MapAxes Properties

Map axes appearance and behavior

Since R2023a

MapAxes properties control the appearance and behavior of a MapAxes object. By changing property values, you can modify certain aspects of the map axes. Use dot notation to query and set properties.

p = projcrs(26919);
newmap(p)
mx = gca;
c = mx.OutlineColor;
mx.OutlineColor = "blue";

Map

ProjectedCRS — Projected coordinate reference system

projcrs(8857) (default) | projcrs object

Projected coordinate reference system (CRS), specified as a projcrs object. MapAxes objects use the projection method and projection parameters stored in the projected CRS to transform geographic (latitude-longitude) coordinates to projected (xy) coordinates.

When you change the projected CRS, MATLAB^® automatically updates the map axes to use the new projected CRS.

To change the projection parameters of the CRS, access the underlying ProjectionParameters property of the projcrs object.

p = projcrs(26919);
newmap(p)
mx = gca;
mx.ProjectionParameters.LongitudeOfNaturalOrigin = -75;

For examples of how to customize the projection used by map axes, see Change Projection and Projection Parameters.

By default, map axes objects use the World Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS 84) / Equal Earth Greenwich projected CRS, which has the EPSG code 8857.

The projected CRS must have a forward and inverse projection implementation. Most projected CRSs have a forward and inverse projection implementation.

Scalebar — Scale bar

GeographicScalebar object

This property is read-only.

Scale bar, stored as a GeographicScalebar object. The scale bar shows proportional distances on the map.

Change the appearance and behavior of the scale bar by setting properties of the GeographicScalebar object. For example, this code shows how to hide the scale bar.

newmap
mx = gca;
mx.Scalebar.Visible = "off";

For more information about the properties of GeographicScalebar objects, see GeographicScalebar Properties.

Font

FontColor — Text color for title, tick labels, and scale bar

[1 1 1] (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | "r" | "g" | "b" | ...

Text color for the title, the tick labels, and the scale bar, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

• An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

• A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
"red"	"r"	[1 0 0]	"#FF0000"
"green"	"g"	[0 1 0]	"#00FF00"
"blue"	"b"	[0 0 1]	"#0000FF"
"cyan"	"c"	[0 1 1]	"#00FFFF"
"magenta"	"m"	[1 0 1]	"#FF00FF"
"yellow"	"y"	[1 1 0]	"#FFFF00"
"black"	"k"	[0 0 0]	"#000000"
"white"	"w"	[1 1 1]	"#FFFFFF"
"none"	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410]	"#0072BD"
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]	"#D95319"
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]	"#EDB120"
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]	"#7E2F8E"
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]	"#77AC30"
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]	"#4DBEEE"
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]	"#A2142F"

To use a different text color for the title than for the tick labels and scale bar, set the Color property of the title, such as mx.Title.Color = "blue".

To use a different text color for the scale bar than for the title and tick labels, set the FontColor property of the scale bar, such as mx.Scalebar.FontColor = "blue".

Example: mx.FontColor = [0 0 1];

Example: mx.FontColor = "b";

Example: mx.FontColor = "blue";

Example: mx.FontColor = "#0000FF";

FontName — Font name

supported font name | "FixedWidth"

Font name, specified as a supported font name or "FixedWidth". To display and print text properly, you must choose a font that your system supports. The default font depends on your operating system and locale.

To use a fixed-width font that looks good in any locale, specify "FixedWidth". The fixed-width font relies on the root FixedWidthFontName property. Setting the root FixedWidthFontName property causes the display to immediately update to use the new font.

FontSize — Font size

numeric scalar

Font size, specified as a numeric scalar. The font size affects the title, tick labels, and scale bar, as well as any legends or color bars associated with the axes. The default font size depends on the specific operating system and locale. By default, the axes object measures the font size in points. To change the units, set the FontUnits property.

MATLAB automatically scales some of the text to a percentage of the axes font size.

• Titles — 110% of the axes font size by default. To control title scaling, use the TitleFontSizeMultiplier and LabelFontSizeMultiplier properties.

• Legends and color bars — 90% of the axes font size by default. To specify a different font size, set the FontSize property for the Legend or ColorBar object instead.

• Scale bar — 80% of the axes font size by default. To specify a different font size, set the FontSize property for the GeographicScalebar object instead.

FontSizeMode — Selection mode for font size

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the font size, specified as one of these values:

• 'auto' — Font size specified by MATLAB. If you resize the axes to be smaller than the default size, the font size might scale down to improve readability and layout.

• 'manual' — Font size specified manually. Do not scale the font size as the axes size changes. To specify the font size, set the FontSize property.

FontWeight — Character thickness

"normal" (default) | "bold"

Character thickness, specified as "normal" or "bold".

MATLAB uses the FontWeight property to select a font from those available on your system. Not all fonts have a bold weight. Therefore, specifying a bold font weight can still result in the normal font weight.

FontAngle — Character slant

"normal" (default) | "italic"

Character slant, specified as "normal" or "italic".

Not all fonts have both font styles. Therefore, the italic font might look the same as the normal font.

TitleFontSizeMultiplier — Scale factor for title font size

1.1 (default) | numeric value greater than 0

Scale factor for the title font size, specified as a numeric value greater than 0. The scale factor is applied to the value of the FontSize property to determine the font size for the title.

TitleFontWeight — Title character thickness

'bold' (default) | 'normal'

Title character thickness, specified as one of these values:

• 'normal' — Default weight as defined by the particular font

• 'bold' — Thicker characters than normal

SubtitleFontWeight — Subtitle character thickness

'normal' (default) | 'bold'

Subtitle character thickness, specified as one of these values:

• 'normal' — Default weight as defined by the particular font

• 'bold' — Thicker characters than normal

FontUnits — Font size units

'points' (default) | 'inches' | 'centimeters' | 'normalized' | 'pixels'

Font size units, specified as one of these values.

