Can not use arrays of ui components in app desiger

I am using the app designer to create an app with quite a lot of properties here is a smal sample:

        MemValue_1_1                   matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_2                   matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_3                   matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_4                   matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_5                   matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_6                   matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_7                   matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_8                   matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_9                   matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_10                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_11                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_12                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_13                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_14                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_15                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_16                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_17                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_18                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_19                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_20                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_21                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_22                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_23                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_24                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_25                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_26                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_27                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_28                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_29                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_30                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_31                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_32                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_33                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_34                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_35                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_36                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_37                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_38                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_39                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_40                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_41                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_42                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_43                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_44                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_45                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_46                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_47                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_48                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_49                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_50                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_51                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_52                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_53                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_54                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_55                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_56                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_57                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_58                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_59                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_60                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_61                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_62                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_63                  matlab.ui.control.EditField
        MemValue_1_64                  matlab.ui.control.EditField

It should be very obvious that this is bad code and I would like to use an array of MemValues but sadly due to the restrictions of the app designer I can not do that since I would need to modify the code that is not editable in the app designer. Is there any way to solve this issue?

Btw: I know that I can export to .m file where I could do that but I can not reconvert that to the .mlapp file

Answer 1

[Voss]

One thing you can do is construct the array of components in the app's startupFcn, e.g.:

N = 64;
app.MemValue = gobjects(1,N);
for ii = 1:N
    app.MemValue(ii) = app.(sprintf('MemValue_1_%d',ii));
end

A new app property (here it's called 'MemValue') would also have to be added.

[Adam Danz]

Good approach.

Shouldn't the right hand be

app.MemValue(ii) = uieditfield(__)

And then, instead of using named variables such as MemValue_1_49 you could just indexing app.MemValue(49).

I also recommend grouping the edit fields within a uipanel, ButtonGroup, or GridLayout object.

[Voss]

I was thinking the edit fields would've all already been created (with names MemValue_1_1, MemValue_1_2, etc.) when the app starts, and this code was just to collect them into an array, for ease of referencing them by index throughout the rest of the app code. But yes they could be created programmatically in the startupFcn instead (and removed from the app's Design View).

[Moritz]

these are alll great solutions I have also thought of them before. But the fundamental problem is, that you can not edit any code inside the createComponents in the AppDesigner CodeView. Is there any way to unlock the app designer to be able to edit Code in all places?

[Adam Danz]

> Is there any way to unlock the app designer to be able to edit Code in all places?

Not currently in R2024a or any previous release.

[Voss]

"the fundamental problem is, that you can not edit any code inside the createComponents in the AppDesigner CodeView"

@Moritz: I thought the problem was that you "would like to use an array of MemValues". You can do that. Let App Designer create the components one at a time as it does (using properties MemValue_1_1, MemValue_1_2, etc.), and in your startupFcn construct an array of those components, as shown in my answer.