Import numeric data from mixed txt file

Hello everybody,

I'd like to import only the numeric data in the attached txt file, so all lines containing '#', '##' or '**' should be ignored. I tried the textscan function, but it only seems to support one character as parameter for CommentStyle. What would be the easiest solution to read only the numeric data?

I

Thank you very much for your help!

Answer 1

[Chunru]

a = readtable('data.txt', 'CommentStyle', '#')

a = 6480×31 table
    Var1      Var2        Var3      Var4       Var5          Var6          Var7         Var8        Var9    Var10     Var11      Var12       Var13        Var14         Var15        Var16        Var17       Var18    Var19     Var20         Var21        Var22       Var23       Var24    Var25      Var26         Var27        Var28        Var29       Var30    Var31
    ____    ________    ________    ____    __________    ___________    ________    ___________    ____    _____    _______    ________    ________    _________    ___________    _______    ___________    _____    _____    ________    ___________    _______    __________    _____    _____    _________    ___________    _______    ___________    _____    _____

      1      0.15056     0.97102     0         0.33299     7.4973e-19    0.051952     1.4862e-19     0        0      0.24436     0.42363     0.36585      0.24436     4.9618e-19          0              0      0        0       0.42363      1.009e-18          0             0      0        0        0.33099     7.4401e-19    0.15586     4.4585e-19      0        0  
      2     0.028868        0.65     0      -0.0072999     1.1565e-18      1.1085     2.0031e-18     0        0       1.1088      1.0959      1.1212      -0.0219     3.4694e-18     1.1085     2.0031e-18      0        0             0              0     1.0959    4.0062e-18      0        0              0              0     1.1212              0      0        0  
      3     0.028868        0.55     0       0.0017048    -5.7824e-19      1.1507     3.0046e-18     0        0       1.1508      1.1537      1.1478    0.0051145    -1.7347e-18     1.1507     3.0046e-18      0        0             0              0     1.1537    2.0031e-18      0        0              0              0     1.1478     4.0062e-18      0        0  
      4     0.028868        0.45     0        0.010521     1.1565e-18        1.14     2.3111e-33     0        0       1.1405      1.1583      1.1218     0.031563     3.4694e-18       1.14              0      0        0             0              0     1.1583    2.0031e-18      0        0              0              0     1.1218    -2.0031e-18      0        0  
      5         0.65    0.028868     0         0.25784     5.0077e-19    0.049789     2.8912e-19     0        0      0.29798      0.1716     0.34407      0.25784     5.0077e-19    0.14937     8.6736e-19      0        0        0.1716              0          0             0      0        0        0.34407     1.0015e-18          0              0      0        0  
      6     0.030332     0.24903     0        0.030547              0     0.93588              0     0        0       0.9384     0.98722     0.88651      0.09164              0    0.93392              0      0        0             0              0    0.98722             0      0        0              0              0    0.88651              0      0        0  
      7     0.028978     0.15053     0        0.042608     5.7541e-19      0.7574     1.0033e-18     0        0      0.76964     0.83015     0.68311      0.12782     1.7262e-18    0.75895     1.0242e-18      0        0             0              0    0.83015    1.9857e-18      0        0              0              0    0.68311              0      0        0  
      8     0.033333    0.033333     0         0.10322              0     0.10322              0     0        0      0.30965     0.30965           0      0.30965              0          0              0      0        0             0              0    0.30965             0      0        0              0              0          0              0      0        0  
      9      0.96667     0.96667     0          0.1033              0      0.1033              0     0        0            0     0.30989     0.30989            0              0          0              0      0        0       0.30989              0          0             0      0        0              0              0    0.30989              0      0        0  
     10     0.033333     0.96667     0       -0.081597              0    0.081597              0     0        0      0.24479     0.24479           0            0              0    0.24479              0      0        0      -0.24479              0          0             0      0        0              0              0          0              0      0        0  
     11      0.85365     0.97058     0        -0.16927    -2.5442e-19    0.059724     1.3952e-19     0        0      0.25688     0.26337    0.060357     -0.18408    -2.8903e-19    0.17917     4.1856e-19      0        0      -0.26337    -4.7424e-19          0             0      0        0      -0.060357              0          0              0      0        0  
     12      0.75155     0.96946     0       -0.078265              0    0.057031              0     0        0      0.19063     0.16873    0.018009    -0.084071              0    0.17109              0      0        0      -0.16873              0          0             0      0        0       0.018009              0          0              0      0        0  
     13         0.65     0.97113     0       0.0037847     1.2519e-19    0.053205      7.228e-20     0        0      0.15966     0.08837    0.095939    0.0037847     1.2519e-19    0.15962     2.1684e-19      0        0      -0.08837              0          0             0      0        0       0.095939     2.5039e-19          0              0      0        0  
     14         0.35    0.028868     0       0.0041578              0    0.053046              0     0        0      0.15919     0.08772    0.096035    0.0041578              0    0.15914              0      0        0      -0.08772              0          0             0      0        0       0.096035              0          0              0      0        0  
     15         0.45     0.97113     0         0.18071    -2.5039e-19    0.050457    -1.4456e-19     0        0      0.23573    0.093315      0.2681      0.18071    -2.5039e-19    0.15137    -4.3368e-19      0        0      0.093315              0          0             0      0        0         0.2681    -5.0077e-19          0              0      0        0  
     16         0.35     0.97113     0         0.25775    -5.0077e-19    0.049937    -2.8912e-19     0        0      0.29812     0.17125     0.34424      0.25775    -5.0077e-19    0.14981    -8.6736e-19      0        0       0.17125              0          0             0      0        0        0.34424    -1.0015e-18          0              0      0        0  

[dj1du]

Thank you so much, this is exactly the command I was looking for!