How do I assign a text to a numerical value for an array inside of a for loop?

Hi have the following for loop and for each x (0 to 4) I want to assign a specific word to it.

pick_year = input('Pick a year: either 1997 or 2013: ')
if pick_year == 1997
    load('UPDRS1997')
    for x = UPDRS1997
       if x == 0
        REPLACE X BY 'normal'
       elseif x == 1 
         REPLACE X BY 'slight'
       elseif x == 2
         REPLACE X BY 'mild'
       elseif x == 3
         REPLACE X BY 'moderate'
       elseif x == 4
          REPLACE X BY 'severe'
       end
    end    
end

[James Tursa]

What is the class and size of UPDRS1997?

Answer 1

[James Tursa]

If UPDRS1997 is just a scalar you could do this:

conditions = {'normal','slight','mild','moderate','severe'};
x = conditions{UPDRS1997+1};

[mcm]

It's an scalar but with 50 different values ranging from 0 to 4. This wouldn't work either.

[James Tursa]

Your code above only tests for the integer values 0 to 4. What is supposed to happen for the other (fractional?) values?

Answer 2

[Walter Roberson]

It is not possible to replace a numeric value with a string in a numeric array, except in the case where the numeric value is the only thing inside a cell of a cell array.

You know, you don't need a loop at all:

state_vals = [0,        0.5,           1,       1.83,                     2,      2.29,            3,          3.14,                3.74,             4];
states =     {'normal', 'half-slight, 'slight', 'noticeable but not bad', 'mild', 'needs buffing', 'moderate', 'not doing so well', 'oh this is bad', 'severe'};

pick_year = input('Pick a year: either 1997 or 2013: ')
filename = sprintf('UPDRSscores_%d.mat', pick_year);
fieldname = sprintf('UPDRS%d', pick_year');
if ~exist(filename, 'file')
  error('file "%s" does not exist', filename);
end
datastruct = load(filename);
pick_data = datastruct.(fieldname);   %pull it out of what was loaded from the file
num_states = length(pick_data);

[tf, state_idx] = ismembertol(pick_data, state_vals);

state_names = cell(1, num_states);
state_names(~tf) = {'Unknown'};
state_names(tf) = states(state_idx(tf));