Units	Description
'points'	Points. One point equals 1/72 inch.
'inches'	Inches.
'centimeters'	Centimeters.
'normalized'	Interpret font size as a fraction of the axes height. If you resize the axes, the font size modifies accordingly. For example, if the FontSize is 0.1 in normalized units, then the text is 1/10 of the height value stored in the axes Position property.
'pixels'	Pixels. Starting in R2015b, distances in pixels are independent of your system resolution on Windows® and Macintosh systems. On Windows systems, a pixel is 1/96th of an inch. On Macintosh systems, a pixel is 1/72nd of an inch. On Linux® systems, the size of a pixel is determined by your system resolution.

To set both the font size and the font units in a single function call, you first must set the FontUnits property so that the Axes object correctly interprets the specified font size.

Ticks

TickDir — Tick mark direction

"in" (default) | "out" | "both" | "none"

Tick mark direction, specified as one of these values:

• "in" — Direct the tick marks inward from the axis lines.

• "out" — Direct the tick marks outward from the axis lines.

• "both" — Center the tick marks over the axis lines.

• "none" — Do not display any tick marks.

TickLabelFormat — Tick label format

"dms" (default) | "dd" | "dm" | "-dd" | "-dm" | "-dms"

Tick label format, specified as one of these options:

Format	Description	Example
"dd"	Decimal degrees plus compass direction	23°N
"dm"	Degrees and decimal minutes plus compass direction	18°30'W
"dms" (default)	Degrees, minutes, and decimal seconds plus compass direction	110°06'18.5"E
"-dd"	Decimal degrees with a minus sign (–) to indicate south and west	-115.25°
"-dm"	Degrees and decimal minutes with a minus sign (–) to indicate south and west	-5°45.5'
"-dms"	Degrees, minutes, and decimal seconds with a minus sign (–) to indicate south and west	-3°21'05"

Graticule

GraticuleColor — Color of graticule lines

[0.15 0.15 0.15] (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | "r" | "g" | "b" | ...

Color of the graticule lines, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

• An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

• A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
"red"	"r"	[1 0 0]	"#FF0000"
"green"	"g"	[0 1 0]	"#00FF00"
"blue"	"b"	[0 0 1]	"#0000FF"
"cyan"	"c"	[0 1 1]	"#00FFFF"
"magenta"	"m"	[1 0 1]	"#FF00FF"
"yellow"	"y"	[1 1 0]	"#FFFF00"
"black"	"k"	[0 0 0]	"#000000"
"white"	"w"	[1 1 1]	"#FFFFFF"
"none"	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410]	"#0072BD"
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]	"#D95319"
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]	"#EDB120"
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]	"#7E2F8E"
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]	"#77AC30"
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]	"#4DBEEE"
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]	"#A2142F"

To set the outline color of the axes, use the OutlineColor property.

GraticuleLineStyle — Line style for graticule lines

"-" (default) | "--" | ":" | "-." | "none"

Line style for graticule lines, specified as one of the line styles in this table.

Line Style	Description	Resulting Line
"-"	Solid line
"--"	Dashed line
":"	Dotted line
"-."	Dash-dotted line
"none"	No line	No line

GraticuleLineWidth — Width of graticule lines

0.5 (default) | positive scalar

Width of the graticule lines, specified as a positive scalar in point units. One point equals 1/72 of an inch.

When the GraticuleLineWidthMode property has a value of "auto", the value of GraticuleLineWidth matches the value of LineWidth.

GraticuleLineWidthMode — Selection mode for GraticuleLineWidth

"auto" (default) | "manual"

Selection mode for the GraticuleLineWidth property, specified as one of these values:

• "auto" — Automatically select the width of graticule lines based on the value of the LineWidth property.

• "manual" — Manually specify the width of graticule lines. To specify the value, set the GraticuleLineWidth property.

GraticuleAlpha — Transparency of graticule lines

0.15 (default) | value in the range [0, 1]

Transparency of the graticule lines, specified as a value in the range [0, 1]. A value of 1 means opaque and a value of 0 means completely transparent.

Labels

Title — Text object for title

text object

Text object for the axes title. To add a title, set the String property of the text object. To change the title appearance, such as the font style or color, set other properties. For a complete list, see Text Properties.

ax = gca;
ax.Title.String = 'My Title';
ax.Title.FontWeight = 'normal';

Alternatively, use the title function to add a title and control the appearance.

title('My Title','FontWeight','normal')

Note

This text object is not contained in the axes Children property, cannot be returned by findobj, and does not use default values defined for text objects.

Subtitle — Text object for subtitle

text object

Text object for the axes subtitle. To add a subtitle, set the String property of the text object. To change its appearance, such as the font angle, set other properties. For a complete list, see Text Properties.

ax = gca;
ax.Subtitle.String = 'An Insightful Subtitle';
ax.Subtitle.FontAngle = 'italic';

Alternatively, use the subtitle function to add a subtitle and control the appearance.

subtitle('An Insightful Subtitle','FontAngle','italic')

Or use the title function, and specify two character vector input arguments and two output arguments. Then set properties on the second text object returned by the function.

[t,s] = title('Clever Title','An Insightful Subtitle');
s.FontAngle = 'italic';

Note

This text object is not contained in the axes Children property, cannot be returned by findobj, and does not use default values defined for text objects.

TitleHorizontalAlignment — Title and subtitle horizontal alignment

"center" (default) | "left" | "right"

Title and subtitle horizontal alignment, specified as one of these values:

• "center" — Center the title and subtitle over the map axes.

• "left" — Align the title and subtitle with the left edge of an invisible box that circumscribes the map axes.

• "right" — Align the title and subtitle with the right edge of an invisible box that circumscribes the map axes.

