Graphics and GUIs with MATLAB, Third Edition

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Summary: GUI programming and user interface properties
Review: Common plotting techniques covers material already presented in the MATLAB manuals. Handle graphics is a great introduction to the MATLAB user interface organization. The properties of user interface objects are covered comprehensively including the properties not documented by MATLAB. The author distinguishes between MATLAB 4 and MATLAB 5 features and programming. Explains stretchable GUIs and interruptible callbacks. The book needs a deeper coverage of MATLAB programming techniques especially in the data structures, code organization, and callback techniques. Example functions use the finite state machine programming style. Good supplement to the MATLAB user manuals.

Rating:
Summary: Not a Tutorial and GUI Coverage is Limited
Review: Despite the promise of this text (Graphics AND GUIs, not just graphics), only one chapter (out of 10) is fully dedicated to GUIs. It provides ways to do most everything, but some things, such as exclusive radio buttons, can be implemented better using other source code (from MATLAB documentation or from online resources) as examples. However, the explanations of handle graphics and general graphical functionality are very useful (for example you can graph R^3 functions with adjustable transparency), and although it is not perfectly understandable at times, it is certainly better than most of the MATLAB resources (especially the standard documentation) you may find out there.

Before expecting to program GUIs, it should be advised that the reader should know a programming language similar to MATLAB's; C would be the most useful to know since MATLAB's language is based on it. That said, there are many well-commented code examples to follow to improve your understanding, but if you have a hard time following the code, the book often won't clear much up.

Since there are few MATLAB books covering graphics and GUIs, this book may be the best to have at the moment. Still, one should buy this keeping in mind that it is most useful to those who already have background in programming. It is not a tutorial.

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Summary: Nice book, but sloppy editing
Review: I found this book to be a useful addition to the Matlab user-manual. Editing, however, could have been better. There are simply too many little annoying writing and spelling errors, and the coverage of certain Matlab commands sometimes lacks a logical structure. Having said that, I still would recommend the book for Matlab users who want to explore advanced graphics or GUI-design.

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Summary: Master MATLAB with easy-to-follow instructions & examples
Review: Learn MATLAB graphics from the ground up or add to your existing knowledge of this powerful graphics system in GRAPHICS and GUIs with MATLAB. Designed as both an introduction for those unfamiliar with the software's capabilities and an advanced learning tool for those who work with MATLAB on a regular basis, this easy-to-use book provides tep-by-step tutorials that guide you through MATLAB graphics at your own pace. With this book on your desk and MATLAB on your computer, you will have all the detail, explanation, and instruction necessary to accomplish almost anything graphics related.

Unlike other books on this topic, GRAPHICS and GUIs with MATLAB reaches beyond the norm and explores all of MATLAB's undocumented features and capabilities, sparing you from having to experimentally discover these on your own. In addition, it supplies you with the tools and knowledge needed to implement your specific MATLAB graphics needs and applications. This practical guide contains icons in the page margins for quick location of particular sections, appendices to summarize key information you are bound to look up when programming, and an extensive index to help locate information. This book also supplies a graphical user interface builder, called GUIMaker, and its user guide. This tool facilitates the creation of MATLAB graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and is an example of the kind of packages you will be able to create after reading this book.

FEATURES:

Supports UNIX, Macintosh, and PC environments

Explains how to work with complex data, polar coordinates, polygons in 3D, and contour and surface plots

Includes instructions for creating histograms, pie charts, error bars, and stem plots

Provides you with the name of a MATLAB Internet bulletin group and the FTP locations where you can find publicly available M-files

Rating:
Summary: MATLAB Graphics Programming
Review: The book covers the topics of handle graphics much more thoroughly than the MATLAB manuals. The programming examples illustrate a lot of the nuances required to get the most out of MATLAB graphics programming. This book should be very useful for anyone wishing to learn more about how to do graphics and GUIs in MATLAB.

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Summary: Excellent Reference and Learning Tool
Review: This book does a good job of going into the details of handles and properties to allow the reader to get a good feel of how to use the tools available. There are also good examples in the book. I have worked with quite a few different languages so I found it very enjoyable to read, but I don't know that a beginner will have a good feel for the execution of code associated with a user action (ie Buttondwnfcn) or not. I think if they take time with the examples they can get a good understanding though. Excellent book!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reference and Learning Tool
Review: This book does a good job of going into the details of handles and properties to allow the reader to get a good feel of how to use the tools available. There are also good examples in the book. I have worked with quite a few different languages so I found it very enjoyable to read, but I don't know that a beginner will have a good feel for the execution of code associated with a user action (ie Buttondwnfcn) or not. I think if they take time with the examples they can get a good understanding though. Excellent book!

Rating:
Summary: Quick Look
Review: This is not a book for beginners who want to learn MATLAB or GUI. If you already know how to run MATLAB and know some GUI, then you may find this book useful. It will improve your graph and GUI skill. If you have no knowledge on how GUI is created, this is not a book for you.

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Summary: Best text on Matlab GUI development
Review: This is the best book I have found on developing GUIs in Matlab. Other reviews claim that the coverage of GUIs is limited. I agree that the coverage is limited, but yet it is the "less limited" coverage I've found. It is true that there is only one chapter on GUIs. Yet, this is the last and longer chapter in the book. Before buying this book, I tried to learn how to develop GUIs from the Matlab manuals but got only poorly-developed GUIs. with unbearable "side effects" (mainly related to using the Matlab base workspace). This book taught me how to avoid these side effects and how to develop GUIs that are self-contained and whose interaction with the Matlab base workspace is minimal or null. I highly recommend this book to anybody who needs to develop GUIs.