How to simplify this for-loop into a one line of code?

Attached is a file storing a cell array A, a logical array for the columns: tf, and a logical array for A: map2.

My goal is to replace the below for-loops with a one line of code:

[m n] = size(A); 
for j=1:n
    for i=1:m
        if  ~tf(j) & map2(i,j)
            A{i, j} = str2double(A{i,j});
        end
    end
end

Why doen't the below work?

A(~tf & map2) = str2double(A(~tf & map2)); 

Answer 1

[dpb]

load test10
whos

  Name      Size            Bytes  Class      Attributes

  A         8x6              6076  cell                 
  ans       1x34               68  char                 
  map2      8x6                48  logical              
  tf        1x6                 6  logical              

A

A = 8x6 cell array
    {'ID12'  }    {[     2]}    {[-25.0100]}    {[  27.7690]}    {[35.5800]}    {'33RC1991'}
    {'ID12'  }    {[     2]}    {[-25.0020]}    {[  25.9660]}    {[35.3670]}    {0x0 char  }
    {'ID12'  }    {0x0 char}    {[-24.9930]}    {[  25.0250]}    {[35.8480]}    {'200105'  }
    {0x0 char}    {0x0 char}    {[-25.0010]}    {[<missing>]}    {0x0 char }    {'456'     }
    {'2'     }    {'2'     }    {[-25.0020]}    {[  25.3260]}    {[36.0880]}    {'3689'    }
    {'2'     }    {'2'     }    {[     -25]}    {[  26.1690]}    {[35.9120]}    {'3256778' }
    {'2'     }    {'2'     }    {[     -25]}    {[<missing>]}    {[36.2220]}    {'33RC1991'}
    {'ID12'  }    {[     2]}    {[     -25]}    {[<missing>]}    {[36.3660]}    {'33RC1991'}

~tf & map2

ans = 8x6 logical array
   0   0   0   0   0   0
   0   0   0   0   0   0
   0   0   0   0   0   0
   0   0   0   0   0   0
   0   1   0   0   0   0
   0   1   0   0   0   0
   0   1   0   0   0   0
   0   0   0   0   0   0

A(~tf & map2)

ans = 3x1 cell array
    {'2'}
    {'2'}
    {'2'}

try
    A(~tf & map2)=str2double(A(~tf & map2))
catch ME
    ME.message
    A(~tf & map2)=num2cell(str2double(A(~tf & map2)))
end

ans = 'Conversion to cell from double is not possible.'

A = 8x6 cell array
    {'ID12'  }    {[     2]}    {[-25.0100]}    {[  27.7690]}    {[35.5800]}    {'33RC1991'}
    {'ID12'  }    {[     2]}    {[-25.0020]}    {[  25.9660]}    {[35.3670]}    {0x0 char  }
    {'ID12'  }    {0x0 char}    {[-24.9930]}    {[  25.0250]}    {[35.8480]}    {'200105'  }
    {0x0 char}    {0x0 char}    {[-25.0010]}    {[<missing>]}    {0x0 char }    {'456'     }
    {'2'     }    {[     2]}    {[-25.0020]}    {[  25.3260]}    {[36.0880]}    {'3689'    }
    {'2'     }    {[     2]}    {[     -25]}    {[  26.1690]}    {[35.9120]}    {'3256778' }
    {'2'     }    {[     2]}    {[     -25]}    {[<missing>]}    {[36.2220]}    {'33RC1991'}
    {'ID12'  }    {[     2]}    {[     -25]}    {[<missing>]}    {[36.3660]}    {'33RC1991'}

You are trying to stuff a double array into a cell array -- "you can't do that!" :)

Convert the numeric array to equivalent in a cell array with num2cell.

My question is still what is wrong with the input file that caused this to happen and why not fix that instead?

[Leon]

It works. Thank you so much!

[dpb]

Can you not attach the file that creates the issue for somebody to poke at and see why it fails? If it is actually a flaw in readcell it could be a good tool for Mathworks; if there's something actually in the file, perhaps the generating process could be fixed instead.