MATLAB Programming Fundamentals - MathWorks

txt = sprintf('%*.2f', 5, 123.45678)

txt =

'123.46'

Specify Numbered Identifiers in Width and Precision Fields

You also can specify field width and precision as values from a nonsequential argument

list, using an alternate syntax shown in the figure. Within the formatting operator, specify

the field width and precision with asterisks that follow numbered identifiers and $ signs.

Specify the values of the field width and precision with input arguments that follow the

format specifier.

For example, format and display three numbers. In each case, use a numbered identifier

to specify that the field width or precision come from input arguments that follow the

format specifier.

txt = sprintf('%1$*4$f %2$.*5$f %3$*6$.*7$f',...

123.45678, 16.42837, pi, 15, 3, 6, 4)

txt =

' 123.456780 16.428 3.1416'

The table describes the effect of each formatting operator in the example.

Formatting Operator Description

%1$*4$f 1$ specifies the first input argument,

123.45678, as the value

*4$ specifies the fourth input argument,

15 , as the field width

%2$.*5$f 2$ specifies the second input argument,

16.42837, as the value

.*5$ specifies the fifth input argument, 3 ,

as the precision

6 Characters and Strings