mat73-reader 0.1.0__tar.gz

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+ __pycache__/
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+ *.py[cod]
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+ *$py.class
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+ *.egg-info/
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+ dist/
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+ build/
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+ .eggs/
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+ *.egg
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+ .pytest_cache/
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+ .coverage
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+ htmlcov/
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+ .venv/
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+ venv/
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+ .env
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+ *.mat
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+ !tests/fixtures/*.mat
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+ .DS_Store
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+ .idea/
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+ .vscode/
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+ Metadata-Version: 2.4
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+ Name: mat73-reader
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+ Version: 0.1.0
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+ Summary: Read MATLAB v7.3 HDF5 .mat files that scipy.io.loadmat cannot handle.
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+ Author-email: William Garrow <williamgarrow@gmail.com>
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+ License-Expression: Apache-2.0
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+ License-File: LICENSE
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+ Keywords: hdf5,mat73,matlab,scientific-data,scipy
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+ Classifier: Development Status :: 3 - Alpha
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+ Classifier: Intended Audience :: Science/Research
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+ Classifier: License :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software License
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+ Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3
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+ Classifier: Topic :: Scientific/Engineering
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+ Requires-Python: >=3.9
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+ Requires-Dist: h5py>=3.0
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+ Requires-Dist: numpy>=1.20
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+ Requires-Dist: pandas>=1.3
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+ Provides-Extra: dev
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+ Requires-Dist: pytest-cov; extra == 'dev'
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+ Requires-Dist: pytest>=7.0; extra == 'dev'
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+ Description-Content-Type: text/markdown
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+
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+ # mat73-reader
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+
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+ Read MATLAB v7.3 HDF5 `.mat` files in Python. **including MATLAB table objects** that other tools cannot decode.
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+
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+ ## The MATLAB Table Problem
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+
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+ MATLAB v7.3 stores table objects using an undocumented internal system called MCOS (MATLAB Class Object System). Every existing Python tool (`scipy.io.loadmat()`, `mat73`, `hdf5storage`) fails on them:
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+
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+ ```python
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+ # scipy can't even open v7.3 files
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+ >>> scipy.io.loadmat("experiment.mat")
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+ NotImplementedError: Please use HDF reader for matlab v7.3 files
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+
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+ # mat73 opens the file but returns None for every table
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+ >>> import mat73
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+ >>> data = mat73.loadmat("experiment.mat")
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+ ERROR: MATLAB type not supported: table, (uint32) # x 800
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+ >>> data["task"]["gaze"][0]
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+ None
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+ ```
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+
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+ Tables are used extensively in neuroscience, signal processing, cognitive science, biomechanics, and clinical research datasets. If your `.mat` file contains tables, **mat73-reader is currently the only Python tool that can read them.**
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+
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+ ```python
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+ >>> from mat73_reader import load
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+ >>> data = load("experiment.mat")
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+ >>> data["task"]["gaze"][0]
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+ gaze_timestamp world_index confidence norm_pos_x norm_pos_y ...
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+ 0 5410.551714 0.0 0.999499 0.446264 0.846886 ...
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+ 1 5410.555834 0.0 0.999653 0.446534 0.847007 ...
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+ 2 5410.559773 0.0 0.999648 0.446660 0.846410 ...
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+ ...
