Can I use a GUI button to kill running routines?

I'm looking for a callback command to give to an "Exit" button in a GUI that will not only close the window ('close' is being used now), but will also kill the routine without closing MATLAB. Does such a command exist, or do I need a more complex set of instructions for the "Exit" button?

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

The only ways to kill a routine without its active cooperation are very ugly.

[John]

Bummer. Do you know where can I get a look at these ugly ways?

[Walter Roberson]

Someone mentioned a way in passing, in the newsgroup, sometime in the last 5 years.

Let's see... you could call a mex routine that deliberately corrupted the memory allocation scheme, so that eventually the executing routine would crash.

Answer 2

[Jan]

The easiest way would be to let the function check, if the GUI is still open. What ever you do, the function needs to be cooperative anyway: Without a DRAWNOW the "Exit" button events are not processed. Then you can append a small check also:

drawnow;
if ishandle(CallerGUI) == 0
  % Cleanup! Close files etc.
  return;
end

You cannot use the Java-robot to simulate a Ctrl-C, because this would even kill the function, which controls the robot. But from a C-mex function an ugly injection of Ctrl-C should work, see: FEX: textinject. I have never tried it and I will not. Killing a function without a proper cleanup is too ugly.