Legend — Legend associated with axes

empty GraphicsPlaceholder (default) | Legend object

This property is read-only.

Legend associated with the axes, stored as a Legend object. To add a legend to the axes, use the legend function. Then, you can use this property to modify the legend. For a complete list of properties, see Legend Properties.

newmap
geoplot(1:10,1:10)
hold on
geoplot(5:14,1:10)

legend(["Line 1" "Line 2"],FontSize=12)
mx = gca;
mx.Legend.TextColor = "red";

You also can use this property to determine if the axes has a legend.

newmap
mx = gca; 

lgd = mx.Legend
if ~isempty(lgd)
    disp("Legend Exists")
end

Multiple Plots

ColorOrder — Color order

seven predefined colors (default) | three-column matrix of RGB triplets

Color order, specified as a three-column matrix of RGB triplets. This property defines the palette of colors MATLAB uses to create plot objects such as Lineand Scatter objects. Each row of the matrix is an RGB triplet. An RGB triplet is a three-element vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of a color. The intensities must be in the range [0, 1]. This table lists the default colors.

Colors	ColorOrder Matrix
	[ 0 0.4470 0.7410 0.8500 0.3250 0.0980 0.9290 0.6940 0.1250 0.4940 0.1840 0.5560 0.4660 0.6740 0.1880 0.3010 0.7450 0.9330 0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]

MATLAB assigns colors to objects according to their order of creation. For example, when plotting lines, the first line uses the first color, the second line uses the second color, and so on. If there are more lines than colors, then the cycle repeats.

Changing the Color Order Before or After Plotting

You can change the color order in either of these ways:

• Call the colororder function to change the color order for all the axes in a figure. The colors of existing plots in the figure update immediately. If you place additional axes into the figure, those axes also use the new color order. If you continue to call plotting commands, those commands also use the new colors.

• Set the ColorOrder property on the axes, call the hold function to set the axes hold state to "on", and then call the desired plotting functions. Unlike the colororder function, this process sets the color order for the specific axes rather than the entire figure. You must set the hold state to "on" to ensure that subsequent plotting commands do not reset the axes to use the default color order.

LineStyleOrder — Line style order

"-" solid line (default) | character vector | cell array of character vectors | string array

Line style order, specified as a character vector, a cell array of character vectors, or a string array. This property lists the line styles that MATLAB uses to display multiple plot lines in the axes. MATLAB assigns styles to lines according to their order of creation. By default, it changes to the next line style only after cycling through all the colors in the ColorOrder property with the current line style. Set the LineStyleCyclingMethod property to "withcolor" to cycle through both together, or "beforecolor" to cycle through the line styles first. The default LineStyleOrder has only one line style, "-".

To customize the line style order, create a cell array of character vectors or a string array. Specify each element of the array as a line specifier or marker specifier from these tables. You can combine a line and a marker specifier into a single element, such as '-*'.

Line Specifier	Description
"-" (default)	Solid line
"--"	Dashed line
":"	Dotted line
"-."	Dash-dotted line

Marker Specifier	Description
"+"	Plus sign markers
"o"	Circle markers
"*"	Star markers
"."	Point markers
"x"	Cross markers
"s"	Square markers
"d"	Diamond markers
"^"	Upward-pointing triangle markers
"v"	Downward-pointing triangle markers
">"	Right-pointing triangle markers
"<"	Left-pointing triangle markers
"p"	Five-pointed star (pentagram) markers
"h"	Six-pointed star (hexagram) markers

Changing Line Style Order Before or After Plotting

You can change the line style order before or after plotting into the axes. When you set the LineStyleOrder property to a new value, MATLAB updates the styles of any lines that are in the axes. If you continue plotting into the axes, your plotting commands continue using the line styles from the updated list.

LineStyleCyclingMethod — How to cycle through line styles

"aftercolor" (default) | "beforecolor" | "withcolor"

Since R2023a

How to cycle through the line styles when there are multiple lines in the axes, specified as one of the values from this table.

The examples in this table were created using the default colors in the ColorOrder property and three line styles (["-","-o","--"]) in the LineStyleOrder property.

Value	Description	Example
"aftercolor"	Cycle through the line styles of the LineStyleOrder after the colors of the ColorOrder.
"beforecolor"	Cycle through the line styles of the LineStyleOrder before the colors of the ColorOrder.
"withcolor"	Cycle through the line styles of the LineStyleOrder with the colors of the ColorOrder.

NextSeriesIndex — SeriesIndex value for next object

whole number

This property is read-only.

SeriesIndex value for the next plot object added to the axes, returned as a whole number greater than or equal to 0. This property is useful when you want to track how the objects cycle through the colors and line styles. This property maintains a count of the objects in the axes that have a numeric SeriesIndex property value. MATLAB uses it to assign a SeriesIndex value to each new object. The count starts at 1 when you create the axes, and it increases by 1 for each additional object. Thus, the count is typically n+1, where n is the number of objects in the axes.

If you manually change the ColorOrderIndex or LineStyleOrderIndex property on the axes, the value of the NextSeriesIndex property changes to 0. As a consequence, objects that have a SeriesIndex property no longer update automatically when you change the ColorOrder or LineStyleOrder properties on the axes.

NextPlot — Properties to reset

"replace" (default) | "add" | "replacechildren" | "replaceall"

Properties to reset when adding a new plot to the axes, specified as one of these values:

• "add" — Add new plots to the existing axes. Do not delete existing plots or reset axes properties before displaying the new plot.

• "replacechildren" — Delete existing plots before displaying the new plot. Reset the ColorOrderIndex and LineStyleOrderIndex properties to 1, but do not reset other axes properties. The next plot added to the axes uses the first color and line style based on the ColorOrder and LineStyleOrder properties. This value is similar to using cla before every new plot.

