eval fails with load when path or filename has space(s)

If I run

load [dirpath filename]

and dirpath or filename has a space, it loads the file just fine. But if I use

eval(['load ' [dirpath filename]]);

Matlab prints "Unable to read file .... No such file or directory".

I noticed that if I type

dir C:\mydir\

then tab, the path is printed with a ' whereever there is a space. But I'm not sure how to mimic that. Are spaces in path or filename in this instance a limitation of Matlab, or is there a solution?

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

Like we always say: don't use eval()

Question: are you sure you are using

load [dirpath filename]

and not

load( [dirpath filename] )

??

Also, have you considered using fullfile() ?

[John Petersen]

Good point. Yes, I was using load with (). and what was I thinking not to remove eval??????

Thanks Walter.

[Image Analyst]

There is a difference in the way functions handle strings when they are called with the function form (with parentheses) vs. the command line form (no parentheses). Walter would be better than me at explaining why. Anyway, you can use sprintf() and three or 4 ' to write a ' into a string.