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In MATLAB, working with plots and figuring out the layering can sometimes be tricky, especially if you're trying to add additional plots while maintaining the order of existing curves. In your case, you'd like to add another plot behind one of the existing three curves in a .fig file without the hassle of extracting and re-plotting data. This article will guide you through that process using the hold all command and layering techniques.

Understanding Plot Layering in MATLAB

When you create a plot in MATLAB, the order of the elements on the graph is determined by when they are plotted. The last item plotted appears on top of previous plots. This behavior is crucial when you want to manage the layering of your plots effectively.

Steps to Add a Plot Behind Existing Curves

To achieve the desired outcome, you can leverage MATLAB's hold on functionality. This feature allows you to retain the current plot so that you can add new plots over it. Moreover, you can manipulate the axes children to control which plots appear in front of others.

Step 1: Load Your .fig File

First, open your existing .fig file using the openfig function. This not only opens the file but also keeps hold of the current figure when called with the 'reuse' option.

figureHandle = openfig('yourFigure.fig', 'reuse'); 

Step 2: Hold the Current Plot

By enabling hold on, you can ensure that any new plots are added without clearing the existing curves.

hold(figureHandle, 'on'); 

Step 3: Add Your New Plot

Next, add your new plot using the plot function. Specify the data for the new curves you wish to present.

x = 1:10; % Example X data newCurve = sin(x); % New Y data for the curve to be added plot(x, newCurve, 'g','DisplayName','New Curve'); % Green line 

Step 4: Adjust Plot Layering

After adding your new plot, you can manipulate the layering by adjusting the properties of the axes. To ensure that the last original curve stays in the foreground, you can retrieve all current axes children and reorder them. This is done as follows:

children = get(gca, 'Children'); % Assuming you know the order, place the new curve behind the first existing curve set(gca, 'Children', [children(2); children(1); children(3:end)]); % Adjust the order 

Step 5: Finalize and Customize Your Plot

Once you've adjusted the layering to your satisfaction, you can finalize your plot by adding titles, legends, and any other visual elements to make your plot informative and polished.

title('Updated Plot with New Curve Behind'); legend show; % Show legend for all curves grid on; % Optionally enable grid 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use different colors for the new plot?

Yes, you can customize the appearance of your new plot using any color you like by modifying the color argument in the plot function.

What if I want to remove the new plot?

You can remove a plot from the figure by deleting the relevant axis child. Use delete(h) where h is the handle of the plot you want to remove.

Is there a way to dynamically adjust the plots?

Yes, MATLAB allows for dynamic manipulation of plots through callbacks and user inputs. Investigating uicontrol can provide interactivity for your plots.

Conclusion

In conclusion, adding a new plot behind existing curves in a MATLAB figure can be accomplished with relative ease. By utilizing hold on, plotting the new data, and adjusting the axes children, you can maintain the desired layering without the need to re-extract or re-plot existing data. This method not only saves time but also ensures your visualizations remain intact and organized. Happy plotting!