--- a/scripts/general/postpad.m
+++ b/scripts/general/postpad.m
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@
     usage ("postpad (x, l) or postpad (x, l, c)");
   endif
 
-  if (! is_vector (x))
-    error ("first argument must be a vector");
+  if (! is_matrix (x))
+    error ("first argument must be a vector or matrix");
   elseif (! is_scalar (l))
     error ("second argument must be a scaler");
   endif
@@ -43,17 +43,18 @@
     error ("second argument must be non-negative");
   endif
 
-  lx = length (x);
-
-  if (lx >= l)
-    y = x(1:l);
+  [nr, nc] = size (x);
+  if (nr == 1)
+    if (nc >= l)
+      y = x(1:l);
+    else
+      y = [x, c*ones(1,l-nc)];
+    endif
   else
-    if (rows (x) > 1)
-      tmp = c * ones (l-lx, 1);
-      y = [x; tmp];
+    if (nr >= l)
+      y = x(1:l,:);
     else
-      tmp = c * ones (1, l-lx);
-      y = [x, tmp];
+      y = [x ; c*ones(l-nr,nc)];
     endif
   endif
 

--- a/scripts/general/prepad.m
+++ b/scripts/general/prepad.m
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 ##
 ## If @code{length (@var{x}) > @var{l}}, elements from the beginning (end) of
 ## @var{x} are removed until a vector of length @var{l} is obtained.
+##
+## If @var{x} is a matrix, elements are prepended or removed from each row.
 ## @end deftypefn
 
 ## Author: Tony Richardson <arichard@stark.cc.oh.us>
@@ -40,8 +42,8 @@
     usage ("prepad (x, l) or prepad (x, l, c)");
   endif
 
-  if (! is_vector (x))
-    error ("first argument must be a vector");
+  if (! is_matrix (x))
+    error ("first argument must be a vector or matrix");
   elseif (! is_scalar (l))
     error ("second argument must be a scaler");
   endif
@@ -50,17 +52,18 @@
     error ("second argument must be non-negative");
   endif
 
-  lx = length (x);
-
-  if (lx >= l)
-    y = x(lx-l+1:lx);
+  [nr, nc] = size (x);
+  if (nr == 1)
+    if (nc >= l)
+      y = x(nc-l+1:nc);
+    else
+      y = [c*ones(1,l-nc), x];
+    endif
   else
-    if (rows (x) > 1)
-      tmp = c * ones (l-lx, 1);
-      y = [tmp; x];
+    if (nr >= l)
+      y = x(nr-l+1:nr,:);
     else
-      tmp = c * ones (1, l-lx);
-      y = [tmp, x];
+      y = [c*ones(l-nr,nc); x];
     endif
   endif
 

--- a/src/ChangeLog
+++ b/src/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,24 @@
+2000-03-31  John W. Eaton  <jwe@bevo.che.wisc.edu>
+
+	* oct-fstrm.cc (octave_fstream::do_close): New function.
+	* oct-stdstrm.cc (octave_istdiostream::do_close): Ditto.
+	(octave_ostdiostream::do_close): Ditto.
+	* c-file-ptr-stream.cc (c_file_ptr_buf::close): Ditto.
+	(i_c_file_ptr_stream::close): Ditto.
+	(o_c_file_ptr_stream::close): Ditto.
+	* oct-prcstrm.cc (octave_iprocstream::do_close): Ditto.
+	(octave_oprocstream::do_close): Ditto.
+	(octave_iprocstram::~octave_iprocstram): Call do_close here.
+	(octave_iprocstram::~octave_oprocstram): Likewise.
+
+	* oct-stream.h (octave_base_stream::do_close): New virtual function.
+	(octave_base_stream::close): If stream is open, call do_close.
+
+	* c-file-ptr-stream.cc (c_file_ptr_buf::flush): New function.
+	(c_file_ptr_buf::~c_file_ptr_buf): Use it.
+	(c_file_ptr_buf::overflow): Ditto.
+	(c_file_ptr_buf::sync): Ditto.
+
 2000-03-30  John W. Eaton  <jwe@bevo.che.wisc.edu>
 
 	* oct-procbuf.cc (octave_procbuf::open): Make output streams line

--- a/src/c-file-ptr-stream.cc
+++ b/src/c-file-ptr-stream.cc
@@ -44,8 +44,7 @@
 
 c_file_ptr_buf::~c_file_ptr_buf (void)
 {
-  if (f)
-    fflush (f);
+  flush ();
 }
 
 // XXX FIXME XXX -- I'm sure there is room for improvement here...
@@ -54,7 +53,7 @@
 c_file_ptr_buf::overflow (int c)
 {
   if (f)
-    return (c != EOF) ? fputc (c, f) : fflush (f);
+    return (c != EOF) ? fputc (c, f) : flush ();
   else
     return EOF;
 }
@@ -141,9 +140,38 @@
 int
 c_file_ptr_buf::sync (void)
 {
+  flush ();
+
   return 0;
 }
 
+int
+c_file_ptr_buf::flush (void)
+{
+  return f ? fflush (f) : EOF;
+}
+
+int
+c_file_ptr_buf::close (void)
+{
+  if (f)
+    return fclose (f);
+}
+
+void
+i_c_file_ptr_stream::close (void)
+{
+  if (buf)
+    buf->close ();
+}
+
+void
+o_c_file_ptr_stream::close (void)
+{
+  if (buf)
+    buf->close ();
+}
+
 /*
 ;;; Local Variables: ***
 ;;; mode: C++ ***

