uitable

Create table user interface component

Syntax

uit = uitable

uit = uitable(parent)

uit = uitable(___,Name,Value)

Description

uit = uitable creates a table UI component in the current figure and returns the Table UI component object. If there is no figure available, MATLAB^® calls the figure function to create one.

uit = uitable(parent) creates a table in the specified parent container. The parent container can be a figure created with either the figure or uifigure function or a child container such as a panel.

uit = uitable(___,Name,Value) specifies table properties using one or more name-value arguments. Use this option with any of the input argument combinations in the previous syntaxes. Property values for a table UI component vary slightly depending on whether the app is created with the figure or uifigure function.

example

Examples

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Display Array of Numbers

Open Live Script

Create a table UI component that displays a 10-by-3 array of random integers.

fig = uifigure;
uit = uitable(fig,"Data",randi(100,10,3));

Figure contains an object of type uitable.

Display Table Data

Open Live Script

Create a table array t with different data types by reading data from a file. Select the first 15 rows of four variables from t.

t = readtable("patients.xls");
vars = ["Age","Systolic","Diastolic","Smoker"];
t = t(1:15,vars);

Create a table UI component to display the tabular data. The data type determines how the data appears in the component. For example, logical data displays as a check box. For more information, see Format Tabular Data in Apps.

fig = uifigure;
uit = uitable(fig,"Data",t,"Position",[20 20 350 300]);

Figure contains an object of type uitable.

Programmatically Update Table Data

Open Live Script

Display and programmatically update data in a table UI component.

Create a table array by reading in tsunami data from a file, and display a subset of the data in a table UI component.

t = readtable("tsunamis.xlsx");
vars = ["Year","MaxHeight","Validity"];
t = t(1:20,vars);
fig = uifigure;
uit = uitable(fig,"Data",t);

Figure contains an object of type uitable.

Update the validity of the tsunami in the first row by editing the Data property of the table UI component.

uit.Data.Validity(1) = {'definite tsunami'};

Figure contains an object of type uitable.

Convert the maximum height data from meters to feet by accessing and modifying the data in the MaxHeight variable.

uit.Data.MaxHeight = uit.Data.MaxHeight*3.281;

Figure contains an object of type uitable.

Code Response to Interactive Data Editing

Open Live Script

Create an app that allows users to sort and edit table data, and that updates a data visualization when data is changed.

In a file named tableDataApp.m, write a function that implements the app:

Create a table array of tsunami data.
Create a UI figure with a grid layout manager.
Create a sortable and editable table UI component in the figure. Store the table array in the component Data property.
Create a bubble chart to visualize the tsunami data, where the coordinates of a bubble represent the latitude and longitude of the tsunami and the size of the bubble represents the maximum height.
Update the bubble chart when the app user sorts columns or edits cells in the table UI component by writing a DisplayDataChangedFcn callback. For more information about callbacks, see Create Callbacks for Apps Created Programmatically.

function tableDataApp
% Create table array
t = readtable("tsunamis.xlsx");
vars = ["Latitude","Longitude","MaxHeight"];
t = t(1:20,vars);

% Create UI figure
fig = uifigure;
fig.Position(3:4) = [722 360];
gl = uigridlayout(fig,[1 2]);

% Create table UI component
uit = uitable(gl);
uit.Data = t;
uit.ColumnSortable = true;
uit.ColumnEditable = [false false true];

% Create bubble chart
ax = geoaxes(gl);
lat = t.Latitude;
long = t.Longitude;
sz = t.MaxHeight;
bubblechart(ax,lat,long,sz)

% Specify table callback
uit.DisplayDataChangedFcn = @(src,event) updatePlot(src,ax);
end


function updatePlot(src,ax)
t = src.DisplayData;
lat = t.Latitude;
long = t.Longitude;
sz = t.MaxHeight;
bubblechart(ax,lat,long,sz)
end

Run the app.

tableDataApp

Figure contains an axes object and an object of type uigridlayout. The geoaxes object contains an object of type bubblechart.

