function [vpacvt, digits] = vpaconvert(file)
%
% Assuming that FILE contains one or more columns of high-precision
% numbers, this function uses the external perl script vpaconvert.pl
% to load the contents of the file as variable-precision values into 
% a two-dimensional array and return that array as a result. The
% maximum number of digits in the data of FILE is automatically
% determined and returned as an output variable "digits".
%
% Usage: [array,digits] = vpaconvert('file');
%        array = vpaconvert('file');
%
% The second form ignores the digits setting.
%
% Daniel Trinkle
% Purdue University
% 27 March 2009
%
% use external perl script and evaluate results which sets digits and vpacvt
eval(perl('/homes/wxg/matlab/vpaconvert.pl', file, 'vpacvt'));