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+ [8205 rows x 21 columns]
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+ ```
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+
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+ ## How It Works
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+
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+ When other tools encounter a MATLAB table, they see a `(1,6) uint32` header and stop. mat73-reader decodes the MCOS block structure to follow the reference chain to the actual data:
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+
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+ ```mermaid
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+ graph TD
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+ subgraph "What other tools see"
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+ A["Table Header<br/>(1,6) uint32<br/>0xDD000000 ..."] -->|"???"| B["None"]
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+ end
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+
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+ subgraph "What mat73-reader decodes"
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+ H["Table Header<br/>(1,6) uint32"] -->|"instance index"| M["MCOS Reference Array<br/>#subsystem#/MCOS"]
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+ M -->|"block offset + 0"| D["Column Data Refs<br/>(ncols, 1) object"]
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+ M -->|"block offset + 5"| N["Column Name Refs<br/>(ncols, 1) object"]
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+ D -->|"dereference"| D1["timestamp<br/>float64 (1, N)"]
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+ D -->|"dereference"| D2["confidence<br/>float64 (1, N)"]
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+ D -->|"dereference"| D3["...<br/>float64 (1, N)"]
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+ N -->|"dereference"| N1["'gaze_timestamp'<br/>uint16 chars"]
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+ N -->|"dereference"| N2["'confidence'<br/>uint16 chars"]
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+ N -->|"dereference"| N3["'...'<br/>uint16 chars"]
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+ D1 & D2 & D3 & N1 & N2 & N3 -->|"assemble"| DF["pandas DataFrame"]
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+ end
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+
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+ style B fill:#ff6b6b,color:#fff
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+ style DF fill:#51cf66,color:#fff
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+ ```
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+
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+ Each table instance occupies a fixed block of 7 consecutive entries in the MCOS reference array:
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+
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+ ```
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+ Block layout (7 slots per table):
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+ +0 (ncols, 1) object refs --> column data arrays (float64, int, etc.)
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+ +1 (1, 1) float64 --> ndims
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+ +2 (1, 1) float64 --> nrows
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+ +3 (2,) uint64 --> segment info
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+ +4 (1, 1) float64 --> nvars (number of columns)
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+ +5 (ncols, 1) object refs --> column name strings (uint16-encoded)
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+ +6 Group --> table properties (units, descriptions, etc.)
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+ ```
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+
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+ The instance index from the table header maps to a block offset:
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+
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+ ```
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+ block_start = 2 + (instance - 1) * 7
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+ ```
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+
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+ This structure is not documented by MathWorks. It was reverse-engineered by analyzing real-world scientific datasets.
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+
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+ ## Real-World Validation
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+
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+ mat73-reader has been validated against the [COLET dataset](https://zenodo.org/records/7766785) (Cognitive workLoad Estimation via Eye-Tracking), a 3.8 GB MATLAB v7.3 file containing:
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+
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+ - 47 subjects, 4 tasks per subject
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+ - 4 data fields per task (gaze, pupil, blinks, annotation)
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+ - **752 MATLAB table objects** total
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+ - Over 14,000 individual data arrays
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+
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+ Every table was successfully decoded into a pandas DataFrame with correct column names and data types. Other Python tools return `None` for all 752 tables.
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+
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+ ## Installation
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ pip install mat73-reader
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+ ```
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+
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+ Or install from source:
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ git clone https://github.com/WilliamGarrow/mat73-reader.git
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+ cd mat73-reader
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+ pip install -e ".[dev]"
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+ ```
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+
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+ ## Usage
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+
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+ ### Python API
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+
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+ ```python
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+ from mat73_reader import load, inspect
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+
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+ # Inspect file contents without loading data
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+ variables = inspect("experiment.mat")
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+ for var in variables:
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+ print(var)
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+
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+ # Load everything
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+ data = load("experiment.mat")
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+
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+ # Load a specific top-level variable
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+ results = load("experiment.mat", variable="results")
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+
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+ # Force all compatible arrays to pandas DataFrames
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+ data = load("experiment.mat", as_dataframe=True)
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+ ```
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+
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+ MATLAB tables are always returned as DataFrames automatically, no flags needed.
