Take a look at the documentation for uicontrols properties. You can set the Max and Min properties in the edit box. I know this seems crazy, but if Max - Min > 1 , the edit box will accept multi-line input; if Max - Min <= 1 , this is only one row. Otherwise, the Max and Min properties do not affect the edit box controls.
Another option is to have separate methods for entering the name, description and other materials that you want your users to enter through the graphical interface. Depending on your application, this may lead to a cleaner GUI.
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