# Multi-dimensional array access

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/multi-dimensional-array-access/4914>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** question\
**Created:** [July 18, 2017, 2:33am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/multi-dimensional-array-access/4914 "2017-07-18T02:33:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![greg\_plowman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/greg_plowman/32/8100_2.png) [@greg\_plowman](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/greg_plowman)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 2:33am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/multi-dimensional-array-access/4914/1 "2017-07-18T02:33:18Z")

</div>

Multi-dimensional array access with less arguments than dimensions:

```julia
julia> A = zeros(3,3,3,3);

julia> A[1,1] = 7.0
7.0

julia> A[1,1]
7.0

julia> A[1,1,1]
7.0

julia> A[1,1,1,1]
7.0

```

What is the rationale for this meaning (trailing dimensions = 1), rather than say a method error?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![yuyichao](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/yuyichao/32/20_2.png) [@yuyichao](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/yuyichao)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/multi-dimensional-array-access/4914/2 "2017-07-18T02:45:22Z")

</div>

Legacy from matlab.

[https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/issues/5396](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/issues/5396)  
[https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/issues/14770](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/issues/14770)  
[https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/pull/20040](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/pull/20040)  
Also [https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/issues/13157](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/issues/13157)