How to unpack binary data in MatLab the Python way

Question

Python has a way to read blocks of binary data and then unpack them from their original encoding into a more accessible form. For example, in some Python code I am using, I use the following code to accomplish this:

    with open(filename, "rb") as binary_file:
        # Read many records at once
        data = binary_file.read(number_of_records*record_size)

    fmt = "8B Q Q 2L 2L 2L 4H 4H 3H2B"
    self.data_array = np.asarray(list(struct.iter_unpack("< " + fmt, data)))

I'd like to know how to do this in Matlab in the same efficient way, without having to read each variable individually.

Is there something in Matlab to do this?

Answer 1

One way to do this is to read the data using fread and then convert using typecast . I'm not familiar with the format you used, but say you have a collection of integers and floats. You can read them as one large collection of bytes and then covert.

fid = fopen('file.bin', 'rb');
data = fread(fid, 32, '*uint8');
ints = typecast(data(1:8), 'int32');
floats = typecast(data(9:end), 'single');