`strtok`

Extracts the first token of a text and returns the rest.

Category: Language Fundamentals > Data Types

Syntax

tok = strtok(str)

Returns the first token, delimited by whitespace.

[tok, rem] = strtok(str, delimiters)

Uses the given delimiter characters and also returns the remainder.

Description

Leading delimiters are skipped before the token starts. The remainder keeps the delimiter that ended the token, so strtok('a,b,c', ',') returns 'a' and ',b,c'. Calling strtok again on the remainder walks through the text one token at a time.

For splitting everything at once, use strsplit.

Input arguments

str: Character vector or string.
delimiters: Characters that separate tokens. Default is whitespace.

Output arguments

tok: The text from the first non-delimiter up to the next delimiter.
rem: The rest of str, starting at the delimiter that ended the token.

Example

Tokens and remainders

[t, r] = strtok('hello world')
[t2, r2] = strtok('a,b,c', ',')
[t3, r3] = strtok('  padded text')

Output

t = 'hello'
r = ' world'
t2 = 'a'
r2 = ',b,c'
t3 = 'padded'
r3 = ' text'

strtok