International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN (Online): 2319-7064

Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438

Using MATLAB Component Object Model with

Visual Basic Graphical User Interface (GUI):
Application To: One Dimensional Diffusion Heat
Transfer Equations of Extended Surface (FINS)
Mohammed Khalafalla Mohammed1, Mahir Abdelwahid Ibrahim Ismail2
1
Electronic Engineering Department, Tianjin University of Technology and Education, Tianjin 300222, China
2
Mechanical Engineering Department, Tianjin University of Technology and Education, Tianjin 300222, China

Abstract: The main problem objects implementation of all learning projects or labs in the world is the high cost. So all manufacturer
companies in the world resort to find other teaching methods which have low cost and more reliability to replace these labs .One of
these methods are called simulation software which make user performs his experiments as when he uses actual labs. In this paper
simple way for teaching one dimensional diffusion heat transfer equations of extended surface (fins) was make for readers or users.
This way was done with Microsoft COM technology as communication instrument between Visual Basic and MATLAB application. By
COM technology we can exchange our data between two applications. The application which sends the data by COM technology is
called client and the other which receives data by COM technology is called server. Here Visual Basic was used as COM client and
MATLAB as COM server. By this way the user does not need to know any things about Visual Basic or MATLAB just he uses them to
study one dimensional diffusion heat transfer equations of extended surface (fins) when he uses Visual Basic GUI and enters his input
parameters then will see the results very easy and clear. Also by this way we can offer the time need to study this case study.

Keywords: Component Object Model, User Interface, Visual Basic, Heat transfer.

1. Introduction MATLAB for calculations and graphical visualization.

Finally we receive results from MATLAB in Visual Basic
COM (Component Object Model) is a Microsoft framework Graphical User Interface (GUI). At this time is possible to
designed for Windows platforms for developing and improve the Visual Basic programs using other Windows
integrating software components. Software components and applications.
reusability techniques have interesting advantages, as
component base software engineering has shown through the It is very important when we do not have enough time to
last years. The most powerful idea around component-based learn using software. So using (GUI) makes software very
on software, is that components can be implemented by a easy and decrease the time that need to learn it. This fact
programmer and reused by others without having knowledge implies that there will be less time devoted to the software
of the source code. Components are binary packages that can applications being covered. In MATLAB we can make GUI
be deployed and further integrated with others written on non-visually by writing MATLAB code which determines
different programming languages. As component selection the properties of the controls that it seems very difficult and
and integration is usually an easy and well-known process, complicated. In Visual Basic we can make GUI visually by
components are also called COTS (Commercial Off-The- choose the control we need from the control menu and
Shelf). double click with left mouse on it then adjust its properties
in the properties window that it seems very easy and
Visual Basic software is very famous for using Graphical simplify.
User Interface (GUI). Because of its properties that seems
very easy and clear. An important characteristic of Visual Our GUI is constructed from only one form which contained
Basic is related to the multitasking operating environment of six labels control to define the names of textboxes control,
Windows. Here Visual Basic application is used to make four buttons control to controlling the execution of the
MATLAB application running at the same time. In this case program, two picture boxes which contain the case study
MATLAB is running in special case called MATLAB table and figure of heat transfer through the fin. Also it
Automation Server. MATLAB is a technical computing contains four textboxes control which will use by the user to
environment for high performance numeric computation and put his values of input variables.
data visualization and its use has become popular in
analytical purposes like MATLAB integrates numerical 2. Microsoft COM technology
analysis, matrix computation, signal processing and graphics
in an easy-to-use environment that allows the user to do A COM component is an instance of the component object
many matrix computations employing language commands class that runs on the COM server and is accessible from a
that look very much like standard linear algebraic notation. variety of clients. There are several platforms that can serve
In our program developed Visual Basic routines control the COM objects and many clients that can use them. MATLAB
data acquisition and uses COM server to send data to COM components are very useful to integrate tasks
Volume 4 Issue 3, March 2015
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Paper ID: SUB152242 1369
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438
implemented on this language and exported to others appropriate function from visual basic to instantiate the
applications. These components can be used later in server. Here we use the Create Object function in Visual
Microsoft Office Applications or even other MATLAB Basic. For the programmatic identifier, specify MATLAB.
clients, in local or distributed applications. Application to run MATLAB as a dedicated server.

