Can't create a folder outside of the current directory

I am using a package on Matlab, and in order for that to function properly, I need to keep the path folder fixed.

Now in my code, I import a data from a path. Then I generate plots, which I would like to save in a different folder. More specifically, in a sub-folder inside the folder, from which I imported the data in the first place.

I did it using the mkdir function like this:

% path to files
pname = 'C:\Package\Matlab Codes\';

% which files to be imported
fname = [pname '\MyData.txt'];

%create a subfolder
mkdir pname MyFolder

However, running the above code results in creating a folder names 'pname' in my current directory. MyFolder is created inside the pname. Somehow it doesn't understand that the pname is the same adress as above. If I write

'C:\Package\Matlab Codes\'

in place of

pname

, it works properly.

Does anyone how to fix it? seems to be a syntaxing issue.

[Stephen23]

"seems to be a syntaxing issue. "

Yes, this: https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_prog/command-vs-function-syntax.html

Answer 1

[Steven Lord]

Use fullfile instead of manually concatenating the path and file name then use the function form of mkdir rather than the command form.

% path to files
pname = 'C:\Package\Matlab Codes\';

% which files to be imported
fname = fullfile(pname, 'MyFolder', 'MyData.mat');

%create a subfolder using the function form of mkdir
mkdir(fullfile(pname, 'MyFolder'))

% Create a file
x = 1:10;
save(fname, 'x')

The following two lines of code are equivalent and explain why the directory named pname was created.

mkdir pname
mkdir('pname')