date and time string identification

Hello, I have the following information obtained from a text-file

date_hne: {'2014' '04' '01' '23' '46' '44.998300'}

date_hnn: {'2014' '04' '01' '23' '46' '44.998300'}

date_hnz: {'2014' '04' '01' '23' '46' '44.998300'}

as output in a cell array. I need to convert this information into a date vector that identify the date and time using the following command

formatIn = 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS'

date_hne = datestr(date_hne,formatIn)

date_hnn = datestr(date_hnn,formatIn)

date_hnz = datestr(date_hnz,formatIn)

The seconds can be rounded as 45

The readable file is an compressed file (wwith 3 files) in order to be read. I can not attached the file that is why I attached as an uncompressed file here.

The script is as follows

%% Sub-function 5: this works for the data from the CENTRO SISMOLOGICO NACIONAL (CSN) OF CHILE

function [date_hne, date_hnn, date_hnz] = import_zip_chile (filename)

mkdir('tmp')

if strcmp(filename(end-2:end),'zip')==1

unzip(filename,'tmp');

else

error('Not a Zip');

end

cd('tmp')

content=dir;

content(1:2,:)=[];

cd ..

fname = content(1).name;

fname = fname(1:end-8);

formatIn = 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS'

% S = dir(fullfile(path,[file_name,'*.txt']));

index_station = 0; %index added for stations

%% create list of unique filenames like 20211104-041752-C16O

% list of unique files :

% load "HNE"

try

file_name_1 = [fname, '-HNE.txt'];

file_name_1 = strrep(file_name_1,'_','-');

[header_hne] = import_from_CSN_chile(['tmp\',file_name_1],1);

catch

file_name_1 = [fname, '-HLE.txt'];

file_name_1 = strrep(file_name_1,'_','-');

[header_hne] = import_from_CSN_chile(['tmp\',file_name_1],1);

end

number_of_rows_header = min(size(header_hne));

for i=1:number_of_rows_header

if strcmp(header_hne(i,1:length('# Tiempo de Origen:')),'# Tiempo de Origen:')==1

line_date = i;

end

end

date_hne = regexp(header_hne(line_date,:),'-?\d+\.?\d*|-?\d*\.?\d+','match'); % date and time

%date_hne = join(date_hne);

date_hne = date_hne(~isspace(date_hne));

date_hne = erase(date_hne,"-"); %erase dash fromt the string

date_hne = datestr(date_hne); %added to convert to date string

% load "HNN"

try

file_name_2 = [fname, '-HNN.txt'];

file_name_2 = strrep(file_name_2,'_','-');

[header_hnn] = import_from_CSN_chile(['tmp\',file_name_2],1);

catch

file_name_2 = [fname, '-HLN.txt'];

file_name_2 = strrep(file_name_2,'_','-');

[header_hnn] = import_from_CSN_chile(['tmp\',file_name_2],1);

end

date_hnn = regexp(header_hnn(line_date,:),'-?\d+\.?\d*|-?\d*\.?\d+','match'); % date and time

%date_hnn = join(date_hnn);

date_hnn = date_hnn(~isspace(date_hnn));

date_hnn = erase(date_hnn,"-"); %erase dash fromt the string

date_hnn = datestr(date_hnn); %added to convert to date string

% load "HNZ"

try

file_name_3 = [fname, '-HNZ.txt'];

file_name_3 = strrep(file_name_3,'_','-');

[header_hnz] = import_from_CSN_chile(['tmp\',file_name_3],1);

catch

file_name_3 = [fname, '-HLZ.txt'];

file_name_3 = strrep(file_name_3,'_','-');

[header_hnz] = import_from_CSN_chile(['tmp\',file_name_3],1);

end

date_hnz = regexp(header_hnz(line_date,:),'-?\d+\.?\d*|-?\d*\.?\d+','match'); % date and time

%date_hnz = join(date_hnz);

date_hnz = date_hnz(~isspace(date_hnz));

date_hnz = erase(date_hnz,"-"); %erase dash fromt the string

date_hnz = datestr(date_hnz); %added to convert to date string

rmdir ('tmp','s')

end

%%function to import from chile

function [head] = import_from_CSN_chile(filename,nclm,skip,formt)

% READCLM Reads numerical data from a text file into a matrix.

