function introspection argument validation

Is it possible for a function to know the caller's name of an argument, perhaps through introspection?

My use case: a generic/specialized helper function that prints out the variable name and (formatted) value? E.g., I have a function that prints out the position and velocity of an object that I use while debugging. I'd like to print out the variable's name and its position and vel. Yes, I can pass in the variable name, but I would like to bypass one step. R2026a is fine--I know it has new introspection functionality.

Here is a sample function.

    function prtPosVel( pos, vel )
    if( nargin < 2 )
        vel = pos(4:6);
        pos = pos(1:3);
    end % if state was passed in
    
    % Get the name of the pos variable passed in. 
    varName = "pos"; % Get actual name
    
    % print to screen
    fprintf("%s: pos=[%.3f,%.3f,%.3f]; vel=[%.3f,%.3f,%.3f]\n", ...
        varName, pos, vel);
    end % function prtPosVel

Thanks!

Answer 1

[Caitlin]

It sounds like you're describing inputname?

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/inputname.html

[Uday]

Thanks, learnt something new today! This will have to do. From the helpfile you referenced, it can't find the name for a bunch of cases. But, that maybe the best we can do. Anyway, I accept your answer with thanks.