Given the following code that attempts to create 2 folders in the current MATLAB path:
%%
u_path1 = native2unicode([107, 97, 116, 111, 95, 111, 117, 116, 111, 117], 'UTF-8'); % 'kato_outou'
u_path2 = native2unicode([233 129 142, 230 184 161, 229 191 156, 231 173 148], 'UTF-8'); % '過渡応答'
mkdir(u_path1);
mkdir(u_path2);
the first mkdir call succeeds while the second fails, with the error message "The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect". However, creating the folders manually in the "Current Folder" GUI panel ([right click]⇒New Folder⇒[paste name]) encounters no problem. This kind of glitches appear in most of MATLAB's low-level I/O functions (dir, fopen, copyfile, movefile etc.) and I'd like to use all these functions.
The environment is:
- Win7 Enterprise (32 bit, NTFS)
- MATLAB R2012a
thus the filesystem supports Unicode chars in path, and MATLAB can store true Unicode strings (and not "fake" them).
The mkdir official documentation elegantly{1} avoids the issue by stating that the correct syntax for calling the function is:
mkdir('folderName')
which suggests that the only officially supported call for the function is the one that uses string literals for folder name argument, and not string variables. That would also suggest the eval way—which I'm testing to see if it's working as I write this post.
I wonder if there is a way to circumvent these limitations. I would be interested in solutions that:
don't rely on undocumented/unsupported MATLAB stuff;
don't involve system-wide changes (e.g changing operating system's locale info);
may rely eventually on non-native MATLAB libraries, as long the resulting handles/objects can be converted to MATLAB native objects and manipulated as such;
may rely eventually on manipulations of the paths that would render them usable by the standard MATLAB functions, even if Windows specific (e.g. short-name paths).
Later edit
What I'm looking for are implementations for the following functions, which will shadow the originals in the code that is already written:
function listing = dir(folder);
function [status,message,messageid] = mkdir(folder1,folder2);
function [status,message,messageid] = movefile(source,destination,flag);
function [status,message,messageid] = copyfile(source,destination,flag);
function [fileID, message] = fopen(filename, permission, machineformat, encoding);
function status = fclose(fileID);
function [A, count] = fread(fileID, sizeA, precision, skip, machineformat);
function count = fwrite(fileID, A, precision, skip, machineformat);
function status = feof(fileID);
function status = fseek(fileID, offset, origin);
function [C,position] = textscan(fileID, varargin); %'This one is going to be funny'
Not all the output types need to be interchangeable with the original MATLAB functions, however need to be consistent between function calls (eg fileID between fopen and fclose). I am going update this declaration list with implementations as soon as I get/write them.
{1} for very loose meanings of the word "elegant".
