What changed about matlab and tabs in a recent update?

I am using (fairly simple) code to cut out part of a tsv file. This code is working in R2018b but not in R2020b:

line_cell = strsplit(tlines{i}(), '\t');

Where tlines is an array of strings with tabs such as

tlines{4}() = 'g1	:	14.203	79.931	50.598'

Now R2018b give me

  1×5 cell array

    {'g1'}    {':'}    {'14.203'}    {'79.931'}    {'50.598'}  

As it should. But R202b give me:

  1×1 cell array

    {'g1→:→14.203→79.931→50.598'}    

What changed in the updates and how can you get the old (correct) functionality back?

[Jan]

What is the meaning uf the "()" in: tlines{i}() ?

Answer 1

[Jan]

I cannot confirm your observation:

str = {sprintf('g1\t:\t14.203\t79.931\t50.598')}
%  str = 1×1 cell array
%    {'g1→:→14.203→79.931→50.598'}

strsplit(str{1}, '\t')
%  1×5 cell array
%    {'g1'}    {':'}    {'14.203'}    {'79.931'}    {'50.598'}

This is the output in Matlab Online 2020b.

Answer 2

[Steven Lord]

tlines = sprintf('g1\t:\t14.203\t79.931\t50.598')

tlines = 'g1	:	14.203	79.931	50.598'

split(tlines, '\t') % tlines{4} does not contain the characters \ and t

ans = 1x1 cell array
    {'g1→:→14.203→79.931→50.598'}

split(tlines, sprintf('\t')) % but it does contain the tab character

ans = 5x1 cell array
    {'g1'    }
    {':'     }
    {'14.203'}
    {'79.931'}
    {'50.598'}

[Timotheus Berg]

Sry I'm dumb.

I'm using a library with a lot of dependencies and one of them hat a strsplit function...