Hi Zachary,
Since your application involves multiple stages of user input and processing, I feel creating an interactive application using MATLAB App Designer will really suit this use-case. It will allow you to create a user-interface that will help in breaking down the whole workflow into a multi-part experience.
Here's an outline of the development steps you can expect while following this approach:
1. Planning the app layout
Design the interface using App Designer's drag-and-drop layout editor. Below are some UI components you'll need:
- An input field for the user to specify the number of different materials.
- A button to confirm the number of materials and initiate the input sequence.
- Dynamic input fields for entering the name of the material and the amount available. These can be generated based on the number of materials specified.
- A button to submit each material's data.
- An area to display the pie chart.
- Multiple tabs to split the process into sections
Buttons can be built using the "uibutton" component, text fields for inputs can use "uieditfield", "uiaxes" can be used to plot the required pie-charts, and "uitabgroup" to created a tab-based layout.
The following MathWorks documentation page enlists all the available UI components you can leverage while desgining your app:
Develop "uifigure" Based Apps: https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/develop-apps-using-the-uifigure-function.html
2. Initializing variables
In the "startupFcn" callback, initialize variables to store material names, original amounts, and current amounts. These could be arrays or a table, depending on your preference.
Refer to the following page for more information about this callback function:
3. Capturing user input and updating data later
Use the "ValueChangedFcn" callback of the edit fields to capture the number of materials in a variable. Upon confirming the number of materials, dynamically generate input fields for material names and amounts, or alternatively, display a pre-made but initially hidden panel with these fields.
Use "ButtonPushedFcn" callback of the "uibutton" elements to trigger your logic when user presses a button. This can be used to submit the entered values or refresh the pie-chart.
Provide a mechanism for users to update the amount of material left (e.g., through a table or individual input fields). Use callbacks to update your data structure whenever changes are made.
4. Displaying the pie chart
Use the "pie" function within a UIAxes component to display the pie chart. You might need to preprocess your data to get the current amounts of each material. Every time the material amounts are updated, redraw the pie chart to reflect these changes.
For more information, here's documnetation for the "pie" fucntion in MATLAB:
5. Exporting to an Excel file
Use the "writetable" function to export your data to an Excel file. Ensure your data is in a table format for this step. You can add a button specifically for this export functionality.
Write Data to Excel Spreadsheets: https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/import_export/exporting-to-excel-spreadsheets.html
I hope this provides you with a general outline on how to get started with developing your application.
Good luck!
