Importing a text or spreadsheet file to be used as a uitable.

I am using app designer to create an app which imports text or spreadsheet files (which it is able to check the difference between the two). I am getting stuck because I want to import the file then turn it into a uitable or uifigure (something that the user can see). I want it to pop up imediately after they press the 'Select File' button. I just can't seem to figure out the best possible method to do this. I am attaching the part of my code found when the user pressed this button. I am sorry that it is a little messy and not commented but I haven't gotten to that point yet. The part i am struggling with is after the second 'if' statement where the 'readtable' function is located (at the bottom).

app.CheckFileEditField.Value = ' ';
            app.WarningLabel.Text = ' ';
            if contains(app.InFilePathName, '.')        %checking for period('.') in filename.
                index = strfind(app.InFilePathName,'.');
                FileExtension = app.InFilePathName(index(end)+1:end);
                ValidSpreadsheetExtensions={'xlsx', 'xls', 'xlsm', 'xlsb', 'xltx', 'xltm','ods'};
                if ismember(FileExtension,ValidSpreadsheetExtensions)
                    app.CheckFileEditField.Value = 'Proper File';
                    FileType = 'spreadsheet';
                    VariableNamesRange=strcat('A',num2str(app.NumHeaderLinesEditField.Value+1));
                    app.opts = detectImportOptions(app.InFilePathName,'FileType',FileType,'VariableNamesRange',VariableNamesRange,'Sheet',app.SheetToImportEditField.Value);
                else
                    app.CheckFileEditField.Value = 'Improper File';
                    FileType='text';  %'text';
                    app.opts = detectImportOptions(app.InFilePathName,'FileType',FileType);
                end 
                my_table = readtable(app.InFilePathName,app.opts);
                uitable(my_table)
                % Change column name from imported data
                uitable.ColumnName = my_table.Properties.VariableNames
            else 
                app.WarningLabel.Text = {'*Warning: Incorrect file name format'}; %send this warning if filename does not contain a period.
            end

Answer 1

[Ameer Hamza]

Calling uitable() inside the function will tell MATLAB to create a new uitable. I suggest you to first add a UITable in the app designer from the component library and then display the loaded excel file using the Data property of UITable

my_table = readtable(app.InFilePathName,app.opts);
app.UITable.Data = my_table;

[Forrest Ward]

Thank you for your answer. I unfortunately don't have enough space on the app to add a table and would like for a table to pop up once the button is pressed. If that makes any sense?

[Ameer Hamza]

If you don't have enough space, then do you want the uitable to pop up in a separate figure window?

[Forrest Ward]

Yeah that’s exactly what I’m looking to do

[Ameer Hamza]

Using the line

uitable(my_table)

should already create a new figure window. What happens when you run it?

[Forrest Ward]

I tried that and a new window does pop up, but it does not have any of the information from my impoted table on it.

[Ameer Hamza]

That is an unexpected behavior from uitable(). You may add a breakpoint in your code and see if the variable 'my_table' contains correct values?