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Tod Vachev and Hristo Zhivomirov

What You will learn in this course:

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What You will learn in this course:

  • You will be intimately familiar with every available tool in the GUIDE Environment

  • You will know how to work with every available element in the GUIDE Environment and practice it by building two different projects

  • Work with the handles structure and use it to interact between separate elements

  • Visualize Data within Your GUI

  • Validate incoming data from your end users and handle it

  • Create Toolbar Menus for easier use of the end users

  • Create Menubars and Context menus, to add even more functionality to your applications

  • Package your app into a MATLAB App or a Standalone Application that does not require the user to have MATLAB installed

  • Build Two Big projects, one oriented more towards the interface part of the project and the other oriented more at the "behind the scenes" part

Why to Develop Graphical User Interface?

Often times people judge a book by the cover. And for sure the code that you wrote works flawlessly, but does it have a good looking cover and how easy is it to use it? And if you want your code to be used by people who have no coding skills or at the very least, their skills are not good enough to understand it. Why not wrap your code with an interface that will enable anyone to use it? Let us help you with this.

The Development of a intuitive graphical user interface can make your work more popular, since it will be available to a much broader audience of people, that way it can reach more people, and be valued by more people. The graphical user interface, gives the ability to the end user to use the “point and click” strategy, to work more easily with the software application, so the need for the user to know the actual language in which it was written is eliminated.

Why with MATLAB?

Matlab (Matrix Laboratory) is a programming language of a higher level with interactive development environment, that can satisfy the needs even of the most demanding software developers.

The advantages of MATLAB are:

  • Specially designed to work with data structures

  • Built on a modular principle from many different toolboxes, that make specialized functions available for many scientific fields – finances, cartography, numerical biology, data processing, signal processing, parallel calculations and many others)

  • Platform independent language – it works on any Operating System

  • It can directly communicate and operate with hardware periphery (sound cards, video cameras, Arduino, DAQ systems and many more)

  • Gives you the ability to package your code into an (.exe) executable file

  • Rich documentation with thorough explanations of all of its functions, available both offline in the MATLAB environment itself, and in the MATLAB Central website

Why with

GUIDE (Graphical User Interface Development Environment) is a MATLAB integrated working environment that provides instruments and techniques for accelerated, easy and intuitive design and development of GUI for user oriented applications. The approach is straightforward, arrange the user interface elements using the GUIDE Layout Editor, then GUIDE will automatically generate the code behind these elements (Callbacks), which are responsible for the behavior of each of your elements, and finally populate these automatically generated Callbacks with their appropriate behaviors (code), package the app and make it available to the end users.

In conclusion:

If you ever wanted to be a movie producer, this is a great opportunity – become the screenwriter of your own graphical user interface and a producer of its implementation. Create the product, share it with the users, and enjoy the end result. Don’t be the only one who understands and uses your own code, wrap it in an interface and make it available to the broader audience. As always – Express Yourself.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Work with a variety of user interface elements and be familiar with all of their useful properties
  • Visualize data within the interface application
  • Create different kinds of menus - toolbar, menubar, context menu
  • Work with the handles structure
  • Validate incoming data and prevent false inputs from the end users

Syllabus

Introduction
Introduction to The Course (MUST WATCH)
Creating a New GUIDE Project
An Overview of the Available Elements
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Object Browser, Property Inspector and the Most Commonly Modified Properties
Generating The Actual Code Behind The Elements
Available Elements - Your First Project
Single Choice Elements - Radio Buttons, Button Groups, PopUp Menu and Listboxes
The "handles" Structure and State Elements - Checkboxes and Toggle Buttons
Input and Cosmetic Elements - EditText, StaticText and Panels Part 1
Input and Cosmetic Elements - EditText, StaticText and Panels Part 2
Action Elements - The Push Button
Mid Cleaning Up and Documenting Our Code
Data Visualizing Elements - Axes
Decorating the Data Visualization Axes
The Slider Element - Limited Value User Input
Final Cleaning Up and Documenting Our Code
Align The Elements in The Graphical User Interface
Renaming a Project The Correct Way!
First Project Source Code
Binaural Beat Project
Binaural Beat Project - Build the Skeleton of the Project
Visual Interface Validation - Default Values and Strings
Validating the User Input - Error Messages and Default Values
Interaction Between Separate Callbacks - Updating The "handles" Structure
The "guidata" Function Explained Again
Second Project Source Code
Toolbars
What is a Toolbar and Adding a Predefined Toolbar Menu Items
Creating Your Own Custom Toolbars
Toolbar Menus and Context Menus
Creating a Menubar type Menu - Save and Load Data for Your Application
Creating a Context type Menu - Change the Axes Properties
Copying an Axes into the Windows Clipboard From Your Application
First Project Source Code with Menus
Packaging Your GUI Into a Standalone Application
Packaging the Application into a MATLAB Application
Packaging the Application into a Standalone App that does NOT Require MATLAB
Project 3 - Loading and Saving Files
Introduction to the Project - Transforming a Colorful Image to Black and White
Loading the image file and visualizing it (working with the Open dialog window)
Graying the colorful image and resetting it back to the original image
Saving the grayed image file (working with the Save dialog window)
Source Code - Graying an Image

