MATLAB: How to plot time-stamped data from file

am/pmdatetimeimportdata

I have a bunch of mixed data that I need to graph (see attached file for an example).
importdata seems to bring the data in properly, but I'm having trouble plotting. As you can see in the file, many measurements are taken as a function of time. I need the time to be on the x-axis and the parameters (choose any one) on the y. I wasn't able to find examples of datetime formats using AM and PM designations, and this is obviously too much data to enter manually.
Thanks for the help.

Best Answer

Reading the data in is relatively easy in recent MATLAB, although there's a couple of tricks. I'm using R2017b, earlier versions may need slightly different tweaks.
First, the file is tab delimited, with some blank lines at the top. Easiest thing is to use detectImportOptions and tell it where the variable names are:
>> opts = detectImportOptions('test.txt');
>> opts.VariableNamesLine = 3
opts = 
  DelimitedTextImportOptions with properties:
   Format Properties:
                    Delimiter: {'\t'}
                   Whitespace: '\b '
                   LineEnding: {'\n'  '\r'  '\r\n'}
                 CommentStyle: {}
    ConsecutiveDelimitersRule: 'split'
        LeadingDelimitersRule: 'keep'
                EmptyLineRule: 'skip'
                     Encoding: 'ISO-8859-1'
   Replacement Properties:
                  MissingRule: 'fill'
              ImportErrorRule: 'fill'
             ExtraColumnsRule: 'addvars'
   Variable Import Properties:   Set types by name using setvartype
                VariableNames: {'Var1', 'Var2', 'Var3' ... and 29 more}
                VariableTypes: {'datetime', 'datetime', 'double' ... and 29 more}
        SelectedVariableNames: {'Var1', 'Var2', 'Var3' ... and 29 more}
              VariableOptions: Show all 32 VariableOptions 
  Access VariableOptions sub-properties using setvaropts/getvaropts
   Location Properties:
                     DataLine: 5
            VariableNamesLine: 3
               RowNamesColumn: 0
            VariableUnitsLine: 0
     VariableDescriptionsLine: 0
Then read the file.
>> t = readtable('test.txt',opts,'ReadVariableNames',true);
Warning: The DATETIME data was created using format 'MM/dd/uuuu' but also matched 'dd/MM/uuuu'.
To avoid ambiguity, supply a datetime format using SETVAROPTS, e.g.
  opts = setvaropts(opts,varname,'InputFormat','MM/dd/uuuu'); 
> In matlab.io.internal.text.TableParser/readData (line 75)
  In matlab.io.text.TextImportOptions/readtable (line 223) 
>> head(t)
ans =
  8×32 table
            Date                    Time            Rate1    Rate2    Thick_1    Thick_2    PowerEG1    HighVolt_1    HVPSEm_1    Emission1    Filament1    ISRFPower    ISRFReflectedPower    ISCoilCurrent    ISIgnitorVoltage    MFC1Flow    MFC2Flow    MFC3Flow    GasFlowRes_4    Subst_Temp_    HeatPower    ChamberTemp_    CryoTemperature1_Stage    CryoTemperature2_Stage    ChamberP_    ForelineP_    PumplineP_    RawFrequency1    RawFrequency2    ShutterE_Gun1    CustomerParameter    Var32
    ____________________    ____________________    _____    _____    _______    _______    ________    __________    ________    _________    _________    _________    __________________    _____________    ________________    ________    ________    ________    ____________    ___________    _________    ____________    ______________________    ______________________    _________    __________    __________    _____________    _____________    _____________    _________________    _____
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    09-Jan-2018 11:04:21      0      0        -1992      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.4                        5.3e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    09-Jan-2018 11:04:22      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.24       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.3                       5.28e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    09-Jan-2018 11:04:22      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.2                       5.27e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    09-Jan-2018 11:04:23      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.24       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.1                       5.23e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    09-Jan-2018 11:04:23    0.1      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.24       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.1                       5.21e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.301            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    09-Jan-2018 11:04:24      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.2                        5.2e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.303            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    09-Jan-2018 11:04:24    0.1      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.2                       5.17e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.304            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    09-Jan-2018 11:04:25      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.31        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.1                       5.14e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.305            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0
That warning is important, but I'm gonna guess that you file uses MM/dd. You will also notive that Time was read in as a datetime, with the correct time frm the file but with today's date. We can patch that up.
>> t.Time = timeofday(t.Time);
>> head(t)
ans =
  8×32 table
            Date              Time      Rate1    Rate2    Thick_1    Thick_2    PowerEG1    HighVolt_1    HVPSEm_1    Emission1    Filament1    ISRFPower    ISRFReflectedPower    ISCoilCurrent    ISIgnitorVoltage    MFC1Flow    MFC2Flow    MFC3Flow    GasFlowRes_4    Subst_Temp_    HeatPower    ChamberTemp_    CryoTemperature1_Stage    CryoTemperature2_Stage    ChamberP_    ForelineP_    PumplineP_    RawFrequency1    RawFrequency2    ShutterE_Gun1    CustomerParameter    Var32
