How to copy a plot to clipboard programmatically

I'm trying to copy a plot to clipbard programmatically.

I have an old data plotting tool bult using guide. It has a cmd button to deploy the plots into a window where the plot is formatted perfectly to comply with our journel figure formatting rules. In that deployed window I can click Edit > Copy Figure to copy the figure to clipbard and maintain all the formatting; however, I want to do that programmatically.

According to the documentation, this should work:

print -clipboard -dbitmap

However, that copies the plotting tool gui, not the deployed figure window.

I also tried:

figure(handles.PlotOptions.DeployHandle)
print -clipboard -dbitmap

That didn't change anything. I cant work out how to set focus to the deployed figure window not the plot tool window.

I also tried:

copygraphics(handles.PlotOptions.DeployHandle,'ContentType','vector')
%and
copygraphics(handles.PlotOptions.DeployHandle)

This copied the correct figure window; however, it trimmed out all the borders.

I just want exactly what happens when you create a plot figure and click Edit > Copy Figure

[Adam Danz]

I also tried:

copygraphics(handles.PlotOptions.DeployHandle,'ContentType','vector')

This copied the correct figure window; however, it trimmed out all the borders.

What does that mean? Could you should us a screenshot? I use copygraphics all the time to do what you're describing.

Answer 1

[Khaled Hamed]

You have to first copy the plot to an new invesible figure then copy that figure to the clipboard.

Check:

How can I print only the axes in gui to pdf? - MATLAB Answers - MATLAB Central (mathworks.com)

How can I save a figure within app designer? - MATLAB Answers - MATLAB Central (mathworks.com)

[Gregory Smith]

thank you, but both of these options result in the figure being saved to a file. I already have code that does that.

I'm looking to copy the plot to the clipboard so it can quickly be pasted into a document, or email.

[Khaled Hamed]

Try

editmenufcn(newFig,'EditCopyFigure');

or

hgexport(newFig,'-clipboard');

or

print(newFig,'-dmeta');

where newFig is the handle of the new invisible figure