3. MATLAB COM Integration 6. MATLAB Automation Server Tasks

The Component Object Model, or COM, provides a MATLAB Automation provides a number of tasks that we
framework for integrating reusable, binary software can do them in MATLAB or Visual Basic to manipulate data
components into an application. Because components are in the MATLAB server. These are:-
implemented with compiled code, the source code may be Executing Commands in the MATLAB Server
written in any of the many programming languages that Exchanging Data with the Server
support COM. Upgrades to applications are simplified, as Controlling the Server Window Terminating the Server
components can be simply swapped without the need to Process
recompile the entire application. In addition, a components
location is transparent to the application, so components 7. Client-Specific Information
may be relocated to a separate process or even a remote
system without having to modify the application. Using In COM servers we find available interface methods. The
COM, developers and end users can select application- most useful are:
specific components produced by different vendors and
MLApp.Execute(). This method executes a MATLAB
integrate them into a complete application solution.
command on the COM server.
MLApp.Feval(). This method evaluates a MATLAB
4. MATLAB programmatic identifiers function.
MLApp.GetFullMatrix(). This method is useful to copy a
MATLAB provides three programmatic identifiers to access matrix from MATLAB workspace.
COM servers:-
MLApp.PutFullMatrix().This method is useful to copy a
MATLAB.Application: This identifier is used to start a matrix into MATLAB workspace.
MATLAB Automation server on an independent window. MLApp.PutWorkspaceData(). This method is used to put
A command window will appear to enter commands.
variables into MATLAB workspace.
MATLAB.Autoserver: A MATLAB Automation server is
MLApp.GetWorkspaceData(). This method is used to read
started on an independent command window.
variables from MATLAB workspace.
MATLAB.Desktop.Application: With this configuration,
MLApp.Quit(). It must be used to force exit when the host
a MATLAB full desktop is started. By running the registry
application finalizes.
tool in Windows, we will be able to find out the identifiers
for accessing the COM servers.
-MATLAB.AutoServer.Single: The single attribute will
8. MATLAB ActiveX Automation Method
make the server to run on an exclusive mode. Otherwise
the server will starts on a shared configuration. In this This section lists the method that is supported by the
paper we used first one (MATLAB.Application). MATLAB Automation Server. The data types for the
arguments and return values are expressed as ActiveX
Automation data types, which are language independent
5. Client Application and MATLAB types defined by the ActiveX Automation protocol. Like
Automation Server BSTR is a wide-character string type defined as an
Automation type, and is the same data format used by Visual
MATLAB operates as the Automation server in this paper Basic to store strings. Any ActiveX-compliant controller
and it controlled by Visual Basic to be an Automation should support these data types, although the details of how
controller we declare and manipulate these are controller specific.

9. BSTR Execute in BSTR Command

This command accepts a single string (Command), which
contains any command that can be typed at the MATLAB
command window prompt. MATLAB will execute the
Figure 1: MATLAB COM Server and COM Client command and return the results as a string. Any figure
windows generated by the command are displayed on the
MATLAB Automation server capabilities include the ability screen as if the command were executed directly from the
to execute commands in the MATLAB workspace, and to command window or an M-file.
get and put matrices directly from and into the workspace.
We can start a MATLAB server to run in either a shared or 10. Client Specific Information
dedicated mode. Also we have the option of running it on a
local or remote system. To create the MATLAB server from For Visual Basic.net Clients Data types for the arguments
an external application (visual basic) program, we use the and return values of the server functions are expressed as

Volume 4 Issue 3, March 2015

www.ijsr.net
Paper ID: SUB152242 1370
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438
Automation data types which are language independent
types defined by the Automation protocol. Like, BSTR is a
wide-character string type defined as an Automation type
and is the same data format used by Visual Basic to store
strings. Any COM compliant controller should support these
data types, although the details of how we declare and
manipulate these are controller specific.

