[num,txt,raw] = xlsread(___)

can anyone give a working example of the syntax above. What does the double underscore do in xlsread?

[dpb]

There is no such syntax; must be a placeholder in documentation or somesuch. Show the actual expression in context...

Answer 1

[Guillaume]

The ___ in the documentation means that you can replace it with any of the other syntax shown before and is just there for brevity. Basically, you can use the [num, text, raw] output form with any of the input forms:

[num, txt, raw] = xlsread(filename)
[num, txt, raw] = xlsread(filename,sheet)
[num, txt, raw] = xlsread(filename,xlRange)
[num, txt, raw] = xlsread(filename,sheet,xlRange)
[num, txt, raw] = xlsread(filename,sheet,xlRange,'basic')