A sortable column displays arrows in the header when you point to it. Sort the table by the maximum height of the tsunamis.

tableDataApp that has a table UI component with tsunami data next to a geographic bubble chart of the tsunamis in the table. The MaxHeight column of the tsunami data table is sorted in ascending order. The mouse cursor is on the MaxHeight column header, where an arrow pointing up is displayed next to the header text.

Edit the maximum height of the tsunami in the second row to be 30 meters by double-clicking the table cell and entering the new height. The bubble chart updates in response.

tableDataApp showing a selected cell in the MaxHeight column of the second row of the table, where the number 1 has been replaced with the number 30. The bubble chart bubble sizes have changed to reflect the new MaxHeight data.

Change Color of Specific Cells Based on Data

Style rows, columns, or cells of a table UI component using the uistyle and addStyle functions. Styles are only supported when the table UI component is in a figure created with the uifigure function.

Read tsunami sample data into the workspace as a table array. Then, create a table UI component to display the data.

tdata = readtable("tsunamis.xlsx");
vars = ["Year","Month","Day","Hour", ...
    "Cause","EarthquakeMagnitude"];
tdata = tdata(1:20,vars);

fig = uifigure("Position",[500 500 760 360]);
uit = uitable(fig, ...
    "Data",tdata, ...
    "Position",[20 20 720 320]);

Use the ismissing function to get a logical array of the table elements that contain missing values. Find the row and column subscripts for the elements that have NaN values. Finally, create a red background color style and add it to the cells in the table with NaN.

styleIndices = ismissing(tdata);
[row,col] = find(styleIndices);

s = uistyle("BackgroundColor",[1 0.6 0.6]);
addStyle(uit,s,"cell",[row,col]);

Table with earthquake data. The cells with NaN are highlighted in red.

Programmatically Access Table Selection

Open Live Script

Create an app that plots data on a map when the app user selects the data in a table.

In a file named selectTsunamis.m, write a function that implements the app:

Load the tsunami data.
Create a UI figure with a table UI component and a geographic bubble chart in a grid layout manager.
Configure the table UI component. Store the tsunami data in the Data property, and let users select multiple rows by setting the SelectionType and Multiselect properties.
Specify a SelectionChangedFcn callback that updates the bubble chart when the app user changes the table selection. The plotTsunami callback function plots a bubble for each selected row, where the size of the bubble represents the maximum tsunami height. For more information about callbacks, see Create Callbacks for Apps Created Programmatically.

function selectTsunamis
% Load data
t = readtable("tsunamis.xlsx");
vars = ["Latitude","Longitude","MaxHeight"];
t = t(1:20,vars);

% Create UI components
fig = uifigure("Position",[100 100 800 350]);
gl = uigridlayout(fig,[1 2]);
gl.ColumnWidth = {'1x','2x'};
tbl = uitable(gl);
gb = geobubble(gl,[],[]);

% Configure table
tbl.Data = t;
tbl.SelectionType = "row";
tbl.Multiselect = "on";
tbl.SelectionChangedFcn = @(src,event) plotTsunami(src,event,gb);  
end

% Plot tsunami data for each selected row
function plotTsunami(src,event,gb)
rows = event.Selection;
data = src.Data(rows,:);
gb.LatitudeData = data.Latitude;
gb.LongitudeData = data.Longitude;
gb.SizeData = data.MaxHeight;
end

Run the app.

selectTsunamis

Figure contains objects of type geobubble, uigridlayout.

Select multiple table rows by holding Ctrl while clicking. The plot updates with the selected tsunami data.

Programmatically Scroll to Table Row

Since R2021a

Programmatically scroll to a row, column, or cell of a table UI component using the scroll function. Programmatic scrolling is only supported when the table UI component is in a figure created with the uifigure function.

Read sample patient data into the workspace as a table array. Then, create a table UI component to display the data.

tdata = readtable("patients.xls");
vars = ["Age","Systolic","Diastolic","Smoker"];
tdata = tdata(1:40,vars);

fig = uifigure;
uit = uitable(fig,"Data",tdata);
uit.RowName = "numbered";

Table with patient data in a UI figure window. The table rows are numbered, and the table is scrolled to the top.