--- a/src/c-file-ptr-stream.h
+++ b/src/c-file-ptr-stream.h
@@ -61,6 +61,10 @@
 
   int sync (void);
 
+  int flush (void);
+
+  int close (void);
+
 protected:
 
   FILE *f;
@@ -78,6 +82,8 @@
 
   c_file_ptr_buf *rdbuf (void) { return buf; }
 
+  void close (void);
+
 private:
 
   c_file_ptr_buf *buf;
@@ -95,6 +101,8 @@
 
   c_file_ptr_buf *rdbuf (void) { return buf; }
 
+  void close (void);
+
 private:
 
   c_file_ptr_buf *buf;

--- a/src/oct-fstrm.cc
+++ b/src/oct-fstrm.cc
@@ -102,6 +102,12 @@
   return fs.eof ();
 }
 
+void
+octave_fstream::do_close (void)
+{
+  fs.close ();
+}
+
 std::istream *
 octave_fstream::input_stream (void)
 {

--- a/src/oct-fstrm.h
+++ b/src/oct-fstrm.h
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@
 
   bool eof (void) const;
 
+  void do_close (void);
+
   // The name of the file.
 
   std::string name (void) const { return nm; }

--- a/src/oct-prcstrm.cc
+++ b/src/oct-prcstrm.cc
@@ -51,6 +51,12 @@
 
 octave_iprocstream::~octave_iprocstream (void)
 {
+  do_close ();
+}
+
+void
+octave_iprocstream::do_close (void)
+{
   if (fp)
     {
       pclose (fp);
@@ -81,6 +87,12 @@
 
 octave_oprocstream::~octave_oprocstream (void)
 {
+  do_close ();
+}
+
+void
+octave_oprocstream::do_close (void)
+{
   if (fp)
     {
       pclose (fp);

--- a/src/oct-prcstrm.h
+++ b/src/oct-prcstrm.h
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@
 
 #include "oct-stdstrm.h"
 
+// XXX FIXME XXX -- why don't these classes use iprocstream and
+// oprocstream, which in turn use the octave_procbuf class?
+
 class
 octave_iprocstream : public octave_istdiostream
 {
@@ -39,6 +42,8 @@
   create (const std::string& n, std::ios::openmode arg_md = std::ios::in,
 	  oct_mach_info::float_format flt_fmt = oct_mach_info::native);
 
+  void do_close (void);
+
 protected:
 
   ~octave_iprocstream (void);
@@ -66,6 +71,8 @@
   create (const std::string& n, std::ios::openmode arg_md = std::ios::out,
 	  oct_mach_info::float_format flt_fmt = oct_mach_info::native);
 
+  void do_close (void);
+
 protected:
 
   ~octave_oprocstream (void);

--- a/src/oct-stdstrm.cc
+++ b/src/oct-stdstrm.cc
@@ -105,6 +105,13 @@
   delete is;
 }
 
+void
+octave_istdiostream::do_close (void)
+{
+  if (is)
+    is->close ();
+}
+
 octave_stream
 octave_ostdiostream::create (const std::string& n, FILE *f,
 			     std::ios::openmode arg_md,
@@ -127,6 +134,13 @@
   delete os;
 }
 
+void
+octave_ostdiostream::do_close (void)
+{
+  if (os)
+    os->close ();
+}
+
 /*
 ;;; Local Variables: ***
 ;;; mode: C++ ***

--- a/src/oct-stdstrm.h
+++ b/src/oct-stdstrm.h
@@ -94,7 +94,8 @@
   std::ostream *output_stream (void) { return 0; }
 
   // XXX FIXME XXX -- should not have to cast away const here.
-  c_file_ptr_buf *rdbuf (void) const { return is ? is->rdbuf () : 0; }
+  c_file_ptr_buf *rdbuf (void) const
+    { return is ? (const_cast<i_c_file_ptr_stream *> (is))->rdbuf () : 0; }
 
   bool bad (void) const { return is ? is->bad () : true; }
 
@@ -104,6 +105,8 @@
 	is->clear ();
     }
 
+  void do_close (void);
+
 protected:
 
   i_c_file_ptr_stream *is;
@@ -154,6 +157,8 @@
 	os->clear ();
     }
 
+  void do_close (void);
+
 protected:
 
   o_c_file_ptr_stream *os;

--- a/src/oct-stream.h
+++ b/src/oct-stream.h
@@ -364,7 +364,16 @@
 
   bool is_open (void) const { return open_state; }
 
-  void close (void) { open_state = false; }
+  virtual void do_close (void) { }
+
+  void close (void)
+    {
+      if (is_open ())
+	{
+	  open_state = false;
+	  do_close ();
+	}
+    }
 
   int file_number (void);
 

--- a/src/procstream.h
+++ b/src/procstream.h
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@
   iprocstream (void) : procstreambase () { }
 
   iprocstream (const char *name, int mode = std::ios::in)
-    : procstreambase(name, mode) { }
+    : procstreambase (name, mode) { }
 
   ~iprocstream (void) { }
 
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@
   ~oprocstream (void) { }
 
   void open (const char *name, int mode = std::ios::out)
-    { procstreambase::open(name, mode); }
+    { procstreambase::open (name, mode); }
 
 private:
 
@@ -117,12 +117,12 @@
   procstream (void) : procstreambase () { }
 
   procstream (const char *name, int mode)
-    : procstreambase(name, mode) { }
+    : procstreambase (name, mode) { }
 
   ~procstream (void) { }
 
   void open (const char *name, int mode)
-    { procstreambase::open(name, mode); }
+    { procstreambase::open (name, mode); }
 
 private: