How do I create an empty cell array of given dimensions?

I want to assign double matrices into a 3-D cell array. The dimensions of the cell array need to be equivalent to variable1 x variable2 x variable 3. How do I initially create the empty array?

Answer 1

[Fangjun Jiang]

a=cell(1,2,3)

[Cynthia Dickerson]

Thank you! That syntax was driving me crazy!!!

Answer 2

[Al in St. Louis]

Wouldn't it be nice if documentation for that function existed?

[Fangjun Jiang]

You know it is in "help cell" or "doc cell" right?

[Al in St. Louis]

Nope! I tried that before I went to Google. That got me a page about cell arrays in general that told me to use braces to create a cell array. Some MVP you turned out to be!

[Fangjun Jiang]

>> help cell
 cell  Create cell array.
    cell(N) is an N-by-N cell array of empty matrices.
 
    cell(M,N) or cell([M,N]) is an M-by-N cell array of empty
    matrices.
 
    cell(M,N,P,...) or cell([M N P ...]) is an M-by-N-by-P-by-...
    cell array of empty matrices.

[Al in St. Louis]

Sorry, I used doc cell, and that is not what I saw. I saw:

cell

Cell array

expand all in page

Description

A cell array is a data type with indexed data containers called cells, where each cell can contain any type of data. Cell arrays commonly contain either lists of text, combinations of text and numbers, or numeric arrays of different sizes. Refer to sets of cells by enclosing indices in smooth parentheses, (). Access the contents of cells by indexing with curly braces, {}.

Creation

When you have data to put into a cell array, create the array using the cell array construction operator, {}.

C = {1,2,3;

'text',rand(5,10,2),{11; 22; 33}}

C=2×3 cell

{[ 1]} {[ 2]} {[ 3]}

{'text'} {5x10x2 double} {3x1 cell}

You also can use {} to create an empty 0-by-0 cell array.

C = {}

C =

0x0 empty cell array

[Al in St. Louis]

I hope you can see why I thought it was undocumented. For everything else I've ever used doc for, doc and help returned the same information. They should fix the doc entry. Put the babble about braces after the description of the function.

[Fangjun Jiang]

If you look towards the end section of the "doc cell" page ... Yes. It does not look like the best way.

[Al in St. Louis]

I've given the page two stars and explained the issue.