'}) %create toolbar for app.UIAxes
%@(e,d)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(d.Axes,true) %original function for ButtonPushedFcn
ax = app.UIAxes;
ax.Toolbar.Children(5).ButtonPushedFcn = cellfun(@(x)feval(x,app,ax),...
    {@(app,ax)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(ax,true),...
    @(app,ax)callback2(app)});  %change the restoreview callback to include the original function and my custom function

function callback2(app,~)
    disp('The button was pushed.')
end

Error

Error using myFcn>@(app)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(ax,true)
Too many input arguments.
Error in myFcn>@(x)feval(x,app,ax) (line 7)
ax.Toolbar.Children(5).ButtonPushedFcn = cellfun(@(x)feval(x,app,ax),...

When change the inputs to,

ax.Toolbar.Children(5).ButtonPushedFcn = cellfun(@(x)feval(x,ax,true),...
    {@(app,tf)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(ax,tf),...
    @(app)callback2(app)});

The error becomes,

Error using matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper
Too many output arguments.
Error in myFcn>@(app,tf)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(ax,tf) (line 8)
    {@(app,tf)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(ax,tf),...
Error in myFcn>@(x)feval(x,app,true) (line 7)
ax.Toolbar.Children(5).ButtonPushedFcn = cellfun(@(x)feval(x,app,true),...

And since resetHelper is in an encrypted p-file, I don't know what the inputs and outputs should be.

Answer 1

[Adam Danz]

First, thanks for the interesting topic (+1).

Here's a simpler way of issuing multiple actions when pressing the Restore toolbar button without hard coding the original callback function which is undocumented, hidden in p-code, and liable to change in the future.

1. Get the handle to the Restore button in the axes' toolbar.
2. Capture and store the original callback function.
3. Overwrite the buttons' callback function by defining a new function where you can execute the original callback function plus do anything else you want. This demo merely shows a uialert to confirm that the axes are restored.

Tested in r2020b and r2021a.

app.UIFig = uifigure(); 
app.UIAxes = uiaxes(app.UIFig); 

axTB = axtoolbar(app.UIAxes,'default'); 
isRestoreButton = strcmpi(get([axTB.Children],'icon'),'restoreview');
if any(isRestoreButton)
    restoreButtonHandle = axTB.Children(isRestoreButton);
    originalRestoreFcn = restoreButtonHandle.ButtonPushedFcn;
    restoreButtonHandle.ButtonPushedFcn = {@myRestoreButtonCallbackFcn, originalRestoreFcn}; 
end

function myRestoreButtonCallbackFcn(hobj, event, originalCallback)
% Responds to pressing the restore button in the axes' toolbar. 
% originalCallback is a function handle to the original callback 
%   function for this button. 
    originalCallback(hobj,event) % Evaluate original callback
    fig = ancestor(event.Axes,'figure'); 
    uialert(fig,'Axes restored', 'RestoreButtonCallback', 'Icon', 'info');
end

17-Nov 2025 update: replaced {axTB.Children.Icon} with get([axTB.Children],'icon') in call to strcmpi().

[Cameron B]

Excellent! Thanks for the help!

[Juan Millán]

Hi, I think this question is quite related to an issue that I'm dealing with. I'm trying to get the trigered function when I click in the restore view button inside the axes toolbar. In that order I text the following script:

curraxe=app.UIAxes;

tb = axtoolbar(curraxe,{'datacursor','pan','zoomin','zoomout','restoreview'});

tb.Visible = 'on';

isRestoreButton = strcmpi({tb.Children.Icon}, 'restoreview');

TargetFun=tb.Children(isRestoreButton).ButtonPushedFcn

it appears in the command prompt, the next function handle:

TargetFun =

function_handle with value:

@(e,d)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(d.Axes,true)

however, despite several attempts, I haven't figure it out how to evaluate that function without any error.

this is an effort to automate this function each time that I switch the type of graphic info in a little program and plot the data; avoiding some other issues that faces using the reset() function

Thanks.

[Adam Danz]

Your TargetFun is the same as my originalRestoreFcn or originalCallback from my answer.

I just tested my answer in R2022b and it works as expected.

[Juan Millán]

yes, that's totally true, those are the same functions, but the problem that I'm facing is how to evaluate that function, becouse isn't clear enought to me, what the inputs are, in example:

feval(TargetFun,[],tb)

in results in the following error message:

No public property 'Axes' for class 'AxesToolbar'.

Error in matlab.graphics.controls.internal.ToolbarButtonRegistry>@(e,d)matlab.graphics.controls.internal.resetHelper(d.Axes,true)

Error in APP/Button_2Pushed (line 15317)

feval(TargetFun,[],tb)

Error in matlab.apps.AppBase>@(source,event)executeCallback(appdesigner.internal.service.AppManagementService.instance(),app,callback,requiresEventData,event) (line 63)

newCallback = @(source, event)executeCallback(appdesigner.internal.service.AppManagementService.instance(), ...

Error using internal.matlab.desktop.editor.clearAndSetBreakpointsForFile

Error while evaluating Button PrivateButtonPushedFcn.

So in that order, I would be very thankfully if there any way to solve that concern. I've tried for so long and nothing comes up. Thanks

[Adam Danz]

It looks like you're building your solution from the OP's code which also had problems with feval. My solution doesn't use feval. I suggest you follow the example from my soution instead. If you have questions or problems with that approach, I'd be happy to help.