• "replace" — Delete existing plots and reset axes properties, except ProjectedCRS, Position, and Units, to their default values before displaying the new plot.

• "replaceall" — Delete existing plots and reset axes properties, except Position and Units, to their default values before displaying the new plot. This value is similar to using cla reset before every new plot.

Figures also have a NextPlot property. Alternatively, you can use the newmap function to prepare figures and axes for subsequent graphics commands.

SortMethod — Order for rendering objects

'depth' | 'childorder'

Order for rendering objects, specified as one of these values:

• 'depth' — Draw objects in back-to-front order based on the current view. Use this value to ensure that objects in front of other objects are drawn correctly.

• 'childorder' — Draw objects in the order in which they are created by graphics functions, without considering the relationship of the objects in three dimensions. This value can result in faster rendering, particularly if the figure is very large, but also can result in improper depth sorting of the objects displayed.

ColorOrderIndex — Color order index

1 (default) | positive integer

Color order index, specified as a positive integer. This property specifies the next color MATLAB selects from the axes ColorOrder property when it creates the next plot object, such as a Line or Scatter object. For example, if the color order index value is 1, then the next object added to the axes uses the first color in the ColorOrder matrix. If the index value exceeds the number of colors in the ColorOrder matrix, then the index value modulo of the number of colors in the ColorOrder matrix determines the color of the next object.

When the NextPlot property of the axes is set to 'add', then the color order index value increases every time you add a new plot to the axes. To start again with first color, set the ColorOrderIndex property to 1.

LineStyleOrderIndex — Line style order index

1 (default) | positive integer

Line style order index, specified as a positive integer. This property specifies the next line style MATLAB selects from the axes LineStyleOrder property to create the next plot line. For example, if this property is set to 1, then the next plot line you add to the axes uses the first item in the LineStyleOrder property. If the index value exceeds the number of line styles in the LineStyleOrder array, then the index value modulo of the number of elements in the LineStyleOrder array determines the style of the next line.

When the NextPlot property of the axes is set to "add", MATLAB increments the index value after cycling through all the colors in the ColorOrder property with the current line style. To start again with first line style, set the LineStyleOrderIndex property to 1.

Color and Transparency Maps

Colormap — Color map

parula (default) | m-by-3 array of RGB triplets

Color map, specified as an m-by-3 array of RGB (red, green, blue) triplets that define m individual colors.

Example: ax.Colormap = [1 0 1; 0 0 1; 1 1 0] sets the color map to three colors: magenta, blue, and yellow.

MATLAB accesses these colors by their row number.

Alternatively, use the colormap function to change the color map.

ColorScale — Scale for color mapping

'linear' (default) | 'log'

Scale for color mapping, specified as one of these values:

• 'linear' — Linear scale. The tick values along the colorbar also use a linear scale.

• 'log' — Log scale. The tick values along the colorbar also use a log scale.

CLim — Color limits

[0 1] (default) | two-element vector of the form [cmin cmax]

Color limits for objects in axes that use the colormap, specified as a two-element vector of the form [cmin cmax]. This property determines how data values map to the colors in the colormap where:

• cmin specifies the data value that maps to the first color in the colormap.

• cmax specifies the data value that maps to the last color in the colormap.

The axes object interpolates data values between cmin and cmax across the colormap. Values outside this range use either the first or last color, whichever is closest.

CLimMode — Selection mode for CLim

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the CLim property, specified as one of these values:

• 'auto' — Automatically select the limits based on the color data of the graphics objects contained in the axes.

• 'manual' — Manually specify the values. To specify the values, set the CLim property. The values do not change when the limits of the axes children change.

Alphamap — Transparency map

array of 64 values from 0 to 1 (default) | array of finite alpha values from 0 to 1

Transparency map, specified as an array of finite alpha values that progress linearly from 0 to 1. The size of the array can be m-by-1 or 1-by-m. MATLAB accesses alpha values by their index in the array. An alphamap can be any length.

AlphaScale — Scale for transparency mapping

'linear' (default) | 'log'

Scale for transparency mapping, specified as one of these values:

• 'linear' — Linear scale

• 'log' — Log scale

ALim — Alpha limits

[0 1] (default) | two-element vector of form [amin amax]

Alpha limits, specified as a two-element vector of the form [amin amax]. This property affects the AlphaData values of graphics objects, such as scatter and bubble chart objects. This property determines how the AlphaData values map to the figure alphamap, where:

• amin specifies the data value that maps to the first alpha value in the figure alphamap.

• amax specifies the data value that maps to the last alpha value in the figure alphamap.

The MapAxes object interpolates data values between amin and amax across the figure alphamap. Values outside this range use either the first or last alphamap value, whichever is closest.

The Alphamap property of the figure contains the alphamap. For more information, see the alpha function.

ALimMode — Selection mode for ALim

'auto' (default) | 'manual'

Selection mode for the ALim property, specified as one of these values:

• 'auto' — Automatically select the limits based on the AlphaData values of the graphics objects contained in the axes.

• 'manual' — Manually specify the alpha limits. To specify the alpha limits, set the ALim property.

Map Styling

Color — Background color

[1 1 1] (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | "r" | "g" | "b" | ...

Background color, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

• An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

• A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
"red"	"r"	[1 0 0]	"#FF0000"
"green"	"g"	[0 1 0]	"#00FF00"
"blue"	"b"	[0 0 1]	"#0000FF"
"cyan"	"c"	[0 1 1]	"#00FFFF"
"magenta"	"m"	[1 0 1]	"#FF00FF"
"yellow"	"y"	[1 1 0]	"#FFFF00"
"black"	"k"	[0 0 0]	"#000000"
"white"	"w"	[1 1 1]	"#FFFFFF"
"none"	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410]	"#0072BD"
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]	"#D95319"
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]	"#EDB120"
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]	"#7E2F8E"
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]	"#77AC30"
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]	"#4DBEEE"
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]	"#A2142F"

Example: mx.Color = [0 0 1];

Example: mx.Color = "b";

Example: mx.Color = "blue";

Example: mx.Color = "#0000FF";

OutlineColor — Color of map outline, ticks, and edge of scale bar

[1 1 1] (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | "r" | "g" | "b" | ...

