function pmats(top,left,mat,width,places)
%  usage:
%     pmats(top,left,mat,width,places)
%
%  print a matrix with ids on left and top
%     with width columns with places to right of decimal 
%     options if width, places not given: 8.4
%  required:
%     top:  string of names separated with | (for example, 'col1|col2|col3')
%            if names are fewer than columns, blanks are used on the left side of the table
%     left: string of names separated with |  (for example, 'row1|row2|row3')
%            if names are fewer than rows, blanks are used at the end of the table

% set defaults if needed
   if nargin<5
       places = 2;
   end
   if nargin<4
       width = 8;
   end

% find dimensions
   [rows,cols] = size(mat);

% find terminators in top and left, pad as needed
  topend = findstr(top,'|');
  if length(topend)<(cols+1)
     num = cols + 1 - length(topend);
     pad = setstr(ones(1,num)*abs('|'));
     top = [pad top]; 
  end;
  leftend = findstr(left,'|');
  if length(leftend)<rows
     num = rows - length(leftend);
     pad = setstr(ones(1,num)*abs('|'));
     left = [left pad]; 
  end;

% make end vectors
  topend = [0 findstr(top,'|')];
  leftend = [0 findstr(left,'|')];

% set numeric format
   fmt = ['%' num2str(width) '.' num2str(places) 'f'];

% find width for left
  diff = max(leftend(2:length(leftend)) - leftend(1:length(leftend)-1));
  lftwidth = diff + 2;

% print top
  for j = 1:cols+1
     hd = top(topend(j)+1:topend(j+1)-1);
     if j == 1
          hd = [ hd blanks(lftwidth)];
          hd = hd(1:lftwidth);
        else
          num = max([0 width-length(hd)]);
          hd = [ blanks(num) hd];
          hd = hd(1:width);
     end;
     fprintf(hd);
  end
  fprintf('\n');

% print matrix
  for i = 1:rows
     lft = left(leftend(i)+1:leftend(i+1)-1);
     lft= [ lft blanks(lftwidth)];
     lft = lft(1:lftwidth);
     fprintf(lft);
     for j = 1:cols
        fprintf(fmt,mat(i,j));
     end
     fprintf('\n');
  end