--- a/scripts/strings/com2str.m
+++ b/scripts/strings/com2str.m
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 ## Software Foundation, 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111 USA.
 
 ## -*- texinfo -*-
-## @deftypefn {Function File} {@var{retval} =} com2str(@var{zz}[,@var{flg}])
+## @deftypefn {Function File} {@var{retval} =} com2str(@var{zz}, @var{flg})
 ##
 ## convert complex number to a string
 ## @strong{Inputs}
@@ -33,49 +33,49 @@
 
 function retval = com2str (zz, flg)
 
-  if (nargin < 1 | nargin > 2)
-    usage("com2str(zz{,flg})");
+  if (nargin < 1 || nargin > 2)
+    usage ("com2str (zz, flg)");
   endif
-  if(nargin == 1)
+  if (nargin == 1)
     flg = 0;
   endif
 
-  if( !(is_scalar(zz) & is_scalar(flg) ) )
+  if (! (is_scalar (zz) && is_scalar (flg)))
     error("com2str: arguments must be a scalar.");
   endif
 
-  if(flg != 0 & flg != 1)
-    error(["invalid flg value: ",num2str(flg)]);
+  if (flg != 0 && flg != 1)
+    error ("invalid flg value: %d", flg);
   endif
 
   sgns = "+-";
-  rz = real(zz);
-  iz = imag(zz);
-  az = abs(zz);
-  if(iz == 0)
+  rz = real (zz);
+  iz = imag (zz);
+  az = abs (zz);
+  if (iz == 0)
     ## strictly a real number
-    switch(flg)
-    case(0)
-      retval = num2str(rz);
-    case(1)
-      retval = [ sgns(1+(rz< 0))," ", num2str(abs(rz))];
+    switch (flg)
+      case(0)
+	retval = num2str (rz);
+      case(1)
+	retval = [sgns(1+(rz<0)), " ", num2str(abs(rz))];
     endswitch
-  elseif(rz == 0)
+  elseif (rz == 0)
     ## strictly an imaginary number
-    switch(flg)
-    case(0)
-      retval = num2str(iz);
-    case(1)
-      retval = [ sgns(1+(iz< 0))," ", num2str(abs(iz)),"i"];
+    switch (flg)
+      case(0)
+	retval = num2str (iz);
+      case(1)
+	retval = [sgns(1+(iz<0)), " ", num2str(abs(iz)), "i"];
     endswitch
   else
     ## complex number
     ## strictly an imaginary number
-    switch(flg)
-    case(0)
-      retval = [num2str(rz)," ",com2str(i*iz,1)];
-    case(1)
-      retval = [ sgns(1+(rz< 0))," ", num2str(abs(rz))," ",com2str(i*iz,1)];
+    switch (flg)
+      case(0)
+	retval = [num2str(rz), " ", com2str(i*iz,1)];
+      case(1)
+	retval = [sgns(1+(rz<0)), " ", num2str(abs(rz)), " ", com2str(i*iz,1)];
     endswitch
   endif