Add Items to Quick Access Toolbar

Since R2025a

You can add your own custom items to the quick access toolbar using the mw.desktop.quickAccess extension point.

Start by creating a JSON file named extensions.json in a folder named resources. For each custom item that you want add to the quick access toolbar, define an object within the items array of the mw.desktop.quickAccess extension point. When adding multiple custom items, separate each object with a comma.

For example, this extensions.json file uses the mw.desktop.quickAccess extension point to add a push button to the quick access toolbar.

{
    "mw.desktop.quickAccess": {
        "items": [
            {
                "name": "mytoolbox.openCustomFunction",
                "type": "PushButton",
                "action": {
                    "text": "Open Custom Function",
                    "description": "Open my custom function",
                    "icon": "./icons/Open_16.png",
                    "callback": "openMyFunction"
                }
            }
        ]
    }
}

Create User-Defined MATLAB Function

To perform an action when a custom item in the quick access toolbar is clicked or selected, create a function that performs the intended action. Then specify the function name as the value of the callback property. Place the function in a folder on the MATLAB^® path to make it available.

For example, create the function openMyFunction, which is referenced by the callback property in the JSON file. MATLAB calls this function when you click the custom openCustomFunction button in the quick access toolbar. When called, the function prints a message in the Command Window and opens myWorkingFile.m in the Editor.

function openMyFunction
disp("Opening 'myWorkingFile.m' in the Editor...")
edit myWorkingFile.m
end

Enable Your Customizations

To enable your customizations, add the folder containing the resources folder with the extensions.json file to the path. When the folder is added to the path, a new button appears in the quick access toolbar.

When you click the button, the openMyFunction function is called .openMyFunction opens the file myWorkingFile.m in the Editor and prints this text to the Command Window:

Opening 'myWorkingFile.m' in the Editor...