Color of the map outline, the ticks, and the edge of the scale bar, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

• An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

• A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
"red"	"r"	[1 0 0]	"#FF0000"
"green"	"g"	[0 1 0]	"#00FF00"
"blue"	"b"	[0 0 1]	"#0000FF"
"cyan"	"c"	[0 1 1]	"#00FFFF"
"magenta"	"m"	[1 0 1]	"#FF00FF"
"yellow"	"y"	[1 1 0]	"#FFFF00"
"black"	"k"	[0 0 0]	"#000000"
"white"	"w"	[1 1 1]	"#FFFFFF"
"none"	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410]	"#0072BD"
[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]	"#D95319"
[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]	"#EDB120"
[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]	"#7E2F8E"
[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]	"#77AC30"
[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]	"#4DBEEE"
[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]	"#A2142F"

To use a different color for the edge of the scale bar than for the map outline and ticks, set the EdgeColor property of the scale bar, such as mx.Scalebar.EdgeColor = "blue".

Example: mx.OutlineColor = [0 0 1];

Example: mx.OutlineColor = "b";

Example: mx.OutlineColor = "blue";

Example: mx.OutlineColor = "#0000FF";

LineWidth — Line width

0.5 (default) | positive scalar

Line width of the axes outline, the tick marks, the graticule lines, and the edge of the scale bar, specified as a positive scalar in point units. One point equals 1/72 inch.

You can use a different line width for the graticule lines than for the axes outline and tick marks by setting the GraticuleLineWidth property. The LineWidth property controls the width of the graticule lines only when the value of the GraticuleLineWidthMode property is "auto".

To use a different line width for the edge of the scale bar than for the axes outline, the tick marks, and the graticule lines, set the LineWidth property of the scale bar, such as mx.Scalebar.LineWidth = 2.

MapLayout — Map layout

"normal" (default) | "cartographic"

Map layout, specified as one of these options:

• "normal" — Display data within the box specified by Position. For many projected CRSs, this box includes the quadrangle defined by CartographicLatitudeLimits and CartographicLongitudeLimits and some areas surrounding the quadrangle. The axes does not display data where the projection has undefined numeric results or extreme map distortion.

• "cartographic" — Display only the data within the quadrangle defined by the CartographicLatitudeLimits and CartographicLongitudeLimits properties.

The "normal" option is appropriate for most data visualization and exploration workflows. The "cartographic" option is useful when creating static maps or when preparing maps for publication. For more information about creating maps using the "cartographic" option, see Create Map of Quadrangle Using Cartographic Map Layout.

This table compares the "normal" and "cartographic" options for several projected CRSs. The figures within the table show the box specified by Position in red.

Projected CRS	"normal"	"cartographic"
A projected CRS for a temperate region. This row shows maps created from a projcrs object that uses a Lambert Conic Conformal projection method. The projcrs object corresponds to the EPSG code 3112.
A projected CRS for a polar region. This row shows maps created from a projcrs object that uses a Polar Stereographic projection method. The projcrs object corresponds to the EPSG code 5042.
A projected CRS for a global region. This row shows maps created from a projcrs object that uses an Equal Earth projection method. The projcrs object corresponds to the EPSG code 8857. In this case, the map layouts for the "normal" and "cartographic" options are the same.

CartographicLatitudeLimits — Latitude limits for quadrangle used by MapLayout

two-element vector of form [latmin latmax]

Latitude limits for the quadrangle used by MapLayout, specified as a two-element vector of the form [latmin latmax], where latmax is greater than latmin.

By default, MATLAB sets this property using the area of use for the projected CRS. When a projected CRS does not indicate the area of use, MATLAB sets this property to [-90 90].

Changing the value of this property does not change the value of ProjectedCRS.

Panning or zooming within the map does not change the value of this property.

To change the geographic limits of a map that is in the default layout (MapLayout is "normal"), use the geolimits function instead of the CartographicLatitudeLimits and CartographicLongitudeLimits properties.

CartographicLongitudeLimits — Longitude limits for quadrangle used by MapLayout

two-element vector of form [lonmin lonmax]

Longitude limits for the quadrangle used by MapLayout, specified as a two-element vector of the form [lonmin lonmax]. In most cases, lonmax is greater than lonmin.

By default, MATLAB sets this property using the area of use for the projected CRS. When a projected CRS does not indicate the area of use, MATLAB sets this property to [-180 180].

Changing the value of this property does not change the value of ProjectedCRS.

Panning or zooming within the map does not change the value of this property.

To change the geographic limits of a map that is in the default layout (MapLayout is "normal"), use the geolimits function instead of the CartographicLatitudeLimits and CartographicLongitudeLimits properties.

Position

OuterPosition — Size and location, including labels and margin

[0 0 1 1] (default) | four-element vector

Size and location, including the labels and a margin, specified as a four-element vector of the form [left bottom width height]. By default, MATLAB measures the values in units normalized to the container. To change the units, set the Units property. The default value of [0 0 1 1] includes the whole interior of the container.

• The left and bottom elements define the distance from the lower-left corner of the container (typically a figure, panel, or tab) to the lower-left corner of the outer position boundary.

• The width and height elements are the outer position boundary dimensions.

This figure shows the areas defined by the OuterPosition values (blue) and the Position values (red).

