How can I get the sprintf function to work for a cell array and a matrix?

I am writing a code in which I need to use the sprintf function to display the output values. The output values include 2 cell arrays and 5 matrices. For whatever reason I keep getting this error:

Error using sprintf
Function is not defined for 'cell' inputs.

This is the code I am currently using:

output(2)= {sprintf('%s \t %s \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f', probe_label, gene_label, [dtAm], [dtAstd]', [dtBm], [dtBstd]', [dtAB], [dt_pval_sig])};

probe_label and gene_label are the cell arrays and the rest are matrices.

Answer 1

[Star Strider]

You have to convert them with char to use sprintf and its friends:

probe_label = {'abc' 'def' 'ghi' 'jkl'};
gene_label = {'mno' 'pqr' 'stu' 'vwx'};

[dtAm, dtAstd, dtBm, dtBstd, dtAB, dt_pval_sig] = deal(rand(4,1), rand(1,4), rand(4,1), rand(1,4), rand(1,4), rand(1,4));

for k1 = 1:size(probe_label,2)
    output{k1,:} = sprintf('%s \t %s \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f', char(probe_label(k1)), char(gene_label(k1)), dtAm(k1), dtAstd(k1), dtBm(k1), dtBstd(k1), dtAB(k1), dt_pval_sig(k1)); 
end

I created the data, but this code should work with your data without modification (I hope).

[S]

The for loop doesn't work. This is the error I keep getting:

The right hand side of this assignment has too few values to satisfy the
left hand side.

[Star Strider]

I copied your sprintf call exactly. I had to make some changes to it to make it work, but I did not change the argument list. If you run my code independently, it works.

Most likely, you have already defined a variable named ‘output’ earlier in your code.

To check for that possibility, before the loop, put the statement:

whos output

It will tell you if ‘output’ exists, and what size it is. If you have already declared it, then rename it or the for loop variable something else.

[S]

Even if I run it independently it gives me the same error. I am not sure what this means

[Star Strider]

I’m running R2014b. There could be version differences, but I tested it. (I test all my code if possible, and if not, I specifically label it as untested code.) It ran for me without error.

When I run it, it produces:

output = 

      'abc    mno    0.001    0.127    0.780    0.050    0.841    0.220'
      'def    pqr    0.030    0.009    0.437    0.091    0.857    0.226'
      'ghi    stu    0.208    0.727    0.437    0.594    0.964    0.537'
      'jkl    vwx    0.455    0.354    0.049    0.241    0.489    0.762'

I have no idea what could be wrong with your system that it would not run on it.

[Jan]

char(gene_label(k1)) is remarkably less efficient than gene_label{k1}.

[S]

The for loop seems to b working for me now. However I keep getting this error now:

Cell contents reference from a non-cell array object.

I modified the for loop to be similar to what Jan Simon suggested.

for k1 = 1:size(probe_label,2)
    output{k1,:} = sprintf('%s \t %s \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f', probe_label{k1}, gene_label{k1}, dtAm{k1}, dtAstd{k1}, dtBm{k1}, dtBstd{k1}, dtAB{k1}, dt_pval_sig{k1}); 
end

What does this error mean and how can I fix it?

[Star Strider]

Your numeric data aren’t cells. Change the ‘output’ assignment to:

output{k1,:} = sprintf('%s \t %s \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f \t %.3f', probe_label{k1}, gene_label{k1}, dtAm(k1), dtAstd(k1), dtBm(k1), dtBstd(k1), dtAB(k1), dt_pval_sig(k1));

and it should work

I didn’t test this change specifically, but it is only a minor variation on my original code. Note that only ‘probe_label{k1}’ and ‘gene_label{k1}’ have the curly-braces ‘{}’ cell reference, while your numeric arrays have standard parentheses ‘()’ array references. The referencing conventions can be a bit difficult to understand until you work with them.