Trying to find row numbers from array inside cell array entry

I'm trying to access data in a matrix inside of a cell array to reference it later. The data won't convert into a matrix using cell2mat because all the variables inside are numbers that extract as character vectors. Using str2num on the data doesnt work either. How can I get the matrix out of the cell array so I can access and reference it? I've been using the following extraction command:

Extraction code:

[data, delimiterOut, headerlinesOut]=importdata(filename);

The file I'm extracting from is a tab-delimited text file.

[dpb]

Have to see the file to be able to tell anything for sure

[Cameron LaCourse]

here is a sample of the data file that it should come out to after cleaning up the headings and side notes

[Stephen23]

@Cameron LaCourse: please upload the input data file. So far we have nothing to work with.

[Cameron LaCourse]

Understood. Here is the input data file. My apologies, I wasn't sure if I was allowed to share it at first. I also use this line to name the filename variable, if this helps.

filename = sprintf('Text%d 1-10.txt',txtnum);

Where txtnum is input and error-checked as a whole positive number.

Answer 1

[Stephen23]

T = readtable('Text1 1-10.txt', 'Delimiter','\t')

Warning: Column headers from the file were modified to make them valid MATLAB identifiers before creating variable names for the table. The original column headers are saved in the VariableDescriptions property.
Set 'VariableNamingRule' to 'preserve' to use the original column headers as table variable names.

T = 17928×20 table
    ParticNumber    ElapsedTime_s_    LongAcceleration_feet_second_2_    LatAcceleration_feet_second_2_    LongVelocity_feet_second_    LVMPH     LatVelocity_feet_second_    TotalLongDistance_f_    LateralLanePos_feetFromCenterLine_    SteeringWheelAngleInput_degrees_    x_OfCrashes    SteeringInputCounts    GasPedalInputs    CurrentSpeedLimit_f_s_    UpperAccControl    LowerAccControl    UpperLanePosCont    LowerLanePosControl        Var19          Var20  
    ____________    ______________    _______________________________    ______________________________    _________________________    ______    ________________________    ____________________    __________________________________    ________________________________    ___________    ___________________    ______________    ______________________    _______________    _______________    ________________    ___________________    ______________    ________

         1              105.19                     -0.28                               0                             65.56              44.699               0                       6002.2                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               45485                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {'P1'        }         NaN
         1              105.22                     -0.28                               0                             65.55              44.692               0                       6004.4                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               45485                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {'Acc Mean'  }    -0.16023
         1              105.25                     -0.33                               0                             65.54              44.685               0                       6006.6                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               45745                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {'Veloc Mean'}      40.333
         1              105.29                     -0.33                               0                             65.53              44.678               0                       6008.8                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               45745                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {'StDev'     }      0.4519
         1              105.32                     -0.32                               0                             65.52              44.672               0                       6010.9                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               45745                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }     -0.4519
         1              105.35                     -0.32                               0                             65.51              44.665               0                       6013.1                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               45745                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }         NaN
         1              105.39                     -0.32                               0                              65.5              44.658               0                       6015.3                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               45745                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }         NaN
         1              105.42                     -0.31                               0                             65.49              44.651               0                       6017.5                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               45745                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }         NaN
         1              105.45                     -0.31                               0                             65.48              44.644               0                       6019.7                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               45745                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }         NaN
         1              105.49                     -0.31                               0                             65.47              44.637               0                       6021.9                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               45745                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }         NaN
         1              105.52                     -0.41                               0                             65.45              44.624               0                         6024                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               46265                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }         NaN
         1              105.55                     -0.41                               0                             65.44              44.617               0                       6026.2                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               46265                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }         NaN
         1              105.59                      -0.4                               0                             65.42              44.603               0                       6028.4                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               46265                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }         NaN
         1              105.62                      -0.4                               0                             65.41              44.597               0                       6030.6                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               46265                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }         NaN
         1              105.65                      -0.4                               0                              65.4               44.59               0                       6032.8                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               46265                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }         NaN
         1              105.69                     -0.39                               0                             65.38              44.576               0                       6034.9                         18.53                                  0                         0                32767               46265                   66                   47.04              42.96              18.864               17.136           {0×0 char    }         NaN

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_prog/access-data-in-a-table.html

[Cameron LaCourse]

Am I able to edit/reference a table as I would an array?

[dpb]

The link Stephen gave above shows all the ways (a veritable cornucopia) to address table variables. The table itself is a container class, though, not a variable in quite the same sense as the single array variable. But, tablename.variablename returns an array that you can index like any other.

Again, read the doc/look at the examples...

[Cameron LaCourse]

Thank you very much! This should help.