Find and replace empty element in text file

Hi everyone,

I have a Text file *txt with content example with row and columm below:

1234 5678 2a13 31424 1234a 12455

1245 4353 4143 12434

11111 22222

12131 1321 1232 1213 12224

33333

12314 1434 31231 3123 2131 13213

As we can see:

• second row has 2 empty element from last 2 column, but these empty suppose to have the data which is the element from the first 2 columm at 3rd row ( 11111 22222) .
• 4th row has missing last element which suppose to be the data 33333 in 5th row.

I want to move the 11111 22222 back to the last 2 column at 2nd row, and 33333 moved back to last columm at 4th row as below:

1234 5678 2a13 31424 1234a 12455

1245 4353 4143 12434 11111 22222

12131 1321 1232 1213 12224 12424

12131 1321 1232 1213 12224 33333

12314 1434 31231 3123 2131 13213

the File have thousand of row with thousand of row and 6 columm, and it have many rows that have errors like this. are there a good way to handle this issue, i guess we can use loop for this problem, but if anybody have any other idea please just show to me. Thank you very much.

Answer 1

[Jan]

S = fileread(FileName);
S = strrep(S, char(13), '');
S = strrep(S, char(10), ' ');
C = strsplit(S, ' ');
C = strrep(C, ' ', '');  % Just to be sure

FID = fopen(FileName_2, 'w');
if FID == -1, error('Cannot open file for writing: %s', FileName_2); end
fprintf(FID, '%s %s %s %s %s\n', C{:});
fclose(FID);

[Dung Tran]

that work ! thank you very much