struct

Create structure array

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Syntax

  • s = struct
  • s = struct(field,value)
    example
  • s = struct(field1,value1,...,fieldN,valueN)
    example
  • s = struct([])
  • s = struct(obj)

Description

s = struct creates a scalar (1-by-1) structure with no fields.

example

s = struct(field,value) creates a structure array with the specified field and values. The value input argument can be any data type, such as a numeric, logical, character, or cell array.

  • If value is not a cell array, then s is a scalar structure, where s.(field) = value.

  • If value is a cell array, then s is a structure array with the same dimensions as value. Each element of s contains the corresponding element of value. For example, s = struct('f',{'a','b'}) returns s(1).f = 'a' and s(2).f = 'b'.

  • If value is an empty cell array {}, then s is an empty (0-by-0) structure.

example

s = struct(field1,value1,...,fieldN,valueN) creates a structure array with multiple fields. Any nonscalar cell arrays in the set value1,...,valueN must have the same dimensions.

  • If none of the value inputs is a cell array, or if all value inputs that are cell arrays are scalars, then s is a scalar structure.

  • If any of the value inputs is a nonscalar cell array, then s has the same dimensions as the nonscalar cell array. For any value that is a scalar cell array or an array of any other data type, struct inserts the contents of value in the relevant field for all elements of s.

  • If any value input is an empty cell array, {}, then output s is an empty (0-by-0) structure. To specify an empty field and keep the values of the other fields, use [] as a value input instead.

s = struct([]) creates an empty (0-by-0) structure with no fields.

s = struct(obj) creates a scalar structure with field names and values that correspond to properties of obj. The struct function does not convert obj, but rather creates s as a new structure. This structure does not retain the class information, so private, protected, and hidden properties become public fields in s. The struct function issues a warning when you use this syntax.

Examples

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Open Script

Create a nonscalar structure with one field.

field = 'f';
value = {'some text';
         [10, 20, 30];
         magic(5)};
s = struct(field,value)

s = 

  3×1 struct array with fields:

    f

View the contents of each element.

s.f

ans =

some text


ans =

    10    20    30


ans =

    17    24     1     8    15
    23     5     7    14    16
     4     6    13    20    22
    10    12    19    21     3
    11    18    25     2     9

When you access a field of a nonscalar structure, such as s.f, MATLAB® returns a comma-separated list. In this case, s.f is equivalent to s(1).f, s(2).f, s(3).f.

Open Script

Create a nonscalar structure with several fields.

field1 = 'f1';  value1 = zeros(1,10);
field2 = 'f2';  value2 = {'a', 'b'};
field3 = 'f3';  value3 = {pi, pi.^2};
field4 = 'f4';  value4 = {'fourth'};

s = struct(field1,value1,field2,value2,field3,value3,field4,value4)

s = 

  1×2 struct array with fields:

    f1
    f2
    f3
    f4

The cell arrays for value2 and value3 are 1-by-2, so s is also 1-by-2. Because value1 is a numeric array and not a cell array, both s(1).f1 and s(2).f1 have the same contents. Similarly, because the cell array for value4 has a single element, s(1).f4 and s(2).f4 have the same contents.

s(1)

ans = 

  struct with fields:

    f1: [0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0]
    f2: 'a'
    f3: 3.1416
    f4: 'fourth'


s(2)

ans = 

  struct with fields:

    f1: [0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0]
    f2: 'b'
    f3: 9.8696
    f4: 'fourth'
Open Script

Create a structure with an empty field. Use [] to specify the value of the empty field.

s = struct('f1','a','f2',[])

s = 

  struct with fields:

    f1: 'a'
    f2: []
Open Script

Create a structure with a field that contains a cell array.

field = 'mycell';
value = {{'a','b','c'}};
s = struct(field,value)

s = 

  struct with fields:

    mycell: {'a'  'b'  'c'}
Open Script

Create an empty structure with several fields.

s = struct('a',{},'b',{},'c',{})

s = 

  0×0 empty struct array with fields:

    a
    b
    c

Assign a value to a field in an empty structure.

s(1).a = 'a'

s = 

  struct with fields:

    a: 'a'
    b: []
    c: []
Open Script

Create a nested structure. a is a structure with a field which contains another structure.

a.b = struct('c',{},'d',{})

a = 

  struct with fields:

    b: [0×0 struct]

View the names of the fields of a.b.

fieldnames(a.b)

ans =

  2×1 cell array

    'c'
    'd'

Related Examples

Input Arguments

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Field name, specified as a character vector. Valid field names begin with a letter, and can contain letters, digits, and underscores. The maximum length of a field name is the value that the namelengthmax function returns.

Values within a structure field, specified as a cell array or as a scalar, vector, or multidimensional array of any other data type.

If none of the value inputs is a cell array, or if all value inputs that are cell arrays are scalars, then output s is a scalar structure. Otherwise, value inputs that are nonscalar cell arrays must have the same dimensions, and output s also has those dimensions. For any value that is a scalar cell array or an array of any other data type, struct inserts the contents of value in the relevant field for all elements of s.

If any value input is an empty cell array, {}, then output s is an empty structure array. To specify an empty field and keep the values of the other fields, use [] as a value input instead.

Data Types: single | double | int8 | int16 | int32 | int64 | uint8 | uint16 | uint32 | uint64 | logical | char | struct | table | cell | function_handle | categorical | datetime | duration | calendarDuration
Complex Number Support: Yes

Object. struct copies the properties of obj to the fields of a new scalar structure. obj cannot be an object of a fundamental data type, such as double or char. See Fundamental MATLAB Classes for the list of fundamental data types.

See Also

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Introduced before R2006a

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