How does one count the characters in an array?

How do I obtain an arrays character count?

Eg. Value = 1111

I want the character count output to be 4

[Walter Roberson]

Is that

   Value = 1111

or is it

Value = '1111'

If it is numeric, then how do you want to process negative numbers, and how do you want to process numbers with fractional part, and how do you want to process numbers that would typically be expressed in scientific notation?

Answer 1

[Azzi Abdelmalek]

value='1111'
out=numel(value)

[Walter Roberson]

(It turns out this is not what Justin wanted)

Answer 2

[Andrei Bobrov]

If your Value is numeric type, then:

out = floor(log10(Value)+1);

if Value is char type then:

out = numel(Value - '0');

[Walter Roberson]

This does not work for numeric Value < 1

Answer 3

[Jay]

That does not work.

The characters are not explicitly defined as elements in an array, but rather string values in a handle.

elCount = str2num('Value') = []

[Walter Roberson]

You have to have a handle to something . What is it a handle to ?

If your response is that it is a graphics handle, especially a uicontrol, then none of the defined graphics objects use Value to hold strings: in each case, Value is numeric or empty. Strings can be in String properties or in Data properties (uipanel) or in UserData properties, or in properties such as xticklabel.

[Jay]

The handle is to an edit box which I will use for a date output (thus Value > 0).

The date will not necessarily be of the current date but can be past, present or future (used in astronomic tables).

The structure of the input is to be DDMMYYYY.

I have written if statements that will throw an error if the inputted value is alphabetical.

Once I have a way to reference and further analyse the number of characters, I plan to have other (respective) errors shown in the listbox relating to the where the user went wrong with their editbox input.

I also plan for the values in the editbox to be portioned in the output to list:

'On the first two numbers day' 'of the second two numbers month' 'of the last 4 numbers year'

[Walter Roberson]

Edit boxes do not have a Value. Edit boxes have a String.

S = get(handles.edit1, 'String');
length(S)

[Jay]

Thankyou Walter.