Matlab Import and combine multiple dat files

I am trying to import multiple .dat files, process them and combine into a single matrix. In this case, I need to divide each cell by its time (i.e. normalizing factor). This example is for 2 dat files, I managed to do it, but I have a lot of files, up to data100raw, and I hope to have a loop to process everything in one go, while allowing me to set a different normalizing factor for each file.

data1raw = importdata('2015-04-19004-190-31.04-20140819-5sample transport-PL spectra 10s-0mm.dat')
data2raw = importdata('2015-04-19004-190-31.04-20140819-5sample transport-PL spectra 10s-2mm.dat')

%remove first column
data1raw(:,1) = []
data2raw(:,1) = []

%Enter time (i.e. normalising factor)
data1time = [5; data1raw]
data2time = [10; data2raw]

%combine
datacombine = [data1time, data2time]

%normalise
width = 2
height = 1341
for ihori = 1:width
    for iverti = 2:height
        datacombine(iverti,ihori) = datacombine(iverti,ihori) / datacombine(1,ihori)
    end
end

Screenshots of original data

and final desired product (first row is the normalising factor)

Answer 1

[Birdman]

Below, I made a simple example where I assumed that you have 3 set of datas which have 10 row each and already uploaded(I skipped the part before combine).

datacombine=randi([600 615],10,2,3);%random data
width = size(datacombine,3);
height = size(datacombine,1);
for i = 1:width
    fac=input('Enter normalising factor\n');
    datacombine(:,:,i) = [(datacombine(:,1,i)./fac(1)) (datacombine(:,2,i)./fac(2))];
end

With this, you can define new normalising factor for each set of data in the loop. Hope this approach helps.

[Yan Rui Lee]

Hi Birdman, I got an error that index exceeds matrix dimension </matlabcentral/answers/uploaded_files/99531/Error.png>

Btw for this line

datacombine(:,:,i) = [(datacombine(:,1,i)./fac(1)) (datacombine(:,2,i)./fac(2))];

if I have 100 dat files do I have to copy and paste till fac(100)?

[Birdman]

From my code, you should not receive any error. Be careful while adapting mine to yours.

When you said 100 dat files, I thought them of 100 times separate 10 rows of files, like

datacombine=randi([600 615],10,2,100);

By the way, when you enter factors at each loop, enter them as follows:

[5 10]
[2 4]
[1 3]