Scroll to the 25th row of the table.

scroll(uit,"row",25)

Table with patient data in a UI figure window. The table is scrolled so that row 25 is at the top of the visible data.

Input Arguments

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`parent` — Parent container
`Figure` object (default) | `Panel` object | `Tab` object | `ButtonGroup` object | `GridLayout` object

Parent container, specified as a figure created with either the figure or uifigure function, or a child container in a figure, such as a panel, tab, button group, or grid layout manager.

Name-Value Arguments

Specify optional pairs of arguments as Name1=Value1,...,NameN=ValueN, where Name is the argument name and Value is the corresponding value. Name-value arguments must appear after other arguments, but the order of the pairs does not matter.

Example: uitable(Data=[1 2 3; 4 5 6]) creates a table UI component with the specified data.

Before R2021a, use commas to separate each name and value, and enclose Name in quotes.

Example: uitable("Data",[1 2 3; 4 5 6]) creates a table UI component with the specified data.

Note

The properties listed here are a subset of the available properties. For the full list, see Table.

`Data` — Table data
table array | numeric array | logical array | cell array | string array | ...

Table data, specified as one of the following types of array:

Table array (uifigure-based apps only) — Displays any combination of data types that table arrays support, such as datetime, duration, and categorical.
Numeric array — Displays numeric values such as double or single.
Logical array — Displays check boxes. true values correspond to selected boxes, whereas false values display cleared boxes.
Cell array — Displays any combination of numeric, logical, or character array values.
String array — Displays characters and text.
Cell array of character vectors — Displays characters and text.

To prevent warnings or NaN values that display when users enter invalid data into an editable cell, write a CellEditCallback function to convert the data to the appropriate type. When a user edits a cell, the Data property updates.

Specify a Table Array

In App Designer and apps created using the uifigure function, you can specify the Data property as a table array. Table arrays provide a convenient way to store tabular data as a MATLAB variable. The table, readtable, and array2table functions create table arrays. By contrast, the uitable function creates a Table UI component (a user interface component for an app).

When you specify the Data property of a Table UI component as a table array, then MATLAB sets the format of the Table UI component automatically based on the values in the table array:

By default, the column names displayed in the app match the VariableNames property of the table array. Changing the ColumnName property of the Table UI component updates the UI, but it does not update the variable names in the table array.
By default, the row names displayed in the app match the RowName property of the table array. Changing the RowName property of the Table UI component updates the UI, but it does not update the row names in the table array.
The data type of each table array variable controls formatting for the corresponding column in the app. If you try to set the ColumnFormat property, MATLAB returns a warning.

For more information on displaying table array data, see Format Tabular Data in Apps.

Specify Numeric, Logical, Cell, String Array, or Cell Array of Character Vectors

Use the ColumnFormat property to specify the format for data that is a numeric, logical, cell, or string array, or a cell array of character vectors. If data is edited and results in a mismatch between the data type of the data and the ColumnFormat property, MATLAB converts the data or displays a warning. See the ColumnFormat property description for more information.

`ColumnWidth` — Width of table columns
`'auto'` (default) | `'fit'` | `'1x'` | 1-by-`n` cell array

Width of table columns, specified as 'auto' or as a 1-by-n cell array of character vectors, strings, and numeric values. In uifigure-based apps, you can additionally specify the column width as '1x' or 'fit'.

Automatic widths — Specify 'auto' to have MATLAB calculate the widths of the columns automatically using several factors, one of which is the ColumnName property value.
Fit widths to content (uifigure-based apps only) — Specify a value of 'fit' to configure columns to strictly adjust widths to fit column names and data. This setting allows narrower columns than 'auto' does.
Uniform widths (uifigure-based apps only) — Specify a value of '1x' to make all columns the same width, dividing the available space equally.
Fixed widths — Specify a cell array of numeric values that define the column widths in pixel units.
Combinations — You can combine fixed and variable column widths in a cell array. Each element in the cell array corresponds to a column in the table. If the cell array you specify has fewer values than the number of columns, then the columns with no specified value keep the default value of 'auto'. If the array has more values than the number of columns, MATLAB ignores the extra values.
Weighted variable widths (uifigure-based apps only) — Specify a cell array with character vectors or strings composed of a number concatenated with an 'x' (for example, '2x', '3x', etc.). The x-factor of each column sets that column width proportionally with respect to the others, with consideration for the remaining space in the UI table.

