Pop-out axes from appdesigner into a separate figure

I have an app from appdesigner. There is an axes in this app, and I would like to pop-out this axes into a separate figure. Is there a way to do this?

Note: I see that it is possible to "Open in figure window" when using the Live Editor. Can the same functionality be replicated with axes in the appdesigner?

[Quy]

I used this method:

How to pop-out figure from tiled figure in editor (2022b) - MATLAB Answers - MATLAB Central (mathworks.com)

Answer 1

[Ruchika Parag]

Hi Quy, to pop out axes from an App Designer app into a separate figure window, you have to create a new figure and copying the content of the axes from the app to this new figure. Here is a step-by-step guide to achieve this:

1. Create a Button in Your App: Add a button in your App Designer app to trigger the pop-out action.
2. Button Callback Function: Implement the callback function for the button to create a new figure and copy the axes content.

Here is how you can implement the functionality:

1. Add a Button: Add a button in your app.
2. Button Callback: Implement the callback for the button.

% Button pushed function: PopOutButton
function PopOutButtonPushed(app, event)
    % Create a new figure
    newFig = figure;
    
    % Create new axes in the new figure
    newAxes = axes(newFig);
    
    % Copy the content of the original axes to the new axes
    copyobj(allchild(app.UIAxes), newAxes);
    
    % Set the limits and labels of the new axes to match the original
    newAxes.XLim = app.UIAxes.XLim;
    newAxes.YLim = app.UIAxes.YLim;
    newAxes.ZLim = app.UIAxes.ZLim;
    newAxes.XLabel.String = app.UIAxes.XLabel.String;
    newAxes.YLabel.String = app.UIAxes.YLabel.String;
    newAxes.ZLabel.String = app.UIAxes.ZLabel.String;
    newAxes.Title.String = app.UIAxes.Title.String;
end

By following these steps, you can effectively pop out an axes from an App Designer app into a separate figure window. I hope this is helpful!

[Walter Roberson]

you have to create a new figure and copying the content of the axes from the app to this new figure

Alternately, you could consider creating a new uifigure and then setting the Parent property of the existing UIAxes to be the new uifigure.

The difference between the two approaches is that with the copyobj() approach, the original plot is left intact, whereas with the approach of setting the Parent property, the plot is moved (and will disappear from where it is originally.) Setting the Parent property is faster though. (If you set the Parent property, you have to consider the issue of setting the Parent back when you close the pop-up figure.)

[Quy]

@Walter Roberson, I will have to keep this in mind for later use.

[Quy]

@Ruchika Parag, thanks. I thought about doing that as well, but was looking for a more built-in/cleaner method.