Assignment error with dir

I hate to ask what seems like such an idiotic question, but I can't just run my script because it hiccups at this step:

 d=dir(Dir);
 ??? d=dir(Dir); 
     |
Error: The expression to the left of the equals
sign is not a valid target for an assignment.

I have tried changing it in several ways, but still get the assignment error. This is frustrating because I need to be able to access within the structure in the next step:

 isub = [d(:).isdir]; % returns logical vector corresponding to subfolders
 Date = {d(isub).name}'; %pulls out names of subfolders

Strangely, if I highlight it in the Editor and run it alone (evaluate selection/F9), it works. Can anyone suggest what might be going on? Very much appreciated.

[per isakson]

• which dir -all
• restart Matlab

I need to try something like

    >> d+1 = dir('*.m');
     d+1 = dir('*.m');
         |
    Error: The expression to the left of the equals sign is not a valid 
    target for an assignment.

to see that error message. "???" does that indicate an old release of Matlab?

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

At the command line, give the command

dbstop if error

and run the code. When it stops for the error, give the command

whos d

and see what it indicates

To cross-check: you have deleted the entire line and re-typed it, just in case there is a special character there?

[B.M.]

Hi Walter,

I tried dbstop and couldn't do 'whos d' because d couldn't be written/assigned. Only sometimes when I run that one line (not the whole section) with F9, it will work, in which case whos d returns what I want it to ( d 95x1 60897 struct ).

I tried deleting and retyping, and trying other variable names. No luck. I just don't understand it!