MATLAB: Import tab and comma delimited dat file

import dataMATLABtextscan

I'm a newbie and am struggling to import a dat file which is a combination of tab and comma delimited data.
I have attached a sample dat file which is very easy to import in excel but in MATLAB i cannot get it to work.
I am trying to create a structure called mydat which will contain (see dat file, note the tabs and commas)
mydat.param1 = 1.01
mydat.param2 = 1.02
mydat.param3 = 1.03
mydat.curves  = [1.01 2.01 3.01 4.01;
                 1.02 2.02 3.02 4.02;
                 1.03 2.03 3.03 4.03]
mydat.curves_info = [data1; data2; data3; data4]
need help!
my Dat file
------------
Parameteres
------------
param1          (cm)  :  \t 1.01
param2          (cc)  :  \t 1.02
param2          (g)   :  \t 1.03
------------
Information
------------
info1            :  
info2            :  
info3            :  
               ,     data1     ,     data2     ,     data3     ,     data4     ,
               ,       1.01    ,       2.01    ,     3.01      ,      4.01     ,
               ,       1.02    ,       2.02    ,     3.02      ,      4.02     ,
               ,       1.03    ,       2.03    ,     3.03      ,      4.03     ,

Best Answer

I'm not sure if the formatting is exactly how it appears above, but you can probably iron out the kinks yourself. I did assume that the \t are actually tabs. Other than that, I copy-n-pasted what you have posted, and this works:
fid = fopen('foo.dat','rt');
x = textscan(fid,'%*[^:]:\t%f',3,'headerlines',3);
params = x{1}
x = textscan(fid,' , %s , %s , %s , %s , ',1,'headerlines',7);
curves_info = [x{:}]
x = textscan(fid,' , %f , %f , %f , %f , ')
curves = [x{:}]
fclose(fid);
(You can package the data however you see fit.) Note the use of literal text in the textscan format specifier. That's the magic. Also, in the first textscan command, it says "read and ignore everything up to a colon, then there will be a colon and a tab, then read a floating-point number". That's how you get just the numbers from those three lines.
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