How to zoom in on figures within the dock? (2012b)

It is known that some people (including myself) are having trouble doing the basic image operations like zooming in or out when the figure is docked. The new Matlab 2012b desktop makes it so that you have to:

1. click the figure

2. then go up to the ribbon, click the Figure tab

3. then click the zoom button

4. Go back down to the figure.

This quickly gets infuriating.

Is there a workaround? Is there a simple shortcut I can press to switch to zoom-in/out mode?

(see the old discussion here: http://www.mathworks.co.uk/matlabcentral/answers/48070-experiences-with-release-2012b)

Answer 1

[Jan]

It is a workaround only and not a real soltuion, I admit:

Use undocked windows and R2012a.

[Theo]

Unfortunately, that's not a great solution for me. I noticed that there is a Zoom Keys function on the FE which allows one to use shortcut keys to zoom in. However, this doesn't seem to work for docked figures.

Any ideas how one might modify it?

[Jan]

The zoom function looks very tricky, but all it does is changing the XLim and YLim properties for 2D plots. Therefore it might be easier to implement an own zoom function, than trying to connect the original function through the ugly ribbon djungle.

[Sean de Wolski]

@Jan, what's tricky about it?

Answer 2

[Sean de Wolski]

The best solution I can think of is to create a shortcut that turns zoom on and off and then add this shortcut to the Quick Access Toolbar so it's always available.

doc zoom

For what this shortcut would have to do.