How to save a text file with number and text information?

Hello, I have on my MATLAB code some variables containing values and filenames. Ex: lat1=1.2; lat2=3.2; long1=-44; long2=-34; grd=‘map.grd’; fault=‘fault.txt’; I would like to save one file in any output text format to be read by another code with a Shell code. Ex: file.txt containing all informations inside (1.2 3.2 -44 -34 map.grd fault.txt). I tried to use the writetable function as I have used before but it just work to values, it shows error when I tried to include the filenames (e.g map.grd). Does someone have any suggestion? Thanks in advance.

[Walter Roberson]

Possibly 'QuoteStrings', 'all' option to writetable() ?

Answer 1

[Voss]

Put the filenames in cell arrays.

Example:

lat1=1.2; lat2=3.2; long1=-44; long2=-34; grd='map.grd'; fault='fault.txt';

% first, I generate the error you might have gotten:
try
    T = table(lat1,lat2,long1,long2,grd,fault) % doesn't work
catch e
    disp(e.message);
end

Invalid parameter name: map.grd.

% now, I put grd and fault in cell arrays:
T = table(lat1,lat2,long1,long2,{grd},{fault}) % works

T = 1×6 table
    lat1    lat2    long1    long2       Var5            Var6     
    ____    ____    _____    _____    ___________    _____________

    1.2     3.2      -44      -34     {'map.grd'}    {'fault.txt'}

% write the table to file:
writetable(T,'file.txt')

% check the contents of the txt file:
type file.txt

lat1,lat2,long1,long2,Var5,Var6
1.2,3.2,-44,-34,map.grd,fault.txt

[Guilherme Weber Sampaio de Melo]

Yes. It worked well. Thanks. I am trying to do another data exportaion to .txt. It would be one column only with latitude and another one containg only the longitude. But, the final .txt file is mixing the lat and long along the lines. If you have any suggestion to solve the problem I will be very grateful. Here is an example about what I tried: lat_final=[-1.1 -1.2 -1.3 -1.4];

long_final=[-34 -33 -32 -31];

fileID = fopen('final_coord.txt','w');

fprintf(fileID,'%6f %12f\n', long_final, lat_final);

[Guilherme Weber Sampaio de Melo]

Here was the final txt: -34.000000 -33.000000

-32.000000 -31.000000

-1.100000 -1.200000

-1.300000 -1.400000

[Voss]

You're welcome! Since my answer solved the problem, don't forget to "Accept" it. Thanks!

For the second question, fprintf prints elements from the arguments you give it in order; in this case the order is long_final(1), long_final(2), ..., long_final(end), lat_final(1), lat_final(2), ... lat_final(end), with a newline after each 2 values.

Since you want the order to be long_final(1), lat_final(1), long_final(2), lat_final(2), ..., what you can do is put long_final and lat_final together in a matrix and send that to fprintf. When printing a matrix, fprintf prints down the first column first, then moves to the second column, etc., so each column should be one long value and one lat value, like this:

lat_final=[-1.1 -1.2 -1.3 -1.4];
long_final=[-34 -33 -32 -31];
fileID = fopen('final_coord.txt','w');
fprintf(fileID,'%6f %12f\n', [long_final; lat_final]);
fclose(fileID);

% check the file:
type('final_coord.txt')

-34.000000    -1.100000
-33.000000    -1.200000
-32.000000    -1.300000
-31.000000    -1.400000

[Guilherme Weber Sampaio de Melo]

Yes, it worked well to continue the following steps on my code. Thank you very much!

[Voss]

You're welcome!