How to save multiple text files with same name, but with incrementing numbers

Hi all,

I need to save multiple text files with the same name, just incrementing numbers at the end of the filename. The function I'm using, writetable, requires to specify the filename between apostrophes, so the function cannot recognize the changing filename, returning as output always the same. Thank you!

str = 'ccc2019RS';
t = 0;
for f = 1:74
    t = t + 1;
    Filename =  [str,num2str(t)];
    tab = table(Y(:),M(:),D(:),H(:)),astrF(:,f),ssh2D(:,f),tempF(:,f),salF(:,f));
    writetable(tab,'FileName.dat','Delimiter','tab','WriteVariableNames',false);
    clear tab FileName
end

[Stephen23]

Get rid of this line:

clear tab FileName

It is entirely pointless and unnecessarily slows down your code. Trying to micro-manage MATLAB memory management without really understanding how it works usually results in complex, inefficient code.

[Luís Henrique Bordin]

Hi Stephen. Indeed, that line is pointless, thank you!

Answer 1

[sushanth govinahallisathyanarayana]

Instead of filename.dat, you could substitute

['myFilename_',num2str(i),'.dat], as the loop increments, it will create a new name.

Hope this helps,

[Luís Henrique Bordin]

The code works perfectly. Thank you, Sushanth!

Answer 2

[Stephen23]

"The function I'm using, writetable, requires to specify the filename between apostrophes..."

Actually the writetable documentation states that the filenames must be specified by a character vector or a scalar string. In either case it makes no difference if the name is specified in the function call or supplied as a variable.

"so the function cannot recognize the changing filename"

Actually it does (just like all MATLAB function that read/write file data do). For example, you could do this:

fnm = sprintf('%s%d.dat',str,t);
..
writetable(tab,fnm,..);

Read more:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/import_export/process-a-sequence-of-files.html

[Luís Henrique Bordin]

Sorry for my ignorance, I am a beginner, and I have difficulty understanding how to structure the sprintf function. The option sugested by Sushanth was usefull, nevertheless, I'll try to use sprintf in the future, thank you!