How to read and retrieve specific data (strings and floats) from this .txt file?

Hello!

I saved the matlab command window contents and need to retreive some data from it.

I want to make a .txt or .csv file with three columns - Trial Position RT

This is the general pattern in the text file (converted from the matlab command window):

"The position of this target within its triplet is: first

shuffled =

23
15
17
24
19
21
2
6
12
7
14
10

Trial 1 : The DownArrow key was pressed, post max-fade, at time 4.569 seconds and 
at   fade value = 1.000"

The desired format for this trial would be :

Trial Position RT

1 first 4.569

I only need the position and RT for the lines that begin with "Trial". Another strange thing may be that the line with the 'Position' always precedes the line with 'Trial'.

The possible positions are - 'first', 'second', 'third'.

The trial line can also state different conditions:

'Trial %d : The %s key was pressed, post max-fade, at time %.3f seconds and at fade value = %.3f\n'

or

'Trial %d : The %s key was pressed, while fading, at time %.3f seconds and at fade value = %.3f\n'

or

'Trial %d : The %s key was pressed before the target\n'.

Thanks very much!

Amit

[dpb]

Why don't you fix the code that generates stuff in the command window to output to the file like you want it instead and save all the grief???

[Amyth]

i did code for all that, and it did work (most of the time). as a safeguard for instances where it may not work, i output some things....and thats what brings me here.

for this one participant, the code crashed before saving the data and i need to retreive it from this. that is my current grief.

could you please help?

[dpb]

For just one-of-a-kind stuff like that it's probably simpler to copy the stuff, paste it into the editor and clean it up manually...

And, if there's a known problem area in the code causing a failure that can't be otherwise avoided by fixing whatever logic error caused it, then enclose that in a try...catch...end block so you can still write what results you did get instead of the rude crash.