Passing input variables to function

Hi,

I am working on a script in which I define variables that then get passed onto a function to do further calculations with.

I am able to pass numerical values across but when I try to pass on a string of say 'yellow' across to the function I get the following error message ' In an assignment A(I) = B, the number of elements in B and I must be the same.'

I was wondering if anyone could point me towards the right approach to take when passing text between Matlab function.

Many thanks in advance.

Hamza

[Mischa Kim]

Can you post the code or relevant code snippet?

[dpb]

The problem likely doesn't have much (if anything) to do with passing the variable but in how you're trying to use it -- note the error is a mismatch in size between LHS and RHS of an assignment statement.

You likely are trying to stuff the full string consisting of multiple characters into a single memory location via the subscript.

Precisely how to solve the problem will depend on just what you're trying to accomplish so as Mischa says, post the problematical code so can see where you went wrong, specifically.

[Hamza]

Hi Mischa,

Would this help?

m-file:

 number_jackets = 5
 colour = 'yellow'
 var(1) = number_jackets
 var(2) = colour
 func = trial(var)

In this example I am trying to pass across the number of jackets and the colour of the jackets.

Is this what you were asking for?

Hamza

[dpb]

Close enough... :)

Answer 1

[dpb]

OK, you're needing a cell array to hold the disparate types in one array. Write

var{1} = number_jackets;
var{2} = colour;

instead. NB: the "curlies", the '{}' instead of parens to create the cell array.

For such a case, as it'll be highly likely you'll want to access the two in the function rather than combine in a cell I'd probably either

a) pass them separately, particularly if they're going to be the only arguments to the function, or

b) make the related stuff into a structure with named fields for the clothing article

[Hamza]

Thank you very much dpb, the curlies did the trick! :)

Hamza

Answer 2

[Niklas Nylén]

The problem is that you are trying to put mixed data types (one number and one string) into the same vector. If you use a cell instead, by replacing () with {} this is possible:

 number_jackets = 5
 colour = 'yellow'
 var{1} = number_jackets
 var{2} = colour

You will need to use {} when accessing the elements again.

 myJacketColor = var{2}

Another way is to pass them as two separate arguments

 func = trial(number_jackets, colour)

[Hamza]

Thank you very much Niklas!

Hamza