`isvarname`

Tests whether text is a valid variable name.

Category: Programming > Functions

Syntax

tf = isvarname(name)

Returns true if name can be used as a variable name.

Description

A valid name starts with a letter and continues with letters, digits and underscores, and is not a reserved keyword such as for or end. Names starting with an underscore or a digit, names with spaces or hyphens, and empty text are all invalid.

Use it before creating a dynamic field name or variable from user text; matlab.lang.makeValidName repairs a name instead of only testing it.

Input arguments

name: Text to test.

Output arguments

tf: Logical scalar.

Example

Valid and invalid names

names = {'speed', 'a_1', '1st', 'my var', 'for', ''};
for k = 1:numel(names)
    fprintf('%-6s %d\n', names{k}, isvarname(names{k}));
end

Output

speed  1
a_1    1
1st    0
my var 0
for    0
       0

See also

matlab.lang.makeValidName genvarname iskeyword exist