If a user interactively resizes a table column in a running app, the resized column width persists even if you later update the ColumnWidth property.

Example: uit = uitable(uifigure,'ColumnWidth','auto','Data',[1 2 3;4 5 6])

Example: uit = uitable(uifigure,'ColumnWidth','fit','Data',[1 2 3;4 5 6])

Example: uit = uitable(uifigure,'ColumnWidth',{64,60,40},'Data',[1 2 3;4 5 6])

Example: uit = uitable(uifigure,'ColumnWidth',{'2x','1x','1x'},'Data',[1 2 3;4 5 6])

Example: uit = uitable(uifigure,'ColumnWidth',{64,"auto",40},'Data',[1 2 3;4 5 6])

Example: uit = uitable(uifigure,'ColumnWidth',{'fit','1x','3x'},'Data',[1 2 3;4 5 6])

`ColumnEditable` — Ability to edit column cells
`[]` (default) | logical 1-by-`n` array | logical scalar

Ability to edit column cells, specified as:

An empty logical array ([]) — No columns are editable.
A logical 1-by-n array — This array specifies which columns are editable. The value of n is equal to the number of columns in the table. Each value in the array corresponds to a table column. A value of true in the array makes the cells in that column editable. A value of false makes the cells in that column uneditable. If the array has more values than the number of columns, MATLAB ignores the excess values. If the array has fewer values than the number of columns, then the columns with no specified value are not editable.
A logical scalar — The entire table is editable or uneditable.

When a user edits a cell, the Data property updates.

Example: uit = uitable(uifigure,'Data',rand(10,3),'ColumnEditable',[false true true])

Example: uit = uitable(uifigure,'Data',rand(10,3),'ColumnEditable',false)

To enable users to interact with the controls in table columns that contain check boxes or pop-up menus, set the ColumnEditable property to true.

If the Data property is a table array, then any variables that are multicolumn or contain non-editable data types, like duration, are not editable in the running app even when the ColumnEditable property is true. Table array variables that contain mixed data types in a cell array are editable in the running app, as long as the data types are editable.

`CellEditCallback` — Cell edit callback function
function handle | cell array | character vector

Cell edit callback function, specified as one of these values:

A function handle.
A cell array in which the first element is a function handle. Subsequent elements in the cell array are the arguments to pass to the callback function.
A character vector containing a valid MATLAB expression (not recommended). MATLAB evaluates this expression in the base workspace.

Use this callback function to perform calculations or validate input when the app user changes the contents of a table cell.

This callback function can access specific information about the user’s interaction with the cell (such as the cell indices). MATLAB passes this information in a CellEditData object as the second argument to your callback function. In App Designer, the argument is called event. You can query the object properties using dot notation. For example, event.Indices returns the indices of the selected cell. The CellEditData object is not available to callback functions specified as character vectors.

The following table describes properties of the CellEditData object.

Property	Description
`Indices`	This is a 1-by-2 array containing the row and column indices of the cell the user edited in the running app. When a column is sorted, `Indices` returns the original 1-by-2 array of a cell before it was sorted—`DisplayIndices` returns the new location of the edited cell that displays visually in the sorted table.
`DisplayIndices`	This is a 1-by-2 array containing the row and column indices corresponding to the location of the edited cell in the display of the sorted table. If a user does not sort columns, then `DisplayIndices` has the same content as the `Indices` property.
`PreviousData`	This is the previous cell data. The default is an empty matrix, `[]`.
`EditData`	This is the user-entered value.
`NewData`	This is the value that MATLAB wrote to the `Data` property array. The `NewData` property is empty if MATLAB detects an error in the user-entered data.
`Error`	This is the error message returned if MATLAB detects an error in the user-entered data. The `Error` property is empty when MATLAB successfully writes the value to the `Data` property. If the `Error` property is not empty, then the `CellEditCallback` can display the message, or it can attempt to fix the problem.
`Source`	Component executing the callback.
`EventName`	`'CellEdit'`.

