Format printing problem with doubles printing in rows when I am looking for columns.

prompt = {'Theta 1', 'Theta 2', 'Theta 3', 'Theta 4', 'Theta 5'};
    prompt2 = {'Radius 1', 'Radius 2', 'Radius 3', 'Radius 4', 'Radius 5'};
    dlgtitle = '\Theta values 0 -> 260';
    dlgtitle2 = 'Radius values 2-20';
    t = inputdlg(prompt, dlgtitle);
    r = inputdlg(prompt2, dlgtitle2);
    radius = cellfun(@str2num, r);
    theta = cellfun(@str2num, t);
    
    [x,y] = Pol2Rect(radius, theta);
    
    fileName = 'prog9_OUTPUT_JMG.txt';
    fileID = fopen(fileName, 'w');
    header1 = 'Polar Coordinates';
    header2 = 'Rectangular Coordinates';
    header3 = 'Table 1 Polar Coordinates Converted to Rectangular Coordinates';
    
    %prints out the formatted table
    fprintf(fileID, '\t%s\n\n', header3);
    fprintf(fileID,'%s\t\t\t\t%s\n\n',header1, header2);
    fprintf(fileID,'R(meters) Theta(degrees)  x(meters) y(meters)\n');
    fprintf(fileID,'%5.1f\t%5.1f\t\t\t\t%5.1f\t%5.1f \n', radius, theta, x, y);
    fclose(fileID);

[Jacob]

As you can see it is saving my values from my function pol2rect as a 5x1 double and I am trying to print out my values of these doubles as columns into a new file but instead of columns they are printing in the next available spot.

Answer 1

[Voss]

fprintf prints the values in the order you supply them; in this case that means all elements of radius are printed then all elements of theta and so on.

But you want to print radius(1), theta(1), x(1), y(1), radius(2), theta(2), etc., so what you can do is put those 4 vectors into a matrix and call fprintf with the matrix as the data argument. When given a matrix, fprintf will go down the first column first, then move to the second column, etc., so to get it to print by row instead, merely transpose the matrix.

Here's an example showing the problem and the solution:

radius = [2;3;4;5;6];
theta = [30;40;50;60;70];
[x,y] = pol2cart(radius,theta); % I don't know what Pol2Rect is, but it doesn't matter for this

whos radius theta x y % the variables are all column vectors, same as yours

  Name        Size            Bytes  Class     Attributes

  radius      5x1                40  double              
  theta       5x1                40  double              
  x           5x1                40  double              
  y           5x1                40  double              

fileID = 1; % print to command window, for demonstration

fprintf(fileID,'%5.1f\t%5.1f\t\t\t\t%5.1f\t%5.1f \n', radius, theta, x, y);

  2.0	  3.0				  4.0	  5.0 
  6.0	 30.0				 40.0	 50.0 
 60.0	 70.0				-12.5	-39.6 
-32.7	 17.0				 67.2	 27.3 
  5.6	-37.8				-57.5	-19.6 

fprintf(fileID,'%5.1f\t%5.1f\t\t\t\t%5.1f\t%5.1f \n', [radius, theta, x, y].' );

  2.0	 30.0				-12.5	 27.3 
  3.0	 40.0				-39.6	  5.6 
  4.0	 50.0				-32.7	-37.8 
  5.0	 60.0				 17.0	-57.5 
  6.0	 70.0				 67.2	-19.6 

[Stephen23]

Other options would be to use a table and WRITETABLE (limited format control) or COMPOSE:

radius = [2;3;4;5;6];
theta = [30;40;50;60;70];
[x,y] = pol2cart(radius,theta);
str = compose('%5.1f\t%5.1f\t\t\t\t%5.1f\t%5.1f', radius, theta, x, y);
fprintf(1,'%s\n',str{:})

  2.0	 30.0				-12.5	 27.3
  3.0	 40.0				-39.6	  5.6
  4.0	 50.0				-32.7	-37.8
  5.0	 60.0				 17.0	-57.5
  6.0	 70.0				 67.2	-19.6

[Jacob]

fprintf(fileID,'%5.1f\t%5.1f\t\t\t\t%5.1f\t%5.1f \n', [radius, theta, x, y].' ); 
%this line of code worked on fixing the formatting thank you so much!

[Voss]

% You're welcome!