Help with dragging lines in GUI using draggable.m

Hi. Im trying to use the handy draggable function https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/4179-draggable for a GUI im working on. I want to drag a line and have the x coordinate update in a textbox after the user releases the mouse. Im having some issues implementing it due to some issue with handles that i cant figure out.

This is how I added the draggable line:

axes(handles.axis1)
plot(y)
hold on
q_line = line([x1 x1],[y2 y1], 'color', 'k','linewidth',0.5, 'linestyle', '--'); 
draggable(qon_line,'h',[x1-50 x2+50],'endfcn',@update_drag_line_values);

then i have a separate function:

function new_line_xcoord = update_drag_line_values(line)
drag_line_xdata = round(get(line,'XData'));
new_line_xcoord = drag_line_xdata(1)

but when I try to do anything involving handles I get either this error:

Undefined variable "handles" or class "handles.variable1".

Error in GUI_name>update_drag_line_values (line 4381)
handles.variable1

Error in draggable>deactivate_movefcn (line 311)
    feval(user_endfcn,h);           % added by SMB, modified by FB

Error while evaluating Figure WindowButtonUpFcn.

or this error:

Undefined function or variable 'hObject'.

Error in GUI_name>update_drag_line_values (line 4378)
handles = guidata(hObject);  % load handles variables

Error in draggable>deactivate_movefcn (line 311)
    feval(user_endfcn,h);           % added by SMB, modified by FB

Error while evaluating Figure WindowButtonUpFcn.

Ive tried to pass handles into the endfcn in various ways including:

axes(handles.axis1)
plot(y)
hold on
q_line = line([x1 x1],[y2 y1], 'color', 'k','linewidth',0.5, 'linestyle', '--'); 
draggable(qon_line,'h',[x1-50 x2+50],'endfcn',{@update_drag_line_values,handles});

but nothing seems to work....any help would be appreciated. thanks!!

[Geoff Hayes]

HpW - please show the code where you are attempting to access handles.variable1. If the handles structure is not passed in as an input parameter (to your function) then you cannot access it...which is what the error messages is telling you as handles or hObject are undefined. You don't necessarily have to pass in handles to your function but you need to do something to get at this object (i.e. define it) before you try to use it in your code.

[HpW]

Thanks for the reply. Ive tried multiple things. Sometimes I get an error, and sometimes nothing happens but the function doesnt work.

function new_line_xcoord = update_drag_line_values(line)
handles = guidata(hObject);  % load handles variables
drag_line_xdata = round(get(line,'XData'));
new_line_xcoord = drag_line_xdata(1)

Gives error:

Undefined function or variable 'hObject'.

Error in GUI_name>update_drag_line_values (line 4378)
handles = guidata(hObject);  % load handles variables

Error in draggable>deactivate_movefcn (line 311)
    feval(user_endfcn,h);           % added by SMB, modified by FB

Error while evaluating Figure WindowButtonUpFcn.

If I try to add handles in this way:

function new_line_xcoord = update_drag_line_values(line,hObject, eventdata, handles)
handles = guidata(hObject);  % load handles variables
drag_line_xdata = round(get(line,'XData'));
new_line_xcoord = drag_line_xdata(1)

I get error:

Not enough input arguments.

Error in GUI_name>update_drag_line_values (line 4378)
handles = guidata(hObject);  % load handles variables

Error in draggable>deactivate_movefcn (line 311)
    feval(user_endfcn,h);           % added by SMB, modified by FB

Error while evaluating Figure WindowButtonUpFcn.

I dont know how to get handles to be active in this function....thanks for the help!

[HpW]

to clarify, im trying to access the handles variables (handles.variable1) etc from within

function new_line_xcoord = update_drag_line_values(line)

Answer 1

[Geoff Hayes]

HpW - ok, so you have written a function called update_drag_line_values that you pass in to the draggable function (from the FEX). The draggable function then calls your function.

The Not enough input arguments makes sense because you have added several input parameters to update_drag_line_values but draggable doesn't supply these additional parameters/arguments when calling your function.

The Undefined function or variable 'hObject' makes sense too since the code is trying to access a variable that hasn't been defined.

You can probably do one of two things: pass the GUI figure handle into draggable (you will need to update this code) so that it passes this handle into your function. So your function signature and first couple of lines would become

 function new_line_xcoord = update_drag_line_values(line, hFigure)
 handles = guidata(hFigure);
 % etc.

And you will need to figure out where in draggable the figure handle gets passed along to your function.

Alternatively, given that you have a handles structure, I'm going to assume that you are using GUIDE to develop your GUI. If you follow https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/146215-pass-data-between-gui-s, what we need to do is set the HandleVisibility property to on, and the Tag property to Gui1 (or whatever tag/name you want for your GUI). Then, in your update_drag_line_values function we would do

 function new_line_xcoord = update_drag_line_values(line)
 hGui = findobj('Tag','Gui1');
 if ~isempty(hGui)
     handles = guidata(hGui);
     % etc.
 end

The second approach is simpler and you don't have to worry about updating the draggable function.

[HpW]

Wow. thanks! I used the passing handles between GUIs method and it works great! My last question is how can I call another function from within the GUI?

Right now I have this code:

function new_line_xcoord = update_drag_line_values(line)

drag_line_xdata = round(get(line,'XData'));
new_line_xcoord = drag_line_xdata(1);

hGui = findobj('Tag','GUI1');
 if ~isempty(hGui)
     handles = guidata(hGui);

   end

old_coord = str2num(get(handles.edit_old_beat_textbox,'String'));
old_coord (1) = new_line_xcoord;
set(handles.edit_old_beat_textbox,'String',num2str(old_beat));

This works great - it takes the coordinate from the dragged line, and updates a textbox in the GUI as needed. But if I add another callback to a function within GUI1, i get an error. Why is this happening if handles is now loaded?

Adding the line below the rest of the block of code above

update_coords_Callback(hObject, eventdata, handles)

gives error:

Undefined function or variable 'hObject'.

[Geoff Hayes]

where did you add the update_coords_Callback callback? How is it being called?

[HpW]

Sorry for the long delay in my reply --- i missed that there was a reply. The code is:

function new_line_xcoord = update_drag_line_values(line)
drag_line_xdata = round(get(line,'XData'));
new_line_xcoord = drag_line_xdata(1);
hGui = findobj('Tag','GUI1');
 if ~isempty(hGui)
     handles = guidata(hGui);
   end
old_coord = str2num(get(handles.edit_old_beat_textbox,'String'));
old_coord (1) = new_line_xcoord;
set(handles.edit_old_beat_textbox,'String',num2str(old_beat));
update_coords_Callback(hObject, eventdata, handles)

It crashes with the

Undefined function or variable 'hObject'.

error when I add the final line for calling update_coords_Callback. Any help would be appreciated. thx!

[Geoff Hayes]

since hObject has not been defined as an input parameter to your function (and because you haven't created a variable of the same name) when you try to pass hObject to your update_coords_Callback then you get the error. Should the handle be a part of the handles structure and so you can get it from there?