What's the Best Way to Convert a .mat File from -v4 format to -v7 Format?

Is there a better way than reading all of the data from the -v4 .mat file and then saving all of the data to a -v7?

data = load('v4matfile.mat');
save("v7matfile.mat","-struct","data","-v7");

Answer 1

[dpb]

It's the only way; there is no supplied functionality to convert an existing .mat file to a different version.

It's one place I find command line syntax simpler than functional for the output side although unless one uses clear first, the functional form into a variable is the only way convenient to include only the vairables in the existing file if there is anything else in the workspace that you don't want in the new file.

data=load('existingMatfile');
save newMatfile -V7 -struct data

saves having to quote all the text arguments as a minor convenience. That's at the command line; if doing programmatically then the functional form wins.

Of course, to strictly be a "conversion", the new file name would match the old to overwrite it and not have two different versions of the same file. The only drawback is if there were ever a need to read the -V7 file with an old release from before R14 for -V7