# How to save a figure with a button in GLMakie?

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-save-a-figure-with-a-button-in-glmakie/124679>\
**Category:** New to Julia\
**Created:** [January 11, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-save-a-figure-with-a-button-in-glmakie/124679 "2025-01-11T17:05:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Luigi\_Marongiu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/luigi_marongiu/32/7909_2.png) [@Luigi\_Marongiu](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Luigi_Marongiu)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-save-a-figure-with-a-button-in-glmakie/124679/1 "2025-01-11T17:05:41Z")

</div>

I have a figure made with GLMakie, I can add button, but I don’t know how to link an action – namely saving the figure – to the button.  
I have this example:

```julia
using GLMakie
xs = range(0, 10, length = 30)
ys = 0.5 .* sin.(xs)
fig = Figure()
ax = Axis(fig[1,1], title = "Example", ylabel = "Y", xlabel = "X")
sc = scatter
lines!(ax, xs, ys, linewidth = 5, color =:midnightblue)
fig[2,1] = buttongrid = GridLayout(tellwidth = false)
buttons = buttongrid[1,1] = [
    Button(fig, label = "Save Figure", fontsize = 18)
]
on(buttons[1].clicks) do 
    save(string(now(), ".png"), fig)
end

```

but I get the error:

```julia
julia> Error in callback:
MethodError: no method matching (::var"#11#12")(::Int64)
The function `#11` exists, but no method is defined for this combination of argument types.

Closest candidates are:
  (::var"#11#12")()
   @ Main ~/Documents/Model/testButton.jl:13

Stacktrace:
  [1] #invokelatest#2
    @ ./essentials.jl:1055 [inlined]
  [2] invokelatest
    @ ./essentials.jl:1052 [inlined]
  [3] notify
    @ ~/.julia/packages/Observables/YdEbO/src/Observables.jl:206 [inlined]
  [4] setindex!(observable::Observable, val::Any)
    @ Observables ~/.julia/packages/Observables/YdEbO/src/Observables.jl:123
  [5] (::Makie.var"#2086#2097"{Button})(::MouseEvent)
    @ Makie ~/.julia/packages/Makie/Y3ABD/src/makielayout/blocks/button.jl:72
  [6] (::Makie.var"#1510#1511"{Makie.var"#2086#2097"{Button}})(event::MouseEvent)
    @ Makie ~/.julia/packages/Makie/Y3ABD/src/makielayout/mousestatemachine.jl:94
  [7] #invokelatest#2
    @ ./essentials.jl:1055 [inlined]
  [8] invokelatest
    @ ./essentials.jl:1052 [inlined]
  [9] notify
    @ ~/.julia/packages/Observables/YdEbO/src/Observables.jl:206 [inlined]
 [10] setindex!
    @ ~/.julia/packages/Observables/YdEbO/src/Observables.jl:123 [inlined]
 [11] (::Makie.var"#1535#1537"{Scene, Base.RefValue{Bool}, Base.RefValue{Union{Nothing, Makie.Mouse.Button}}, Base.RefValue{Float64}, Base.RefValue{Float64}, Base.RefValue{Bool}, Base.RefValue{Point{2, Float64}}, Base.RefValue{Bool}, Base.RefValue{Union{Nothing, Makie.Mouse.Button}}, Base.RefValue{Bool}, Base.RefValue{Point{2, Float32}}, Base.RefValue{Point{2, Float64}}, Base.RefValue{Makie.Mouse.Action}, Observable{MouseEvent}, Float64, Module})(event::Makie.MouseButtonEvent)
    @ Makie ~/.julia/packages/Makie/Y3ABD/src/makielayout/mousestatemachine.jl:365
 [12] #invokelatest#2
    @ ./essentials.jl:1055 [inlined]
 [13] invokelatest
    @ ./essentials.jl:1052 [inlined]
 [14] notify
    @ ~/.julia/packages/Observables/YdEbO/src/Observables.jl:206 [inlined]
 [15] setindex!
    @ ~/.julia/packages/Observables/YdEbO/src/Observables.jl:123 [inlined]
 [16] (::GLMakie.var"#mousebuttons#170"{Observable{Makie.MouseButtonEvent}})(window::GLFW.Window, button::GLFW.MouseButton, action::GLFW.Action, mods::Int32)
    @ GLMakie ~/.julia/packages/GLMakie/TH3rf/src/events.jl:104
 [17] _MouseButtonCallbackWrapper(window::GLFW.Window, button::GLFW.MouseButton, action::GLFW.Action, mods::Int32)
    @ GLFW ~/.julia/packages/GLFW/wmoTL/src/callback.jl:43
 [18] PollEvents
    @ ~/.julia/packages/GLFW/wmoTL/src/glfw3.jl:702 [inlined]
 [19] pollevents(screen::GLMakie.Screen{GLFW.Window}, frame_state::Makie.TickState)
    @ GLMakie ~/.julia/packages/GLMakie/TH3rf/src/screen.jl:485
 [20] on_demand_renderloop(screen::GLMakie.Screen{GLFW.Window})
    @ GLMakie ~/.julia/packages/GLMakie/TH3rf/src/screen.jl:935
 [21] renderloop(screen::GLMakie.Screen{GLFW.Window})
    @ GLMakie ~/.julia/packages/GLMakie/TH3rf/src/screen.jl:963
 [22] (::GLMakie.var"#71#72"{GLMakie.Screen{GLFW.Window}})()
    @ GLMakie ~/.julia/packages/GLMakie/TH3rf/src/screen.jl:823

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jules](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jules)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-save-a-figure-with-a-button-in-glmakie/124679/2 "2025-01-11T18:20:17Z")

</div>

You forgot to add an argument to the `do` closure, it’s the number of clicks. You don’t need it for your logic but the function has to take one argument or you get a method error

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Luigi\_Marongiu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/luigi_marongiu/32/7909_2.png) [@Luigi\_Marongiu](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Luigi_Marongiu)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2025, 9:25am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-save-a-figure-with-a-button-in-glmakie/124679/3 "2025-01-12T09:25:57Z")

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Thank you; I added `click` on `on(buttons[1].clicks) do` and now it works.