Text File Search

Search text files using a list of terms, one at a time

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This file uses a list of search terms in excel. That way the search terms can easily be updated. It searches each text file in a specific directory, one search term at a time. If one is found, that search stops & it moves to the next text file. The results are outputted in an excel file with the original file name in one column, and the found term in another.

I wrote this for a specific usage at work. So its not a general script. But you can use it to start from and modify my code instead of starting from scratch. For instance, if one of the search terms is found for any text file, the script also searches another small set of search terms in the script itself because those require If statements. That can be removed.

You could for instance have the file renamed instead of outputting to a spreadsheet. This script will give you a basis. I utilized another members script to actually do the text searching. My file more helps you build it into a larger process.

Cite As

Aman Siddiqi (2026). Text File Search (https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/15025-text-file-search), MATLAB Central File Exchange. Retrieved .

General Information

MATLAB Release Compatibility

  • Compatible with any release

Platform Compatibility

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
Version Published Release Notes Action
1.0.0.0