Matlab: Failed to create a struct: Invalid field name

Question

Let's say I'm creating the following struct in Matlab:

spec.Property1 = 0
spec.Property2 = 0
spec.Property3.Name = 0
spec.Property3.Something = ''

It's working and I'm getting my expected struct:

Property1: 0
Property2: 0
Property3: [1×1 struct]

Let's say i want to do this:

nameOfNewStruct1 = 'Property1'
nameOfNewStruct2 = 'Property2'
nameOfNewStruct3 = 'Property3.Name'
nameOfNewStruct4 = 'Property3.Something'

spec.(nameOfNewStruct1) = 0
spec.(nameOfNewStruct2) = 0
spec.(nameOfNewStruct3) = 0
spec.(nameOfNewStruct4) = ''

Invalid field name: 'Property3.Name'.

why is it not working? Do need to change the settings if i want to use a 'Something.Something' char?

Thanks!

Seems to work fine in Octave Online.

Dennis Jaheruddin
– Dennis Jaheruddin

2018-03-21 13:30:57 +00:00
Commented Mar 21, 2018 at 13:30 — Dennis Jaheruddin
– Dennis Jaheruddin, Commented Mar 21, 2018 at 13:30

Zizy Archer · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-21 13:39:53Z

1

From Loren (check comments around #20 in 2011) https://blogs.mathworks.com/loren/2005/12/13/use-dynamic-field-references/, this is (was?) not possible in the way you are attempting. A simple solution would be to do equivalent of spec.('Property3').('Name'). How to do it in a similar way to yours, with arbitrary depth, is answered in a later comment.

A.l1.l2.l3.l4 = 1234;
fieldname = 'l1.l2.l3.l4';
eval(['A.',fieldname])

answered Mar 21, 2018 at 13:39

Zizy Archer

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1 Comment

Hannes H. Over a year ago

Thanks, the problem is that I wanted to have it generic since my Matlab script doesn't know what 'structs' will come in

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