Unzipping a gzipped string

Hello, Currently, we are using PHP to read data from a gzipped, base 64 encoded database and outputting the results which is then read by Matlab and manipulated as needed.

I would like to read the database directly from Matlab. I have no problem reading the database and decoding from Base64. However, I cannot understand how to unzip (uncompress) the string.

In PHP, it is a simple function called 'gzuncompress'. However, in Matlab, the gzip function requires a file, not a string.

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks Keith

Answer 1

[José-Luis]

You could always call a PHP script from Matlab using the system() call and have it return the uncompressed string.

[Keith]

Thank you. That did the job I neeed.

Answer 2

[Guillaume]

Yes, there are several functions in matlab that are severely limited compared to other languages as they only work on files and not on streams / strings. Other than Jose-Luis' answer, you can

1. save your string to a file and use matlab gunzip. That's not going to be fast
2. use java.util.zip.GZIPInputStream. May be a bit awkward. Certainly not a one-liner.