Minimizing MATLAB windows while running?

In my code, series of images are being processed and at each stage I have to show different figures in several windows, but as you know while running each window comes up and prevents you from doing your other things with your PC while running.

Is it possible to ask MATLAB to minimize all the windows (while running), so that the user can do his other things meanwhile?

Thanks so much.

Steven

Answer 1

[Image Analyst]

Here's the official Mathworks word on that: http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/110789-how-do-i-create-a-figure-without-bringing-the-figure-window-to-the-front-in-matlab-r2013b

[Steven]

Great! Thanks! I see that it has recently been updated!

Thanks!

Answer 2

[DGM]

I don't know why that reference answer got deleted, but it's still archived:

https://web.archive.org/web/20150517051637/http://www.mathworks.com:80/matlabcentral/answers/110789-how-do-i-create-a-figure-without-bringing-the-figure-window-to-the-front-in-matlab-r2013b

The issue here is that the creation of new figure windows will typically steal focus from other applications, depending on window manager settings. Minimizing windows afterward does nothing to solve the problem.

This is the original answer --->

A change was made in MATLAB R2013b that causes new figure windows to appear in the foreground. There are three workarounds to achieve the desired effect:

1. Make plots invisible as they are plotted, and return them to visible once all plots are complete.

There are two ways to make the plots invisible:

a) After each "figure" statement, execute:

set(gcf, 'visible', 'off');

b) Set the default figure visible option to 'off' once in the beginning:

set(0, 'DefaultFigureVisible', 'off');

Once all the plots are complete, return the property to 'on':

set(0, 'DefaultFigureVisible', 'on');

At the end of the script, make all the plots visible. Suppose there are n figures with numbers 1 through n. Execute:

set(1:n, 'visible', 'on');

2. Dock all new figures with

set(0, 'DefaultFigureWindowStyle', 'docked');

Return this property to normal at the end of the script with

set(0, 'DefaultFigureWindowStyle', 'normal');

3. Generate the n empty figures at the beginning of the script:

for i = 1:n
    figure(i);
end

Then, when plotting, instead of "figure(i)", use

set(0, 'CurrentFigure', i);

If it is important to periodically check the outputs of the plots while the script is running, options 2 or 3 may be more useful than 1.

[Adam Danz]

Thanks for updating the thread @DGM.

I like using docked figures to solve this issue. But there's an efficiency benefit to using visible='off'. Which ever one is used, I would specify the property value during figure creation and store the figure handles. I would also use onCleanup to turn visibility back on. The benefit is that if the code stops execution due to an unexpected error, the visibility will be turned on so you know the figures are there.

n = 4;                 % for 12 figures
figs = gobjects(n,1);   % preallocate graphics array to store fig handles

for i = 1:n
    figs(i) = figure('Visible','off'); 
end
turnOnFigVisibility = onCleanup(@()set(figs,'Visible','on'));  % turn on visibility at end

% [YOUR OTHER GRAPHICS CODE]

% Turn on visibility at the end
% This line is not needed if this is within a function
clear turnOnFigVisibility

If figures aren't being created in a loop, this line turns on visibility for all existing figures.

figure('Visibile','off')
% [plotting stuff]

figure('Visibile','off')
% [plotting stuff]

turnOnFigVisibility = onCleanup(@()set(findall(groot,'type','figure'),'Visible','on'));  % turn on visibility at end