hgexport

Export figure

Syntax

hgexport(fig,filename)
hgexport(fig,'-clipboard')


Description

hgexport(fig,filename) writes figure fig to the EPS file filename.

hgexport(fig,'-clipboard') writes figure fig to the Microsoft^® Windows^® clipboard. The format in which the figure is exported is determined by which renderer you use. The Painters renderer generates a metafile. The OpenGL^® renderer generate an image file.

Alternatives

Use the File > Export Setup dialog. Use Edit > Copy Figure to copy the figure’s content to the system clipboard. For details, see Customize Figure Before Saving and Copy Figure to Clipboard from Edit Menu.

Version History

Introduced before R2006a

R2022b: UI components will not be supported in a future release

In a future release, the hgexport function will no longer support saving UI components in figures.

To export a figure containing UI components, call the exportapp function. For example, create a simple app containing two buttons and a slider. Export the contents of the figure as a PDF file by calling the exportapp function.

% Create figure with three UI components
f = uifigure;
button1 = uibutton(f,"Position",[150 300 100 50]);
button2 = uibutton(f,"Position",[300 300 100 50]);
slider1 = uislider(f,"Position",[150 250 250 3]);

% Export the contents of the figure
exportapp(f,"myapp.pdf")

Alternatively, call the getframe function to capture the contents of the figure. Then call the imwrite function to save the content. This time, save the content as a JPEG file.

F = getframe(f);
imwrite(F.cdata,"myapp.jpg");

R2022b: PostScript (.ps) files will not be supported in a future release

In a future release, the hgexport function will no longer support creating full-page PostScript^® (.ps) files. To export vector graphics files, use one of these methods:

Call the exportgraphics function. Specify an .eps, .pdf, or .emf file extension and set the ContentType option to "vector". This function captures content that is tightly cropped around plots, and it does not create full-page output. For example, create a plot and save the contents of the current figure as a PDF file containing vector graphics.

plot([0 3 2 4 1]);
exportgraphics(gcf,"myplot.pdf","ContentType","vector")

Alternatively, call the hgexport function and specify an .eps, .emf, or .svg file extension. For example, create a plot and save the contents of the current figure as an EPS file.

plot([0 3 2 4 1]);
hgexport(gcf,"myplot.eps")

R2022b: BMP, HDF, PBM, PCX, PGM, and PPM files will not be supported in a future release

The BMP, HDF, PBM, PCX, PGM, and PPM file formats will no longer be supported in a future release.

To export graphics using one of these formats, use the imwrite function instead. For example, create a line plot, and capture the contents of the current figure using the getframe function. Then save the content as a BMP file.

plot([0 3 2 4 1]);
F = getframe(gcf);
imwrite(F.cdata,"myplot.bmp");