Converting a string into a numerical array

How to conver a string in the form "[1,2,3,4,5]"

into a vector 1 2 3 4 5

I have used strrep command but here I have to remove each of the "[", "]", ",", sepreately and the convert it into a numaerical vector.

Is there any other simple solution (might be in one or two lines) for this conversion

[Stephen23]

Judging by your earlier question

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/507849-simplest-way-to-save-a-vector-to-a-variable-with-commas-and-braces

the simplest solution is to avoid this situation entirely by not saving data in such a pointlessly inefficient format.

Saving in a standard binary or text format would mean you could trivially use basic import/export functions, without any of the inefficient code that you have decided to use.

Answer 1

[dpb]

v=str2num(extractBetween("[1,2,3,4,5]",'[',']'));

[Vinay Killamsetty]

Thank you very much

Answer 2

[Stephen23]

Much more efficient than the accepted answer:

>> str = '[1,2,3,4,5]';
>> vec = sscanf(str(2:end),'%f,',[1,Inf])
vec =
   1   2   3   4   5

This also avoids the evil eval hidden inside str2num.

[darova]

• This also avoids the evil eval hidden inside str2num.

I opened sscanf function and only see comments. How do you know?

[dpb]

It's in the documentation...

"... str2num uses the eval function, which can cause unintended side effects when the input includes a function name. To avoid these issues, use str2double."

Unfortunately, to take that advice takes some more effort as

>> str2double(extractBetween("[1,2,3,4,5]",'[',']'))
ans =
       12345
>>

To avoid that,

>> str2double(split(extractBetween("[1,2,3,4,5]",'[',']'),',')).'
ans =
     1     2     3     4     5
>> 

I just took the easy way out.

And, of course, if performance is a real issue, then it is definitely true that sscanf is going to win hands down on big strings, but probably rare cases that it would actually ever show up as a bottleneck.

It's just a simple way w/o having to remember format string syntax, etc., and illustrates some of the newer string functions.

ADDENDUM:

And, since the OP used a string notation in his example, I presumed it would be such in his code; Stephen wrote his test string as a char() string array, not as a string() array element. To do that means more work, too:

> sscanf(s{1}(2:end),'%f,',[1 inf])
ans =
     1     2     3     4     5
>> 

as sscanf and friends aren't string awares...the string functions and str2xxx are.