load variables in workspace except the ones with '.' in them

I am running into an issue with my .mat file where one of the variable names has a . in it. How do I ignore the variable from my load command? the name of the varibale is sample.proportion. The load command that works is:

A=load('sample.mat', '-regexp','^(?!sample.proportion)...')

Now how do I edit this load command to allow it to ignore any variable with a . in it?eg test.proprotion, data.test, test,example etc

[Rik]

Can you attach an example mat file? I'm not aware of a way to create Matlab variables with a dot in them. Or do you mean you want to exclude structs?

[Stephen23]

"one of the variable names has a . in it."

Variable names in MATLAB do not allow a dot in them, and probably never will: "A valid variable name starts with a letter, followed by letters, digits, or underscores."

source: https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_prog/variable-names.html

Some possibilities:

1. You are talking about the field of a structure, object property, or similar.
2. Your MAT file was generated by a third-party tool and uses invalid variablenames.
3. something else... which must be clarified.

Which possibility describes your MAT file?

[David Hill]

What is wrong with loading extra variables to the workspace? Are you running out of memory?

[Sankar Mahadevan]

Nothing wrong with adding variables, but when the load command does find a variable with ., it fails to load the file:

Error using load

Invalid field name: 'sample.proportion'.

[Stephen23]

@Sankar Mahadevan: how did you get that variable into the MAT file?

[Sankar Mahadevan]

It was produced from another program, using a matlab script. The strange thing is if I double click the file the variables minus the .proportion variable name loads up. But If i use A=load('sample.dat') it fails to parse the variable name

[Image Analyst]

How about we just quit guessing and you attach the actual MAT file so people can try things?

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Answer 1

[Stephen23]

With a sufficiently old MATLAB release you can use this:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/42274-loadfixnames-loads-a-mat-file-fixing-invalid-names

See also:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/421-how-do-i-access-an-invalid-named-variable-from-an-exported-mat-file-that-matlab-will-not-recognize

or try Octave, which according to some forums I have read is slightly more forgiving when loading MAT-files.