# Iterate over sparse array

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterate-over-sparse-array/27055>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Created:** [July 31, 2019, 11:14pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterate-over-sparse-array/27055 "2019-07-31T23:14:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Paul\_McVay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/paul_mcvay/32/4307_2.png) [@Paul\_McVay](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Paul_McVay)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 11:14pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterate-over-sparse-array/27055/1 "2019-07-31T23:14:39Z")

</div>

Since you can create a sparse matrix with row-indices, column-indices, and values, how do you get those back after the creation of the matrix?

```julia
i = [1, 2, 3]
j = [1, 2, 3]
v = [1, 1, 2]

a = sparse(i, j, v)

```

I hoping for something that acts like:

```julia
for (i, j, v) in notsure(a)
    println(i, "- ", j, "- ", v)
end

```

would output

```julia
1-1-1
2-2-1
3-3-2

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kristoffer.carlsson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/kristoffer.carlsson/32/22_2.png) [@kristoffer.carlsson](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/kristoffer.carlsson)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 11:40pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterate-over-sparse-array/27055/2 "2019-07-31T23:40:26Z")

</div>

`findnz`