How can I prevent the clicked figure taking the focus?

I have created a MATLAB script in a for loop that makes calculations, create a figure and automacitally uptade this figure about 1 min time long, like that:

for n=1:5
    figure(n)
    for x=1:100
        %calculations
        %plot
        %hold on
    end
    %hold off
end

The problem is while the figure 2 is keeping updating and I click the figure 1, the final plot on the figure 1 replaces by the figure 2 and I lose my figure 1. What should I do?

[Walter Roberson]

search for tag:always-parent for discussion

Answer 1

[Cam Salzberger]

Hello Mahmut,

Rather than worrying about which figure is in focus (the current figure), it would be better practice to target your plot (or hold) commands to use a specific figure (or axes, in the case of plot). For example:

figHandle = figure;
axHandle = axes('Parent', figHandle, 'NextPlot', 'add');
plot(axHandle, x, y)
newFig = figure;
plot(axHandle, a, b)

-Cam

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matlab how to know which figure is in focus ?

[Walter Roberson]

MATLAB keeps track of traditional figures in the groot property CurrentFigure which is updated each time you figure() or the user clicks in a figure.

[undefined undefined]

thanks !

what you mean in "traditional figures" ?

[Walter Roberson]

Traditional figures are Java based and are created by figure().

There is a newer kind of figures that are based on web technologies and HTML, that are created by uifigure()

Answer 2

[Voss]

The default behavior of the plot() command is to plot into the currrent axes in the current figure. Clicking a figure makes it the current figure, which is why subsequent plot commands replace what was there. To avoid this behavior, plot into specific axes (i.e., not necessarily the current axes in the current figure). Something like this might work:

for n=1:5
    figure(n); % figure n is now the current figure
    ax = gca(); % ax is now the current axes
    for x=1:100
        % calculations
        % plot(ax,...) instead of plot(...)
        % hold(ax,'on') instead of hold on
    end
    % hold(ax,'off') instead of hold off
end

By specifying ax to the plot command, you are telling MATLAB to plot to that axes, rather than the current axes (similarly for the hold command). This way you can interact with previously created figures while the code is running, and they will still become the current figure, but MATLAB will plot to the new one.

[Mahmut]

I am getting an error:

Error using plot

Invalid handle.

[Voss]

Can you post more of your code, including the line that generates the error?

[Mahmut]

for p=1:4
    figure(p);
    ax=gca;
    
    for t=1:5
        %calculations
        for iteration = 1:100
            %calculations
            
            subplot(2,1,1);
            plot(ax,position_infected(:,1),position_infected(:,2),'x'); %Error Here
            hold(ax,'on');
            plot(ax,position_healthy(:,1),position_healthy(:,2),'o');
            hold(ax,'off');
            xlim([1,100]);
            ylim([1,100]);
            drawnow;
            
            subplot(2,1,2);
            number_of_infected(t,iteration+1:100,p)=NaN;
            inf=plot(ax,number_of_infected(t,:,p));
            inf.Color = 'b';
            ylim([1,100]);
            xlim([1,100]);
            drawnow;
            if t~=5
            delete(inf)
            end
        end
    end
end

[Voss]

Thank you for the code. My original answer assumed you would have one axes per figure, but since you are using subplot to create multiple axes in a single figure, you will want to remove the ax = gca; line and do the following when you call subplot:

ax = subplot(2,1,1);
% plot(ax, ...)
% hold(ax, ...)
% plot(ax, ...)
% hold(ax, ...)
% xlim(ax, ...)
% ylim(ax, ...)
ax = subplot(2,1,2);
% inf = plot(ax, ...)
% ...
% ylim(ax, ...)
% xlim(ax, ...)

[Mahmut]

I do not get the error now but replacing problem still exist.

[Steven Lord]

Can you show your updated code?