import an excel file containing both numbers and strings into a matrix

Hello All--

I do have an excel file whose first column contains numbers and the second column has letters. Something similar to the matrix below:

   1   a 
   2   b
   3   c

Once I am using xlsread function, only the first column is imported. And once I am using xlsread function with the second output as [num,txt] = xlsread ('FILE.xlsx'), the columns are imported separately.

What I need is to import the excel file in the matrix format as follows:

B= [1  a
  2  b
  3  c]

What should I do?

Then I would like manipulate the imported matrix. for example

   for i=1:3
     if B(i,2) == 'a'
       do something
     end
    end

Any idea how may I proceed?

Thanks

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

[~, ~, raw] = xlsread ('FILE.xlsx');

It is not possible to get a matrix like

B= [1  a
2  b
3  c]

in MATLAB. In MATLAB, it is not possible to combine text and numeric values in the same matrix. The closest possible is a cell array, which would look like

>> B  = {1, 'a'; 2, 'b'; 3, 'c'}

B = 

    [1]    'a'
    [2]    'b'
    [3]    'c'