How to assign strings and numbers to elements of the same matrix?
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I want to write the word "average" in the 5 element, first row on my matrix and I want to write numbers 1 to 3 into the second to fourth elements. But I am using wrong syntax:
ResultMtx(2:5,1) = [1; 2; 3; "average"];
How can I write this correctly? Thank you.
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Accepted Answer
Walter Roberson
on 9 Sep 2021
[1; 2; 3; "average"]
The first part of that, the 1; 2; 3, is establishing a numeric array -- in particular a double precision array.
The last part of that, the "average", is a string() scalar.
MATLAB cannot store string() scalars inside a numeric array. MATLAB numeric arrays do not store the datatype of each element separately: numeric arrays only store a single datatype that applies to the entire array.
You can create a cell array,
ResultMatx = num2cell(ResultMatx);
ResultMatx(2:5,1) = {1; 2; 3; "average"};
cell arrays can have a different datatype for each element. But you might not like the formatting for displaying them.
3 Comments
Walter Roberson
on 9 Sep 2021
You could also use a numeric array and put NaN values, and then later ask to writecell into that particular location in the existing table. This is not efficient, as it requires a separate writecell() for each text written into an otherwise numeric column (though adjacent items could be merged into one call.)
More Answers (1)
Steven Lord
on 9 Sep 2021
Do you need your data stored with mixed-type columns or would mixed-type rows work? If the latter, consider a table array.
ResultTbl = table(1, 2, 3, "average")
scores = ResultTbl{1, 1:3}
assessment = ResultTbl.Var4
2 Comments
Hassan Bahy
on 20 Nov 2021
mr Walter Roberson could you help me to create a table consist of multi rows with two column the first column from data type string & second column is numbers, could you help me sir,please
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