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This is version 2 of GUI Layout Toolbox, designed to work with the new MATLAB graphics system that was introduced in R2014b.
Version 1 works with MATLAB releases prior to R2014b that use the old graphics system.
If you are upgrading from version 1, there are a number of compatibility considerations:
Version 1 classes were contained in the package "uiextras". Version 2 classes are contained in the package "uix". In version 2, a package "uiextras" is included to provide support for legacy code. Classes in "uiextras" extend corresponding classes in "uix", and contain only compatibility-related code.
The contents of version 1 objects were accessible via the property Children.
The contents of version 2 objects are accessible via the property Contents.
Version 2 objects also provide a property Children, but this controls the
vertical stacking order rather than the layout order. Legacy code that accesses
Children will run without error, but will not achieve the desired change in
layout order, and should be modified to access Contents instead.
An upcoming release of version 1 will include support for code that references
contents via Contents. That way, code modified to work in version 2 will also
work in version 1.
The background to this change is as follows. Version 1 objects were wrappers
for built-in graphics objects, and presented contents in layout order via
the property Children. Version 2 objects extend built-in graphics objects,
and as such, inherit properties, methods and events. One such property is
Children which is used to control the top-to-bottom stacking order.
MATLAB stacking rules, e.g. controls are always on top of axes, mean that
some reasonable layout orders may be invalid stacking orders, so a new
property for layout order is required.
The new MATLAB graphics system introduces unparented objects, i.e. those with property Parent
empty. The new system also introduces a separation between formal class constructors, e.g.
matlab.ui.container.Panel, and informal construction functions, e.g. uipanel.
Construction functions are auto-parenting, i.e. if Parent is not specified then it is set to
gcf, whereas class constructors return objects with Parent empty unless
explicitly specified. Version 2 presents a formal interface of class constructors which follow this new
convention.
Classes in "uiextras" are auto-parenting so the behavior of legacy code is unchanged. However, best practice is to specify parent explicitly during construction.
Version 1 provided a defaults mechanism (uiextras.get, uiextras.set
and uiextras.unset) that mimicked get and set in the MATLAB
graphics system itself. This feature has been removed from version 2. Users should use an
alternative programming pattern, e.g. factory function, to create objects with standard settings.
Version 1 provided a mechanism to enable and disable container contents using the property
Enable. This feature has been removed from version 2. Users should enable and disable
controls directly rather than via containers.
For more commentary, see this article.
A number of property names have changed to achieve greater consistency
across the package. For example, RowSizes and ColumnSizes in
uiextras.Grid are now Heights and Widths in uix.Grid. The package
"uiextras" provides support for legacy property names.
RowSizes in "uiextras" is Heights in "uix"ColumnSizes in "uiextras" is Widths in "uix"ShowMarkings in "uiextras" is DividerMarkings in "uix"Version 2 contents companion properties are now of the same size as Contents,
i.e. column vectors. In version 1, these properties were row vectors. The
package "uiextras" provides support for legacy property values.
In version 1, after adding a tab to a tab panel, the new tab is selected.
In version 2, the original selection is preserved, except if the tab panel was
empty, in which case the new tab is selected. This is consistent with the
behavior of uitabgroup.
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