How can I extract only the comments in a code?

I am trying to extract only the comments from a code that has comments embedded in it?

I have experimented with the publishing features, but have not found a way to pull out only the comments from my code.

Thank you

Answer 1

[Image Analyst]

Try this:

% Extracts all comments from a file.  Prints to command window and stores in a cell array.
clc;    % Clear the command window.
close all;  % Close all figures (except those of imtool.)
clear;  % Erase all existing variables. Or clearvars if you want.
workspace;  % Make sure the workspace panel is showing.
format long g;
format compact;

% Have user browse for a file, from a specified "starting folder."
% For convenience in browsing, set a starting folder from which to browse.
startingFolder = pwd;
if ~exist(startingFolder, 'dir')
  % If that folder doesn't exist, just start in the current folder.
  startingFolder = pwd;
end
% Get the name of the file that the user wants to use.
defaultFileName = fullfile(startingFolder, '*.*');
[baseFileName, folder] = uigetfile(defaultFileName, 'Select an m file');
if baseFileName == 0
  % User clicked the Cancel button.
  return;
end
fullFileName = fullfile(folder, baseFileName)

fid = fopen(fullFileName, 'rt');

textLine = fgetl(fid);
ca = cell(1);
while ischar(textLine)
    textLine = fgetl(fid);
  percentLocation = strfind(textLine, '%');
  if ~isempty(percentLocation)
    % Print to command window
    fprintf('%s\n', textLine(percentLocation:end));
    % Save to a cell array
    ca{end+1} = textLine;
  end
end
% Close the file
fclose(fid);
% Get rid of empty first cell left over from initialization.
ca = ca(2:end);
% Display cell array in command window.
fprintf('\n========================================================\nHere is the cell array:\n');
celldisp(ca);

It could be simpler if you took out the part where you browse for the filename, and if I knew how you wanted your output (what form it is supposed to be in), but I made it as general and flexible as practical.

[JasMar]

Do you know of a way to remove the formatting? During my process I have wrapped the comments and now when I pull the comments out into a word document the comment alignment remains.

[JasMar]

thank you!

[Image Analyst]

I don't know what you mean by formatting. If you mean the automatic line wrap, then so. There's no way, short of reading and interpreting it to know if a comment below a line with a comment is a continuation of that comment, or an entirely separate and unrelated comment.