◆ MATLAB

Index an array returned by a function

This is real work, not a feature someone invented — it comes from real job ads and real questions people asked. Below are four ready AI prompts: get it done, make it easy for the next person to say yes to, work out the right move when you are stuck, and stop it coming back.

4prompts

The same task, four prompts

today's deadline · the next reviewer · the stuck moment · the pattern
AExecute — do the immediate taskExtract the third column of 'results_table' and store it in…+
Extract the third column of 'results_table' and store it in 'pressure_readings'.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
BImprove — make it easier to acceptBefore I use these 'sensor_outputs' for the control system, make sure I'm only getting valid…+
Before I use these 'sensor_outputs' for the control system, make sure I'm only getting valid data. Filter out any rows where the second column, 'status_flag', is not 'OK', and then extract the 'temperature_value' column. Flag if more than 10% of the original data was invalid.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
CDecide — diagnose the stuck momentI just ran 'calculate_metrics' and it returned 'output_array', but when I try to get the fifth…+
The function 'calculate_metrics' returned an array, but trying to access specific elements gives an 'index out of bounds' error.
I just ran 'calculate_metrics' and it returned 'output_array', but when I try to get the fifth element or the second row, I get an 'index out of bounds' error. I'm afraid I'm misinterpreting the array's dimensions or how the function structured its output, which could lead to using incorrect data for the final report due this afternoon. What's the most common reason for this error with function outputs, and how can I quickly verify the actual size and structure of 'output_array'?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
DBecome — change the patternI consistently make mistakes when trying to index into nested arrays or tables returned by…+
I often make errors when trying to index into complex data structures returned by functions.
I consistently make mistakes when trying to index into nested arrays or tables returned by custom functions, leading to wasted time debugging. What habit should I change to more reliably and quickly access the specific data I need from complex function outputs, like 'simulation_results' or 'experiment_data', without constant trial and error?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?

Questions people actually ask

honest answers, no sign-up

Every task here was seen in the real world. Someone doing the job named it, a real job ad asked for it, or a lot of people asked about it online.

If nothing real showed a task, it is not on the page. That is the whole rule.

They are the same job approached four ways, because what you need depends on where you are.

Get it done today. Make it easy for the next person to say yes to. Work out the right move when you are stuck. Learn the pattern so the job stops coming back.

For most of these jobs it can carry the heavy thinking - draft it, sort it, check it, rehearse it with you.

It cannot sit in your chair, take the blame when a number is wrong, or notice what nobody wrote down. Let it do the first 80%. Keep the last 20% that is truly yours.

No. Copy any prompt and paste it into the AI you already use. No account, no score, no wall in the way.

Any of them. The prompts describe the work rather than naming a product, so they are not tied to one assistant.

That is also why they keep working when you switch.

Change it freely. Every prompt is a starting line, not a rule.

Put in your real numbers, your real names and your real deadline. The more you make it yours, the better the answer comes back.

The tasks come from real job ads, published job data and the questions people ask in public forums.

The steps come from MATLAB's own documentation, with practitioner sources for the traps the manual does not mention.

Push once. Ask it to sharpen the weakest part and to say what it assumed.

Most wrong answers come from a missing detail rather than a bad prompt - tell it the thing it could not know.