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+
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+ ### Command Line
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ # List variables, types, and shapes
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+ mat73-reader inspect experiment.mat
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+
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+ # Convert to CSV (one file per variable)
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+ mat73-reader convert experiment.mat --format csv --output ./csv_output/
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+
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+ # Convert to JSON
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+ mat73-reader convert experiment.mat --format json --output experiment.json
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+
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+ # Convert a single variable
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+ mat73-reader convert experiment.mat --variable gaze_data --format csv
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+ ```
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+
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+ ## What It Handles
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+
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+ | MATLAB Type | Python Type | Notes |
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+ |------------|-------------|-------|
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+ | **Table objects** | **`pandas.DataFrame`** | **Column names and data types preserved** |
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+ | Numeric arrays | `numpy.ndarray` | Transposed to row-major order |
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+ | Structs | `dict` | Nested to arbitrary depth |
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+ | Cell arrays | `list` | HDF5 object references resolved |
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+ | Char arrays | `str` | Decoded from uint16 |
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+ | Scalars | Python `int`/`float` | Single-element arrays squeezed |
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+
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+ ## When to Use This vs. Other Tools
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+
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+ | Scenario | Tool |
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+ |----------|------|
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+ | `.mat` v5 or earlier (no tables) | `scipy.io.loadmat()` |
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+ | `.mat` v7.3 with arrays and structs only | `mat73` or **mat73-reader** |
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+ | `.mat` v7.3 with **table objects** | **mat73-reader** (only option in Python) |
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+ | Not sure what format you have | Try `mat73-reader` first; it will tell you if it's not v7.3 |
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+
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+ ## Development
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ git clone https://github.com/WilliamGarrow/mat73-reader.git
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+ cd mat73-reader
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+ python -m venv .venv
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+ source .venv/bin/activate
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+ pip install -e ".[dev]"
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+ pytest
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+ ```
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+
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+ ### Test Suite
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+
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+ 38 tests covering:
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+ - Standard v7.3 reading (arrays, structs, cell arrays, char arrays, scalars)
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+ - MCOS table header detection (positive and negative cases)
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+ - Single and multi-table decoding with synthetic fixtures
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+ - Column name extraction and data value verification
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+ - Edge cases (non-table uint32 arrays, missing variables, invalid files)
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+
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+ ## License
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+
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+ Apache 2.0. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
@@ -0,0 +1,191 @@
1
+ # mat73-reader
2
+
3
+ Read MATLAB v7.3 HDF5 `.mat` files in Python. **including MATLAB table objects** that other tools cannot decode.
4
+
5
+ ## The MATLAB Table Problem
6
+
7
+ MATLAB v7.3 stores table objects using an undocumented internal system called MCOS (MATLAB Class Object System). Every existing Python tool (`scipy.io.loadmat()`, `mat73`, `hdf5storage`) fails on them:
8
+
9
+ ```python
10
+ # scipy can't even open v7.3 files
11
+ >>> scipy.io.loadmat("experiment.mat")
12
+ NotImplementedError: Please use HDF reader for matlab v7.3 files
13
+
14
+ # mat73 opens the file but returns None for every table
15
+ >>> import mat73
16
+ >>> data = mat73.loadmat("experiment.mat")
17
+ ERROR: MATLAB type not supported: table, (uint32) # x 800
18
+ >>> data["task"]["gaze"][0]
19
+ None
20
+ ```
21
+
22
+ Tables are used extensively in neuroscience, signal processing, cognitive science, biomechanics, and clinical research datasets. If your `.mat` file contains tables, **mat73-reader is currently the only Python tool that can read them.**
23
+
24
+ ```python
25
+ >>> from mat73_reader import load
26
+ >>> data = load("experiment.mat")
27
+ >>> data["task"]["gaze"][0]
28
+ gaze_timestamp world_index confidence norm_pos_x norm_pos_y ...
29
+ 0 5410.551714 0.0 0.999499 0.446264 0.846886 ...
30
+ 1 5410.555834 0.0 0.999653 0.446534 0.847007 ...
31
+ 2 5410.559773 0.0 0.999648 0.446660 0.846410 ...
32
+ ...
