how to create a new folder mkdir, but naming that folder as input before running the code

Hi all,

I am not sure if the title is clear. Basically, every time I will run the code, I want a new folder to save my m.files and figures.

That new folder, should be called as the project name that I chose, for example "set_one". This should be easily changed at the beginning of the code, and not to be changed manually from all the related commands every time I change the data sets.

an example

fname = 'set_one'; % this should be the proyect title

Image data = [12.7 5.02 -98 63.9 0 -.2 56];

mkdir('C:\Users\Desktop\matlab results\',fname);

filename=('C:\Users\Desktop\matlab results\fname\Image_Data');
save(filename,'Image_Data')

..And it does not work. mkdir does create a new folder as set_one, but is not able to recognize the new folder as set_one. Therefore, error message says that the folder does not exist.

What I am trying to do is that on the filename line, where it says fname, should be rewritten dynamically by the name I give to fname.

Thanks in advance,

Regards

Answer 1

[Stephen23]

The problem is that where you tried to access the new folder names you referred to the variable name, rather than to the value of that variable:

filename=('C:\Users\Desktop\matlab results\fname\Image_Data');
                                           ^^^^^^ this refers to a directory named 'fname'!

When you put fname into that char vector, then that is what MATLAB tells the OS to look for: a folder literally named 'fname' which should be inside the folder 'matlab results'.

Do you have such a directory?

Clearly not.

Is that the name of the directory that you are looking for?

Clearly not.

Instead of looking for a folder literally named 'fname', you need to use the value of the variable fname (not the name of the variable). I also recommend that you use fullfile, which makes joining folder names together easier:

pname = 'C:\Users\Desktop\matlab results';
dname = 'set_one';
mkdir(fullfile(pname,dname))
Image data = [12.7 5.02 -98 63.9 0 -.2 56];
filename = fullfile(pname,dname,'Image_Data.mat');
save(filename,'Image_Data')

[ARP]

That is exactly what I needed. Many thanks!

I am still learning and I am not familiar with all the possible commands. Thanks for your time

Answer 2

[Peyman Obeidy]

not quite sure what you want to do, but try this

    clear
    clc
    path =[pwd '\'];
    stru =dir( fullfile(path, '*.vsi') );
    fileNames = { stru.name };
    outputPath = [path 'NewImage2\'];
    mkdir(outputPath);

for iFile = 1: numel(fileNames)
    fileName=fileNames{iFile};    % read the file name here 
    numofName=str2double(fileName(7:end-4));   % cut out all but the number 
    newFileNum=numofName; 
    newName = fullfile([outputPath 'Image_' , sprintf('%02d.vsi', newFileNum)] );
    copyfile(fullfile(path, fileNames{iFile}), newName ); 
  end

[ARP]

To try to clarify on my problem. Every time I run the script, I want to create a new folder to save the final answers of my script in there.

The easiest would be to do manually, and change the folder name to what I need, but it is unpractical because there will be several commands along the script for saving relevant data.

Hence, I would like to name a folder at the beinning of the script, let say "set_one".

mkdir commands should pick up that folder name that I am giving, and create it for me.

Then I save my variables to desired folder.

Next day, I chose to call it "set_two". So all I have to do is change the folder name a the very beginning of my script.

I haven't tried your script, but I have several questions about it.

[Peyman Obeidy]

do you want your code to ask you the name? something like;

prompt = {'Enter a name of the folader'};
title = 'Folder name';
definput = {'Set_one'};
opts.Interpreter = 'tex';
answer = inputdlg(prompt,title,[1 40],definput,opts);

[ARP]

that would be useful yes, but the problem is that matlab does not recognize the new folder name. For instance,

fname = 'set_one' ; % the folder that I want to save the data, which does not exist. 

mkdir('C:\Users\Desktop\matlab results\',fname); % create that folder

Running as it is, a new folder "set_one" is created.

problem:

When saving a variable, now I tell it to go to the new folder given by fname, that is "set_one" in this case

filename=('C:\Users\Desktop\matlab results\fname\Image_Data');
save(filename,'Image_data')

Cannot create 'Image_Data.mat' because 'C:\Users\Desktop\matlab results\fname' does not exist.

Error (line 9)
save(filename,'Image_data')

To fix the error, I should write the command as (see set_one instead of fname)

filename=('C:\Users\Desktop\matlab results\set_one\Image_Data');
save(filename,'Image_data')

But that is not the way to go, since I will have to change manually every time the folder name, and its linked commands.

Why matlab does not understand that fname == set_one?