Note

Setting this property has no effect when the parent container is a TiledChartLayout object.

InnerPosition — Inner size and location

[0.1300 0.1100 0.7750 0.8150] (default) | four-element vector

Inner size and location, specified as a four-element vector of the form [left bottom width height]. This property is equivalent to the Position property.

Note

Setting this property has no effect when the parent container is a TiledChartLayout object.

Position — Size and location, excluding margin for labels

[0.1300 0.1100 0.7750 0.8150] (default) | four-element vector

Size and location, excluding a margin for the labels, specified as a four-element vector of the form [left bottom width height]. By default, MATLAB measures the values in units normalized to the container. To change the units, set the Units property.

• The left and bottom elements define the distance from the lower-left corner of the container (typically a figure, panel, or tab) to the lower-left corner of the position boundary.

• The width and height elements are the position boundary dimensions.

If you want to specify the position and account for the text around the axes, then set the OuterPosition property instead. This figure shows the areas defined by the OuterPosition values (blue) and the Position values (red).

Note

Setting this property has no effect when the parent container is a TiledChartLayout object.

PositionConstraint — Position to hold constant

"outerposition" | "innerposition"

Position property to hold constant when adding, removing, or changing decorations, specified as one of the following values:

• "outerposition" — The OuterPosition property remains constant when you add, remove, or change decorations such as a title or an axis label. If any positional adjustments are needed, MATLAB adjusts the InnerPosition property.

• "innerposition" — The InnerPosition property remains constant when you add, remove, or change decorations such as a title or an axis label. If any positional adjustments are needed, MATLAB adjusts the OuterPosition property.

Note

Setting this property has no effect when the parent container is a TiledChartLayout object.

Units — Position units

"normalized" (default) | "inches" | "centimeters" | "points" | "pixels" | "characters"

Position units, specified as one of these values.

Units	Description
"normalized" (default)	Normalized with respect to the container, which is typically the figure or a panel. The lower-left corner of the container maps to (0,0) and the upper-right corner maps to (1,1).
"inches"	Inches.
"centimeters"	Centimeters.
"characters"	Based on the default UIControl font of the graphics root object: Character width = width of letter x. Character height = distance between the baselines of two lines of text.
"points"	Typography points. One point equals 1/72 of an inch.
"pixels"	Pixels. Starting in R2015b, distances in pixels are independent of your system resolution on Windows and Macintosh systems. On Windows systems, a pixel is 1/96 of an inch. On Macintosh systems, a pixel is 1/72 of an inch. On Linux systems, the size of a pixel is determined by your system resolution.

When specifying the units using a name-value argument during object creation, you must set the Units property before specifying the properties that you want to use these units, such as Position.

Layout — Layout options

empty LayoutOptions array (default) | TiledChartLayoutOptions object | GridLayoutOptions object

Layout options, specified as a TiledChartLayoutOptions or a GridLayoutOptions object. This property is useful when the axes object is either in a tiled chart layout or a grid layout.

To position the axes within the grid of a tiled chart layout, set the Tile and TileSpan properties on the TiledChartLayoutOptions object. For example, consider a 3-by-3 tiled chart layout. The layout has a grid of tiles in the center, and four tiles along the outer edges. In practice, the grid is invisible and the outer tiles do not take up space until you populate them with axes or charts.

This code places the axes ax in the third tile of the grid.

ax.Layout.Tile = 3;

To make the axes span multiple tiles, specify the TileSpan property as a two-element vector. For example, this axes spans 2 rows and 3 columns of tiles.

ax.Layout.TileSpan = [2 3];

To place the axes in one of the surrounding tiles, specify the Tile property as 'north', 'south', 'east', or 'west'. For example, setting the value to 'east' places the axes in the tile to the right of the grid.

ax.Layout.Tile = 'east';

To place the axes into a layout within an app, specify this property as a GridLayoutOptions object. For more information about working with grid layouts in apps, see uigridlayout.

If the axes is not a child of either a tiled chart layout or a grid layout (for example, if it is a child of a figure or panel) then this property is empty and has no effect.

Interactivity

Toolbar — Data exploration toolbar

AxesToolbar object (default)

Data exploration toolbar, specified as an AxesToolbar object. The toolbar appears at the top-right corner of the axes when you hover over it.

By default, the toolbar includes buttons for exporting content, zooming into the map center, zooming out of the map center, and restoring the original view. You can customize the toolbar buttons using the axtoolbar and axtoolbarbtn functions.

If you do not want the toolbar to appear when you hover over the axes, set the Visible property of the AxesToolbar object to "off".

newmap
mx = gca;
mx.Toolbar.Visible = "off";

For more information, see AxesToolbar Properties.

Interactions — Interactions

array of interaction objects | []

Interactions, specified as an array of PanInteraction, ZoomInteraction, or DataTipInteraction objects or as an empty array. The interactions you specify are available within your chart through gestures. You do not have to select any axes toolbar buttons to use them. For example, a PanInteraction object enables you to pan within a chart by dragging. For a list of interaction objects, see Control Chart Interactivity.

By default, charts within map axes have pan, zoom, and data tip interactions. You can replace the default set with a new set of interactions, but you cannot access or modify any of the interactions in the default set. For example, this code replaces the default set of interactions with the PanInteraction and ZoomInteraction objects.

newmap
mx = gca;
mx.Interactions = [panInteraction zoomInteraction];

To remove all interactions from the axes, set this property to an empty array. To temporarily disable the current set of interactions, call the disableDefaultInteractivity function. You can reenable them by calling the enableDefaultInteractivity function.

Note

Interaction objects are not returned by findobj or findall, and they are not copied by copyobj.

