Too many input arguments for RMS - sudden issue

Suddenly, code that has long worked no longer does. Part of the code uses the rms function. The error I get is "too many input arguments." I have never gotten this error on this code before.

When I check the rms function by just creating a vector (e.g., x = 1:100; rms(x)) - I get the same error.

Does anyone know what could be going on?

Thank you.

[Chunru]

try "which rms" to find out if rms has been redefined somewhere. Or "dbstop error" to debug the code.

Answer 1

[vidyesh]

Hi Erik,

I understand that the 'rms' function is unexpectedly generating an "too many input arguments" error with an input that previously worked without issue. There are several potential causes for this behavior:

1) Variable Name Conflict: There might be a variable named 'rms' in the workspace, which could interfere with the function call. To check for this, you can use the command:

who rms

If a variable named 'rms' exists, rename it before attempting to use the 'rms' function again.

2) Function Overloading: A user-defined function named 'rms' may be present in the workspace and it could be expecting different inputs. To verify that the built-in 'rms' function is being called, use:

which -all rms

This will show you all the functions named 'rms' that MATLAB can find in the search path.

3) Path Issues: It's possible that directory changes have caused a custom function to override the built-in 'rms' function. To restore the MATLAB search path to its default state and clear any custom paths, execute the following commands:

restoredefaultpath
rehash toolboxcache
savepath

For more detailed information, you may refer to this MATLAB Answers page:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/96005-why-do-i-get-the-error-unrecognized-function-or-variable

Hope this answer helps.

[Stephen23]

"Variable Name Conflict" leads to a completely different error message:

rms = pi;
x = 1:100;
rms(x)

Index exceeds the number of array elements. Index must not exceed 1.

rms appears to be both a function and a variable. If this is unintentional, use 'clear rms' to remove the variable 'rms' from the workspace.

[Walter Roberson]

Unless the replacement variable just happened to be an anonymous function that did not accept inputs...