Yes, you can hard code a path and use cd() to change into this path. It would be safer to store this path in the handles struct and use absolute file names instead, because otherwise and cd() command in a Timer, another GUI or in the command line would confuse your GUI application.
It is user friendly not to hard code a path in the sourcecode of a GUI. Better add a textfield to the GUI, which conatins the current focussed folder and allow the user to change it. Whenever the value is modified, it is written as MAT file to the folder prefdir, such that at opening the GUI you can obtain the former value from this location again:
% In Opening function:
try
Data = load(fullfile(prefdir, 'MyGUIFolder.mat'));
myFolder = Data.myFolder;
catch % Not existing yet:
myFolder = pwd;
end
handles.myFolder = myFolder;
guidata(figureHandle, myFolder);
% In callback:
function myXYZ_callback(hObject, EventData, handles)
handles = guidata(hObject);
disp(handles.myFolder);
% In callback of the text field, which contains the folder:
function myText_callback(hObject, EventData, handles)
myFolder = get(hObject, 'String')
if exist(myFolder, 'dir') ~= 7
set(hObject, 'Color', 'r'); % Or what ever
return;
end
set(hObject, 'Color', 'k'); % Or what ever
save(fullfile(prefdir, 'MyGUIFolder.mat'), 'myFolder');
