MATLAB: Extracting Data field of a Series in HTML file

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In an HTML file, there is a section like this :
        series: [{
            name: 'Numbers',
            color: '#33CCFF',
            lineWidth: 5,
            data: [45,78,84,91,111,125,178,231,274,283,303,333]        }],
How to extract the 'data' field into an array in a matlab code ?
There are many such series' in that same HTML file with different 'name' fields. For example, name: 'Total Value', 'Log Scale', 'Base Value' etc.

Best Answer

I misunderstood your question. This is a bit of overkill.
Assumptions
  • the string, series:, always indicates the start of a block of interest
I created a sample file, cssm.txt, which I uploaded. (Matlab Answers doesn't allow the extension .html ).
This script reads all blocks
%%

chr = fileread('cssm.txt');
cac = regexp( chr, '(?<=series\:)[^\}]+\}\],', 'match' );
%%
len = length( cac );
series(1,len) = struct( 'name','', 'color','', 'lineWidth',[], 'data',[] ); 
for jj = 1 : len
    
    txt = regexp( cac{jj}, '(?<=name\:)[^,]+', 'match', 'once' );
    txt(txt== '''') = [];
    series(jj).name = matlab.lang.makeValidName( txt );
    txt = regexp( cac{jj}, '(?<=color\:)[^,]+', 'match', 'once' );
    txt(txt== '''') = [];
    series(jj).color = txt;
    
    txt = regexp( cac{jj}, '(?<=lineWidth\:)[^},]+', 'match', 'once' );
    series(jj).lineWidth = str2double( txt );
    
    txt = regexp( cac{jj}, '(?<=data\:)[^}]+', 'match', 'once' );
    series(jj).data = str2num( txt );  %#ok<ST2NM>

end
and extract "series which matches name='Numbers'. Not the other series'."
>> series(strcmp({series.name},'Numbers')).data
ans =
    45    78    84    91   111   125   178   231   274   283   303   333
In response to comment below
Assumptions
  • the string, series:, always indicates the start of a block of interest
  • the string, }], indicates the end of a block of interest
  • all html-files of interest are named index.html
  • all files named index.html are of interest
  • all html-files of interest are in subfolders under a root-folder, ...\finCase
  • every html-file, index.html, contains exactly one block that has a specific value of the field name:, e.g. Numbers
The overkill is still there. However, reading and parsing four html-files (copies of cssm.txt ) takes less than 10ms.
Try 
>> client_data = read_client_data( 'd:\m\cssm\finCase', 'index.html', 'Numbers' )
client_data =
  4×2 cell array
    {'anderson'       }    {1×9  double}
    {'kim-j-clijsters'}    {1×10 double}
    {'paul-judd'      }    {1×11 double}
    {'simmi'          }    {1×12 double}
>>
where (in one m-file)
function    client_data = read_client_data( root, file, name )
    
    sad = dir( fullfile( root, '**', file ) ); 
    len = length( sad );
    client_data = cell( len, 2 );
    for jj = 1 : len 
        cac = strsplit( sad(jj).folder, filesep );
        client = cac{end};
        series = read_one_file_( fullfile( sad(jj).folder, sad(jj).name ) );
        client_data(jj,:) = { client, series(strcmp({series.name},name)).data };
    end
end
function    series = read_one_file_( file )
    
    chr = fileread( fullfile( file ) );
    cac = regexp( chr, '(?<=series\:)[^\}]+\}\],', 'match' );
    
    len = length( cac );
    series(1,len) = struct( 'name','', 'color','', 'lineWidth',[], 'data',[] );
    
    for jj = 1 : len
        
        txt = regexp( cac{jj}, '(?<=name\:)[^,]+', 'match', 'once' );
        txt(txt== '''') = [];
        series(jj).name = strtrim( txt );
        
        txt = regexp( cac{jj}, '(?<=color\:)[^,]+', 'match', 'once' );
        txt(txt== '''') = [];
        series(jj).color = txt;
        
        txt = regexp( cac{jj}, '(?<=lineWidth\:)[^},]+', 'match', 'once' );
        series(jj).lineWidth = str2double( txt );
        
        txt = regexp( cac{jj}, '(?<=data\:)[^}]+', 'match', 'once' );
        series(jj).data = str2num( txt );  %#ok<ST2NM>
        
    end
end
TODO: add error handling and comments
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