When the user edits a table cell, MATLAB performs these steps:

Tries to store the new value into the Data property of the table
Calls the CellEditCallback function (if it exists)

If the value results in an error and there is no CellEditCallback function, then the cell data reverts to its previous value and no error displays.

For more information about writing callbacks, see Callbacks in App Designer.

`Position` — Location and size of table
`[left bottom width height]`

Location and size of the table, specified as a four-element vector of the form [left bottom width height]. This table describes each element in the vector.

Element	Description
`left`	Distance from the inner left edge of the parent container to the outer left edge of the table
`bottom`	Distance from the inner bottom edge of the parent container to the outer bottom edge of the table
`width`	Distance between the right and left outer edges of the table
`height`	Distance between the top and bottom outer edges of the table

All measurements are in units specified by the Units property.

The Position values are relative to the drawable area of the parent container. The drawable area is the area inside the borders of the container and does not include the area occupied by decorations such as a menu bar or title.

`Units` — Units of measurement
`'pixels'` (default) | `'normalized'` | `'inches'` | `'centimeters'` | `'points'` | `'characters'`

Units of measurement, specified as one of the values in this table.

Units Value	Description
`'pixels'` (default)	Distances in pixels are independent of your system resolution on Windows^® and Macintosh systems: On Windows systems, a pixel is 1/96th of an inch. On Macintosh systems, a pixel is 1/72nd of an inch. On Linux^® systems, the size of a pixel is determined by your system resolution.
`'normalized'`	These units are normalized with respect to the parent container. The lower-left corner of the container maps to `(0,0)` and the upper-right corner maps to `(1,1)`.
`'inches'`	Inches.
`'centimeters'`	Centimeters.
`'points'`	Points. One point equals 1/72nd of an inch.
`'characters'`	These units are based on the default uicontrol font of the graphics root object: Character width = width of the letter `x`. Character height = distance between the baselines of two lines of text. To access the default uicontrol font, use `get(groot,'defaultuicontrolFontName')` or `set(groot,'defaultuicontrolFontName')`.

The recommended value is 'pixels', because most MATLAB app building functionality measures distances in pixels. You can create a table that rescales based on the size of the parent container by parenting the table to a grid layout manager created using the uigridlayout function. For more information, see Lay Out Apps Programmatically.

Version History

Introduced in R2008a

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R2024a: Specify background color using hexadecimal color codes or color names

When modifying table colors using the BackgroundColor property, you can specify colors as hexadecimal color codes or color names, in addition to RGB triplets.

R2023b: Query selected table data in current table display

Use the DisplaySelection property of the table to query the cells that are selected in the current table display. This property is useful when an app user has sorted or rearranged columns in the table and you want to know which cells are selected based on the app user's view of the data.

R2022b: Program a response to a user clicking or double-clicking the table

Use the ClickedFcn and DoubleClickedFcn callback properties to program a response to a user clicking and double-clicking the table UI component.

For more information, see Table.

R2022a: Rearrange columns interactively

Specify the ability to interactively rearrange table columns in an app by using the ColumnRearrangeable property. In a table UI component with the ColumnRearrangeable value set to 'on', rearrange table columns in the app by clicking and dragging the column header.

In App Designer and apps created using the uifigure function, you can program an app to respond when a user rearranges table columns by creating a DisplayDataChangedFcn callback function.

For more information, see Table.

R2021b: Set, query, and configure options for table selection

Use properties to configure selection options for table UI components.

Set and query the table selection using the Selection property.
Specify whether a user can select table cells, rows, or columns using the SelectionType property.
Specify whether a user can select single or multiple table elements using the Multiselect property.
Update your app whenever a user selects table data by specifying a SelectionChangedFcn callback.

Selection options in table UI components are supported only in App Designer apps and in figures created with the uifigure function.

For more information, see Table.

