List files in current directory based on a pattern in a variable.

Hello, I have a column vector weeklyDates = [20101031;20101107;etc...]. In my directory i have files containing these patterns within their file names (ex: L3m_20101024-20101031_sst.nc).

I want to loop over weeklyDates such that in each iteration i get all the files containing the pattern in weeklyDates at each row.

Is there a way to use the function dir so that it reads each pattern contained in the variable weeklyDates iteratively?

Desired result: dir('*20101031*.nc')

dir('*20101107*.nc') ...

Answer 1

[dpb]

weeklyDates = [20101031;20101107;...];
for i=1:numel(weeklyDates)
  pattern=sprintf('*%d*.nc',weeklyDates(i));
  d=dir(pattern);
  for j=1:numel(d)
    fname=d(j).name;
    % process each file here...
  end
end

NB: Corrected typo in format string -- also, dir() doesn't like the cellstr() so reverted back to old sprintf()

[Ziad Sari El Dine]

Thanks!

[Ziad Sari El Dine]

It is giving an error: Error using compose (line 98)

Invalid format.

[dpb]

Typo - there's a second '%' after the %d instead of the intended '*' wildcard...

fmt='*%d*.nc';

[Ziad Sari El Dine]

Error using sscanf

First argument must be a string scalar or character vector.

I tried changing my array to a string array but it gave no result

[dpb]

Before AM coffee!!! NOT sscanf here, it's sprintf, of course.

>> pattern=sprintf('*%d*.nc',20101031)
pattern =
    '*20101031*.nc'
>> 

[Ziad Sari El Dine]

Haha thanks for the help. Much appreciated!