InteractionOptions — Options to customize interaction behavior for apps

MapAxesInteractionOptions object

Since R2024a

Options to customize interaction behavior for apps, specified as a MapAxesInteractionOptions object. Use the properties of the MapAxesInteractionOptions object to customize the behavior of interactions for map axes objects in apps. For a complete list of properties, see MapAxesInteractionOptions Properties.

The options set by the MapAxesInteractionOptions object apply to the built-in interactions specified by the Interactions property of the map axes object and to interactions enabled using the axes toolbar.

To use this property, you must create the map axes object in App Designer, or in a figure created using the uifigure function.

Visible — State of visibility

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

State of visibility, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• 'on' — Display the axes and its children.

• 'off' — Hide the axes without deleting it. You still can access the properties of an invisible axes object.

Note

When the Visible property is 'off', the axes object is invisible, but child objects such as lines remain visible.

CurrentPoint — Location of mouse pointer

two-element vector

This property is read-only.

Location of the mouse pointer, stored as a two-element vector of the form [lat lon]. The elements of the vector indicate the location of the last click within the axes. lat is the latitude in degrees, and lon is the longitude in degrees.

If the figure has a defined WindowButtonMotionFcn callback, then the value indicates the last location of the pointer. The figure also has a CurrentPoint property.

ContextMenu — Context menu

empty GraphicsPlaceholder array (default) | ContextMenu object

Context menu, specified as a ContextMenu object. Use this property to display a context menu when you right-click the object. Create the context menu using the uicontextmenu function.

Note

If the PickableParts property is set to 'none' or if the HitTest property is set to 'off', then the context menu does not appear.

Selected — Selection state

'off' (default) | on/off logical value

Selection state, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• 'on' — Selected. If you click the object when in plot edit mode, then MATLAB sets its Selected property to 'on'. If the SelectionHighlight property also is set to 'on', then MATLAB displays selection handles around the object.

• 'off' — Not selected.

SelectionHighlight — Display of selection handles

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

Display of selection handles when selected, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• 'on' — Display selection handles when the Selected property is set to 'on'.

• 'off' — Never display selection handles, even when the Selected property is set to 'on'.

Callbacks

ButtonDownFcn — Mouse-click callback

'' (default) | function handle | cell array | character vector

Mouse-click callback, specified as one of these values:

• Function handle

• Cell array containing a function handle and additional arguments

• Character vector that is a valid MATLAB command or function, which is evaluated in the base workspace (not recommended)

Use this property to execute code when you click the object. If you specify this property using a function handle, then MATLAB passes two arguments to the callback function when executing the callback:

• Clicked object — Access properties of the clicked object from within the callback function.

• Event data — Empty argument. Replace it with the tilde character (~) in the function definition to indicate that this argument is not used.

For more information on how to use function handles to define callback functions, see Create Callbacks for Graphics Objects.

Note

If the PickableParts property is set to 'none' or if the HitTest property is set to 'off', then this callback does not execute.

CreateFcn — Creation function

'' (default) | function handle | cell array | character vector

Object creation function, specified as one of these values:

• Function handle.

• Cell array in which the first element is a function handle. Subsequent elements in the cell array are the arguments to pass to the callback function.

• Character vector containing a valid MATLAB expression (not recommended). MATLAB evaluates this expression in the base workspace.

For more information about specifying a callback as a function handle, cell array, or character vector, see Create Callbacks for Graphics Objects.

This property specifies a callback function to execute when MATLAB creates the object. MATLAB initializes all property values before executing the CreateFcn callback. If you do not specify the CreateFcn property, then MATLAB executes a default creation function.

Setting the CreateFcn property on an existing component has no effect.

If you specify this property as a function handle or cell array, you can access the object that is being created using the first argument of the callback function. Otherwise, use the gcbo function to access the object.

DeleteFcn — Deletion function

'' (default) | function handle | cell array | character vector

Object deletion function, specified as one of these values:

• Function handle.

• Cell array in which the first element is a function handle. Subsequent elements in the cell array are the arguments to pass to the callback function.

• Character vector containing a valid MATLAB expression (not recommended). MATLAB evaluates this expression in the base workspace.

For more information about specifying a callback as a function handle, cell array, or character vector, see Create Callbacks for Graphics Objects.

This property specifies a callback function to execute when MATLAB deletes the object. MATLAB executes the DeleteFcn callback before destroying the properties of the object. If you do not specify the DeleteFcn property, then MATLAB executes a default deletion function.

If you specify this property as a function handle or cell array, you can access the object that is being deleted using the first argument of the callback function. Otherwise, use the gcbo function to access the object.

Callback Execution Control

Interruptible — Callback interruption

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

Callback interruption, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

This property determines if a running callback can be interrupted. There are two callback states to consider:

• The running callback is the currently executing callback.

• The interrupting callback is a callback that tries to interrupt the running callback.

MATLAB determines callback interruption behavior whenever it executes a command that processes the callback queue. These commands include drawnow, figure, uifigure, getframe, waitfor, and pause.

If the running callback does not contain one of these commands, then no interruption occurs. MATLAB first finishes executing the running callback, and later executes the interrupting callback.

If the running callback does contain one of these commands, then the Interruptible property of the object that owns the running callback determines if the interruption occurs:

• If the value of Interruptible is 'off', then no interruption occurs. Instead, the BusyAction property of the object that owns the interrupting callback determines if the interrupting callback is discarded or added to the callback queue.

• If the value of Interruptible is 'on', then the interruption occurs. The next time MATLAB processes the callback queue, it stops the execution of the running callback and executes the interrupting callback. After the interrupting callback completes, MATLAB then resumes executing the running callback.

Note

Callback interruption and execution behave differently in these situations:

• If the interrupting callback is a DeleteFcn, CloseRequestFcn, or SizeChangedFcn callback, then the interruption occurs regardless of the Interruptible property value.

• If the running callback is currently executing the waitfor function, then the interruption occurs regardless of the Interruptible property value.

