Using spinners in Matlab GUI

18 Responses

1. 
   OrO January 25, 2012 at 18:14 Reply

   Great post, very useful. I did not know this function.

2. 
   ramiro massol March 8, 2012 at 12:49 Reply

   hi Yair
   great jcontrol. Do you happen to know how to force the jspinner to accept only numeric data and at the same time allow to clear the text-box-like field?

   best

• 
  Yair Altman March 8, 2012 at 13:00 Reply

  @Ramiro – good to see you here 🙂

  You can force the spinner to accept only numeric data by simply using the SpinnerNumberModel, as I have shown in the article and in my demo application, but then you cannot clear the value because it’s an invalid numeric value. If you think about it, there’s really no reason for a spinner to have no value, because this control is supposed to represent a set of pre-defined values.

3. 
   Lubos Smolik August 29, 2012 at 05:05 Reply

   Hi, great post!
   I’ve found it very useful and far better (more functional and, of course, better looking) than Spinner (from 2004, I think) I’ve found in official file exchange.

4. 
   Brittney Marimow June 30, 2015 at 13:42 Reply

   Thank you for the GREAT post. One question, is there a way to place this spinner within a “Parent” box. I am working on a GUI that has 5 different boxes on a single tab and would like to place this spinner in the fourth box.

   THANK YOU

• 
  Yair Altman June 30, 2015 at 14:04 Reply

  @Brittney – the 3rd (optional) input parameter of the javacomponent function is the parent container handle. It can be the figure handle (default value: current figure or gcf), or a uipanel handle. When you say “box” I assume you mean a uipanel, so simply specify its handle as the 3rd input arg of javacomponent.

  Additional information: http://undocumentedmatlab.com/blog/javacomponent

5. 
   Xiangrui Li December 16, 2015 at 14:47 Reply

   This is very useful, Yair!

   I am trying to find a way to store hFig into a spinner handle, so I can tell which figure in case of multiple figures. Here is code for the test:

   function spinnerTest % create a spinner with callback jModel = javax.swing.SpinnerNumberModel(1, 1, 9, 1); jSpinner = javax.swing.JSpinner(jModel); h = javacomponent(jSpinner); set(h, 'StateChangedCallback', @spinnerCallBack);   % add Parent or Ancestor property for matlab gcbo schema.prop(h, 'Parent', 'mxArray'); % also tried Ancestor h.Parent = gcf;   %% callback function spinnerCallBack(h, evt) [hSpinner, hFig] = gcbo; % try to get figure handle fprintf('Current value: %gn', hSpinner.getValue); hFig % this is empty with either Parent or Ancestor property added

   function spinnerTest % create a spinner with callback jModel = javax.swing.SpinnerNumberModel(1, 1, 9, 1); jSpinner = javax.swing.JSpinner(jModel); h = javacomponent(jSpinner); set(h, 'StateChangedCallback', @spinnerCallBack); % add Parent or Ancestor property for matlab gcbo schema.prop(h, 'Parent', 'mxArray'); % also tried Ancestor h.Parent = gcf; %% callback function spinnerCallBack(h, evt) [hSpinner, hFig] = gcbo; % try to get figure handle fprintf('Current value: %gn', hSpinner.getValue); hFig % this is empty with either Parent or Ancestor property added

   I also tried to set datatype as handle, and it seems h.Parent accepts only java handle, not figure/uicontrol handle:

   schema.prop(h, 'Parent', 'handle'); h.Parent = gcf; Parameter must be a handle.

   schema.prop(h, 'Parent', 'handle'); h.Parent = gcf; Parameter must be a handle.

