I would like to use questdlg within a Matlab application to prompt user feedback. If no display is available (e.g. over a non-forwarded ssh session or if Matlab is started with -nodisplay), questdlg fails (see below). Is there any way to determine if a display is available from within Matlab code so that I can fall back to a text-based alternative?
If Matlab is started with the -nodisplay option, qusetdlg produces the following output and "hangs" Matlab (in uiwait). Although the user can use Ctl-C to escape, there's no indication of this option and a naive user might conclude that Matlab was truly hung:
>> questdlg('test','test')
Warning: This functionality is no longer supported under the -nodisplay and
-noFigureWindows startup options. For more information, see "Changes to
-nodisplay and -noFigureWindows Startup Options" in the MATLAB Release Notes.
To view the release note in your system browser, run
web('http://www.mathworks.com/access/helpdesk/help/techdoc/rn/br5ktrh-1.html#br5ktrh-3',
'-browser')
> In uitools/private/warnfiguredialog at 19
In dialog at 37
In questdlg at 117
Warning: This functionality is no longer supported under the -nodisplay and
-noFigureWindows startup options. For more information, see "Changes to
-nodisplay and -noFigureWindows Startup Options" in the MATLAB Release Notes.
To view the release note in your system browser, run
web('http://www.mathworks.com/access/helpdesk/help/techdoc/rn/br5ktrh-1.html#br5ktrh-3',
'-browser')
> In uitools/private/warnfiguredialog at 19
In uiwait at 41
In questdlg at 378