matlab - Averaging a row of a cell array dependent on a string in another row -

i've got cell-array:

times = {'plot'      'plot'      'plot'      'plot'      'plot'      'hist'      'plot'      'plot'      'plot'      'plot'  ;          [0.0042]    [0.0026]    [0.0032]    [0.0054]    [0.0049]    [0.0106]    [0.0038]    [0.0026]    [0.0030]    [0.0026]} 

now want create average each type in first row , save new cell this:

result = {'hist'      'plot'  ;             [0.0106]    [0.0036];           [     1]    [     9]} 

the first row types, second row averages , third row number of elements.

i solved problem code:

labels = unique(times(1,:)); result = cell(3,numel(labels));  = 1 : numel(labels)     result(1,i) = labels(i);     times2avg = cell2mat(times(2,strcmp(times(1,:), labels(i))));     result{2,i} = mean(times2avg);     result{3,i} = numel(times2avg); end 

my question whether there easier or more ideal solution problem.

with combination of unique , accumarray can achieve want.

%// example data times = { 'plot' 'plot' 'plot' 'plot' 'hist' 'plot';              [1]    [2]    [3]   [4]    [5]    [6] } %// extract data data = [times{2,:}]  %// types , locations [types, ~, subs] = unique(times(1,:))  %// calculate average values avgs = accumarray(subs(:),data(:),[],@mean)  %// count occurences nums = accumarray(subs(:),data(:),[],@numel)  %// gather output result = [types; num2cell(avgs.'); num2cell(nums.')] 

---

result =       'hist'    'plot'       [   5]    [3.2000]     [   1]    [     5]