   My current solution is like this in a callback function for both spinner and other uicontrol:

   [h, hFig] = gcbo; % works for matlab uicontrol if isempty(hFig) % for java spinner hFig = get(h, 'Parent'); % retrieve stored property by schema.prop end

   [h, hFig] = gcbo; % works for matlab uicontrol if isempty(hFig) % for java spinner hFig = get(h, 'Parent'); % retrieve stored property by schema.prop end

   Is there a way to let gcbo return figure handle from java spinner? Octave gcbo uses ‘Parent’, and no idea about Matlab gcbo. Maybe I am too greedy 🙂

   Thanks.
   Xiangrui

• 
  Yair Altman December 16, 2015 at 15:45 Reply

  set(h, 'StateChangedCallback', {@spinnerCallBack, hFig}); ...   function spinnerCallBack(hSpinner, hEventData, hFig) ... end

  set(h, 'StateChangedCallback', {@spinnerCallBack, hFig}); ... function spinnerCallBack(hSpinner, hEventData, hFig) ... end

• 
  Xiangrui Li December 16, 2015 at 20:23

  Oh, yes. Thank you for the simple solution, Yair!

6. 
   Alain Barraud January 20, 2016 at 22:20 Reply

   hello yair,

   consider the following spinner

   Model = javax.swing.SpinnerNumberModel(125,15,225,.5); jSpinner = javax.swing.JSpinner(Model); [jhSpinner,hghandle] = javacomponent(jSpinner) jhSpinner.Font=java.awt.Font('Serif', 3, 50);

   Model = javax.swing.SpinnerNumberModel(125,15,225,.5); jSpinner = javax.swing.JSpinner(Model); [jhSpinner,hghandle] = javacomponent(jSpinner) jhSpinner.Font=java.awt.Font('Serif', 3, 50);

   At this step all is right!

   Now if I want to come back to non bold non italic

   jhSpinner.Font=java.awt.Font('Serif', 0, 50);

   jhSpinner.Font=java.awt.Font('Serif', 0, 50);

   is without any effect!!?? Any idea?

   Another curious point values appear as 140 140,5 141 … and not 140.5 ??

   Thanks
   Alain

• 
  Yair Altman January 20, 2016 at 23:07 Reply

  @Alain – apparently the JSpinner component creates its internal text-field using the parent control’s Font property value when it is first rendered, and then ignores changes to that parent property value. Instead, you can modify the text-field’s Font property (and its other property values) directly:

  jhSpinner.getEditor.getTextField.setFont(java.awt.Font('Serif', 0, 20));

  jhSpinner.getEditor.getTextField.setFont(java.awt.Font('Serif', 0, 20));

• 
  Alain Barraud January 21, 2016 at 11:30

  @yair
  Thanks a lot. It works fine. I had a similar problem with Spinner BackgroundColor and ForegroudColor. Now using for exemple

  val = num2cell([0 0.8 0.8]); jhSpinner.getEditor.getTextField.setBackground(java.awt.Color(val{:}));

  val = num2cell([0 0.8 0.8]); jhSpinner.getEditor.getTextField.setBackground(java.awt.Color(val{:}));

  gives the expected result.

  Why a non standard “Text: ‘125,5’” property although the Value property is
  “Value: 1.2550e+02” ?

  jhSpinner.getEditor.getTextField.getFormatter ans = javax.swing.JSpinner$NumberEditorFormatter@a798948

  jhSpinner.getEditor.getTextField.getFormatter ans = javax.swing.JSpinner$NumberEditorFormatter@a798948

  Is there a way to modify something here?
  Cheers
  Alain

• 
  Yair Altman January 21, 2016 at 11:46

  @Alain – see my SpinnerDemo (or read JSpinner‘s documentation) to see how to modify the text formatting.

• 
  Alain Barraud January 21, 2016 at 20:17

  @yair
  I have found the reason. By default the decimal format is local dependent!!
  In France it is , and not .
  Ok I’ll look at your demo.
  However a last point as in your demo, if the user enters a value outside min or max (for example 2030 as year) the spinner is out of use.
  Is there a special callback property to use in order to check this case.

  Alain

7. 
   Asimov February 20, 2018 at 05:29 Reply

   Hi, Yair!