• If the interrupting callback is owned by a Timer object, then the callback executes according to schedule regardless of the Interruptible property value.

Note

When an interruption occurs, MATLAB does not save the state of properties or the display. For example, the object returned by the gca or gcf command might change when another callback executes.

BusyAction — Callback queuing

'queue' (default) | 'cancel'

Callback queuing, specified as 'queue' or 'cancel'. The BusyAction property determines how MATLAB handles the execution of interrupting callbacks. There are two callback states to consider:

• The running callback is the currently executing callback.

• The interrupting callback is a callback that tries to interrupt the running callback.

The BusyAction property determines callback queuing behavior only when both of these conditions are met:

• The running callback contains a command that processes the callback queue, such as drawnow, figure, uifigure, getframe, waitfor, or pause.

• The value of the Interruptible property of the object that owns the running callback is 'off'.

Under these conditions, the BusyAction property of the object that owns the interrupting callback determines how MATLAB handles the interrupting callback. These are possible values of the BusyAction property:

• 'queue' — Puts the interrupting callback in a queue to be processed after the running callback finishes execution.

• 'cancel' — Does not execute the interrupting callback.

PickableParts — Ability to capture mouse clicks

"visible" (default) | "all" | "none"

Ability to capture mouse clicks, specified as one of these values:

• "visible" — Capture mouse clicks only when visible. The Visible property must be set to "on". The HitTest property determines if the MapAxes object responds to the click or if an ancestor does.

• "all" — Capture mouse clicks regardless of visibility. The Visible property can be set to "on" or "off". The HitTest property determines if the MapAxes object responds to the click or if an ancestor does.

• "none" — Cannot capture mouse clicks. Clicking the MapAxes object passes the click to the object below it in the current view of the figure window, which is typically the axes or the figure. The HitTest property has no effect.

If you want an object to be clickable when it is underneath other objects that you do not want to be clickable, then set the PickableParts property of the other objects to "none" so that the click passes through them.

HitTest — Response to captured mouse clicks

'on' (default) | on/off logical value

Response to captured mouse clicks, specified as 'on' or 'off', or as numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). A value of 'on' is equivalent to true, and 'off' is equivalent to false. Thus, you can use the value of this property as a logical value. The value is stored as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

• 'on' — Trigger the ButtonDownFcn callback of the MapAxes object. If you have defined the ContextMenu property, then invoke the context menu.

• 'off' — Trigger the callbacks for the nearest ancestor of the MapAxes object that has one of these:

  • HitTest property set to 'on'

  • PickableParts property set to a value that enables the ancestor to capture mouse clicks

Note

The PickableParts property determines if the MapAxes object can capture mouse clicks. If it cannot, then the HitTest property has no effect.

BeingDeleted — Deletion status

on/off logical value

This property is read-only.

Deletion status, returned as an on/off logical value of type matlab.lang.OnOffSwitchState.

MATLAB sets the BeingDeleted property to 'on' when the DeleteFcn callback begins execution. The BeingDeleted property remains set to 'on' until the component object no longer exists.

Check the value of the BeingDeleted property to verify that the object is not about to be deleted before querying or modifying it.

Parent/Child

Parent — Parent container

Figure object | Panel object | Tab object | TiledChartLayout object | GridLayout object

Parent container, specified as a Figure, Panel, Tab, TiledChartLayout, or GridLayout object.

Children — Children

empty GraphicsPlaceholder array | array of graphics objects

Children, returned as an array of graphics objects. Use this property to view a list of the children or to reorder the children by setting the property to a permutation of itself.

You cannot add or remove children using the Children property. To add a child to this list, set the Parent property of the child graphics object to the MapAxes object.

HandleVisibility — Visibility of object handle

'on' (default) | 'off' | 'callback'

Visibility of the object handle in the Children property of the parent, specified as one of these values:

• 'on' — Object handle is always visible.

• 'off' — Object handle is invisible at all times. This option is useful for preventing unintended changes by another function. Set the HandleVisibility to 'off' to temporarily hide the handle during the execution of that function.

• 'callback' — Object handle is visible from within callbacks or functions invoked by callbacks, but not from within functions invoked from the command line. This option blocks access to the object at the command line, but permits callback functions to access it.

If the object is not listed in the Children property of the parent, then functions that obtain object handles by searching the object hierarchy or querying handle properties cannot return it. Examples of such functions include the get, findobj, gca, gcf, gco, newplot, cla, clf, and close functions.

Hidden object handles are still valid. Set the root ShowHiddenHandles property to 'on' to list all object handles regardless of their HandleVisibility property setting.

Identifiers

Type — Type of graphics object

'mapaxes'

This property is read-only.

Type of graphics object, stored as 'mapaxes'.

Tag — Object identifier

'' (default) | character vector | string scalar

Object identifier, specified as a character vector or string scalar. You can specify a unique Tag value to serve as an identifier for an object. When you need access to the object elsewhere in your code, you can use the findobj function to search for the object based on the Tag value.

UserData — User data

[] (default) | array

User data, specified as any MATLAB array. For example, you can specify a scalar, vector, matrix, cell array, character array, table, or structure. Use this property to store arbitrary data on an object.

If you are working in App Designer, create public or private properties in the app to share data instead of using the UserData property. For more information, see Share Data Within App Designer Apps.

More About

Area of Use

The area of use is the region for which a projected CRS is valid.

Many projcrs objects specify the area of use. To find the area of use for a projected CRS, display the well-known text (WKT) string of the CRS and search for the BBOX attribute.

This code shows how to display the WKT string for a projcrs object stored in a map axes object by using the wktstring function.

newmap
mx = gca;
p = mx.ProjectedCRS;
wktstring(p,Format="Formatted")

Version History

Introduced in R2023a