MATLAB: Adding and saving a structure array in GUI

Question

Hi!

I'm developing a GUI where the user can introduce mechanical properties of two diferente materials and obtain the mechanical properties of a single material that is the result of the both previous ones.

In this GUI the user gives a name to the "final" material and can save it's mechanical properties. These values are saved in a structure array called Ply_prop."material name"!

My problem is that if I save a 1st material, for example called "aaa", and when I run the GUI again, and I want to add and save a new material, for example called "bbb", to the structure array Ply_prop, my code don't save Ply_prop.aaa and Ply_prop.bbb!!! The code just overwrite the structure array Ply_prop, deleting aaa and just saving bbb!

Here is my code:

function Save_btn_Callback(hObject, eventdata, handles)
% hObject    handle to Save_btn (see GCBO)
% eventdata  reserved - to be defined in a future version of MATLAB
% handles    structure with handles and user data (see GUIDATA)
guidata(hObject, handles)
name = num2str(get(handles.ply_name_in,'String'))
if (get(handles.C_VF_btn,'Value')==1)
    VF = str2num(get(handles.C_in,'String'))
    FM = str2num(get(handles.C_out,'String'))
else
    FM = str2num(get(handles.C_in,'String'))
    VF = str2num(get(handles.C_out,'String'))
end
E1 = str2num(get(handles.C_E1_out,'String'))
E2 = str2num(get(handles.C_E2_out,'String'))
Poisson = str2num(get(handles.C_poisson_out,'String'))
Shear = str2num(get(handles.C_shear_out,'String'))
X = str2num(get(handles.C_X_out,'String'))
Y = str2num(get(handles.C_Y_out,'String'))
ShearS = str2num(get(handles.C_shearS_out,'String'))
load counter.mat
if counter==1
    counter=counter+1;
    Ply_prop.(name)(1,1)=FM
    Ply_prop.(name)(2,1)=VF
    Ply_prop.(name)(3,1)=E1
    Ply_prop.(name)(4,1)=E2
    Ply_prop.(name)(5,1)=Poisson
    Ply_prop.(name)(6,1)=Shear
    Ply_prop.(name)(7,1)=X
    Ply_prop.(name)(8,1)=Y
    Ply_prop.(name)(9,1)=ShearS
    save ('Ply_prop.mat','-struct','Ply_prop')
end
if counter>1
    load Ply_prop.mat
    Ply_prop.(name)(1,1)=FM
    Ply_prop.(name)(2,1)=VF
    Ply_prop.(name)(3,1)=E1
    Ply_prop.(name)(4,1)=E2
    Ply_prop.(name)(5,1)=Poisson
    Ply_prop.(name)(6,1)=Shear
    Ply_prop.(name)(7,1)=X
    Ply_prop.(name)(8,1)=Y
    Ply_prop.(name)(9,1)=ShearS
    save ('Ply_prop.mat','-struct','Ply_prop')
end
save ('counter.mat','counter')

%counter is just a variable used to verify if the material that is being saved is the first one in the struture array Ply_prop!!

Thanks in advance!

Best regards,

Frederico Ferreira

Answer 1

You need to call:

Ply_prop = load('Ply_prop.mat');

Otherwise all the fields from your struct will be loaded in as variables.