Is it possible to use a variable name like this within Matlab?

I have standardized header names with slash like this: OXYGEN_UMOL/KG.

How do I escape the '/' so that I can use commands like this?

OXYGEN_UMOL/KG = 5;

The same variable name should go to my Excel writetable command.

Thanks!

[Daniel M]

It is not possible with regular variable names. The only time is may be possible is with the names of variables within a table, and then only in release R2019b. Unfortunately, I have R2019a so I cannot test this.

[Leon]

Thank you!

Answer 1

[Guillaume]

Confusingly, variable names can mean two different things now in matlab. A generic variable name, e.g.

>> A = 5

is limited to alphanumeric characters and _ and cannot start with a digit.

Since R2019b, table variable names on the other hand can have any characters in them, so yes a table variable can be named OXYGEN_UMOL/KG.

One way to do this:

>> t = table([1;2;3], ["aaa"; "b"; "cc"], 'VariableNames', {'OXYGEN_UMOL/KG', 'Name with spaces'})
t =
  3×2 table
    OXYGEN_UMOL/KG    Name with spaces
    ______________    ________________
          1                "aaa"      
          2                "b"        
          3                "cc"   

Another way:

>> t.('#@!') = [10;20;30]
t =
  3×3 table
    OXYGEN_UMOL/KG    Name with spaces    #@!
    ______________    ________________    ___
          1                "aaa"          10 
          2                "b"            20 
          3                "cc"           30 

writetable will write these names as is in excel or a text file.

[Adam Danz]

Thanks, I hadn't thought about tables.

[Leon]

Many thanks, Everyone!

Glad this works with table after R2019b.