R2020b: Configure column widths to use weighted variables or to automatically adjust to fit data

Configure the column widths of table UI components in App Designer and uifigure-based apps.

To specify a weighted variable width, set the ColumnWidth property to a number paired with an 'x' character (for example, '2x').
To configure column widths to automatically adjust to column names and data, set the ColumnWidth property to 'fit'.

uitable

Syntax

Description

Examples

Display Array of Numbers

Display Table Data

Programmatically Update Table Data

Code Response to Interactive Data Editing

Change Color of Specific Cells Based on Data

Programmatically Access Table Selection

Programmatically Scroll to Table Row

Input Arguments

`parent` — Parent container
`Figure` object (default) | `Panel` object | `Tab` object | `ButtonGroup` object | `GridLayout` object

Name-Value Arguments

`Data` — Table data
table array | numeric array | logical array | cell array | string array | ...

Specify a Table Array

Specify Numeric, Logical, Cell, String Array, or Cell Array of Character Vectors

`ColumnWidth` — Width of table columns
`'auto'` (default) | `'fit'` | `'1x'` | 1-by-`n` cell array

`ColumnEditable` — Ability to edit column cells
`[]` (default) | logical 1-by-`n` array | logical scalar

`CellEditCallback` — Cell edit callback function
function handle | cell array | character vector

`Position` — Location and size of table
`[left bottom width height]`

`Units` — Units of measurement
`'pixels'` (default) | `'normalized'` | `'inches'` | `'centimeters'` | `'points'` | `'characters'`

Version History

R2024a: Specify background color using hexadecimal color codes or color names

R2023b: Query selected table data in current table display

R2022b: Program a response to a user clicking or double-clicking the table

R2022a: Rearrange columns interactively

R2021b: Set, query, and configure options for table selection

R2020b: Configure column widths to use weighted variables or to automatically adjust to fit data

See Also

Functions

Properties

Topics

uitable

Syntax

Description

Examples

Display Array of Numbers

Display Table Data

Programmatically Update Table Data

Code Response to Interactive Data Editing

Change Color of Specific Cells Based on Data

Programmatically Access Table Selection

Programmatically Scroll to Table Row

Input Arguments

parent — Parent container Figure object (default) | Panel object | Tab object | ButtonGroup object | GridLayout object

Name-Value Arguments

Data — Table data table array | numeric array | logical array | cell array | string array | ...

Specify a Table Array

Specify Numeric, Logical, Cell, String Array, or Cell Array of Character Vectors

ColumnWidth — Width of table columns 'auto' (default) | 'fit' | '1x' | 1-by-n cell array

ColumnEditable — Ability to edit column cells [] (default) | logical 1-by-n array | logical scalar

CellEditCallback — Cell edit callback function function handle | cell array | character vector

Position — Location and size of table [left bottom width height]

Units — Units of measurement 'pixels' (default) | 'normalized' | 'inches' | 'centimeters' | 'points' | 'characters'

Version History

R2024a: Specify background color using hexadecimal color codes or color names

R2023b: Query selected table data in current table display

R2022b: Program a response to a user clicking or double-clicking the table

R2022a: Rearrange columns interactively

R2021b: Set, query, and configure options for table selection

R2020b: Configure column widths to use weighted variables or to automatically adjust to fit data

See Also

Functions

Properties

Topics

`parent` — Parent container
`Figure` object (default) | `Panel` object | `Tab` object | `ButtonGroup` object | `GridLayout` object

`Data` — Table data
table array | numeric array | logical array | cell array | string array | ...

`ColumnWidth` — Width of table columns
`'auto'` (default) | `'fit'` | `'1x'` | 1-by-`n` cell array

`ColumnEditable` — Ability to edit column cells
`[]` (default) | logical 1-by-`n` array | logical scalar

`CellEditCallback` — Cell edit callback function
function handle | cell array | character vector

`Position` — Location and size of table
`[left bottom width height]`

`Units` — Units of measurement
`'pixels'` (default) | `'normalized'` | `'inches'` | `'centimeters'` | `'points'` | `'characters'`