33
+ [8205 rows x 21 columns]
34
+ ```
35
+
36
+ ## How It Works
37
+
38
+ When other tools encounter a MATLAB table, they see a `(1,6) uint32` header and stop. mat73-reader decodes the MCOS block structure to follow the reference chain to the actual data:
39
+
40
+ ```mermaid
41
+ graph TD
42
+ subgraph "What other tools see"
43
+ A["Table Header<br/>(1,6) uint32<br/>0xDD000000 ..."] -->|"???"| B["None"]
44
+ end
45
+
46
+ subgraph "What mat73-reader decodes"
47
+ H["Table Header<br/>(1,6) uint32"] -->|"instance index"| M["MCOS Reference Array<br/>#subsystem#/MCOS"]
48
+ M -->|"block offset + 0"| D["Column Data Refs<br/>(ncols, 1) object"]
49
+ M -->|"block offset + 5"| N["Column Name Refs<br/>(ncols, 1) object"]
50
+ D -->|"dereference"| D1["timestamp<br/>float64 (1, N)"]
51
+ D -->|"dereference"| D2["confidence<br/>float64 (1, N)"]
52
+ D -->|"dereference"| D3["...<br/>float64 (1, N)"]
53
+ N -->|"dereference"| N1["'gaze_timestamp'<br/>uint16 chars"]
54
+ N -->|"dereference"| N2["'confidence'<br/>uint16 chars"]
55
+ N -->|"dereference"| N3["'...'<br/>uint16 chars"]
56
+ D1 & D2 & D3 & N1 & N2 & N3 -->|"assemble"| DF["pandas DataFrame"]
57
+ end
58
+
59
+ style B fill:#ff6b6b,color:#fff
60
+ style DF fill:#51cf66,color:#fff
61
+ ```
62
+
63
+ Each table instance occupies a fixed block of 7 consecutive entries in the MCOS reference array:
64
+
65
+ ```
66
+ Block layout (7 slots per table):
67
+ +0 (ncols, 1) object refs --> column data arrays (float64, int, etc.)
68
+ +1 (1, 1) float64 --> ndims
69
+ +2 (1, 1) float64 --> nrows
70
+ +3 (2,) uint64 --> segment info
71
+ +4 (1, 1) float64 --> nvars (number of columns)
72
+ +5 (ncols, 1) object refs --> column name strings (uint16-encoded)
73
+ +6 Group --> table properties (units, descriptions, etc.)
74
+ ```
75
+
76
+ The instance index from the table header maps to a block offset:
77
+
78
+ ```
79
+ block_start = 2 + (instance - 1) * 7
80
+ ```
81
+
82
+ This structure is not documented by MathWorks. It was reverse-engineered by analyzing real-world scientific datasets.
83
+
84
+ ## Real-World Validation
85
+
86
+ mat73-reader has been validated against the [COLET dataset](https://zenodo.org/records/7766785) (Cognitive workLoad Estimation via Eye-Tracking), a 3.8 GB MATLAB v7.3 file containing:
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+
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+ - 47 subjects, 4 tasks per subject
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+ - 4 data fields per task (gaze, pupil, blinks, annotation)
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+ - **752 MATLAB table objects** total
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+ - Over 14,000 individual data arrays
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+
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+ Every table was successfully decoded into a pandas DataFrame with correct column names and data types. Other Python tools return `None` for all 752 tables.
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+
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+ ## Installation
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ pip install mat73-reader
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+ ```
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+
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+ Or install from source:
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ git clone https://github.com/WilliamGarrow/mat73-reader.git
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+ cd mat73-reader
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+ pip install -e ".[dev]"
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+ ```
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+
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+ ## Usage
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+
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+ ### Python API
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+
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+ ```python
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+ from mat73_reader import load, inspect
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+
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+ # Inspect file contents without loading data
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+ variables = inspect("experiment.mat")
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+ for var in variables:
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+ print(var)
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+
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+ # Load everything
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+ data = load("experiment.mat")
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+
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+ # Load a specific top-level variable
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+ results = load("experiment.mat", variable="results")
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+
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+ # Force all compatible arrays to pandas DataFrames
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+ data = load("experiment.mat", as_dataframe=True)
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+ ```
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+
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+ MATLAB tables are always returned as DataFrames automatically, no flags needed.
