Data import processing doesn't import all of the data due to breaks with strings of words, need help with how to program it to skip words.

Hi, i need to import this file. The name is 'test.dat' The issue is the machine i used put breaks in the middle of my data. So there are 4 or so per file (of which there are 100s). I just put up a sample. I need to figure out how to import the data in a series USING PROGRAMMING instead of Import data button. Any help would be appreciated.

Just to make sure and clarify, this is all in ONE file.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Data Header: Time:

40.015625 Sec 5/15/2013 4:58:32 PM

Data Acquisition: Timed

Time Axial Displacement Laser Axial Force

Sec mm V kN

19.952148 0.33294171 0.14016636 7.525351

19.961914 0.33293188 0.13982981 7.5288987

19.97168 0.33211958 0.14016636 7.5310717

19.981445 0.33200124 0.13949329 7.5342035

19.991211 0.33229405 0.14050288 7.5394435

20.000977 0.33361277 0.13982981 7.545064

20.010742 0.33254349 0.14050288 7.5489321

Data Header: Time: 40.015625 Sec 5/15/2013 4:58:34 PM

Data Acquisition: Timed

Time Axial Displacement Laser Axial Force

Sec mm V kN

20.020508 0.33314335 0.14117596 7.5557652

20.030273 0.33282167 0.14050288 7.5602489

20.040039 0.33306253 0.13982981 7.5675216

20.049805 0.33343881 0.14117596 7.5729542

20.05957 0.33403006 0.14083943 7.5809579

20.069336 0.33387816 0.14117596 7.582993

20.079102 0.33361062 0.14016636 7.5838275

20.088867 0.33440217 0.14016636 7.5888386

[Matt Kindig]

Do you need any of the information in the "break" lines? I assume the breaks are (for example):

Data Header: Time: 40.015625 Sec 5/15/2013 4:58:34 PM
Data Acquisition: Timed
Time Axial Displacement Laser Axial Force
Sec mm V kN

If not, I think you can use regular expressions to do it. Assuming your file is not too big (as to not run out of memory), you could try this:

myfile = fileread('test.dat');
pattern = '(([\d\.]+)(\s+)){4}\n';  
goodlines = strtrim(regexp(myfile, pattern, 'match'));  %isolate only "good" lines
data = regexp(goodlines', '\s+', 'split');   %split by space
data = cell2mat( cellfun(@str2double, data, 'uni', false)); %convert to double

Answer 1

[per isakson]

See Reading and grouping data from file