Use editable text when you want text as input. On Microsoft Windows and Macintosh systems, if an editable text box has focus, clicking on the menu bar does not cause the editable text callback routine to execute. However, it does cause execution on UNIX systems. This behavior is consistent with the respective platform conventions. Frames are boxes that visually enclose regions of a figure window.
Frames can make a user interface easier to understand by visually grouping related controls.
Frames have no callback routines associated with them. Only Uicontrols can appear within frames. Frames are opaque, not transparent, so the order you define Uicontrols is important in determining whether Uicontrols within a frame are covered by the frame or are visible. If you use frames to enclose objects, you must define the frames before you define the objects. List boxes display a list of items and enable users to select one or more items.