INSERT Function

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Language Reference

INSERT Function

inserts one matrix inside another

INSERT( x, y, row<, column>)

The inputs to the INSERT function are as follows:

x: is the target matrix. It can be either numeric or character.
y: is the matrix to be inserted into the target. It can be either numeric or character, depending on the type of the target matrix.
row: is the row where the insertion is to be made.
column: is the column where the insertion is to be made.

The INSERT function returns the result of inserting the matrix y inside the matrix x at the place specified by the row and column arguments. This is done by splitting x either horizontally or vertically before the row or column specified and concatenating y between the two pieces. Thus, if x is m rows by n columns, row can range from 0 to m+1 and column can range from 0 to n+1. However, it is not possible to insert in both dimensions simultaneously, so either row or column must be 0, but not both. The column argument is optional and defaults to 0. Also, the matrices must conform in the dimension in which they are joined.

For example, the statements

   a={1 2, 3 4};
   b={5 6, 7 8};
   c=insert(a, b, 2, 0);
   d=insert(a, b, 0, 3);

produce the result

                C             4 rows      2 cols    (numeric)

                                     1         2
                                     5         6
                                     7         8
                                     3         4

                D             2 rows      4 cols    (numeric)

                           1         2         5         6
                           3         4         7         8

C shows the result of insertion in the middle, while D shows insertion on an end.

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