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in MATLAB Graphical User Interface with the MATLAB GUIDE tool with these activities:
Review MATLAB Fundamentals
Strengthen your understanding of MATLAB syntax and basic commands. This will make it easier to grasp the GUIDE-specific aspects of the course.
Show steps
  • Review basic MATLAB syntax and data types.
  • Practice writing simple MATLAB scripts.
  • Familiarize yourself with the MATLAB command window and editor.
Read 'GUI Design for Dummies'
Learn about general GUI design principles to create more user-friendly and effective MATLAB applications.
Show steps
  • Read the chapters on layout, color schemes, and user interaction.
  • Apply the principles to your MATLAB GUI projects.
Read 'Mastering MATLAB' by Duane Hanselman and Bruce Littlefield
Deepen your understanding of MATLAB's capabilities beyond the GUIDE tool. This will allow you to create more sophisticated and customized GUIs.
View Mastering MATLAB on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the chapters related to GUI development and data visualization.
  • Experiment with the examples provided in the book.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Follow MATLAB GUIDE Tutorials
Gain hands-on experience with the GUIDE tool by following online tutorials. This will help you solidify your understanding of the concepts covered in the course.
Show steps
  • Search for MATLAB GUIDE tutorials on the MathWorks website or YouTube.
  • Follow the tutorials step-by-step, building simple GUIs.
  • Experiment with different GUI elements and properties.
GUI Project: Data Visualization Tool
Apply your knowledge by building a GUI application that visualizes data. This will reinforce your understanding of GUI design principles and MATLAB programming.
Show steps
  • Design the layout of your GUI, including input fields, buttons, and axes.
  • Write MATLAB code to handle user input and generate plots.
  • Implement data validation to prevent errors.
  • Add features such as zooming, panning, and data export.
Document Your GUI Project
Improve your understanding and share your knowledge by documenting your GUI project. This will help you solidify your learning and provide a valuable resource for others.
Show steps
  • Write a user manual for your GUI application.
  • Create a tutorial video demonstrating how to use your GUI.
  • Share your documentation and code on a platform like GitHub.
Contribute to a MATLAB GUI Project
Deepen your understanding and gain practical experience by contributing to an open-source MATLAB GUI project. This will expose you to real-world challenges and best practices.
Show steps
  • Find an open-source MATLAB GUI project on GitHub or a similar platform.
  • Review the project's code and documentation.
  • Identify a bug or feature that you can contribute to.
  • Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete MATLAB Graphical User Interface with the MATLAB GUIDE tool will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
MATLAB Programmer
This course is designed to make one a more competent MATLAB Programmer. By giving an overview of the GUI environment, the course helps MATLAB Programmers create interfaces for diverse user skill levels. This course helps MATLAB Programmers package code with an interface that will enable anyone to use it. Working with the handles structure to interact between separate elements helps to make a more dynamic application. Furthermore, the course helps visualize data within a GUI.
GUI Designer
A GUI Designer focuses on crafting intuitive and visually appealing graphical user interfaces. This course equips learners with hands-on experience using MATLAB's GUIDE tool, directly applicable to the responsibilities of a GUI Designer. The course covers layout design, element properties, and callback functions. With this course, aspiring GUI Designers can learn to build user-friendly interfaces and package them into standalone applications, thereby broadening the reach and usability of software applications they work on. Furthermore, working with the handles structure and data visualization elements in the course prepares one to handle complex GUI design challenges by building projects.
User Interface Engineer
This course is invaluable for a User Interface Engineer. User Interface Engineer's create and implement visually engaging and easy to use interfaces. The course builds familiarity with every tool in the GUIDE Environment. The course teaches how to create different kinds of menus. This is useful for the User Interface Engineer. This helps create a more complete user experience, and provide the end user an experience that will enable them to use the product.
Application Developer
This course provides valuable skills for an Application Developer. Mastering MATLAB's GUIDE tool allows Application Developers to create user-friendly interfaces for their applications. Skills such as designing layouts, handling user input, and packaging applications are directly applicable. The emphasis on validating incoming data and creating menus helps an Application Developer build robust and intuitive software. In particular, the course’s focus on packaging into standalone applications would be valuable for distribution.
Software Developer
This course can be incredibly useful for a Software Developer, especially those working with MATLAB. The course focuses on creating GUIs which allows software to be more user friendly. By giving an understanding of GUI the course teaches how to wrap code with an interface that can be used by anyone. Furthermore, by validating the user input the course teaches how to build a more robust application.
