diff --git a/panda/src/linmath/compose_matrix.cxx b/panda/src/linmath/compose_matrix.cxx
index eba0bd39b3..69292bfe22 100644
--- a/panda/src/linmath/compose_matrix.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/linmath/compose_matrix.cxx
@@ -27,4 +27,5 @@
 #include "compose_matrix_src.cxx"
 
 
-
+const char * const matrix_components = "ijkhprxyz";
+const int num_matrix_components = 9;
diff --git a/panda/src/linmath/compose_matrix.h b/panda/src/linmath/compose_matrix.h
index a01579a7de..3eba888bc6 100644
--- a/panda/src/linmath/compose_matrix.h
+++ b/panda/src/linmath/compose_matrix.h
@@ -32,8 +32,9 @@
 //
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-#include <pandabase.h>
+#include "pandabase.h"
 #include <math.h>
+
 #include "lmatrix.h"
 #include "lvector3.h"
 #include "lvector2.h"
@@ -49,5 +50,11 @@
 #include "dblnames.h"
 #include "compose_matrix_src.h"
 
+// These define the standard one-letter names for the components in
+// the array-accepting forms of compose_matrix() and
+// decompose_matrix().
+EXPCL_PANDA extern const char * const matrix_components;
+EXPCL_PANDA extern const int num_matrix_components;
+
 #endif