Need to remove '~' in column 5 of text file

content = fileread('mwithin21rm.txt');
linestocopy = regexp(content, '^([^|]*\|){5}~\|.*$', 'match', 'dotexceptnewline', 'lineanchors');
newfile = fopen('m21rmmorphU.txt', 'wt');
fprintf(newfile, strjoin(linestocopy, '\n'));
fclose(newfile);

I need to remove the '~' in column 4 from each line of the text file. The code above moves those lines into a new text file, but I need to eliminate those lines instead. I have attached the file, mwithin21rm.txt.

[Cedric]

There is no '~' in column 4; seeing your pattern, it is column 5.

[jgillis16]

Apologies for the mistake. Thanks for catching it! Do you have any idea on how to proceed?

Answer 1

[Cedric]

UPDATE 5:04pm

 % - Read original.
 content = fileread( 'mwithin21rm.txt' ) ;

 % - Match and eliminate lines without pattern matching.
 sepId = reshape( strfind( content, '|' ), 18, [] ) ;
 match = content(sepId(4,:)+1) == '~' ;
 lines = strsplit( content, '\n' ) ;
 lines(match) = [] ;

 % - Export updated content.
 fId = fopen( 'm21rmmorphU.txt', 'w' ) ;
 fprintf( fId, strjoin( lines, '\n' )) ;
 fclose( fId ) ;

FORMER

If I understand well (in particular about col. 5), you want something like this:

 % - Read original.
 content = fileread( 'mwithin21rm.txt' ) ;

 % - Replacement which avoids pattern matching.
 sepId  = reshape( strfind( content, '|' ), 18, [] ) ;
 match  = content(sepId(4,:)+1) == '~' ;
 content(sepId(4,match)+1) = '' ;

 % - Export updated content.
 fId = fopen( 'm21rmmorphU.txt', 'w' ) ;
 fwrite( fId, content ) ;
 fclose( fId ) ;

PS: I love regular expressions ;-) but this seems to be a case where we can avoid their complexity.

[jgillis16]

I don't need to export those lines with '~' in column 5 to another file. I just need those lines removed from mwithin21rm.txt.

[Cedric]

Ok, I am updating the answer.

[jgillis16]

Thank you!