What Is A Scalar String?

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Jay
Jay on 24 Jun 2019
Commented: Jay on 24 Jun 2019
Can someone please tell me what is meant by "scalar string object"?
I am finding it difficult to understand how a string can be a scalar (to me, scalars represent a multiplier?).
I have searched the MathWorks Documentation (Define String Scalar Inputs [states how to define a string scalar but not what one is]) and still can not wrap my head around what is meant.
Does the "Scalar String" defintion mean single elements comprising of multiple strings, for example:
A (1,1) = "Todays Date Is June 24th, 2019" as a string
A (1,1) = "Todays" "Date" "Is" "June" "24th," "2019" as a scalar string object
or am I completely off the mark?
  5 Comments
Walter Roberson
Walter Roberson on 24 Jun 2019
Scalar in computer programs usually means "exactly one item". In MATLAB scalar numbers are also array that are 1x1. In many programming languages, arrays and scalars are considered to be different data types. For example in C if you have
A = 42;
Then that is a scalar value, and you cannot use A[0] (array indexing starts at 0 in C)
In MATLAB, a scalar string object holds exactly one string, which is a complete vector of characters.
Jay
Jay on 24 Jun 2019
Thank you David and Walter for further explaining what a Scalar String means.

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