def string_to_float_list(string_var):
        """Pull comma separated string values out of a text file and converts them to float list"""
        try:
            return [float(s) for s in string_var.strip('[').strip(']').split(', ')]
        except:
            return [float(s) for s in string_var.strip('[').strip(']').split(',')]
Pull comma separated string values out of a text file and converts them to float list