Web App Limitations and Unsupported Functionality

When packaging a MATLAB^® app into a web app consider the following functional limitations. Using certain functions may result in an error or unexpected behavior.

Behavior Differences

Because a deployed web app is hosted on a server, functions that use system information have access only to server-side information, not client-side information. In addition, the web app is displayed in a browser window as opposed to a separate figure window. As a result, certain functions and properties behave differently in a deployed web app than on your local system. This table lists some of the differences that are most relevant to app building workflows.

Category	Limitations
Graphics root object properties	The `MonitorPositions`, `PointerLocation`, `ScreenDepth`, `ScreenPixelsPerInch`, and `ScreenSize` properties of the `groot` object contain server-side information, not client-side information.
Figure properties	The `CloseRequestFcn`, `Visible`, `WindowState`, and `WindowStyle` properties have no effect in a web app. You can specify the initial figure size using the `Position` or `InnerPosition` properties, but programmatically resizing the figure by setting these properties while the app is running might result in unexpected behavior.
File dialog boxes	Although you can upload and download files from a local system in a deployed web app using `uigetfile` and `uiputfile`, there are some limitations: You cannot download files while an external application is writing them. You cannot specify the default path or file name.
System commands	Commands that return system information, such as `computer`, `ispc`, `isunix`, `ismac`, and `listfonts`, return server-side information, not client-side information.
Audio and video functions	Functions that connect to hardware such as `webcam` require SSL to be enabled on the server to get a secure URL.

Unsupported Functionality

Some functionality is not supported in deployed web apps. This table lists the unsupported functionality that is most relevant to app building workflows.

Category	Not Supported
Multiwindow apps	Multiple calls to `figure` or `uifigure` are not supported. In addition, functions that create dialog boxes that appear as a separate window are not supported. These functions include `dialog`, `msgbox`, `errordlg`, `warndlg`, `helpdlg`, `listdlg`, `questdlg`, `inputdlg`, `uisetcolor`, and `uisetfont`. However, functions that create dialog boxes within a figure window, such as `uialert`, `uiconfirm`, and `uiprogressdlg`, are supported.
File dialog boxes	Opening a folder selection dialog box on the client using `uigetdir` is not supported.
Saving and printing	The `print`, `printpreview`, and `exportapp` functions are not supported.
Plotting functions	The `wordcloud` function is not supported.
Axes toolbar interactions	Before R2023b: Data brushing is not supported.
Copy and paste	Copying and pasting text to and from the system clipboard using the `clipboard` function is not supported.
Project features	Project features such as `matlab.project.createProject` and `matlab.project.loadProject` are not supported.
OLE Automation	The `actxserver` function is not supported.

This unsupported functionality is in addition to App Designer graphics limitations. For more information, see Display Graphics in App Designer.