reordercats

Reorder categories in categorical array

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Syntax

B = reordercats(A)
B = reordercats(A,neworder)

Description

B = reordercats(A) reorders the categories in a categorical array. By default, reordercats uses alphanumeric order.

The order of the categories is used by functions such as summary and histogram. If the categorical array is ordinal, the order of the categories defines their mathematical ordering. The first category specified is the smallest and the last category is the largest.

example

B = reordercats(A,neworder) puts the categories in the order specified by neworder.

example

Examples

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Open Live Script

When you create a categorical array, the categories always have a certain order. But if you add categories later, then the new set of categories might be out of order. To put categories in alphanumeric order, use the reordercats function.

For example, concatenate two categorical arrays. Then reorder the categories of the result.

First create the arrays.

X = categorical(["Frog" "Cat" "Cat" "Ant" "Frog"])
X = 1×5 categorical
     Frog      Cat      Cat      Ant      Frog 


Y = categorical(["Deer" "Bear" "Eagle" "Deer"])
Y = 1×4 categorical
     Deer      Bear      Eagle      Deer

The categories of each array are in alphanumeric order.

Xcats = categories(X)
Xcats = 3×1 cell
    {'Ant' }
    {'Cat' }
    {'Frog'}


Ycats = categories(Y)
Ycats = 3×1 cell
    {'Bear' }
    {'Deer' }
    {'Eagle'}

Then concatenate X and Y into one categorical array.

A = [X Y]
A = 1×9 categorical
     Frog      Cat      Cat      Ant      Frog      Deer      Bear      Eagle      Deer

List the categories. The combined set of categories is out of alphanumeric order. Concatenation simply appends one set of categories to the end of the other set.

Acats = categories(A)
Acats = 6×1 cell
    {'Ant'  }
    {'Cat'  }
    {'Frog' }
    {'Bear' }
    {'Deer' }
    {'Eagle'}

Reorder the categories. The output categorical array has the same elements as the input array.

B = reordercats(A)
B = 1×9 categorical
     Frog      Cat      Cat      Ant      Frog      Deer      Bear      Eagle      Deer

List the categories. Now the combined set of categories is in alphanumeric order.

Bcats = categories(B)
Bcats = 6×1 cell
    {'Ant'  }
    {'Bear' }
    {'Cat'  }
    {'Deer' }
    {'Eagle'}
    {'Frog' }
Open Live Script

Create a categorical array.

A = categorical(["red" "green" "blue" "red" "green" "red" "blue" "blue"])
A = 1×8 categorical
     red      green      blue      red      green      red      blue      blue

Display the categories. They are in alphanumeric order.

categories(A)
ans = 3×1 cell
    {'blue' }
    {'green'}
    {'red'  }

Reorder the categories.

B = reordercats(A,["red" "green" "blue"])
B = 1×8 categorical
     red      green      blue      red      green      red      blue      blue

Display the categories. They are now in the RGB order commonly used for the color spectrum.

categories(B)
ans = 3×1 cell
    {'red'  }
    {'green'}
    {'blue' }

Because the array is not an ordinal categorical array, the order of the categories has no mathematical meaning. So, while the categories appear in the order of the color spectrum, relational operations, such as greater than and less than, have no meaning.

Open Live Script

Create an ordinal categorical array that has modes of transportation. Order the categories based on the average cost of travel by each mode of transportation.

A = categorical(["plane" "car" "train" "car" "plane" "car"], ...
                ["car" "train" "plane"], ...
                Ordinal=true)
A = 1×6 categorical
     plane      car      train      car      plane      car

Display the categories. Because the array A is ordinal, car < train < plane.

categories(A)
ans = 3×1 cell
    {'car'  }
    {'train'}
    {'plane'}

For example, any element whose category is plane or train is greater than the category car.

A(A > "car")
ans = 1×3 categorical
     plane      train      plane

Reorder the categories to reflect a decrease in the cost of train travel.

B = reordercats(A,["train" "car" "plane"])
B = 1×6 categorical
     plane      car      train      car      plane      car

Display the categories. The mathematical ordering of the categories is now train < car < plane.

categories(B)
ans = 3×1 cell
    {'train'}
    {'car'  }
    {'plane'}

For example, train is no longer greater than car. Results from relational operations, min, and max reflect the new category ordering.

B(B > "car")
ans = 1×2 categorical
     plane      plane
Open Live Script

Create a categorical array that has modes of transportation.

A = categorical(["plane" "car" "train" "car" "car" "plane" "car"])
A = 1×7 categorical
     plane      car      train      car      car      plane      car

Display the categories.

categories(A)
ans = 3×1 cell
    {'car'  }
    {'plane'}
    {'train'}

Count the number of times each category occurs in the array by using the countcats function.

B = countcats(A)
B = 1×3

     4     2     1

Create an order that goes from the category that occurs least frequently to the category that occurs most. To specify that order as a numeric vector, use the second output from the sort function. The output neworder describes how to reorder the categories—not the elements—of the categorical array.

[C,neworder] = sort(B);
neworder
neworder = 1×3

     3     2     1

Reorder categories from least to most frequent occurrence in the array.

D = reordercats(A,neworder);
categories(D)
ans = 3×1 cell
    {'train'}
    {'plane'}
    {'car'  }
Open Live Script

Create a categorical array. This array has many different categories that stand for "yes" and "no".

C = categorical(["Y" "Yes" "Yeah" "N" "No" "Nope"])
C = 1×6 categorical
     Y      Yes      Yeah      N      No      Nope

List the categories in order. By default, the sort order of these categories is alphabetical order, because MATLAB® stores characters as Unicode®.

categories(C)
ans = 6×1 cell
    {'N'   }
    {'No'  }
    {'Nope'}
    {'Y'   }
    {'Yeah'}
    {'Yes' }

You can match multiple category names by using a pattern. For example, to specify category names that start with a Y, you can use a wildcard pattern. To create a wildcard pattern, use the wildcardPattern function.

Reorder the categories. Change the sort order so that the categories that start with Y come before the categories that start with N.

C = reordercats(C,["Y"+wildcardPattern,"N"+wildcardPattern])
C = 1×6 categorical
     Y      Yes      Yeah      N      No      Nope

List the categories in their new order.

categories(C)
ans = 6×1 cell
    {'Y'   }
    {'Yeah'}
    {'Yes' }
    {'N'   }
    {'No'  }
    {'Nope'}

Input Arguments

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Input array, specified as a categorical array. If A is an ordinal categorical array, a reordering of the categories changes the mathematical meaning. Consequently, the relational operators, such as greater than and less than, might return different results.

New category order, specified as a string array, cell array of character vectors, numeric vector, or pattern array. The new category order must be a permutation of categories(A).

Tips

  • To convert the categorical array, B, to an ordinal categorical array, use B = categorical(B,Ordinal=true). You can specify the order of the categories with B = categorical(B,valueset,Ordinal=true), where the order of the values in valueset defines the category order.

Extended Capabilities

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Version History

Introduced in R2013b

See Also

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