How do I simplify importing .xls files within a for loop?

Thanks for any assistance in advance! I have the following problem: I have generated spreadsheets of data (.xls file for each baseball team).

I want to import one xls file, do some calculations, and then move on to the next team's xls file...so on and so on..

However, the way I designed my for loop, a window pops up where I have to manually select each individual .xls file I wish to be imported.

I would like to know: how can i automate this process? What code do I need so that the program itself will know exactly which xls file to import within the for loop without me needed to manually select it each time?.

Here is my code:

for Str = {'Diamondbacks' 'Braves' 'Orioles' 'Boston' 'Cubs' 'WhiteSox' 'Reds' 'Indians' 'Rockies' 'Tigers' 'Astros' 'Royals' 'Angels' 'Dodgers' 'Marlins' 'Brewers' 'Twins' 'Mets' 'Yankees' 'Athletics' 'Phillies' 'Pirates' 'Padres' 'Giants' 'Mariners' 'Cardinals' 'Rays' 'Rangers' 'BlueJays' 'Nationals'};

[fileToRead1, folder] = uigetfile();
AngelsData.xls = fullfile(folder, fileToRead1);
% Call the first function.

importhome(AngelsData.xls)
%IMPORTFILE(FILETOREAD1)
%  Imports data from the specified file
%  FILETOREAD1:  file to read

%  Auto-generated by MATLAB on 05-May-2012 23:12:52

% Import the file
sheetName='Sheet1';
[numbers, strings, raw] = xlsread(fileToRead1, sheetName);
if ~isempty(numbers)
    newData1.data =  numbers;
end

if ~isempty(strings) && ~isempty(numbers)
    [strRows, strCols] = size(strings);
    [numRows, numCols] = size(numbers);
    likelyRow = size(raw,1) - numRows;
    % Break the data up into a new structure with one field per column.
    if strCols == numCols && likelyRow > 0 && strRows >= likelyRow
        newData1.colheaders = strings(likelyRow, :);
    end
end

[Walter Roberson]

What pattern (if any) is there in the names of the files?

[Clifford Shelton]

the pattern is this: "teamname".xls For example: Braves.xls Angels.xls Tigers.xls so on and so forth.

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

Replace

[fileToRead1, folder] = uigetfile();

with

folder = '';
fileToRead1 = [Str '.xls'];

Note: I would suggest that "AngelsData.xls" is a confusing name for a variable. It looks too much like a file name. It is a valid variable name, though, meaning "the field named 'xls' in the structure named 'AngelsData'"

[Clifford Shelton]

Thanks for the help! I'm getting a errorwhen I run the program. And I'm not sure what is going wrong...

I adjusted the coded like you said:

for Str = {'Diamondbacks' 'Braves' 'Orioles' 'Boston' 'Cubs' 'WhiteSox' 'Reds' 'Indians' 'Rockies' 'Tigers' 'Astros' 'Royals' 'Angels' 'Dodgers' 'Marlins' 'Brewers' 'Twins' 'Mets' 'Yankees' 'Athletics' 'Phillies' 'Pirates' 'Padres' 'Giants' 'Mariners' 'Cardinals' 'Rays' 'Rangers' 'BlueJays' 'Nationals'};

folder = '';
fileToRead1 = [Str '.xls'];
% Call the first function.

importhome(AngelsData.xls)
%IMPORTFILE(FILETOREAD1)
%  Imports data from the specified file
%  FILETOREAD1:  file to read

%  Auto-generated by MATLAB on 05-May-2012 23:12:52

I'm getting an error at the line of code that says:

importhome (AngelsData.xls)

When I first wrote this program the name of the fist file that i imported was called "AngelsData.xls". I first manually did an import and then generated the code for it through the code auto-generating function in Matlab.

Now I just want to have the whole process automated for all 30 teams (the importing and doing my calculations etc.).

How should I edit, or should I remove the line of code:

importhome (AngelsData.xls)

???? Thanks a bunch

[Walter Roberson]

I didn't say to remove the line

AngelsData.xls = fullfile(folder, fileToRead1);

Not that it is needed, really. What should be done is to remove it and to use

importhome(filetoRead1);

[Clifford Shelton]

I tried that and still got this error:

??? Error using ==> xlsread at 122 Filename must be a string.

Error in ==> importhome at 10 [numbers, strings, raw] = xlsread(fileToRead1, sheetName);

Error in ==> baseball2 at 9 importhome(fileToRead1);

Stil stumped :-(