How to import data with exotic delimiters.

I have data basicly in a csv file but with ending .lvm looking like

0,000000 4,000000 0,000000 160,645546 39,281321 199,881657

2,439139 4,000000 0,000000 160,569857 39,276997 199,499790

4,879279 4,000000 0,000000 160,491830 39,278343 199,387425

7,326419 4,000000 0,000000 160,322703 39,271629 200,504927

9,748558 4,000000 0,000000 160,229282 39,271306 200,263479

12,180696 4,000000 0,000000 160,125998 39,266773 200,528866

14,625836 4,000000 0,000000 159,913637 39,263853 200,291738

17,061976 4,000000 0,000000 159,628543 39,260609 199,696538

I want an array with each Values.

With python pandas its as easy as:

df = pd.read_csv(file,sep='\t', engine='python',index_col=None, header=None, decimal=',')

But i struggle with Matlab.

Please help me as i have no clue how to search anymore.

[Stephen23]

Note that readmatrix will handle both the decimal comma and the tab delimiter, and would be by far the best choice for importing this file into MATLAB.

Answer 1

[Ameer Hamza]

Try this

str = fileread('data.txt');
str = strrep(str, ',', '.'); % change , to .

data = textscan(str, '%f\t');
data = reshape(data{1}, 6, []).';

Result

>> data
data =
         0    4.0000         0  160.6455   39.2813  199.8817
    2.4391    4.0000         0  160.5699   39.2770  199.4998
    4.8793    4.0000         0  160.4918   39.2783  199.3874
    7.3264    4.0000         0  160.3227   39.2716  200.5049
    9.7486    4.0000         0  160.2293   39.2713  200.2635
   12.1807    4.0000         0  160.1260   39.2668  200.5289
   14.6258    4.0000         0  159.9136   39.2639  200.2917
   17.0620    4.0000         0  159.6285   39.2606  199.6965

data.txt file is attached.

[Sebastian Faller]

Thank you alot.

[Ameer Hamza]

I am glad to be of help!

Answer 2

[Stephen23]

Using textscan's optional arguments properly avoids awkward reshaping of the output (and you have more flexibility because you can also select which columns you want to import or ignore, their class, etc):

>> str = fileread('data.txt');
>> str = strrep(str,',','.');
>> out = textscan(str,'%f%f%f%f%f%f','Delimiter','\t','CollectOutput',true);
>> out = out{1}
out =
         0    4.0000         0  160.6455   39.2813  199.8817
    2.4391    4.0000         0  160.5699   39.2770  199.4998
    4.8793    4.0000         0  160.4918   39.2783  199.3874
    7.3264    4.0000         0  160.3227   39.2716  200.5049
    9.7486    4.0000         0  160.2293   39.2713  200.2635
   12.1807    4.0000         0  160.1260   39.2668  200.5289
   14.6258    4.0000         0  159.9136   39.2639  200.2917
   17.0620    4.0000         0  159.6285   39.2606  199.6965