MATLAB: Inputing textfile data as meaningful variables

Hi!

I'm having a bit of trouble inputing a collection of large data as a textfile and turning that data into meaningful variables.

My code currently only returns the first value of that column of values that I am interested in, hoping for it to instead create a cell array of all values in that first column.

Probably an easy solution, still figuring out MATLAB, any help would be appreciated. Thank you:)

    % Load Data
    file = fopen('data.test.txt','r');
    str = textscan(file,'%f%s%f%s%f%s%s%s%s%s%f%f%f%s');
    fclose(file)
    
    % Data Variables 
    Age = str{1};

Best Answer

Matlab provides several different functions to read text files. (I'm used to textscan.)

"cell array of all values in that first column" Your format string shows that the first column contains numerical data. I guess that your textscan statement fails because there is an error in your format string. (It's easy to get the number and mix of columns wrong.)

Here is a code that avoids the trouble of counting columns

%%
fid = fopen('data.test.txt','rt'); 
str = textscan( fid, '%f%*[^\n]' ); % Read the first column and skip to the end of line
[~] = fclose( fid );