Importing Numerically Named Excel Files into MATLAB

I have some excel files called 'd1-1.csv', 'd1-2.csv', and so on until 'd1-15.csv'. However, when these files are loaded into MATLAB, MATLAB processes the 10 through 15 files before it processes the 2 through 9 files. Is there a way to change this so that MATLAB uploads them in numeric order? Thanks.

Answer 1

[dpb]

The best solution is to not name files that way...when creating them use a format such that leading zeros are filled in the numeric fields so the lexical sort is also the numeric one...

a=1;
n=15;
for f=1:n
  fn=sprintf('d%02d-%03d.csv',a,f);
  csvwrite(fn,Data(:,:,f))
end

would create files

d01-001.csv
d01-002.csv
d01-003.csv
...
d01-009.csv
d01-010.csv
d01-011.csv
...
d01-015.csv

from a presumed 3D Data array by plane. Obviously use whatever data you have.

Or, read the existing files and rewrite them changing their name appropriately; that can be done in whatever order.

Or, on FEX there's a sort routine that will sort the returned names as is in natural order but I don't recall just who the submitter was at the moment.

ADDENDUM

fmti='d%dd-%d.csv';        % format to read the present file numbers
fmto='d%02dd-%03d.csv';    % format to write new file number formats
d=dir('*.csv');            % return the directory structure
for i=1:length(d)               % iterate over the list
  v=sscanf(d(i).name,fmti).';   % read existing numbers
  fn=num2str(v,fmto);           % make new filename from them
  copyfile(d(i).name,fn)        % copy old to new
  disp(['File ' d(i).name 'copied to ' fn])  % show what did 
end

Now, when certain are correct, delete the old files and then dir() will return sorted numerical order also in lexical order and "go and sin no more"... :)