How can I read a .DAT file into a variable?

Currently, I collect data in .DAT format, use an older software package to convert it to .CSV, and read it into MATLAB using:

FILE = csvread('Data.csv', 1, 0, [1, 0, 401, 4]); % 400 rows of numerical data & 4 columns (no text)

I've tried reading in a .DAT file using an example I found in the MATLAB documentation:

csvwrite('csvlist.dat',m)

However, the results end up being a wild assortment of characters.

[Mehmed Saad]

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/391667-read-dat-files#answer_312767

[Walter Roberson]

csvwrite('csvlist.dat',m)

?? csvwrite is for writing files, not reading files ?? Are you trying to create a .dat file instead of reading one?

writetable(array2table(m), 'csvlist.dat', 'writevariablenames', false, 'filetype','text')

[Keith Grey]

I tried implementing what was shown in the link (above) and still ended up with an assortment of incoherent symbols.

I'm trying to take a .DAT file from my analyzer and convert it to a Double.

Maybe converting to a .CSV is unneccessary.

[Walter Roberson]

csvwrite('csvlist.dat',m)

That would not read a .dat file and write out a corresponding .csv file !

There is no standardized .dat format: '.dat' is used as a generic "data" indication, and can be in any format, including proprietary binary formats (and possibly even encrypted.)

If you know which device created the .dat file then we might be able to track down documentation as to the format of the file.