How to write a matrix into a txt file so that all variables in a columns have exactly the same starting character and length?

I am trying to export a matrix into a text file. The text file will later be feed into another program that requires all variables in a specific columns have the same starting location, and the same length.

How should I achieve this? Which Matlab function should I use to export the data?

Thank you.

Answer 1

[Fangjun Jiang]

use sprintf formating, such as

a=rand(5,1);
sprintf('%20.2f\n',a(:));

doc sprintf

It also applies to fprintf.

[Liqing]

Thank you very much for the suggestion. So for sprintf I will have to write one row at one time?

[Walter Roberson]

No, sprintf() and fprintf() will repeat the format as often as needed to write out all the data.

Answer 2

[Liqing]

Now it is working. Thank you very much.

Another question. Now the deliminator is space, so that length of each row is very different. For example, in a column, '45' will have different length as '-45", '26.7', will have different length as '126.8'.

How could I fix this?

Answer 3

[Fangjun Jiang]

What do you mean? What exact format do you want to achieve? Please read through the document of sprintf formatting. I think it should be able to cover most if not all format.

Is this what you need?

sprintf('%010.2f\n',45,-45,26.7,126.8)