PyMatReader

1.2.2 verified Fri May 01 auth: no python

A convenient reader for MATLAB .mat files, handling various data types and structures. Current version 1.2.2, requires Python ≥3.10. Regular updates.

pip install pymatreader

Common errors

error AttributeError: 'Namespace' object has no attribute '...' ↓

cause Accessing a variable by name that doesn't exist in the .mat file, or using wrong case.

fix

List available keys: print(data.keys()) and then access the correct key.

error ValueError: Unknown mat file type, version ... ↓

cause File might be corrupted or unsupported format (e.g., MATLAB v4).

fix

Try opening with scipy.io.loadmat as fallback, or check file integrity.

error ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'h5py' ↓

cause Trying to read a v7.3 file without h5py installed.

fix

Install h5py: pip install h5py.

Warnings

gotcha By default, pymatreader returns variables as attributes of a simple namespace object. If you expect a dict, use `ignore_fields=False` or access via `data['varname']`. ↓

fix Use `data['varname']` or set `ignore_fields=True` (default) to get attribute-style access.

breaking pymatreader 1.0+ dropped support for Python 2 and Python <3.10. The API changed from returning dicts to returning a namespace object. ↓

fix Use `data = read_mat('file.mat').__dict__` to get a dict, or update code to use attribute access.

deprecated The `matfile` function is deprecated in favor of `read_mat`. ↓

fix Replace `from pymatreader import matfile` with `from pymatreader import read_mat`.

Imports

read_mat
```
from pymatreader import read_mat
```
Correct usage.

Quickstart

Basic usage to read a .mat file and access its variables.

from pymatreader import read_mat
import os

# Read a MATLAB .mat file
data = read_mat('example.mat')
# Access variables by name
# data.variable_name
print(data.keys())