Is it possible to assign new values which are integers to categorical array?

I want to change the values of categorical array, so that i can create figure from plots.I want to convert the plot into figure. For which i want app.UIAxes.XLim to be numerical not categorical. For example: currently-

app.UIAxes.XLim = 1×2 categorical array -> urban freeway

I want

app.UIAxes.XLim = 1x2 Matrix 2 6

[Ameer Hamza]

You can also plot categorical arrays. Are you having any issue?

[dpb]

Think we'd need to see what have and isn't working to have any klew as to what would be reason or solution...

[Rohit Deshmukh]

i can plot them, but i want to convert the plot into figure. For which i want app.UIAxes.XLim to be numerical not categorical. For example: currently-

app.UIAxes.XLim = 1×2 categorical array -> urban freeway

I want

app.UIAxes.XLim = 1x2 Matrix 2 6

[Walter Roberson]

You cannot convert an existing categorical ruler to numeric ruler. If you have a categorical ruler and need numeric ruler it is typically easiest to destroy the entire axes and recreate it.

In theory you could also just replace the ruler property in the axes. However there are No User Serviceable Parts for creating rulers, so you would have to create another axes with the kind of ruler that you wanted and copy that on top of the existing ruler property.

[Walter Roberson]

Traditional figures support categorical rulers by the way, no need to switch to numeric, at least not for the last few years.

Answer 1

[Ameer Hamza]

findgroups is one way to convert categorical array to numeric

numeric = findgroups(categorical_array);

[Rohit Deshmukh]

i want the same variable(which is a categorical array) to be converted to numerical.Is that possible?

In your solution if i do

app.UIAxes.XLim = findgroups(app.UiAxes.XLim)

I am getting this error

Value must be a 2-element vector of increasing or equal categorical values as ordered by the ruler Categories property.

[Ameer Hamza]

yes, you can assign to same variable, but try converting it to categorical array before the plot() function. When you plot categorical array, the axes object which is created have different type XRuler as compared to numeric.

[Rohit Deshmukh]

Hi Ameer,

I am getting the error, as i have mentioned in the above comment when i try to assign it to same variable.

[Ameer Hamza]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that you can do this with simple variable. However, app.UIAxes.XLim is a property of categorical ruler class, which cannot be simply converted to numeric ruler. Your best bet is to do conversion before plot() function.

Check Walter’s comment above for more detail. He also proposed a solution.

Personally, I would prefer converting to numeric array before plot(). But if I really had no other choice, I would hide the ruler of current axes and create a new axes on top of previous axes with a numeric ruler. I am sure this will work on simple axes create in a figure(), but I am not sure whether this will work in app designer. I will try this in a while and post here if it works.

[Walter Roberson]

 app.UIAxes.XLim = double(app.UiAxes.XLim)

The double will retrieve the numeric encoding associated with the categorical values.

However rulers know the data type the ruler was constructed with and will either refuse to make the change or will convert the values back to the datatype associated with the ruler.

Categorical rulers are a different graphics object than numeric rulers. You cannot change to a numeric ruler just by changing the xlim: you would need to replace the entire ruler.

[dpb]

"but i want to convert the plot into figure"

See Walter Roberson's comment above.

If that's not the issue, then explain the reasons behind the request. Doesn't seem rational on the face of it to replace the meaningful categorical names with numbers.

Answer 2

[dpb]

See the above comment, but if there is some reason you really, really need/want the numbers instead on the axes, then

hAx=gca;
hAx.XTickLabel=['{2}';'{6}'];

Alternatively, create the category names as numeric when create the categorical variable and those will be what shows up on the axes.