    ____________________    ________    _____    _____    _______    _______    ________    __________    ________    _________    _________    _________    __________________    _____________    ________________    ________    ________    ________    ____________    ___________    _________    ____________    ______________________    ______________________    _________    __________    __________    _____________    _____________    _____________    _________________    _____
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    11:04:21      0      0        -1992      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.4                        5.3e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    11:04:22      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.24       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.3                       5.28e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    11:04:22      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.2                       5.27e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    11:04:23      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.24       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.1                       5.23e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    11:04:23    0.1      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.24       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.1                       5.21e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.301            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    11:04:24      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.2                        5.2e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.303            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    11:04:24    0.1      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.2                       5.17e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.304            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 00:00:00    11:04:25      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.31        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.1                       5.14e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.305            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0
It's possible that you want the date and time combined, also easy. Make it a timetable.
>> t.Time = t.Date + t.Time;
>> t.Date = [];
>> tt = table2timetable(t);
>> head(tt)
ans =
  8×30 timetable
            Time            Rate1    Rate2    Thick_1    Thick_2    PowerEG1    HighVolt_1    HVPSEm_1    Emission1    Filament1    ISRFPower    ISRFReflectedPower    ISCoilCurrent    ISIgnitorVoltage    MFC1Flow    MFC2Flow    MFC3Flow    GasFlowRes_4    Subst_Temp_    HeatPower    ChamberTemp_    CryoTemperature1_Stage    CryoTemperature2_Stage    ChamberP_    ForelineP_    PumplineP_    RawFrequency1    RawFrequency2    ShutterE_Gun1    CustomerParameter    Var32
    ____________________    _____    _____    _______    _______    ________    __________    ________    _________    _________    _________    __________________    _____________    ________________    ________    ________    ________    ____________    ___________    _________    ____________    ______________________    ______________________    _________    __________    __________    _____________    _____________    _____________    _________________    _____
    01-Dec-2017 11:04:21      0      0        -1992      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.4                        5.3e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 11:04:22      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.24       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.3                       5.28e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 11:04:22      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.2                       5.27e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 11:04:23      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.24       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.1                       5.23e-05     ''            1.41e-07        0.3            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 11:04:23    0.1      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.24       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.1                       5.21e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.301            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 11:04:24      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.2                        5.2e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.303            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 11:04:24    0.1      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.32        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.2                       5.17e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.304            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0    
    01-Dec-2017 11:04:25      0      0            0      0          0           747.8         45          45           -0.31        0            0                     0                0                   0           -0.64       -0.23       0               27.1           0            0               32.8                      6.1                       5.14e-05     ''            1.41e-07      0.305            5.9848e+06       0                0                    0
Now just plot, either one at a time
plot(tt.Time,tt.Rate1)
or several at a time
plot(tt.Time,tt(:,{'Rate1' 'Rate2'}}))
There's also ttplot to make a set of separate plots, stacked.
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