MATLAB: Is there a simpler or more efficient way to do the following

The assignment was to: "Write a program (function) that takes in an non-empty integer array A with unknown rows and columns and return an string matrix B with matrix A is padded at left hand side with row number followed by a tab character (char(9))and on top with column number"

The code I came up with and that seems to work is the following:

function B = label(A)
    %Function to label rows and columns in an array with numbers
    
    B = string(A);
    % sets B to the string version of the A array
    
    [~,columnsInB] = size(B);
    % gets the current size of our array
    
    insertRow = zeros(1,columnsInB);
    % creates a placeholder to use later in inserting a row
    
    rowToInsert = 1;
    % defines which row we will insert on
    
    columnToInsert = 1;
    % defines which column we will insert on
    
    B = [B(1:rowToInsert-1,:); insertRow; B(rowToInsert:end,:)];
    % set the string array B to a copy of it which has the extra inserted

    % row
    
    [rowsInB,~] = size(B);
    % gets new size of array

    
    insertColumn = zeros(rowsInB,1);
    % creates a placeholder to use later in inserting a column
    
     B = [B(:,1:columnToInsert-1), insertColumn, B(:,columnToInsert:end)];
    % set the string array B to a copy of it which has the extra inserted
    % column
    
    [rowsInB,columnsInB] = size(B);
    % gets new size of array
    
    B(1) = '    ';
    % sets the first value to nothing
    
    for rows = 2:rowsInB
        % loop to add row numbers to the first column with the indent
        B(rows) = (rows - 1+"    ");
    end
    
    for columns = 2:columnsInB
        % loop to add column numbers to the first row
        B(1, columns) = columns - 1;
    end
end

Best Answer

You could for example do this

function B = label1(A)
[rows,cols] = size(A);
B = ["",string(1:cols);[string((1:rows)')+char(9),A]];
end

I don't claim that it is simpler/more efficient, nor the most compact. Mixed feelings on whether it is a useful learning/teaching snippet either.

Likely the hw problem was written before "strings" were actually a thing, and the answer saught is a character array. At least that would be the more interesting hw problem to pose imho.