Error when checking data points in plot

I have been running into this issue for some time. I can not hover my mouse over a plot and have the time-value information displayed. I am using 'plot' function to display the figure.

I get this warning in the command window:

Error in matlab.graphics.interaction.actions.Linger 
Warning: Error occurred while executing the listener callback for event WindowMouseMotion defined for class matlab.ui.Figure:
Undefined function 'convertDataToPickSpace' for input arguments of type 'matlab.graphics.chart.primitive.Line'.
Error in matlab.graphics.chart.interaction.dataannotatable.picking.AnnotatablePicker/convertToPickSpace (line 40)
pickLocations = convertDataToPickSpace(hContext, iter, request3D);
Error in matlab.graphics.chart.interaction.dataannotatable.picking.AnnotatablePicker/nearestSegment (line 39)
pixelLocations = obj.convertToPickSpace(hContext, varargin, valid);
Error in matlab.graphics.chart.interaction.dataannotatable.LineHelper>localGetNearestSegment (line 252)
[index1, index2, t] = utils.nearestSegment(hLine, position, isPixelPoint, data{:});
Error in matlab.graphics.chart.interaction.dataannotatable.LineHelper.getNearestPoint (line 77)
[index1, index2, t] = localGetNearestSegment(hLine, position, true);
Error in matlab.graphics.interaction.uiaxes.DataTipsBase

Error in matlab.graphics.interaction.actions.Linger/motionCallback

Error in matlab.graphics.interaction.actions.Linger 

Warning says I have a missing function 'convertDataToPickSpace'.

Am I missing a toolbox?

I am using MATLAB R2022b, but have the same issue in R2024b.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

[dpb]

That you are seeing the same issue in both R2022b and R2024b would tend to indicate something incompatible in your system rather than a MATLAB issue itself.

Post a minimum working example that creates the symptom for you so folks here can try to duplicate an exact case.

I tried both

plot(randn(10,4))
close

and

hUIF=uifigure;
hAx=axes(hUIF);
plot(hAx,randn(10,4))

with R2022b and the coordinates at the points showed up under the mouse hover for both figures.

See what

which -all convertDataToPickSpace

returns at the command line. For R2022b locally, it returns

C:\MLR2022b\toolbox\matlab\specgraph\+matlab\+graphics\+chart\+interaction\+dataannotatable\+picking\@AnnotatablePicker\private\convertDataToPickSpace.m  % matlab.graphics.chart.interaction.dataannotatable.picking.AnnotatablePicker method
>> 

It's possible some 3rd party package did something untoward, maybe????

[Isaac De La Cruz]

I get:

>> which -all convertDataToPickSpace

'convertDataToPickSpace' not found.

I also don't have that function in my file explorer:

[dpb]

That indicates something has munged on your installations; I don't believe there's a "repair" functionality so looks like you would have to reinstall.

Before resorting to that, I'd suggest you call Mathworks at <Product Support Page> as they support install issues that I would consider this to be. There might be a way without resorting to a full reinstall.

[Walter Roberson]

Failure to find convertDataToPickSpace could be due to the fact that the appropriate class had not been loaded it. convertDataToPickSpace is a class method, and so would be effectively invisible until the first time the appropriate class was loaded. On my system it is located at

/Applications/MATLAB_R2025b.app/toolbox/matlab/graphics/graphics/specgraph/+matlab/+graphics/+chart/+interaction/+dataannotatable/+picking/@AnnotatablePicker/private/convertDataToPickSpace.m

At first glance, it seems unlikely that this is a subclass of matlab.graphics.chart.primitive.Line so it would seem to make sense that the method could not be found for matlab.graphics.chart.primitive.Line ... leaving open the question of how a matlab.graphics.chart.primitive.Line reached that point in the call tree.

[dpb]

What class wouldn't be appropriate, Walter?

From a fresh session

line(1:10,randn(1,10))

shows the datapoints...what else would a user call that wouldn't?

Asked for but @Isaac De La Cruz hasn't responded with the specific code used that causes the issue there.

If start a clean MATLAB session, then

>> which -all convertDataToPickSpace
'convertDataToPickSpace' not found.
>> line(1:10,randn(1,10))
>> which -all convertDataToPickSpace
'convertDataToPickSpace' not found.

Go hover over axes line point here and then...

>> which -all convertDataToPickSpace
C:\MLR2022b\toolbox\matlab\specgraph\+matlab\+graphics\+chart\+interaction\+dataannotatable\+picking\@AnnotatablePicker\private\convertDataToPickSpace.m  % matlab.graphics.chart.interaction.dataannotatable.picking.AnnotatablePicker method
>> 

So it is the act of hovering over the plot content that causes the loading, not the graphics primitive as I had sorta' presumed.

The error traceback also includes

pickLocations = convertDataToPickSpace(hContext, iter, request3D);

so wonder if the issue is it is on a 3D axes? It would help to know just how @Isaac De La Cruz created the case that causes the error; that it is in both releases indicates there is something wrong either in his use of a plotting function or actually a bug in the callback code.

It doesn't seem to me that MATLAB ought to error here, no matter...

[Isaac De La Cruz]

I am not running any 3D axes, just regular 2D plot created without any customization. The warnings appear when hovering over the lines created by the plot.

Followed the steps provided by @dpb and having the same issue.

I think it may be related to a corrupted R2022b installation in my machine. I'll try reinstalling and let you know. Thanks for all the help!

(PD: my issue does not happen in R2024b, neither in R2023b, I must have confused!)

[dpb]

Aw-ha! That makes a lot more sense if only the one release is affected.

Meanwhile, I did test here with a 3D primitive with no issue with R2022b; although I didn't go look at the source, I presume probably request3D is a logical flag variable in the above.

Probably the reinstall will fix things; make sure to also do the latest update; fortunately, they are cumulative so don't have to do them sequentially if is more than one.