Read data from a complex text file

Hi all, I am writing some code using matlab but I am stuck at reading the output of a program.

The program generates a large text file. However I am intrested in reading some part of this file to be able to work with the data generated. I have attched the portion of the file that includes the data. The way that the data are written for any experiment are fixed. The data either have one value, or two values or a vector that are listed separately:

Experiment one has the name "Expt 1 Flash Calculation" and has the following fixed sections and variables ( the numerics will change if I run this experiment again. so it is desired to read the numerical values corresponding to each variable in the experiment):

 Specified temperature            Deg F               200
 Specified pressure               PSIA                500.0000
 Mole Percentage in vapour                             16.3351
 Calculated GOR                   MSCF/BBL              0.1478

or

 ------------------- ------------ ------------ 
                        Liquid       Vapour    
 Fluid properties    ------------ ------------ 
                      Calculated   Calculated  
 ------------------- ------------ ------------ 
 Mole Weight             131.7372      23.8229 
 Z-factor                  0.2113       0.9017 
 Viscosity                 0.0745       0.0121 
 Density    LB/FT3        46.7967       1.9825 
 Molar Vol  CF/LB-ML       2.8151      12.0165 
 ------------------- ------------ ------------ 

or

 ------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ 
 Molar Distributions   Total, Z     Liquid,X     Vapour,Y     K-Values   
 Components          ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ 
 Mnemonic   Number     Measured    Calculated   Calculated   Calculated  
 ------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ 
 N2         1              0.0400       0.0117       0.1852      15.8677 
 CO2        2              0.1300       0.1021       0.2732       2.6764 
 C1         3             15.8340       9.3167      67.5790       7.2535 
 C2         4              8.3819       7.8689      17.1312       2.1771 
 C3         5             11.5820      10.7484       9.7294       0.9052 
 C4         6              7.8216       8.6792       3.4289       0.3951 
 C5         7              5.0710       5.8649       1.0045       0.1713 
 C6         8              4.8210       5.6763       0.4403       0.0776 
 C7-C10     9             9.5540      23.3356       0.1853       0.0079 
 C11-C14    10             9.1118      10.8826       0.0419       0.0038 
 C15-C20    11             7.0614       8.4399       0.0012       0.0001 
 C21-C30    12             8.5915       9.0737   6.8582E-12   7.5584E-13 
 ------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ 
 Composition Total       100.0000     100.0000     100.0000              
 ------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ 

Experiment Two has the name "Expt 1 Saturation Pressure Calculation" and has the following fixed sections and variables ( the numerics will change if I run this experiment again. so it is desired to read the numerical values corresponding to each variable in the experiment):

 Specified temperature            Deg F               200
 Calculated bubble point pressure PSIA                961.6661

or

 ------------------- ------------ ------------ 
                        Liquid       Vapour    
 Fluid properties    ------------ ------------ 
                      Calculated   Calculated  
 ------------------- ------------ ------------ 
 Mole Weight             114.1093      21.8571 
 Z-factor                  0.3652       0.3652 
 Viscosity                 0.0734       0.0132 
 Density    LB/FT3        45.0971       3.6734 
 Molar Vol  CF/LB-ML       2.5303       5.9501 
 ------------------- ------------ ------------ 

or

------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ 
 Molar Distributions   Total, Z     Liquid,X     Vapour,Y     K-Values   
 Components          ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ 
 Mnemonic   Number     Measured    Calculated   Calculated   Calculated  
 ------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ 
 N2         1              0.0400       0.0400       0.3258       8.1441 
 CO2        2              0.1300       0.1300       0.2076       1.5966 
 C1         3             8.8340      18.8340      75.8160       4.0255 
 C2         4              9.3819       9.3819      13.0035       1.3860 
 C3         5             17.5820      10.5820       6.8105       0.6436 
 C4         6              7.8216       7.8216       2.4485       0.3130 
 C5         7              5.0710       5.0710       0.7679       0.1514 
 C6         8              4.8210       4.8210       0.3624       0.0752 
 C7-C10     9             17.5540      19.5540       0.2053       0.0105 
 C11-C14    10             9.1118       9.1118       0.0501       0.0055 
 C15-C20    11             7.0614       7.0614       0.0022       0.0003 
 C21-C30    12             7.5915       7.5915   2.0066E-10   2.6432E-11 
 ------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ 
 Composition Total       100.0000     100.0000     100.0000              
 ------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ 

I would like a function to serach the file, and start reading from an intrested point (after a unique name of the experiment where the data related to that experiment follows that string).

The user can specify (1) an experiment name such as as "Expt 1 Saturation Pressure Calculation" or "Expt 1 Flash Calculation" and (2) which data to extract from that experiments, and the function should return that.

For example, the user could ask the followings and the program should return:

A) "Molar Vol" from "Expt 1 Flash Calculation" and the program should return two values [ 2.8151 12.0165]. In other words, [ 2.8151 12.0165]= f("Molar Vol" , "Expt 1 Flash Calculation" )

B) "Mole Percentage in vapour" from "Expt 1 Flash Calculation" and the program should return [ 16.3351].

C) "Liquid, X" from "Expt 1 Flash Calculation" and the program should return the vector [ 0.0117 0.1021 9.3167 7.8689 10.7484 8.6792 5.8649 5.6763 23.3356 10.8826 8.4399 9.0737 ]

D) "Calculated bubble point pressure" from "Expt 1 Saturation Pressure Calculation" and the function returns 961.6661.

E) "K-Values" from experiment "Expt 1 Saturation Pressure Calculation" and the function should return the vector: [ 8.1441 1.5966 4.0255 1.386 0.6436 0.313 0.1514 0.0752 0.0105 0.0055 0.0003 2.64E-11]

[Bob Thompson]

I would probably conquer this with fgetl and regexp. Basically scan the lines of the file with the first, and then check and extract the data you want with the second. I believe a similar process would be possible by just reading all of the file contents in as one string and then separating out what you want with regexp.

Are you familiar with how to use these?

[RR RR]

Thanks Bob for the guidance.

I am pretty new to text maipulation and any hands on help would be apprcaiated.

[Bob Thompson]

Feel free to ask more questions. Just try to be specific about what you need help with.

[RR RR]

I would like to go the location of the table and get the numerical values of some variable e.g. Total,Z,Liquid,X,Vapour,Y,and K-Values in to a matrix.

[Bob Thompson]

Are you wanting to import all of the text at once and split it, or read each line in a loop?

[RR RR]

the fasted would be better. I guess importing all of the text would be better?

[Walter Roberson]

I tend to find it easier to fileread() the entire file as text, and then to use regexp() and regexprep() to break into pieces that I can textscan()

[Bob Thompson]

Using textscan() on a block is a great idea. I'm a little sad I never thought of that before, but I was stuck thinking it could only be applied to a file.