gcf — Return the current figure handle in MATLAB and RunMat.
gcf returns the handle of the figure currently selected for plotting operations. Handle creation/selection behavior follows MATLAB semantics with RunMat figure management.
Syntax
fig = gcf()Returns
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
fig | NumericScalar | Current figure handle. |
How gcf works
gcf()returns a scalar numeric figure handle.- The value changes after commands like
figure(n)orfigure('next')select a different figure. - Subsequent plotting commands target the same current figure until another figure is selected.
Does RunMat run gcf on the GPU?
gcf performs no provider dispatch; it simply reads the current figure handle from plotting state.
GPU memory and residency
gcf returns a host-side numeric handle and does not interact with GPU residency.
Examples
Read the current figure handle
figure(2);
f = gcf()Expected output:
f = 2Observe the handle change after selecting a different figure
figure(1);
f1 = gcf();
figure(4);
f2 = gcf();Expected output:
f1 = 1
f2 = 4Using gcf with coding agents
Open a RunMat example with live inputs, then ask the agent to explain how gcf changes the result.
Run a small gcf example, explain the result, then change one input and compare the output.
FAQ
What type of value does gcf return?⌄
It returns a scalar double representing the current figure handle.
Does gcf create a plot?⌄
No. It only reports which figure is currently selected.
Does gcf run on the GPU?⌄
No. It only reads host-side plotting state.
Related Plotting functions
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area · bar · errorbar · heatmap · hist · histogram · loglog · pie · plot · scatter · semilogx · semilogy · stairs · stem
Other
addpoints · ancestor · animatedline · axes · barh · cla · clf · colorcube · colororder · copyobj · daspect · datacursormode · dataTipTextRow · fcontour · figure · fill3 · findobj · fsurf · gobjects · groot · hgload · hgsave · hidden · histogram2 · hold · line · linkaxes · openfig · opengl · pan · parula · patch · plotmatrix · plotyy · polarhistogram · polarplot · polarscatter · print · quiver3 · ribbon · saveas · savefig · sphere · stackedplot · subtitle · suptitle · textscatter · textscatter3 · triplot · waitbar · wordcloud · xline · xscale · xtickangle · xtickformat · xticklabels · xticks · yline · yscale · ytickangle · ytickformat · yticklabels · yticks · zoom
Open-source implementation
Unlike proprietary runtimes, every RunMat function is open-source. Read exactly how gcf is executed, line by line, in Rust.
- View the source for gcf in Rust on GitHub
- Learn how the RunMat runtime works
- Found a bug? Open an issue with a minimal reproduction.
About RunMat
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