How to indicate that GUI is busy running?

I would like to know how to indicate in my GUI that MATLAB is currently busy running some piece of code (e.g. a long computation). Currently, there is no indication in the GUI that the code is running, causing the user to wonder whether it is working or just not responsive.

Answer 1

[Titus Edelhofer]

Hi Kyle,

two typical main ways to do this: in your callback do

set(handles.figure1, 'pointer', 'watch')
drawnow;
% your computation
set(handles.figure1, 'pointer', 'arrow')

This shows the hour glass during the callback. If the callback indeed takes longer, use function "waitbar" to indicate progress ...

Titus

[Kyle]

set(handles.figure1, 'pointer', 'watch')
drawnow;

hmm isit place this be4 the section of code where its matlab going to be busy a while. then place the below code at the end of the callback?

% your computation
set(handles.figure1, 'pointer', 'arrow')

[Walter Roberson]

The "% your computation" comment is the place you would put the code that will keep MATLAB occupied.

I would use slightly different code, though:

oldpointer = get(handles.figure1, 'pointer');
set(handles.figure1, 'pointer', 'watch')
drawnow;
% your computation goes here
set(handles.figure1, 'pointer', oldpointer)

That is, I prefer not to assume that the pointer was 'arrow' before.

[Aash]

I tried doing this and it is giving this error Error using matlab.ui.control.UIControl/set There is no pointer property on the UIControl class.

Error in Control>error_Callback (line 435) set(handles.error, 'pointer', 'watch')

What does it mean?

[Walter Roberson]

You can only set the Pointer for a figure, not for a uicontrol.

fig = ancestor(handles.error, 'figure');
oldpointer = get(fig, 'pointer');
set(fig, 'pointer', 'watch');
drawnow;
% your computation goes here
set(fig, 'pointer', oldpointer)

Answer 2

[Kyle]

btw how to use function "waitbar" to indicate progress.

does matlab know to compute the time its going to be busy?

[Sean de Wolski]

You have to manually update waitbar - look at the example in

doc waitbar

Answer 3

[Aash]

My pointer is changing to the loading while computation but it isnt coming back to the orignal arrow after the code stops executing. Here is my code

   oldpointer = get(handles.figure1, 'pointer'); 
    set(handles.figure1, 'pointer', 'watch') 
    drawnow;
  %code that runs
   set(handles.figure1, 'pointer', oldpointer)

[Ahmer Shahid]

How can I use this in app designer?

it's giving me error.

Error using matlab.ui.Figure/set

Functionality not supported with figures created with the uifigure function. For more information, see Graphics Support in App Designer.

[syed Rahim]

isn't handles a GUIDE only graphics structure. For APP designer it should be App.Figure1.

Answer 4

[Jan Siegmund]

Users that looked for a waitbar style solution should have a look at https://de.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/uiprogressdlg.html which is basically waitbar but with an up to date look.