MATLAB: Data Structures and Classes

Name: MATLAB: Data Structures and Classes
Author: Gabriel Popoola

Take control and understanding of your data to the next level

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Course: On-Demand

Welcome to the lesson on structured data in MATLAB. During this lesson, we'll go over the traditional or typical way of creating an object for your structured data using structure arrays, and we'll have a high level overview of how to handle structured data in MATLAB for more complex tasks. A structure array is a data type that groups related data using data containers called fields. Each field can contain any type of data. Access data in a field using dot notation of the form structure array name dot field name. Now we're gonna go over a quick example of creating a structure array in MATLAB. And we're going create a structure array for ice cream orders. And so the first thing we want to do is just determine what fields we want for our structure array. And so I'm just gonna create a simple list here called field names, and it doesn't really serve much of a purpose programmatically, but it will just help us keep track of which fields we wanna add to our structure array. And so the first field is flavor. The second I want to be price per scoop. And lastly, I want number of scoops. And so this is all just data that will be useful for determining an ice cream order or categorizing an ice cream order. And so now what I wanna do is create the actual structure array. And with MATLAB, it pretty much allows you to create structure array intuitively. And so you don't actually have to define the structure array explicitly. You can simply start with order.flavor and set it equal to chocolate. And as you can see here, MATLAB automatically determined that you're creating a structure array because of the syntax that you used. And so if you recall, you access data in the field using dot notation of the form, structure array name dot field name. And as you can see here we have order.flavor equals chocolate. And so next, I'm going to do the same thing, with price per scoop, and set that equal to $1.50. And then lastly, I'm going to do order.numberofscoops and set that equal to three. And so now if I simply type order, I can see here that I have a struct which is MATLAB's shorthand for structure array, with the flavor, price per scoop, and number of scoops that we define here. And so this is the typical or traditional way of creating structure arrays or representing structured data in MATLAB. You can create as many orders as you want. And so let's say for instance I wanted to create a new order. I can simply call it new order. And just like we did with the original order we can do dot flavor equals. And this time we can do vanilla. We do neworder.priceperscoop, set that equal to $1. And then lastly, neworder.numberofscoops and set that equal to one. And so now we have new order where there's one scoop and $1 per scoop for the flavor of vanilla. And what you'll notice here is that the first order has the same fields as the second, but there's nothing really tying them together other than the explicit definition of their fields. And so another thing to note here is that with the structure arrays, you can define your fields and you know, keep them as consistent as you'd like. However, there's no functionality with structure arrays that will allow you to create methods or, you know, those common functions that you may use to calculate the total cost or the total number of sales or even the amount of remaining inventory that you have for a particular flavor. And so that's the disadvantage of using structure arrays, when you have multiple cases and just common functions that you want to use with your various fields. And so the solution to that is to create a class for your object. And the reason for that is that a MATLAB structure array with field names describing the particular data element is a useful way to organize data. However, by using a class you can define both the data properties and operations that you can perform on that data in the form of methods. This concludes this lesson, thank you.

Intermediate Provider : Gabriel Popoola 3 Lessons · 27m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

Proper data structure is vital when working with complex and varied data that contains several different features. Using the appropriate data structure and classes can play a major role in the overall effectiveness and efficiency of your code.

Oftentimes, you will find that the format of your data will dictate if a built-in class is to be used, or if you will need to create a custom class for handling your data. Whatever the scenario may be, identifying, creating, and using the correct data structure will make a world of difference in the functionality of your code.

In this MATLAB module, you will discover how to take your understanding of data to the next level by creating an object for your structured data using structure arrays, and how to handle structured data in MATLAB for more complex tasks. You will also discover the various default MATLAB classes, as well as how to create custom classes.

What You'll Learn

Create and use structure arrays to build objects for your structured data
Handle structured data in MATLAB for more complex tasks
Identify when built-in/fundamental MATLAB classes are sufficient versus when custom classes are needed
Establish and create custom classes for your data
Apply the appropriate data structure and classes to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your code

Key Takeaways

Proper data structure is vital when working with complex and varied data that contains several different features.
Using the appropriate data structure and classes can play a major role in the overall effectiveness and efficiency of your code.
The format of your data often dictates whether a built-in class can be used or whether a custom class is needed to handle your data.
Identifying, creating, and using the correct data structure makes a major difference in the functionality of your code.
Structure arrays let you create an object for your structured data and handle it for more complex tasks in MATLAB.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this MATLAB module cover?

It covers creating an object for your structured data using structure arrays, handling structured data for more complex tasks, the various default MATLAB classes, and how to create custom classes. The lessons are Structured Data, Classes, and Custom Classes.

What will I learn about MATLAB classes?

You will discover the various default MATLAB classes and learn how to identify when built-in/fundamental classes are sufficient and when custom classes are needed, as well as how to create custom classes for your data.

Why are data structures and classes important in MATLAB?

Proper data structure is vital when working with complex and varied data containing several different features, and using the appropriate data structure and classes plays a major role in the overall effectiveness and efficiency of your code.

What skills does this course help build?

It addresses skills including data structures, data classes, structured programming, structured analysis and design, data-structured language, and MATLAB.