Combine figures with subplots in new figure with subplots

Hello,

how can I combine 2 figures (h1 and h2) with 2 subplots to one figure (c) with 4 subplots?

h1 = figure
subplot(2,1,1)
subplot(2,1,2)

h2 = figure
subplot(2,1,1)
subplot(2,1,2)

c = figure 
subplot(2,2,1)
subplot(2,2,2)
subplot(2,2,3)
subplot(2,2,4)

Answer 1

[Mathieu NOE]

hello Paul

like this ?

% Create first figure
hf_sub(1) = figure(1);
hp(1) = uipanel('Parent',hf_sub(1),'Position',[0 0 1 1]);
subplot(2,1,1,'Parent',hp(1));
plot(1:10);
subplot(2,1,2,'Parent',hp(1));
plot(rand(1,100));

% Create second figure
hf_sub(2) = figure(2);
hp(2) = uipanel('Parent',hf_sub(2),'Position',[0 0 1 1]);
subplot(2,1,1,'Parent',hp(2));
histogram(randn(1,1000));
subplot(2,1,2,'Parent',hp(2));
membrane

% Create third figure
hf_sub(3) = figure(3);
hp(3) = uipanel('Parent',hf_sub(3),'Position',[0 0 1 1]);
subplot(2,2,1,'Parent',hp(3));
histogram(randn(1,1000));
subplot(2,2,2,'Parent',hp(3));
membrane
subplot(2,2,3,'Parent',hp(3));
surf(peaks)
subplot(2,2,4,'Parent',hp(3));
plot(-(1:10));

% Create combined figure (horizontal concatenation)
hf_main = figure(4);
npanels = numel(hp);
hp_sub = nan(1,npanels);
% Copy over the panels 
for idx = 1:npanels
    hp_sub(idx) = copyobj(hp(idx),hf_main);
    set(hp_sub(idx),'Position',[(idx-1)/npanels,0,1/npanels,1]);
end

% Create combined figure (vertical concatenation)
hf_main = figure(5);
npanels = numel(hp);
hp_sub = nan(1,npanels);
% Copy over the panels 
for idx = 1:npanels
    hp_sub(idx) = copyobj(hp(idx),hf_main);
%     set(hp_sub(idx),'Position',[0,(idx-1)/npanels,1,1/npanels]); % figures are added from y bottom to top 
    set(hp_sub(idx),'Position',[0,(npanels-idx)/npanels,1,1/npanels]); % figures are added from y top to bottom 

end

[Paul Muster]

Hey, Mathieu,

thank you. But my problem is, that I have already given e.g. your Figures 1 and 2. So the handle

hp(1) = uipanel('Parent',hf_sub(1),'Position',[0 0 1 1]);

isn't possible in my case. Is there a work around?

[Mathieu NOE]

hello Paul

sorry I am not sure to understand your problem

going back to the original question, if you have two figures with two subplots , why not simply maket one figure with 4 subplots ?

[Paul Muster]

Yeah, that is the goal.

However, the two figures with two subplots are returned by a function that can't be changed (not my own function). So I have to find a way to combine these two figures to one figure with 4 subplots.

Hopefully my problem is a bit clearer now.

[Mathieu NOE]

in other words , you want to stack two figs ?

this is addressed here :

Combine three or more MATLAB figures - MATLAB Answers - MATLAB Central (mathworks.com)

%First Figure
h1 = openfig('test1.fig','reuse'); % open figure
ax1 = gca; % get handle to axes of figure
%Second Figure
h2 = openfig('test2.fig','reuse');
ax2 = gca;
h3 = figure; %create new figure
s1 = subplot(1,2,1); %create and get handle to the subplot axes
s2 = subplot(1,2,2);
fig1 = get(ax1,'children'); %get handle to all the children in the figure
fig2 = get(ax2,'children');
copyobj(fig1,s1); %copy children to new parent axes i.e. the subplot axes
copyobj(fig2,s2);

[Mathieu NOE]

see also

SubPlot - File Exchange - MATLAB Central (mathworks.com)

figure2subplot - File Exchange - MATLAB Central (mathworks.com)

[Paul Muster]

Hey, yeah, I have already tried something like that. The problem is, that only the last subplot of each figure is copied. But I need to have all in a 2x2 subplot.

% Create first figure
figure;
subplot(2,1,1);
plot(1:10);
subplot(2,1,2);
plot(rand(1,100));

ax1 = gca; % get handle to axes of figure

% Create second figure
figure;
subplot(2,1,1);
histogram(randn(1,1000));
subplot(2,1,2);
membrane

ax2 = gca;

h3 = figure; %create new figure
s1 = subplot(1,2,1); %create and get handle to the subplot axes
s2 = subplot(1,2,2);
fig1 = get(ax1,'children'); %get handle to all the children in the figure
fig2 = get(ax2,'children');
copyobj(fig1,s1); %copy children to new parent axes i.e. the subplot axes
copyobj(fig2,s2);

[Paul Muster]

EDIT: The goal is "simply" to make out of the figure top left and the figure top right ONE figure.

[Mathieu NOE]

I know, but I am not doing that every day - I'm maybe not the best at this

% Create first figure
figure;
subplot(2,1,1);
plot(1:10);
ax1 = gca; % get handle to axes of figure
subplot(2,1,2);
plot(rand(1,100));
ax2 = gca; % get handle to axes of figure

% Create second figure
figure;
subplot(2,1,1);
histogram(randn(1,1000));
ax3 = gca;
subplot(2,1,2);
membrane

ax4 = gca;

%%%%%%%%%%
f1 = get(ax1,'children'); %get handle to all the children in the figure
f2 = get(ax2,'children');
f3 = get(ax3,'children');
f4 = get(ax4,'children');


%%%%%%%%%%
h3 = figure; %create new figure
s1 = subplot(2,2,1); %create and get handle to the subplot axes
s2 = subplot(2,2,2);
s3 = subplot(2,2,3); %create and get handle to the subplot axes
s4 = subplot(2,2,4);

copyobj(f1,s1); %copy children to new parent axes i.e. the subplot axes
copyobj(f2,s3);

copyobj(f3,s2);
copyobj(f4,s4);

[Paul Muster]

In combination with

ax1=findobj(gcf,'type','axes'); % get handle to axes of figure

it works. Thank you very much!

[Mathieu NOE]

ok good

I'm interested , how does the full code looks like now ?

[Paul Muster]

Just a small modification of yours:

% Create first figure
figure;
subplot(2,1,1);
plot(1:10);
subplot(2,1,2);
plot(rand(1,100));

ax1=findobj(gcf,'type','axes'); % get handle to axes of figure

% Create second figure
figure;
subplot(2,1,1);
plot(10:-1:1);
subplot(2,1,2);
plot(rand(1,100));

ax2=findobj(gcf,'type','axes'); % get handle to axes of figure

%%%%%%%%%%
f1 = get(ax1(1),'children'); %get handle to all the children in the figure
f2 = get(ax1(2),'children');
f3 = get(ax2(1),'children');
f4 = get(ax2(2),'children');
%%%%%%%%%%
h3 = figure; %create new figure
s1 = subplot(2,2,1); %create and get handle to the subplot axes
s2 = subplot(2,2,2);
s3 = subplot(2,2,3); %create and get handle to the subplot axes
s4 = subplot(2,2,4);
copyobj(f1,s3); %copy children to new parent axes i.e. the subplot axes
copyobj(f2,s1);
copyobj(f3,s4);
copyobj(f4,s2);

[Mathieu NOE]

excellent !

tx !!