MATLAB: How to assign variable names and import data via loop

#loopvariablenames

Hi all,
I have recently completed an assignment where I was required to plot graphs of various soil tests. The data from the tests was stored in .csv files, I've imported the files using xlsread but for each test, I simply copy and pasted the code to import the data. This was OK for the purposes of this assignment, but how can I make it more efficient for future assignments? An example of how have done the assignment is as follows:
%%Data import
%Test 1 10kg
t1 = xlsread('group21.csv', 'A4:A1216')'; % Seconds
t1(find(t1>200)) = NaN;
L1 = abs(xlsread('group21.csv', 'B4:B1216'))'; % Newtons
s1=L1./(0.1*0.1); % Pascals
d1= xlsread('group21.csv', 'C4:C1216')'; % Micro Meters
This was repeated (copy and pasted) for FIVE tests. How can I write it in a loop such that I can get it to output t1,t2,….,L1,L2… etc by simply typing t1 in the command window? I want it to just display that variable t1.
Further more I then plotted these as follows:
figure('Color', [1 1 1])
hold on
grid on
grid minor
plot(t1.*(1/30),s1,'.r')
plot(t2.*(1/30),s2, '.b')
plot(t3.*(1/30),s3, '.g')
plot(t4.*(1/30),s4, '.m')
plot(t5.*(1/30),s5, '.k')
How could I automate it so I can type plot(something here to make it plot all t1 t2 etc, something here to plot s1 s2 etc) ?
Any assistance would be appreciated as I feel copying and pasting the code for each test is beginning to create more problems than it solves as I conduct more complicated tests as my degree progresses.
Thanks in advance.

Best Answer

A loop with a cell array would likely work:
for k1 = 1:5
t{k1} = xlsread('group21.csv', 'A4:A1216')'; % Seconds
t{k1}(t{k1}>200) = NaN;
L{k1} = abs(xlsread('group21.csv', 'B4:B1216'))'; % Newtons
s{k1}=L{k1}./(0.1*0.1); % Pascals
d{k1}= xlsread('group21.csv', 'C4:C1216')'; % Micro Meters
end
Note I can test part of this but not all of it, so I am labeling it UNTESTED CODE. It should work, but without your Excel files, I can’t test it.