what does defaultAreaFaceColor do?

at startup, if i execute:

    set(groot,'defaultAreaFaceColor',[0.8 0.5 0.8]);
    set(groot,'defaultAreaEdgeColor',[0.8 0.5 0.8]);
    hF=figure;
        arH1=area([1 2],[4 4],3)  % blue (the first color in the matlab default list) box, 
                                  % with a purple border
                                  %     arH1 =
                                  %       Area with properties:
                                  %
                                  %         FaceColor: [0 0.447 0.741]
                                  %         EdgeColor: [0.8 0.5 0.8]
                                  %         LineStyle: '-'
                                  %         LineWidth: 0.5
                                  %         BaseValue: 3
                                  %             XData: [1 2]
                                  %             YData: [4 4]
     	get(groot,'default')      % struct with fields:
                                  %
                                  %              defaultFigurePosition: [680 558 560 420]
                                  %     defaultFigurePaperPositionMode: 'auto'
                                  %               defaultFigureVisible: on
                                  %               defaultFigureToolBar: 'auto'
                                  %               defaultFigureMenuBar: 'figure'
                                  %               defaultAreaFaceColor: [0.8 0.5 0.8]
                                  %               defaultAreaEdgeColor: [0.8 0.5 0.8]

a blue box with a purple border is created (see the comments in the code above for the properties of the area)

but the "defaults" do appear to be set.

i have a feeling set(groot,'defaultFooBar') does not work the way that i think it does. i thought the defaults could be changed to the users preference with set(groot,'defaultFooBar') so that any subsequent figure would use those set defaults. however, i find that some work, some do not but i cannot determine what the difference is.

thanks in advance

Answer 1

[AKennedy]

Hi Dave,

MATLAB sets object properties in a specific order:

1. Object-specific: Highest priority, set using "set(objectHandle,...)".
2. Figure-level defaults: Defined using "set(groot,...)".
3. MATLAB defaults: Built-in defaults used if neither 1 nor 2 are set.

The "area" object likely has pre-defined default colors that override your figure-level settings. You can try to

1. Set Object Properties Explicitly:

set(arH1, 'FaceColor', ..., 'EdgeColor', ...)

2. Create a Custom Area Function: This function replicates area but sets your preferred colors.

While setting figure-level defaults seems convenient, it can be overridden by object-specific properties. Directly modify the object or use custom functions for better control.