Use text in table to make variables

I have a table, T; the first column contains text enclosed in single quotes, and the second column contains scalar numbers:

Symbol Value

1 'Z1' 3

2 'Z2' 4

How can I get Matlab to create variables from the Symbols and assign the Values to them? ie

Z1=3

Z2=4

I could convert T.Symbol into a string vector:

T.Symbol =s,

but how can I convert s into variables, without having to type each variable manually? (In reality, my table contains many rows, and I have more than one table.)

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

That is not recommended. For example, how would you expect your code to be able to proceed if one of the symbols was 'T' and so you assigned a numeric value to T, overwriting T's usage as a table?

http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/304528-tutorial-why-variables-should-not-be-named-dynamically-eval

T = table({'Z1'; 'Z2'}, [3;4], 'VariableNames', {'Symbol', 'Value'})

T = 2x2 table
    Symbol    Value
    ______    _____

    {'Z1'}      3  
    {'Z2'}      4  

vars = cell2struct(num2cell(T.Value), T.Symbol, 1)

vars = struct with fields:
    Z1: 3
    Z2: 4

vars.Z2

ans = 4

[David Slater]

This works. I can now use vars.Z1 and vars.Z2 in place of the variables Z1 and Z2 in the remainder of my script. to save time, in reality I have named the structure with a single letter. This makes a difference, because there are many more than two variables in my script. I also followed the link to the tutorial, and and I found it helpful. Many thanks. Answer accepted.

Answer 2

[dpb]

Do NOT even think about doing this.

[David Slater]

An explanation of why not would have been helpful. Walter Robinson has given me an acceptable solution and explained why this is not recommended.