Index: /issm/trunk/src/m/qmu/importancefactors.m
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk/src/m/qmu/importancefactors.m	(revision 5243)
+++ /issm/trunk/src/m/qmu/importancefactors.m	(revision 5244)
@@ -39,5 +39,5 @@
 
 if count==0,
-	error('importancefactors error message: could not find to response functions with corresponding design variable');
+	error('importancefactors error message: either response does not exist, or importancefactors are empty');
 end
 
Index: /issm/trunk/src/m/qmu/sensitivities.m
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk/src/m/qmu/sensitivities.m	(revision 5244)
+++ /issm/trunk/src/m/qmu/sensitivities.m	(revision 5244)
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+function sens=sensitivies(md,variablename,responsename)
+%SENSITIVIES - compute sensitivities for a certain variable and response.
+%
+%   Usage:
+%      sens=sensitivities(md,variablename,responsename)
+%
+%
+%   Example: sens=sensitivities(md,'DragCoefficient','MaxVel');
+%
+
+
+variablenamelength=length(variablename);
+
+%go through all response functions and find the one corresponding to the correct responsename
+responsefunctions=md.dakotaresults.dresp_out;
+found=0;
+for i=1:length(responsefunctions),
+	if strcmpi(responsefunctions(i).descriptor,responsename),
+		found=i;
+		break;
+	end
+end
+if ~found,
+	error('importancefactors error message: could not find correct response function');
+end
+responsefunctions=responsefunctions(found);
+nfun=size(responsefunctions.var,1);
+
+%Now recover response to the correct design variable
+rawsens=zeros(0,1);
+count=0;
+for i=1:nfun,
+	desvar=responsefunctions.var{i};
+	if strncmpi(desvar,variablename,variablenamelength),
+		rawsens(end+1,1)=responsefunctions.sens(i);
+		count=count+1;
+	end
+end
+
+%Now, if this was a distributed variable, the sensitivities need to be scaled by means of the input variable.
+if IsScaled(variablename),
+
+	%ipick up the variable in the model
+	variable=md.(EnumToModelField(StringToEnum(variablename)));
+
+	%average it onto the partition
+	average_variable=AreaAverageOntoPartition(md,variable);
+
+	%scale the sensitivities: only where the average_variable is not 0 
+	if ~isempty(rawsens),
+		pos=find(average_variable);
+		rawsens(pos)=rawsens(pos)./average_variable(pos);
+	end
+end
+
+if count==0,
+	error('sensitivities error message: either response does not exist, or sensitivities are empty');
+end
+
+if count==1, %we have scalar
+	sens=rawsens;
+	return;
+else
+	%project the sensitivities from the partition onto the mesh
+	sens=rawsens(md.part'+1); %md.part was created to index "c" style
+end