How to write a table in a textarea on a Matlab App?

Hello all,

I am creating a Matlab App to perform some calculations, the calculation results are included in a table, and it includes numbers and text. I need to write the content of that table in a textarea so that the user can see the results after the calculation finishes. I am currently using the "compose" function, but I get a message error saying that "conversion to double from table is not possible".

Below are the three rows in the code:

formatSpec='%.0f;%s;%.0f;%s;%.2f;%.2f;%.2f;%.f2;%.2f';
Out_Zsc = table(Out_Zsc_Dou(:,1,cas),Out_Zsc_Str(:,1,cas),Out_Zsc_Dou(:,2,cas),Out_Zsc_Str(:,2,cas),Out_Zsc_Dou(:,3,cas),Out_Zsc_Dou(:,4,cas),Out_Zsc_Dou(:,5,cas),Out_Zsc_Dou(:,6,cas),Out_Zsc_Dou(:,7,cas),'VariableNames',{'Coil','Winding','Active Turn','Conductor', 'Power (MVA)', 'Voltage (kV)','Current (A)', 'Amp-Turn (A)', 'Acc. Amp-Turn (A/mm)'})
app.Zsc.Value=compose(formatSpec,Out_Zsc);

I am struggling to find the solution, I wonder if maybe the issues is the variables names which is included above the table. If I print the table in the command window, it works well:

Coil Winding Active Turn Conductor Power (MVA) Voltage (kV) Current (A) Amp-Turn (A) Acc. Amp-Turn (A/mm)

__________ _______ ___________ _________ ___________ ____________ ___________ ____________ ____________________

1.0000e+00 "LV" 5.0000e+00 "LV" 2.3750e+02 2.5000e+01 9.5000e+03 4.7500e+04 -6.4189e+01

2.0000e+00 "LV" 5.0000e+00 "LV" 2.3750e+02 2.5000e+01 9.5000e+03 4.7500e+04 -1.2838e+02

3.0000e+00 "HV" 2.6000e+01 "HN" 2.3750e+02 2.2047e+02 1.0772e+03 2.8008e+04 -9.0529e+01

4.0000e+00 "HV" 2.5000e+01 "HN" 2.3750e+02 2.2047e+02 1.0772e+03 2.6931e+04 -5.4136e+01

5.0000e+00 "HV" 2.4000e+01 "HN" 2.3750e+02 2.2047e+02 1.0772e+03 2.5854e+04 -1.9198e+01

6.0000e+00 "HV" 2.3000e+01 "HN" 2.3750e+02 2.2047e+02 1.0772e+03 2.4777e+04 1.4284e+01

7.0000e+00 "HV" 2.1000e+01 "HL" 2.3750e+02 2.2047e+02 1.0772e+03 2.2622e+04 4.4855e+01

8.0000e+00 "HV" 2.0000e+01 "HL" 2.3750e+02 2.2047e+02 1.0772e+03 2.1545e+04 7.3969e+01

9.0000e+00 "HV" 1.9000e+01 "HL" 2.3750e+02 2.2047e+02 1.0772e+03 2.0468e+04 1.0163e+02

1.0000e+01 "HV" 1.8000e+01 "HL" 2.3750e+02 2.2047e+02 1.0772e+03 1.9390e+04 1.2783e+02

1.1000e+01 "LV" 5.0000e+00 "LV" 2.3750e+02 2.5000e+01 9.5000e+03 4.7500e+04 6.3643e+01

1.2000e+01 "LV" 5.0000e+00 "LV" 2.3750e+02 2.5000e+01 9.5000e+03 4.7500e+04 -5.4652e-01

Any idea what I am doing wrong? any other method to write this table in the textarea? thanks.

Answer 1

[Voss]

An easy way to display a table in a text area is to use formattedDisplayText.

Example:

% a table with numbers and text:
T = array2table(rand(10));
T.Var2 = string(T.Var2);

% a uifigure with text area:
f = uifigure();
t = uitextarea(f,'FontName','Courier');

% get the "string version" of the table:
str = formattedDisplayText(T);
str = regexprep(str,'</?strong>','');

% set it to the text area:
t.Value = str;

So your code might look like:

str = formattedDisplayText(Out_Zsc);
str = regexprep(str,'</?strong>','');

app.Zsc.Value = str;

assuming app.Zsc is your text area.

[Pablo]

Thanks Voss! It works! Much appreciated.

However there are two other issues now :)

1. The table is now written in the textarea, but the columns are no longer maintained; do you know how if there is a way to keep centered columns?
2. With the compose function, by using the formatspec, I wanted to truncate the decimals, but now it seems that is not available with your suggested method.

In any case, it is way better than before, thanks!

Pablo

[Voss]

How about using a uitable instead of a text area?

[Pablo]

That works better, thanks! Initially I wanted to create a single text document with several tables listed, but I guess I will create as many uitables as needed, each one on a different panel. Thanks! your answer was the best, much appreciated to you all anyway.

Pablo

[Steven Lord]

FYI, instead of manually removing the <strong> tags consider specifying the SuppressMarkup argument with a value of true.

t = array2table(magic(3));
text1 = formattedDisplayText(t)

text1 = 
    "    Var1    Var2    Var3
         ____    ____    ____
     
          8       1       6  
          3       5       7  
          4       9       2  
     "

text2 = formattedDisplayText(t, SuppressMarkup=true)

text2 = 
    "    Var1    Var2    Var3
         ____    ____    ____
     
          8       1       6  
          3       5       7  
          4       9       2  
     "

The two captured texts are not the same.

isequal(text1, text2)

ans = logical
   0

The first has the strong tag, the second does not.

contains(text1, "<strong")

ans = logical
   1

contains(text2, "<strong")

ans = logical
   0

[Voss]

@Steven Lord: Very nice, thanks!

Answer 2

[Walter Roberson]

app.Zsc.Value(cas)=compose(formatSpec,Out_Zsc(cas));

First off, your code Out_Zsc(cas) is an attempt to subscript at table with a single index. Subscripting a table with a single index is not permitted. If cas is row indices, then you would need Out_Zsc(cas,:). It seems unlikely, however, that cas is row indices, as you are using cas to select pages out of multidimensional data.

Next... your format specification to compose() is a character vector. The output of compose() with a character vector format, is a cell array of character vectors. You are assigning that cell array of character vectors to app.Zsc.Value(cas) which is probably not a cell array, and is probably the wrong size.

But your basic problem is that compose() cannot work with table() parameters.

You have two choices:

• either convert the table to string array by using Out_Zsc{:,:} -- OR
• pass compose the individual table columns

compose(formatSpec, Out_Zsc.Coil, Out_Zsc.Winding, Out_Zsc.('Active Turn'), Out_Zsc.Conductor, Out_Zsc.('Power (MVA)'), Out_Zsc.('Voltage (kV)'), Out_Zsc.('Current (A)'), Out_Zsc.('Amp-Turn (A)'), Out_Zsc.('Acc. Amp-Turn (A/mm)'))

[Pablo]

Thanks Walter,

You are correct, there was a typo in the Out_Zsc, it should not have the "(cas)" portion, I edited my question.

Your second approach works, but the columns are displayed one after the next with a ";" separation only, and without the variable names, which is not ideal. I think i will use your first suggestion, converting the table to string array.

Thanks!