Select columns of a table using matching column names

Hello everyone!

I'm facing the following problem: I have a cell array containing strings, let's call it "v"

On the other hand I have a huge table , let's call it "T", from which I want to select only the columns that have the column name that corresponds to the names contained in vector "v".

Any kind of help will be appreciated

Thank you

Answer 1

[Voss]

v = {'Var1' 'Var3'}

v = 1×2 cell array
    {'Var1'}    {'Var3'}

T = table([1;2;3],[4;5;6],[7;8;9])

T = 3×3 table
    Var1    Var2    Var3
    ____    ____    ____

     1       4       7  
     2       5       8  
     3       6       9  

% a table of the selected columns of T:
new_T = T(:,v)

new_T = 3×2 table
    Var1    Var3
    ____    ____

     1       7  
     2       8  
     3       9  

% or, the data from the selected columns of T:
new_T_data = T{:,v}

new_T_data = 3×2

1 7 2 8 3 9

[Enrico Gambini]

It worked, thank you! And what if not all the elements in v are present as column names in T?

[Voss]

If not all elements of v are column names of T, you can use ismember to get just the elements of v that do correspond to column names of T:

v = {'Var1' 'Var3' 'Var4'}

v = 1×3 cell array
    {'Var1'}    {'Var3'}    {'Var4'}

T = table([1;2;3],[4;5;6],[7;8;9])

T = 3×3 table
    Var1    Var2    Var3
    ____    ____    ____

     1       4       7  
     2       5       8  
     3       6       9  

v_to_use = v(ismember(v,T.Properties.VariableNames))

v_to_use = 1×2 cell array
    {'Var1'}    {'Var3'}

And use that the same as v was used before:

new_T = T(:,v_to_use)

new_T = 3×2 table
    Var1    Var3
    ____    ____

     1       7  
     2       8  
     3       9  

new_T_data = T{:,v_to_use}

new_T_data = 3×2

1 7 2 8 3 9