Importing Matrix from text or csv files

I have a large matrix that I'd like to import, preferably in one command into a few different Matlab variables. I have been attempting to use "importdata" but it doesn't seem to respect the row headers because many of them are numeric (CUSIPS). I have a file that's roughly 1000x500 with one row of column headers and one column of row headers. Does anyone know how I can import this data all at once? If not all at once, what's the easiest way to go about importing it all when I'm not quite sure how many columns I will have in total? In the end I should have two arrays of column headrers (text) and a matrix of numerical data.

Thanks a lot, Brian

Answer 1

[the cyclist]

Personally, I like the readtext() function from the FEX for mixed-type files: http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/10946.

This is not to be confused with the MATLAB function textread(), whose help file has the quote "If the file contains any text data, an error is produced." :-)

[Brian]

Sorry for the delayed response. This function works beautifully. It imports the entire data set into a cell from which I can create my matrix and character arrays.

[Brian]

I am getting the data to import into one large cell where I have actual text data in column 1 and dates in row1. No matter what I try I can't get the dates to be converted to something that Matlab will recognize. Any idea how to do this? My dates are imported but have no '' around them.

Thanks,

Brian

[the cyclist]

I think you should launch a new question on this, and add more detail around what the text that you are importing looks like (possibly with an example).

[Brian]

Thanks - just did so here ->http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/36006-import-from-txt-or-csv