getMatrixColumnCount

GetMatrixColumnCount is a utility function used to determine the number of columns in a two-dimensional matrix. The function typically takes a single argument, a matrix, and returns an integer representing the number of columns. In well-formed matrices, this equals the length of any row.

Parameter: matrix, a 2D array-like structure that represents the matrix. The function assumes a rectangular matrix, where all rows have the same number of columns.

Return value: an integer indicating the number of columns. If the matrix has no rows, some implementations return 0; others may throw an error. If the matrix is jagged (rows with different lengths), behavior varies by implementation: some return the length of the first row, some compute the maximum row length, or raise an exception.

Performance: for most common representations, the operation is O(1), since the column count is intrinsic to the matrix structure. In non-fixed representations, it may be O(n) if the length must be computed.

Usage notes: the function is commonly used to allocate result matrices with compatible dimensions, to validate shapes before performing matrix operations, or to guide column-wise iterations.

Related functions: getMatrixRowCount, getMatrixSize, transposeMatrix, reshapeMatrix.