Cell Arrays

Arrays that can contain data of varying types and sizes

A cell array is a data type with indexed data containers called cells, where each cell can contain any type of data. For instance,

c = {42, rand(5), "abcd"}

c =
  1×3 cell array
    {[42]}    {5×5 double}    {["abcd"]}

To access the contents of a cell, enclose indices in curly braces, such as c{1} to return 42 and c{3} to return "abcd". For more information, see Access Data in Cell Array.

Cell arrays are useful for nontabular data that you want to access by numeric index. If you have tabular data, such as data from a spreadsheet, use table or timetable instead. If your data is text only, use string.

Functions

expand all

Create Empty Array

cell Cell array

Convert and Check Type

From Cell

`cell2mat`	Convert cell array to ordinary array of the underlying data type
`cell2struct`	Convert cell array to structure array
`cell2table`	Convert cell array to table

To Cell

`cellstr`	Convert to cell array of character vectors
`mat2cell`	Convert array to cell array whose cells contain subarrays
`num2cell`	Convert array to cell array with consistently sized cells
`struct2cell`	Convert structure to cell array
`table2cell`	Convert table to cell array

Determine Type

`iscell`	Determine if input is cell array
`iscellstr`	Determine if input is cell array of character vectors

Process Contents

`celldisp`	Display cell array contents
`cellfun`	Apply function to each cell in cell array
`cellplot`	Graphically display structure of cell array

Topics

What Is a Cell Array?
A cell array is a data type with indexed data containers called cells. Each cell can contain any type of data.
Create Cell Array

Create a cell array by using the {} operator or the cell function.
- Add Cells to Cell Array
- Combine Cell Arrays
- Combining Cell Arrays with Non-Cell Arrays
Access Data in Cell Array

Read and write data from and to a cell array.
- Delete Data from Cell Array
- Multilevel Indexing to Access Parts of Cells
Pass Contents of Cell Arrays to Functions
These examples show several ways to pass data from a cell array to a function that does not recognize cell arrays as inputs.
Preallocate Memory for Cell Array
Initialize and allocate memory for a cell array.
Cell vs. Structure Arrays
This example compares cell and structure arrays and shows how to store data in each type of array. Cell and structure arrays enable you to store data of different types and sizes.

Related Information

Using Structures and Cell Arrays