   I tried to add a StateChangedCallback to the JSpinner, and if the value is modified, it will display the current value on the command line.

   import javax.swing.* import java.awt.* f = figure;   sm = SpinnerNumberModel(1.1, 0, 9, 0.3); % default, min, max, step js = JSpinner(sm); [jspinner, mspinner] = javacomponent(js); set(jspinner,'StateChangedCallback', 'disp(jspinner.getValue)');

   import javax.swing.* import java.awt.* f = figure; sm = SpinnerNumberModel(1.1, 0, 9, 0.3); % default, min, max, step js = JSpinner(sm); [jspinner, mspinner] = javacomponent(js); set(jspinner,'StateChangedCallback', 'disp(jspinner.getValue)');

   However, I find a strange phenomenon, the callback is sometimes invoked twice.

   The codes above will output someting like this:

   1.4000 (click up) 1.1000 (click down) 1.1000 0.8000 (click down) 0.8000 0.5000 (click down)

   1.4000 (click up) 1.1000 (click down) 1.1000 0.8000 (click down) 0.8000 0.5000 (click down)

   Notice that although I only click once, the disp sometimes output two same results.

   So I try to check whether the value is changed at the first time. However, something stranger happens.

   I replace the StateChangedCallback by the line below.

   set(jspinner,'StateChangedCallback', 'disp([jspinner.getPreviousValue jspinner.getValue])');

   set(jspinner,'StateChangedCallback', 'disp([jspinner.getPreviousValue jspinner.getValue])');

   Which outputs:

   1.4000 1.7000 (click up) 1.1000 1.4000 (click down) 1.4000 1.7000 (click up) 1.4000 1.7000

   1.4000 1.7000 (click up) 1.1000 1.4000 (click down) 1.4000 1.7000 (click up) 1.4000 1.7000

   Notice that even the value is changed at line 3, it still disp twice.

   And the jspinner.getPreviousValue seems to not remember the result of the first time.

   So I use a temperate value to check whether the value is the same with the previous. (Why I use a tmp value? Because the jspinner.getPreviousValue failed in the case above.)

   tmp = 0; set(jspinner,'StateChangedCallback', ... 'if tmp~=jspinner.getValue;disp(tmp);tmp = jspinner.getValue; end');

   tmp = 0; set(jspinner,'StateChangedCallback', ... 'if tmp~=jspinner.getValue;disp(tmp);tmp = jspinner.getValue; end');

   This time, the output works fine, and it never outputs two same lines.

   I guess the problem may be something related to the thread of java/matlab events, but I do not hava enough knowledge about it. The problem could be solved by adding a temp value and add an if-end sentence, but it would be better to know the reason.

   Could you please help me find the reason of this problem?

   By the way, your MATLAB-Java book and many blogs has helped me a lot!

   Thank you so much!

• 
  Yair Altman March 9, 2018 at 01:22 Reply

  @Asimov – Java events often fire twice: first when the event processing starts, and then when the even processing ends. You can process only one of them by adding code in your callback function to prevent re-entrancy. For example:

  % Variant1 function myCallbackFcn1(hObject,eventData,varargin) persistent inCallback if ~isempty(inCallback), return; end inCallback = true; try % do something useful here catch % error trapping here end pause(0.001); drawnow; % give all other GUI events a chance to bail out above inCallback = []; end % myCallbackFcn1

  % Variant1 function myCallbackFcn1(hObject,eventData,varargin) persistent inCallback if ~isempty(inCallback), return; end inCallback = true; try % do something useful here catch % error trapping here end pause(0.001); drawnow; % give all other GUI events a chance to bail out above inCallback = []; end % myCallbackFcn1

  Additional information: http://undocumentedmatlab.com/blog/controlling-callback-re-entrancy

  If you found my book useful, then please post a favorable review of it on Amazon – thanks in advance!

8. 
   Santiago July 18, 2021 at 05:08 Reply

   Hi Yair.

   Is it possible to modify the spinner’s position (x, y, w, h) after it has been created? I’m trying to do it during a SizeChangedFcn callback.

   Thanks.

• 
  Yair Altman July 18, 2021 at 11:28 Reply

  yes – assuming you created the spinner using the javacomponent function, you can modify the Position and Units properties of the component’s container handle, which is the second output argument returned by javacomponent. See http://undocumentedmatlab.com/articles/javacomponent for details.

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<pre lang="matlab">
a = magic(3);
disp(sum(a))
</pre>

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