MATLAB cell arrays combined into a table with the table() function.
Who uses it
Engineering and research code.
Writing MATLAB
One cell array per column, then a single table() call. Column names are sanitised to valid variable names.
What is MATLAB?
What it can hold
MATLAB is source code. A table needs valid variable names for its columns, so names are adjusted rather than kept verbatim. A machine can read the table back out of it without guessing, which is what makes it safe to convert into and out of.
It keeps
- Types. A number stays a number and a boolean stays a boolean, so whatever reads the file next does not have to guess from how a value looks.
- A header that is marked as one, rather than being the first row by convention.
It cannot express
- A line break inside a cell. One would end the row, so it has to be replaced before writing.
- Any formatting. Bold, colour, column widths and merged cells have nowhere to go.
- A partial read. The document has to be complete to mean anything, so a truncated file yields nothing and a large one has to be held in memory whole.
What it looks like
id = {'007'; '012'; '104'}';
name = {'Halima Yusuf'; 'Jonah "Jo" Pryce'; 'Wei Chen'}';
role = {'Analyst, data'; 'Engineer'; 'Manager'}';
started = {'2024-03-15'; '2025-11-02'; '2023-06-30'}';
hours = {'38.5'; ''; '40'}';
staff = table(id, name, role, started, hours);Questions
How do I open MATLAB files?
MATLAB is written by Tablizer rather than read by it. Open the file in whichever tool the format belongs to.
Is MATLAB a good format for sharing data?
It depends who is receiving it. Engineering and research code. If the recipient is outside that group, a plain CSV travels further than anything else.