Matlab command window is blocked / or busy when I plot an animation

Hello, Was just wondering if Matlab supports the below ?

below is the small snippet (say), I plot a figure and try to acheive animation in a while(1) loop:

function Example()
x=-5:.2:5;
y=sin(x);
h=plot(x,y);
axis([-2*pi 2*pi -1 1])
axis square
grid off
set(h,'EraseMode','xor','MarkerSize',18)
while(1)
for t=2:.1:7
    drawnow
    y=sin(x)*exp(-t);
    set(h,'YData',y)
    pause(0.05)
end
end

So I' am able to achieve th animation but can I do that witout locking the command window ? I don't want to block the command window. Could some one help me out on this please ?

[Chetan Aswathanarayana]

It would be Interesting, if somebody knows the answer for this one ?

Answer 1

[Sean de Wolski]

Use a timer.

doc timer

I've written quite a few answers that have examples in them if you search through Answers' history.

Answer 2

[Karthuk]

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[Jan]

Please do not bump your question by posting a pseudo-answer. If the readers know an answer and find the time for typing it, they will do it voluntarily. But when the question appears on topmost position again, although there is no new information, the time for reading the question another time is wasted. Therefore I'd suggest to limit bumping for a time delay of 24, better 48 hours.

Answer 3

[Jan]

Matlab is a single threaded application (in theory). Using the TIMER Sean has suggested is a method to run a thread nearly in parallel. But the esiest way is to open another Matlab instance:

!matlab &

[raym]

Yes. The pause(i) blocks all the command window and blobks all running code.

Answer 4

[Chetan Aswathanarayana]

Thanks Sean, Picked up something from this today.

@Karthuk: Maybe this might help and was what you were looking for:

function Example()
x=-5:.2:5;
y=sin(x);
h=plot(x,y);
axis([-2*pi 2*pi -1 1])
axis square
grid off
set(h,'EraseMode','xor','MarkerSize',18)

t = timer('ExecutionMode','fixedRate',...  %# Fire at a fixed rate
                       'Period',0.25);

t.TimerFcn = {@Do_It,h,x};
start(t);

end

function Do_It(obj,event,h,x)
for t=2:.1:7
    drawnow
    y=sin(x)*exp(-t);
    set(h,'YData',y)
    pause(0.04)
end

end

[Sean de Wolski]

I would lower the timer's period and then remove the for-loop from DO_it. You can calculat T based on the event's 'TasksExecuted' property.