How to make uigetfile window pops-up in front of my app (designed in appdesigner)?

Hi Guys,

I use uigetfile to load a file in my app. But its window always ends up behind my app figure. I have tried a couple of solutions suggested in previous threads e.g. using drawnow, but it didn't work. I'm using matlab 2020a.

Is there a way to make uigetfile window show up on top of my app figure without turning my figure off/on?

I would be very grateful if you could share some works around this issue.

Best,

Toey

[Peter O]

Toey,

I'm still on 2019b and can't reproduce the problem. For sanity's sake, can you check what happens with a minimum working example in 2020a to rule out a bug?

In 2019b on Windows, the following MWE produces a file prompt in front of the app window:

1) Use the App Designer to create a blank GUI.

2) Place a button in the center.

3) Assign the uigetfile command to ask for a file on a button click callback.

4) Run the app.

Also, is your main app window a modal one, by chance?

[Toey]

Hi Peter,

Thanks much for trying to rule out the issue. I forgot to mention that I'm running matlab on macOS. I built a minimal app with one button as you suggested. And the issue still persists. It's possible that this only occurs in MAC not Windows.

Toey

[Yen Lee Loh]

Hi all,

I have the same problem with MATLAB 2019b on macOS.

From talking with a colleague, I believe the issue occurs only on MAC, not Windows.

It would be nice to have a solution/workaround/bugfix!

Yen

[Earl Vickers]

I have the same problem with 2020b on Mac.

[Mario Malic]

I can't find the original question where the workaround for this was posted, but write this after uigetfile or uigetdir

drawnow;
figure(app.ApplicationUIFigure); % replace this with your app handle  

Answer 1

[Geoff Martin]

I'm having exactly the same problem (with uiopen instead of uigetfile) - and the suggested solution seems to do the opposite of a fix.

The uigetfile pop-up pops up BEHIND the app window. So, if you don't know it's there, you won't go looking for it.

the only work-around I've found so far is to make the entire app window invisible (in my case, it's just app.UIFigure)

app.UIFigure.Visible = 'off';
uiopen('load');
app.UIFigure.Visible = 'on';

But this is obviously not very elegant.

Is there a way to move the uigetfile/uiopen window in front of the app window?

Answer 2

[Jorg Woehl]

I have just published a simple workaround for these focus issues, which -- as The MathWorks acknowledges -- still have "currently no official workaround". Check out my File Exchange contribution https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/165961-fixfocus.