How to read a non uniform text file in Matlab

Hello!

I have a non uniform text file which I want to read in MATLAB. The file may be found here:

http://txtup.co/LyUl6

Can I create a matrix where cells could be left blank while some of them would recognize characters and others numbers?

From this file I wish to keep every second value (first column)

For example from every b group like the one following

b2

5.00 0.00 0.00

5.00 0.00

I only wish to keep the respective 5.0 value in a single column matrix along with all the other respective values from b1, b3, b4, .... , b48.

Thank you so very much!

Giorgos

Answer 1

[Thorsten]

If you have to do it just for this file you can make your life easy by not reading the file at all:

b = 0:5:235;

[Giorgos Tassis]

Thank you again Thorsten for your answer!

Unfortunately this not the only case I will come across. This is just a simple example of this non uniform file. So, I hate to make your life difficult together with mine but I really need this file pattern read in MATLAB and stored in a matrix (if possible of course).

I tried to do it with a for loop command like this (but didn't work obviously)

for i=1:1:3*48;
    bor1 = fgets(fid);
    bor2 = fgets(fid);
    BOR(i) = sscanf(bor2,'%d');
    bor3 = fgets(fid);
end;

I hope you can help me!

Giorgos

Answer 2

[Thorsten]

Hi Giorgios, this file should do the job:

fid = fopen('file2.txt');

s = fgets(fid); % get line with a 'b'
i = 1;
while s ~= -1 
  d = fscanf(fid, '%f\n', 5); % get next 5 numbers
  b(i) = d(1); % store first number in b
  i = i + 1;
  s = fgets(fid);
end

fclose(fid)

[Giorgos Tassis]

Thanks again Thorsten!

I only have one last question if you'd be so kind to answer.

What if this is only a part of a bigger file and I wish to stop the "while" cycle at the end of the b groups? Let's say that after these b groups follows an integer, for example 50.

b48

5.00 0.00 0.00

5.00 0.00

50 ... etc

Any ideas?

Cheers!

[Giorgos Tassis]

Hello again!

Still in trouble about this particular part of the code. This is just a reminder.

Thanks a lot!