MATLAB Function Reference

rectangle

Create a 2-D rectangle object

Syntax

• rectangle
  rectangle('Position',[x,y,w,h])
  rectangle(...,'Curvature',[x,y])
  h = rectangle(...)
  

Description

rectangle draws a rectangle with Position [0,0,1,1] and Curvature [0,0] (i.e., no curvature).

rectangle('Position',[x,y,w,h]) draws the rectangle from the point x,y and having a width of w and a height of h. Specify values in axes data units.

Note that, to display a rectangle in the specified proportions, you need to set the axes data aspect ratio so that one unit is of equal length along both the x and y axes. You can do this with the command axis equal or daspect([1,1,1]).

rectangle(...,'Curvature',[x,y]) specifies the curvature of the rectangle sides, enabling it to vary from a rectangle to an ellipse. The horizontal curvature x is the fraction of width of the rectangle that is curved along the top and bottom edges. The vertical curvature y is the fraction of the height of the rectangle that is curved along the left and right edges.

The values of x and y can range from 0 (no curvature) to 1 (maximum curvature). A value of [0,0] creates a rectangle with square sides. A value of [1,1] creates an ellipse. If you specify only one value for Curvature, then the same length (in axes data units) is curved along both horizontal and vertical sides. The amount of curvature is determined by the shorter dimension.

h = rectangle(...) returns the handle of the rectangle object created.

Remarks

Rectangle objects are 2-D and can be drawn in an axes only if the view is [0 90] (i.e., view(2)). Rectangles are children of axes and are defined in coordinates of the axes data.

Examples

This example sets the data aspect ratio to [1,1,1] so that the rectangle displays in the specified proportions (daspect). Note that the horizontal and vertical curvature can be different. Also, note the effects of using a single value for Curvature.

• rectangle('Position',[0.59,0.35,3.75,1.37],...
            'Curvature',[0.8,0.4],...
           'LineWidth',2,'LineStyle','--')
  daspect([1,1,1])
  
  
  
  

Specifying a single value of [0.4] for Curvature produces:

A Curvature of [1] produces a rectangle with the shortest side completely round:

This example creates an ellipse and colors the face red.

• rectangle('Position',[1,2,5,10],'Curvature',[1,1],...
            'FaceColor','r')
  daspect([1,1,1])
  xlim([0,7])
  ylim([1,13])
  
  

See Also

line, patch, rectangle properties

Object Creation Functions for related functions

Object Hierarchy

Setting Default Properties

You can set default rectangle properties on the axes, figure, and root levels.

• set(0,'DefaultRectangleProperty',PropertyValue...)
  set(gcf,'DefaultRectangleProperty',PropertyValue...)
  set(gca,'DefaultRectangleProperty',PropertyValue...)
  

Where Property is the name of the rectangle property whose default value you want to set and PropertyValue is the value you are specifying. Use set and get to access the surface properties.

Property List

The following table lists all rectangle properties and provides a brief description of each. The property name links take you to an expanded description of the properties.

Property Name	Property Description	Property Value
Defining the Rectangle Object
Curvature	Degree of horizontal and vertical curvature	Value: two-element vector with values between 0 and 1 Default: [0,0]
EraseMode	Method of drawing and erasing the rectangle (useful for animation)	Values: normal, none, xor, background Default: normal
EdgeColor	Color of rectangle edges	Value: ColorSpec or none Default: ColorSpec [0,0,0]
FaceColor	Color of rectangle interior	Value: ColorSpec or none Default: none
LineStyle	Line style of edges	Values: -, --, :, -., none Default: -
LineWidth	Width of edge lines in points	Value: scalar Default: 0.5 points
Position	Location and width and height of rectangle	Value: [x,y,width,height] Default: [0,0,1,1]
General Information About Rectangle Objects
Children	Rectangle objects have no children
Parent	Axes object	Value: handle of axes
Selected	Indicate if the rectangle is in a "selected" state.	Value: on, off Default: off
Tag	User-specified label	Value: any string Default: '' (empty string)
Type	The type of graphics object (read only)	Value: the string 'rectangle'
UserData	User-specified data	Value: any matrix Default: [] (empty matrix)
Properties Related to Callback Routine Execution
BusyAction	Specify how to handle callback routine interruption	Value: cancel, queue Default: queue
ButtonDownFcn	Define a callback routine that executes when a mouse button is pressed on over the rectangle	Value: string or function handle Default: '' (empty string)
CreateFcn	Define a callback routine that executes when a rectangle is created	Value: string or function handle Default: '' (empty string)
DeleteFcn	Define a callback routine that executes when the rectangle is deleted (via close or delete)	Values: string or function handle Default: '' (empty string)
Interruptible	Determine if callback routine can be interrupted	Values: on, off Default: on (can be interrupted)
UIContextMenu	Associate a context menu with the rectangle	Values: handle of a Uicontextmenu
Controlling Access to Objects
HandleVisibility	Determines if and when the rectangle's handle is visible to other functions	Values: on, callback, off Default: on
HitTest	Determines if the rectangle can become the current object (see the Figure CurrentObject property)	Values: on, off Default: on
Controlling the Appearance
Clipping	Clipping to axes rectangle	Values: on, off Default: on
SelectionHighlight	Highlight rectangle when selected (Selected property set to on)	Values: on, off Default: on
Visible	Make the rectangle visible or invisible	Values: on, off Default: on

record

rectangle properties