Converting PERL to Matlab

Hello,

I am currently developing a Matlab script to automate Microsoft Word files. I found a site that took a portion of a PERL script that says how to do this and converted it to Matlab syntax. However, I need more functions from the PERL script than the portion that is provided. Instead of pasting the whole script here, I am providing the links.

PERL script portion with Matlab syntax examples: http://matlab.cheme.cmu.edu/2011/10/22/create-a-word-document-from-matlab//

Full PERL script: http://www.adp-gmbh.ch/perl/word.html

What I am currently missing is the ability to indent specific lines of my choosing. While it would be a miracle if someone could go through and convert the entire PERL script to Matlab syntax, I would be thrilled with just getting the portions related to indenting. At the moment, if I want to indent something I have to add a bunch of spaces at the beginning of the sentence, and guess/trial&error where to add a bunch more spaces in the middle of the sentence once the sentence starts to text wrap to the left margin again.

An example of the current issue I'm having:

[current]

xxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxx

xxxxx

[desired]

xxxxxx

       xxxxxxx

       xxxxxxx
  xxxx

       xxxxxxxx

           xxxxx

Thank you, whoever decides to help me with this!

John

I apologize for the way my code pasted; in preview it looks like quit a mess :/

Current Code:

function SlideWriter(Headers, Titles, Bodies, ordering)
% Headers, Titles, and Bodies are arrays of strings, each string being a sentence that has its own assigned
%    Font size, Font, (and hopefully indention soon) from ordering
% ordering will have values between 1 and 3
% 1: normal text font 2: Title text font 3: Header Text font
% simply put, the ordering value corresponds to font size
% length of ordering array should equal the sum of Headers, Titles, and
% Bodies

word = actxserver('Word.Application');
word.Visible = 1;

document = word.Documents.Add;
selection = word.Selection;

%Font Styles Placement
%Header
%Body Title
%   Body Normal
%Footer

%Font Styles for copy-pasting
%Header
H = document.Styles.Item('Header');
H.Font.Name = 'Times New Roman';
H.Font.Size = 16;
H.Font.Bold = 1;

%Footer
F = document.Styles.Item('Footer');
F.Font.Name = 'Times New Roman';
F.Font.Size = 10;
F.Font.Bold = 0;

%Body Title
B = document.Styles.Item('Title');
B.Font.Name = 'Times New Roman';
B.Font.Size = 14;
B.Font.Bold = 1;

%Body Normal
N = document.Styles.Item('Normal');
N.Font.Name = 'Times New Roman';
N.Font.Size = 12;
N.Font.Bold = 0;

hcount = 1;
tcount = 1;
ncount = 1;

for k = 1:length(ordering)

     if ordering(k) == 3
          currenttext = Headers{hcount};
          selection.TypeText(currenttext);
          selection.Style = 'Header';
          if k == 1
              selection.TypeParagraph; 
          else
              selection.TypeParagraph;
              selection.TypeParagraph;
          end
          hcount = hcount + 1;
     end

     if ordering(k) == 2
         currenttext = Titles{tcount};
         selection.TypeText(currenttext);
         selection.Style = 'Title';
         selection.TypeParagraph;
         selection.TypeParagraph;
         tcount = tcount + 1;
     end

     if ordering(k) == 1
         currenttext = Bodies{ncount};
         selection.TypeText(currenttext);
         selection.Style = 'Normal';
         selection.TypeParagraph;
         ncount = ncount + 1;
     end
  end
  end

Answer 1

[Steven Lord]

Rather than converting from Perl to MATLAB, consider calling the Perl script from within MATLAB using the perl function.

[John Cochran]

I tried taking a line of code and pasting it in perl("line of code"), and it threw me an error. The current example in Mathworks for the perl function wasn't good enough for me to know how to use it.

[John Cochran]

Feel free to take a chunk and show me how you would use the perl function and then I can take a stab at the rest!

[Steven Lord]

The perl function does not accept individual lines of Perl code. It accepts the name of a Perl script to be executed. So if your script was in a file Word.pl you would use:

perl('Word.pl')

If it needs input arguments, specify them as additional inputs to the perl function.

perl('Word.pl', 'theNameOfMyDocument.doc')

[John Cochran]

The issue is that this PERL script doesn't perform a particular action, so much as it is a collection of available commands/functions that can be used for Word Automation. Also, I do not have the PERL file; I just have the PERL syntax listed on the website.