append

Combine strings

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Syntax

str = append(str1,...,strN)

Description

str = append(str1,...,strN) combines the text from str1,...,strN. Each input argument can be a string array, a character vector, or a cell array of character vectors.

  • If any input is a string array, then the output is a string array.

  • If any input is a cell array, and none are string arrays, then the output is a cell array of character vectors.

  • If all inputs are character vectors, then the output is a character vector.

Unlike the strcat function, append preserves trailing whitespace characters from input arguments of all data types.

example

Examples

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Open Live Script

Create two strings.

str1 = "Good";
str2 = "Morning";

Combine them using the append function.

str = append(str1,str2)
str = 
"GoodMorning"

To add a space between the input strings, specify a space character as another input argument.

str = append(str1,' ',str2)
str = 
"Good Morning"

As an alternative, you can use the plus operator to combine strings.

str = str1 + ' ' + str2
str = 
"Good Morning"

However, the best practice is to use append when you do not know whether the input arguments are strings, character vectors, or cell arrays of character vectors.

Open Live Script

Create two character vectors, with the first character vector having a trailing whitespace character.

chr1 = 'Hello ';
chr2 = 'World';

Combine them into one character vector.

chr3 = append(chr1,chr2)
chr3 = 
'Hello World'

The append function always preserves trailing whitespace characters, unlike the strcat function. (strcat removes trailing whitespace characters from character vectors.)

chr4 = strcat(chr1,chr2)
chr4 = 
'HelloWorld'
Open Live Script

You can combine string arrays or cell arrays of character vectors, element by element. Also, you can append a single piece of text to the elements of an input array.

Create an array of file names.

names = ["data" "report" "slides"]
names = 1×3 string
    "data"    "report"    "slides"

Create an array of file extension names, with a different extension for each element of names.

ext = [".xlsx" ".docx" ".pptx"]
ext = 1×3 string
    ".xlsx"    ".docx"    ".pptx"

Combine the file names and extensions.

str1 = append(names,ext)
str1 = 1×3 string
    "data.xlsx"    "report.docx"    "slides.pptx"

To append the same extension to each name, use a character vector or a string scalar.

str2 = append(names,'.mat')
str2 = 1×3 string
    "data.mat"    "report.mat"    "slides.mat"
Open Live Script

The append function supports implicit expansion of arrays. For example, you can combine strings from a column vector and a row vector to form a two-dimensional string array.

Create a column vector of strings. Then create a row vector.

str1 = ["A";"B";"C"]
str1 = 3×1 string
    "A"
    "B"
    "C"


str2 = ["1" "2" "3" "4"]
str2 = 1×4 string
    "1"    "2"    "3"    "4"

Combine str1 and str2.

str = append(str1,str2)
str = 3×4 string
    "A1"    "A2"    "A3"    "A4"
    "B1"    "B2"    "B3"    "B4"
    "C1"    "C2"    "C3"    "C4"

Input Arguments

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Input text, specified as string arrays, character vectors, or cell arrays of character vectors.

The append function supports input arguments that have compatible sizes.

String arrays and cell arrays of character vectors have compatible sizes if, for each dimension, one of these conditions is true:

  • The lengths of that dimension are equal for all arrays.

  • For one or more arrays, the length of that dimension is equal to 1. For the other arrays, the lengths are not equal to 1 but are equal to each other.

Character vectors are always compatible with all other input arguments. You can always append a character vector to another character vector, or to the elements of a string array or cell array of character vectors.

For more information on combining arrays with compatible sizes, see Compatible Array Sizes for Basic Operations.

Extended Capabilities

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Thread-Based Environment
Run code in the background using MATLAB® backgroundPool or accelerate code with Parallel Computing Toolbox™ ThreadPool.

Version History

Introduced in R2019a

See Also

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