11. Visual Basic Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Visual Basic was designed for making GUIs. Figure (1) is a
screen shot of a new visual basic project. The object in the
center is called a form. On the left is a tool box and on the
right is a box which contains all the properties of the form.
In the toolbox are items (also called controls) that can be
placed on the form. These controls contain a command
button, a text box, a label box and many other things.
Placing any one of these items on the form is done by make Figure 3: Button Box
double clicking on the item in the toolbox or click on it then
dragging it to the correct position of it. Each object control has an event (may be more than one)
that can be done with it. In order to write event handler with
any object just make double clicks on it to bring code widow
for it. Also we can add a separate code module to the form to
holds subroutines and declaration of the variables.

In figure (3) we see our GUI which contains label box1on

the left side that show the procedures of using GUI, picture
box1under the label box1 include the table of case study of
our application, picture box2 behind the label box1 shows
small figure of Parameters of heat transfer through the fin to
help user to understand something about variables. Label
box2 show the address of the GUI topic. On the right side of
GUI we find label box3, label box4, label box5, label box6
show the name of application parameters that must be
choose by users. Each label of them has a text box in front of
it where user can put his own values in them. Also GUI
include four command buttons, one used for sending data to
mat lab for executing then get the result back to the visual
Figure 2: Visual Basic.net start-up screen basic GUI. The second one used to clear the old data and re-
enter new ones .The third one for clear all data when the user
In figure (2) we can see a control button has been placed on want to change to new study case. The last one for ends the
the form. For setting the properties of it we can go to the task or end the visual basic running.
properties window on the right of the form which contains
the form properties and any object placed on the form. The
flow of execution is dependent on the action the user takes.
When the user presses a button on the GUI, the program
handles that event.

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Paper ID: SUB152242 1371
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438

Figure 6: Visual Basic.net project GUI window

Click the icon to run the GUI program then enter the four
(4) values of study case variables (n, Tinf, Tb, nj) in the
coordinating text boxes .Here the values were chosen to be
(n = 4, Tinf = 20, Tb = 75,nj = 10). The program (GUI)
running window will appear as below:-
Figure 4: Graphical User Interface

12. Procedures and Results

Open start menu-choose Microsoft Visual Studio 2010-

then click left mouse on it (do not run MATLAB
application).The visual basic window will appear as
below:-

Figure 7: Visual Basic.net project running GUI inputs

window

Now this data of one dimensional diffusion equation of

extended surface (fins) must be send from visual basis
application to MATLAB application for execution then get
the results back from MATLAB application to visual basic
Figure 5: Visual Basic.net project start window application. For this purpose special command was make
in this GUI which named (Compute) and that took green
Run the program (by click left mouse on run icon). The color. This command contains COM code to perform this
program (GUI) window will appear as below:- function. So click left mouse on command button named
(compute) to see the results according to inputs (the figure
will appear immediately) then look to the results. The
results window will appear as below:-

Volume 4 Issue 3, March 2015

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Paper ID: SUB152242 1372
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438
References
[1] Mahir Abdelwahid Ibrahim Ismail, Mohammed
Khalafalla Mohammed- Gantry Robot Kinematic
Analysis User Interface
Based on Visual Basic and MATLAB- International
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SUB151159, Volume 4 Issue 2, February 2015.
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13. Conclusion rnal/brd0v3w.html

COM technology is a useful tool for integrating software

from different vendors. This is specifically interesting for
engineering applications, which have to integrate a great
variety of software functionality, from specialized and low-
level task, to intuitive GUIs. Fortunately, software
component industry has provided solutions to properly
combine software components to get a complete solution
without implementing the software from scratch. This can be
made using reusability techniques following the standards
defined by the Component Base Software Engineering
(CBSE).

Engineers working with MATLAB and other software can

take advantage of CBSE using COM and .Net technologies
from Microsoft. Furthermore, integrating different objects
from different applications accelerates software development
and reduces costs. So we think this paper can be considered
as small simple way make the reader use it to understand
how COM technology is very important for engineering
application.

After we wrote this paper we expect that the interested

reader can take into account component technology on their
future projects, and gain effectiveness on the overall
software development process.
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Paper ID: SUB152242 1373
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