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+
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+ ### Command Line
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ # List variables, types, and shapes
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+ mat73-reader inspect experiment.mat
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+
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+ # Convert to CSV (one file per variable)
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+ mat73-reader convert experiment.mat --format csv --output ./csv_output/
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+
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+ # Convert to JSON
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+ mat73-reader convert experiment.mat --format json --output experiment.json
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+
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+ # Convert a single variable
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+ mat73-reader convert experiment.mat --variable gaze_data --format csv
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+ ```
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+
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+ ## What It Handles
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+
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+ | MATLAB Type | Python Type | Notes |
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+ |------------|-------------|-------|
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+ | **Table objects** | **`pandas.DataFrame`** | **Column names and data types preserved** |
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+ | Numeric arrays | `numpy.ndarray` | Transposed to row-major order |
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+ | Structs | `dict` | Nested to arbitrary depth |
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+ | Cell arrays | `list` | HDF5 object references resolved |
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+ | Char arrays | `str` | Decoded from uint16 |
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+ | Scalars | Python `int`/`float` | Single-element arrays squeezed |
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+
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+ ## When to Use This vs. Other Tools
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+
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+ | Scenario | Tool |
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+ |----------|------|
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+ | `.mat` v5 or earlier (no tables) | `scipy.io.loadmat()` |
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+ | `.mat` v7.3 with arrays and structs only | `mat73` or **mat73-reader** |
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+ | `.mat` v7.3 with **table objects** | **mat73-reader** (only option in Python) |
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+ | Not sure what format you have | Try `mat73-reader` first; it will tell you if it's not v7.3 |
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+
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+ ## Development
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ git clone https://github.com/WilliamGarrow/mat73-reader.git
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+ cd mat73-reader
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+ python -m venv .venv
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+ source .venv/bin/activate
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+ pip install -e ".[dev]"
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+ pytest
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+ ```
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+
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+ ### Test Suite
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+
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+ 38 tests covering:
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+ - Standard v7.3 reading (arrays, structs, cell arrays, char arrays, scalars)
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+ - MCOS table header detection (positive and negative cases)
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+ - Single and multi-table decoding with synthetic fixtures
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+ - Column name extraction and data value verification
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+ - Edge cases (non-table uint32 arrays, missing variables, invalid files)
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+
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+ ## License
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+
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+ Apache 2.0. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
1
+ """Basic usage examples for mat73-reader."""
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+
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+ from mat73_reader import load, inspect
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+
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+ # Replace with the path to your .mat v7.3 file
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+ MAT_FILE = "your_file.mat"
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+
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+
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+ def example_inspect():
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+ """See what variables are in a file before loading."""
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+ variables = inspect(MAT_FILE)
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+ for var in variables:
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+ print(f" {var['name']}: {var['type']}", end="")
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+ if var["type"] == "dataset":
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+ print(f" shape={var['shape']} dtype={var['dtype']}")
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+ elif var["type"] == "group":
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+ print(f" children={var['children']}")
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+ else:
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+ print()
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+
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+
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+ def example_load_all():
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+ """Load every variable from the file."""
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+ data = load(MAT_FILE)
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+ for name, value in data.items():
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+ print(f" {name}: {type(value).__name__}")
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+
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+
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+ def example_load_one():
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+ """Load a single variable by name."""
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+ result = load(MAT_FILE, variable="x")
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+ print(f" shape: {result.shape}, dtype: {result.dtype}")
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+
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+
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+ def example_load_as_dataframe():
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+ """Load and convert 2D arrays to pandas DataFrames."""
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+ data = load(MAT_FILE, as_dataframe=True)
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+ for name, value in data.items():
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+ print(f" {name}: {type(value).__name__}")
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+
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+
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+ if __name__ == "__main__":
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+ print("Inspecting file:")
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+ example_inspect()
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+
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+ print("\nLoading all variables:")
47
+ example_load_all()