user_string.m

%USER_STRING  Get/set a user specific string
%
% Examples:
%   string = user_string(string_name)
%   saved = user_string(string_name, new_string)
%
% Function to get and set a string in a system or user specific file. This
% enables, for example, system specific paths to binaries to be saved.
%
% IN:
%   string_name - String containing the name of the string required. The
%                 string is extracted from a file called (string_name).txt,
%                 stored in the same directory as user_string.m.
%   new_string - The new string to be saved under the name given by
%                string_name.
%
% OUT:
%   string - The currently saved string. Default: ''.
%   saved - Boolean indicating whether the save was succesful

% Copyright (C) Oliver Woodford 2011

% This method of saving paths avoids changing .m files which might be in a
% version control system. Instead it saves the user dependent paths in
% separate files with a .txt extension, which need not be checked in to
% the version control system. Thank you to Jonas Dorn for suggesting this
% approach.

function string = user_string(string_name, string)
if ~ischar(string_name)
    error('string_name must be a string.');
end
% Create the full filename
string_name = fullfile(fileparts(mfilename('fullpath')), '.ignore', [string_name '.txt']);
if nargin > 1
    % Set string
    if ~ischar(string)
        error('new_string must be a string.');
    end
    % Make sure the save directory exists
    dname = fileparts(string_name);
    if ~exist(dname, 'dir')
        % Create the directory
        try
            if ~mkdir(dname)                
                string = false;
                return
            end
        catch
            string = false;
            return
        end
        % Make it hidden
        try
            fileattrib(dname, '+h');
        catch
        end
    end
    % Write the file
    fid = fopen(string_name, 'w');
    if fid == -1
        string = false;
        return
    end
    try
        fwrite(fid, string, '*char');
    catch
        fclose(fid);
        string = false;
        return
    end
    fclose(fid);
    string = true;
else
    % Get string
    fid = fopen(string_name, 'r');
    if fid == -1
        string = '';
        return
    end
    string = fread(fid, '*char')';
    fclose(fid);
end
return