Software Engineer
A Software Engineer can leverage this course to enhance user interaction with software. The skills learned are useful when incorporating graphical interfaces into software projects. This course helps Software Engineers design interfaces, handle user input, and visualize data, leading to more user-friendly applications. Working with various interface elements and creating menus helps build a more complete user experience. The ability to package applications as standalone executables is valuable for deployment to users without MATLAB. Furthermore, the emphasis on cleaning up and documenting code prepares one for collaborative software engineering projects.
Data Visualization Specialist
A Data Visualization Specialist can draw upon skills learned in this course. The ability to visualize data within a GUI is a key aspect covered, allowing specialists to present data insights effectively. The course helps Data Visualization Specialists gain experience with `axes` elements. This allows one to present the data in a digestible manner. The course also covers data visualization axes which helps to present data in a clear and concise way.
Robotics Engineer
A Robotics Engineer can use the skills learned in this course to design control interfaces for robots. The course provides skills specific to hardware periphery, such as sound cards, video cameras, and Arduino. Furthermore, the course has a focus on validating incoming data and preventing false inputs. This may be useful for preventing hardware failures.
Image Processing Engineer
This course may be useful for an Image Processing Engineer needing to develop user interfaces for image processing applications. The course provides skills specific to image processing. This includes loading, graying, and resetting an image. These GUI skills can enhance user interaction and make it more understandable for the end user.
Automation Engineer
This course may be useful for an Automation Engineer seeking to create user-friendly interfaces for automated systems. With this course, one can learn how to create interfaces that can be used by people who have no coding skills. The course provides the skills to develop GUI elements that are useful for automation. This helps create a more complete user experience, and provide the end user an experience that will enable them to use the product.
Research Scientist
A Research Scientist often needs tools to present data or control experiments. This course may be helpful for creating custom interfaces for data collection and analysis using MATLAB. The ability to create standalone applications can be valuable for sharing tools with colleagues. The skills learned can assist in experiment automation and data visualization, enhancing research workflows.
Simulation Engineer
This course may be useful for a Simulation Engineer needing to develop user interfaces for simulation software. The course provides a practical foundation for designing interactive simulations. With this course, one can learn how to validate incoming data. This can prevent user error. The course helps package an application into a MATLAB application.
Control Systems Engineer
This course may be beneficial for a Control Systems Engineer needing to design user interfaces for control systems. The course helps to develop custom control panels and monitoring tools. The ability to validate incoming data is useful for implementing safe and reliable systems. This course can help create interfaces for controlling and monitoring systems.
Data Analyst
A Data Analyst can leverage the skills taught in this course. Although a Data Analyst is not always concerned with user interfaces, sometimes it can be helpful to provide clients with the data. By learning to build interfaces, a data analyst can create interactive tools that allow users to explore data insights more effectively. This course may be useful for building interactive dashboards or data entry forms for specific analytical tasks.
Financial Modeler
This course may be useful for a Financial Modeler needing to develop user interfaces for financial models. The course provides hands-on experience using MATLAB's GUIDE tool, which can be applied to creating user-friendly interfaces for financial applications. The emphasis on validating incoming data is crucial. The course, in particular, is useful for making complex financial data more accessible.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in MATLAB Graphical User Interface with the MATLAB GUIDE tool.
Provides a comprehensive overview of MATLAB, including its programming environment and GUI development capabilities. It serves as a valuable reference for understanding the underlying principles of MATLAB and how they apply to GUI design. While not solely focused on GUIDE, it offers a strong foundation for building complex applications. It is commonly used as a textbook in university courses.
Provides a general overview of GUI design principles, which can be helpful for creating user-friendly interfaces in MATLAB GUIDE. It covers topics such as layout, color schemes, and user interaction. This book is more valuable as additional reading than it is as a current reference. It provides a broader context for GUI design, which can enhance the usability and effectiveness of your MATLAB applications.

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