Href hyperlink, how to escape double quotes " ?

How can I escape double quotes when displaying a hyperlink in matlab?

Example:

I want to create a hyperlink to execute this command:

[cmd_status cmd_return] = system('explorer.exe /select, "C:\My folder\My file" ')

Without double quotes, the relevant hyperlink is:

disp('<a href="matlab:system(''explorer.exe /select, C:\My folder\My file'');">Click Here</a>')

However, nothing I tried ("", \", '", ...) worked (it has to be double quotes, windows CMD does not accept anything else)

Thank you

[Walter Roberson]

try coding

"

in place of each double quote that is being escaped

[covfefe]

I don't this this is working

disp(['<a href="matlab:system(''explorer.exe /select, &quot;C:\My folder\My file&quot;'');">Click Here</a>'])

does not convert the " to ", leaving windows unable to execute the command

Answer 1

[Fangjun Jiang]

knowing

double('"')

ans = 34

char(34)

ans = '"'

This leads to the following, which works out properly

disp('<a href="matlab:system([''explorer.exe /select, '',char(34),''c:\My Folder\My File'',char(34)] );">Click Here</a>')

Click Here

[covfefe]

This doesn't work. The printed string is:

system('explorer.exe /select,

the href link closes on the double quote " and the rest of the command gets ignored

disp(['<a href="matlab:system(''explorer.exe /select, ', char(34), 'C:\My folder\My file', char(34), ''');">Click Here</a>'])

is no different

(R2018b if that matters)

[Fangjun Jiang]

okay, I see the problem now. It is due to the syntax of the hyperlinks itself using double quote symbol.

[Fangjun Jiang]

A workaround. Creat a m-file function with a full file name in single quotes as input argument, calling system() to open Explorer. Hyperlink to the m-file function.

[covfefe]

Thanks @Fangjun Jiang. I know this is an option, I was hoping for a cleaner solution. Surely there has to be a way to escape the quotes, right?

[Fangjun Jiang]

Ha! this works out

disp('<a href="matlab:system([''explorer.exe /select, '',char(34),''c:\My Folder\My File'',char(34)] );">Click Here</a>')

Click Here

Answer 2

[Jan]

I'm curious:

% [UNTESTED]  [TYPO FIXED]
disp(['<a href="matlab:system(', ...
    'strrep(''explorer.exe /select, $C:\My folder\My file$'', ''$'', char(34));">Click Here</a>')

Fanjung's idea:

% [UNTESTED]
disp('<a href="matlab:myExplorer(''C:\My folder\My file'');">Click Here</a>')

function myExplorer(File)
system(sprintf('explorer.exe /select, "%s"');
end

[covfefe]

Thanks, this one works too. (there was a typo, correct syntax is:)

disp(['<a href="matlab:system(strrep(''explorer.exe /select, $C:\My folder\My file$'', ''$'', char(34)));">Click Here</a>'])