Characterizing large variables using the mmm function

The mmm function provides a fast and comprehensive way to inspect Matlab variables, large and small.

The mmm function stands for mean-min-max. When developing new code, I find that I often use Matlab's mean, min, and max functions to determine the general characteristics of large arrays. In addition, I often need to check on the actual size of the array, and the presence of nan, inf, and imaginary values. So, over the years, I developed a short code, mmm, to allow me to quickly inspect variables, large and small.

The code is simple by designed, but it has saved me a bunch of time. You know the situation. You think you know for sure what is in that large array that you created, but the code is not working. Then you take a look and realize that all of the values are nan or inf. Or the array is complex when it should be real. Best to check. And better yet, the name, mmm, is easy to remember.