Getting variables name from char array

assuming I have a char array like x

a1=[1 2 3 4];
a2=[10 11 15 11];
b2=[4 5 6 7];
c2=[8 9 10 11];
x=['a1' 'a2' 'b2' 'c2']

assuming I have data like this, how can I make the char in x be treated like the variable name meaning that ('a1' --> a1 == [1 2 3 4])

Notes: - All the variables are created before the char array

- I have to name the variables like (a1,a2,..etc.)

-I have a large number of variables

Answer 1

[Ameer Hamza]

Short answer: don't used these variable names: https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/304528-tutorial-why-variables-should-not-be-named-dynamically-eval, instead use a 2D array or a cell array.

The next best thing to do it to use 'a1', 'a2', ..., 'a3' as filednames of the struct. For example

myStruct.a1=[1 2 3 4];
myStruct.a2=[10 11 15 11];
myStruct.b2=[4 5 6 7];
myStruct.c2=[8 9 10 11];
x={'a1' 'a2' 'b2' 'c2'}; % you need a cell array here. The code line in your question will not work

Access them like this

>> myStruct.(x{1}) % same as myStruct.a1
ans =
     1     2     3     4
>> myStruct.(x{3})
ans =
     4     5     6     7

As a last resort. If you are insistent on using these variable names, then use eval(): https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/eval.html or evalc(): https://www.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2020a/matlab/ref/evalc.html

a1=[1 2 3 4];
a2=[10 11 15 11];
b2=[4 5 6 7];
c2=[8 9 10 11];
x={'a1' 'a2' 'b2' 'c2'}; % you need a cell array here. The code line in your question will not work

Access them using eval

>> eval(x{1})
a1 =
     1     2     3     4
>> eval(x{4})
c2 =
     8     9    10    11

Answer 2

[Simon Philipp Hehenberger]

Create a struct for your data.

You can dynamically create fields in your struct with

For example:

for ii=1:4
samplestruct.(['a' num2str(ii)])=fielddata;
end

creates four fields in the struct 'samplestruct', named 'a1',..,'a4'.