Error: "Unable to read some of the variables due to unknown MAT-file error."

Hello, I have a 3.1 MB .mat file that contains activations from a hierarchical model, after reading a set of 504 images in double format. When I try to read the file in MATLAB, I receive the following error:

"Warning: Unable to read some of the variables due to unknown MAT-file error.

> In matfinfo (line 9)

In finfo (line 118)

In uiimport/gatherFilePreviewData (line 414)

In uiimport (line 244)

Error using load

Number of columns on line 2 of ASCII file

/Users/hsnsplazaresearch/Analysis/hmaxMatlab/output/exampleActivations.mat must be the same as previous lines.

Error in uiimport/runImportdata (line 465)

datastruct = load('-ascii', fileAbsolutePath);

Error in uiimport/gatherFilePreviewData (line 433)

[datastruct, textDelimiter, headerLines]= runImportdata(fileAbsolutePath, type);

Error in uiimport (line 244)

gatherFilePreviewData(fileAbsolutePath);"

I am highly confused, because the data is not ASCII. When I open in a text edtior (Atom), it appears like so:

"^[w<��H��UJT����r*IVQ��_TdDd�JJ!

�d�yp�=�=�풒�}޿�?�g|����ݓm�{�?��#���x7,^�"

The function was adapted from the HMAX model for machine vision, and the tarball can be found here: https://maxlab.neuro.georgetown.edu/hmax.html#code

The version is 2019a. Thank you so much for your time.

[Sulaymon Eshkabilov]

If you can post your *.mat, then some reliable answer can be given by testing your data file.

[Walter Roberson]

I do not know at the moment what the file is, but it is not a MATLAB .mat file .

[Will Q]

I have posted the file (exampleActivations.mat) here. I also posted a second .mat file (ExampleActivations2.mat) created using the exact same script (but using a smaller data set with different images), that looks like what my file should look like.

I think it is possible that the file gets corrupted near the end of the script, but am not certain. Thank you for taking the time to look at my issue!

[Adam Danz]

When I drag-drop the first mat file into my workspace,

Error using load
Unable to read MAT-file C:\Users\name\Documents\MATLAB\exampleActivations.mat. 
File might be corrupt. 

When I load that file with the import tool

Error using load
Number of columns on line 2 of ASCII file C:\Users\name\Documents\MATLAB\exampleActivations.mat 
must be the same as previous lines.
Error in uiimport/runImportdata (line 465)
                    datastruct = load('-ascii', fileAbsolutePath);
Error in uiimport/gatherFilePreviewData (line 433)
        [datastruct, textDelimiter, headerLines]= runImportdata(fileAbsolutePath, type);
Error in uiimport (line 244)
    gatherFilePreviewData(fileAbsolutePath); 

Answer 1

[Murugan C]

Hi Will Q,

I can load 2nd (exampleActivations2) mat file data

%

load_mat = load('exampleActivations2.mat')

load_mat =

bestBands: {1x8 cell}

bestLocations: {1x8 cell}

c2: {1x8 cell}

extract_data = h.c2{1};

imshow(extract_data)

%

But while loading 1'st mat file. I got error as like file may be corupted.

%

Error using load

Unable to read MAT-file E:\Sample MATLAB Program\MATLAB_Cent\exampleActivations.mat

File may be corrupt.

If possible to recreate a mat again.

/Murugan C

[Walter Roberson]

I agree, it looks like a corrupted file to me.