Re: varargout{:} = func() ?

[Ben Abbott]

On Feb 23, 2010, at 8:11 PM, John W. Eaton wrote:

> On 23-Feb-2010, Ben Abbott wrote:
> 
> | On Feb 23, 2010, at 7:43 PM, WS wrote:
> | 
> | > Has this notation been implemented in octave yet?
> | > 
> | > Tx
> | 
> | hmmm ... if you mean something like what is below, then yes.
> | 
> | function varargout = foobar ( )
> |   for n = 1:numel(nargout)
> |     varargout{n} = n;
> |   end
> | end
> | 
> | In this instance "varargout" has a special meaning.
> | 
> | If you mean, something like what is below, then that doesn't work with 
> 3.2.x, but does with Matlab.
> | 
> |     v{:} = {rand(1,2), rand(1,3)}
> |     error: invalid dimension inquiry of a non-existent value
> | 
> | or
> | 
> |     v{:} = rand(1,2)
> |     error: invalid dimension inquiry of a non-existent value 
> | 
> | Jarsolav, is this something that should be added to Octave?
> 
> You need to write
> 
>  v = cell (expected_nargout, 1);
> 
>  [v{:}] = func (...);
> 
> Does
> 
>  v = cell (expected_nargout, 1);
>  v{:} = func (...);
> 
> work in Matlab?  If so, I think that's a relatively new addition and
> in my opinion doesn't really fit with the rest of the language.

>> v = cell (3, 1)
v = 
     []
     []
     []

>> v{:} = rand(1,2)
v =    [1x2 double]

My impression is that this isn't very new, but as I've always found some of how 
Matlab handles cells to be counter intuitive (if not misleading), so I'm not in 
the habit of using this notation.

Ben