% Text file can begin with a header or comment block.

% [DATA,HEAD] = READCLM(FILENAME,NCLM,SKIP,FORMAT)

% Opens file FILENAME, skips first several lines specified

% by SKIP number or beginning with comment '%'.

% Then reads next several lines into a string matrix HEAD

% until the first line with numerical data is encountered

% (that is until first non-empty output of SSCANF).

% Then reads the rest of the file into a numerical matrix

% DATA in a format FORMAT with number of columns equal

% to number of columns of the text file or specified by

% number NCLM. If data does not match the size of the

% matrix DATA, it is padded with NaN at the end.

%

% READCLM(FILENAME) reads data from a text file FILENAME,

% skipping only commented lines. It determines number of

% columns by the length of the first data line and uses

% the floating point format '%g';

%

% READCLM uses FGETS to read the first lines and FSCANF

% for reading data.

% Defaults and parameters ..............................

formt_dflt = '%g'; % Default format for fscanf

addn = nan; % Number to fill the end if necessary

% Handle input ..........................................

if nargin<1, error(' File name is undefined'); end

if nargin<4, formt = formt_dflt; end

if nargin<3, skip = 0; end

if nargin<2, nclm = 0; end

if isempty(nclm), nclm = 0; end

if isempty(skip), skip = 0; end

% Open file ............................

[fid,msg] = fopen(filename);

if fid<0, disp(msg), return, end

% Find header and first data line ......................

is_head = 1;

jl = 0;

head = ' ';

while is_head % Add lines to header.....

s = fgets(fid); % Get next line

jl = jl+1;

is_skip = jl<=skip;

is_skip = jl<=skip | s(1)=='%';

out1 = sscanf(s,formt); % Try to read this line

% If unreadable by SSCANF or skip, add to header

is_head = isempty(out1) | is_skip;

if is_head & ~is_skip

head = str2mat(head,s(1:length(s)-1)); end

end

head = head(2:size(head,1),:);

% Determine number of columns if not specified

out1 = out1(:)';

l1 = length(out1);

if ~nclm, nclm = l1; end

fclose (fid); % Close file ..........

end

[Stephen23]

It is unclear what your actual question is.

This is very smelly code:

cd('tmp')
content=dir;
content(1:2,:)=[];
cd ..

Do not use CD just to access data files or call DIR. Using CD is slow and makes debugging harder. You should use absolute/relative filepaths.

Deleting elements 1 & 2 from the structure returned by DIR() is a buggy way to handle the dot directory names:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/484430-using-struct-dir-selpath-what-do-and-mean-as-struct-name#answer_395754

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/40949-omitting-pointers-when-listing-folder-contents#answer_50568

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/13978-list-of-files-sorting#answer_19278

As Walter Roberson wrote in that last link: "In short: if your code assumes that '.' and '..' are the first two entries in a directory, your code has a bug (even in MS Windows). If your code assumes that directory entries are returned in any sorted order, your code has a bug (in all OS.)"

The robust approach is one of these:

• use ISMEMBER, SETDIFF, or similar on the names.
• specify the DIR() match string to exclude dot directory names.

Answer 1

[Peter Perkins]

"I have the following information obtained from a text-file

date_hne: {'2014' '04' '01' '23' '46' '44.998300'}"

I don't see anything even remotely like that in the three text files you've attached. And that's not a great format to end up with. post more information on how you got there, and people can probably help.

Also: these two things

formatIn = 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS'

date_hne = datestr(date_hne,formatIn)

are incompatible. The first is a datetime format. The second is a call to the legacy datestr function, which uses a very different set of formats. Don't use datestr.