MATLAB: GUI remains open while script runs even though close(fig1) is in place.

guiMATLABuiresumeuiwait

I created a GUI (did not use GUIDE) to ask the user for input. Initially, the script kept running while the GUI was open and before the user had a chance to enter anything. This was solved using uiwait(fig1). Now, the script waits until the user has entered the data and clicks continue, but once the user clicks continue, the GUI does not close until the rest of the scrip has run, which takes some time. It makes it look like MATLAB crashed when it didn't. Am I missing something about uiwait or uiresume?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Here's the GUI code:
function GUI_getFuelData
% Enter fuel information.
% Create GUI figure
[Input fields/fig left out for readability sake]
%    Continue button
   pButton = uicontrol('Parent',fig1,...
       'Style','pushbutton',...
       'String','Continue',...
       'Units','pixels',...
       'Position',[135 10 60 30],...
       'Callback', @pButtonCallback);
     %%Update GUI
     movegui(fig1,'center')
     % Make the GUI visible.
     set(fig1,'Visible','on');
     uiwait(fig1);
     %%Callback
      function pButtonCallback(hObject, eventdata)
          % Callback function to retrieve entered data and continue the
          % program.
          dieselCost = str2double(get(hDieselCostEdit, 'String'));
          dieselLHV = str2double(get(hDieselLHVEdit, 'String'));
          dieselDensity = str2double(get(hDieselDensityEdit, 'String'));
          assignin('base', 'dieselCost', dieselCost);
          assignin('base', 'dieselLHV', dieselLHV);
          assignin('base', 'dieselDensity', dieselDensity);
          natGasCost = str2double(get(hNatGasCostEdit, 'String'));
          natGasLHV = str2double(get(hNatGasLHVEdit, 'String'));
          natGasDensity = str2double(get(hNatGasDensityEdit, 'String'));
          assignin('base', 'natGasCost', natGasCost);
          assignin('base', 'natGasLHV', natGasLHV);
          assignin('base', 'natGasDensity', natGasDensity);
          close(fig1);
      end
  end

Best Answer

Jonathan - you haven't included the uiresume in your above code so it isn't clear how the "wait" is cancelled. If you had put the uiresume in your callback (which would follow the example at Block program execution and wait to resume) and the close outside of the callback (in the part of the script that should execute) then this perhaps would work as you expect it to. When I try to run the above (after commenting out all code in the callback, except for last line), then once close(fig1) is called, the figure closes without delay. You mention how this doesn't happen, so that may be due to specific code that you have not shown which follows.
You also mention that you use uiwait because the the script kept running while the GUI was open and before the user had a chance to enter anything. If I were to use a similar script for a GUI (typically I just use GUIDE), then my script would contain only code that creates the GUI, the widgets, provides the callbacks, and nothing else. There wouldn't be any logic that follows (should be run) outside/after any of the widgets have been created. All code would be embedded in a callback or a function that a callback calls..
I suggest that you try the same - take all code that follows your uiwait and either put it in a separate function that can be called from pButtonCallback or add it to the body of pButtonCallback, following the
 assignin('base', 'natGasCost', natGasCost);
 assignin('base', 'natGasLHV', natGasLHV);
 assignin('base', 'natGasDensity', natGasDensity);
lines of code. Then remove the uiwait and uiresume, and just have this GUI remain open until all work has been completed. If you want the user to know if something is "happening" behind he scenes, then just change the mouse pointer to a watch (hourglass?)
 function pButtonCallback(hObject, eventdata)
     % change mouse pointer image/icon
     set(fig1,'Pointer','watch');
     dieselCost = str2double(get(hDieselCostEdit, 'String'));
     dieselLHV = str2double(get(hDieselLHVEdit, 'String'));
     % etc.
     assignin('base', 'natGasCost', natGasCost);
     assignin('base', 'natGasLHV', natGasLHV);
     assignin('base', 'natGasDensity', natGasDensity);
     % do other stuff
     % other stuff is finished so change mouse pointer back to arrow
     set(fig1,'Pointer','arrow');
     % close the GUI
     close(fig1);
 end
Try the above and see what happens!
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