Pulling .mat files from multiple directories in one function

I'm writing a function that pulls data from one directory, compares it's string name to another file in another directory and then runs processes on them both

So far things look like this

function matlabanswers_plzhelp
eData= dir('C:/file/file/file/*.mat')

for i = 1:numel(eData)
eName = eData.name
a=regexp(eName,'_','split');
experimentName = a{1};

load(eName)

lData = dir('C:/differentfolder/*.mat')

for n=1:numel(lData)
lName = lData.name

if strcmp(lName,experimentName) ==1
 load lName

% run code using variables from both loaded eName and lName.mat files

else
end
end
end

For some reason this type of code works when I'm working out of one directory, but refuses to actually load the files if they are from different directories...

any idea of what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks ML

Answer 1

[Jonathan Sullivan]

When you call load, you are not referencing them by their file name only (i.e. no directory). Try something like this:

function matlabanswers_plzhelp
d1 = ['C:/file/file/file/'];
eData= dir([d1 '*.mat'])
for i = 1:numel(eData)
    eName = eData.name
    a=regexp(eName,'_','split');
    experimentName = a{1};
    load([d1 eName])
    d2 = 'C:/differentfolder/';
    lData = dir([d2 '*.mat'])
    for n=1:numel(lData)
        lName = lData.name
        if strcmp(lName,experimentName) ==1
        load([d2 lName])
        % run code using variables from both loaded eName and lName.mat files
    else
    end
end

Answer 2

[Kevin Claytor]

Windows convention with 'nix file slash...?

Anyway... when you call; "load lName" it searches for lName from the current directory. Try;

lDir = 'C:\differentfolder\'
lData = dir([lDir,*.mat])
...
if strcmp(lName,experimentName) ==1
 load(fullfile(lDir,lName))

[Mary]

Oops, that's what I get for not copy/pasting my real code! (I like using junk code when I request answers so that I can go through line by line and learn what the answer does when retyping it into my real code)

Sorry for the \ instead of /!

Thank you - I'm still getting code errors (for other things) - but I think that this solved the directory problem!