Renamers, Picture Viewers, etc., 1999 before 2

[Curt]

I extracted the pictures from a video, and they were automatically named  1, 2, 3, etcetera. Explorer doesn't have any problem with this, of course, but my favourite image viewers would display them in the order 1, 10, 100, 1000, 1001, (...), 1999, 2, etc. So I figured I would rename the image files accordingly, 0001, 0002, only to find out that four of my five renaming utility are suffering from the same illness, (and the fifth couldn't handle that many files)!!

Apart from this being a great disappointment to me, it made me wonder what others are doing in situations like this. Is the listed numbering order sometimes a problem to you? Do you have a renaming utility and/or a picture viewer that will show the files in the same order as Explorer? 



Edited:
I forgot to say that I so far have settled with XnView, because it will handle the numbers correctly. But the image quality from XnView really is inferior, so I would like to know your answers anyway.

[cmpm]

What program did you use to extract the pics?

Could be the answer is in it's help or faq section.

Strange problem for sure.

[CWuestefeld]

About a year ago this topic came up on CodingHorror. I was intrigued, and wrote some code and a CodeProject article that uses regular expressions to handle this.

My algorithm deals with multiple numeric "fields" in the name, decimal values, etc. But a commenter pointed out that Windows actually provides a shell API method that will do this kind of sorting for you.

[Curt]

Thanks a lot Chris.
I have passed your informations on to the author of my renamer. Some hours ago I yelled at him (in writing), so I guess he should be the first to know where to (maybe) find a solution :-)


Are you going to tell the forum about this experience:



?
Is it an ongoing hobby, or was it a one of the kind event?

[Curt]

What program did you use to extract the pics?

Could be the answer is in it's help or faq section.

-cmpm (November 10, 2008, 09:15 AM)

Thanks, but No help from Help. No FAQ.
And certainly No contact! - I wouldn't dare to contact that site from my own address! The program is SC Video Decompiler from SoftwareClub.ws - any firewall or anti-spyware will be alarmed, but the decompiler does it's job (and does it well), and nothing more.

[CWuestefeld]

That particular thing was a one-of-a-kind, as it's very expensive. My wife bought for me a class in driving a race car, which shows what a really great wife I've got.

The experience was amazing: lapping the road course at Pocono International Raceway as fast as you can possibly manage. The cars don't have speedometers, but from what I could extrapolate from the tachometer, I was probably doing 120mph. It starts with a classroom session, then a tour around the course with an instructor showing us where the best line is, and where the corner apexes are. Then out in the race car with the instructor watching for a session (and passing the other students is allowed!), followed by instructor comments and tips for improvement, then another cycle of the same. And I only spun the car once  

But I do continue to race go-karts. We have an indoor track not far from my house, and the folks say these cars get up to 45mph on the straight.

I like speed.

Back on topic, it looks like you could us a renamer to assign sequential 0-padded numbers, working from a list sorted by creation date. It think that Ant Renamer will do this.

[Curt]

- you were absolutely right about Ant Renamer! 


However, the program reminded me of what f0dder once said, that it is hard to add Unicode later on; it should be implemented from the beginning. Ant Renamer is offering support for Unicode all right, except in this, this, or that situation...

---

I did a lot of go-carting in my younger days because my brother owned a big out-door circuit for go-carts - both for the big club versions and for the smaller public rentals! Oh yeah, the feeling of speed! :-)

I envy you your wife 

[fenixproductions]

Apart from this being a great disappointment to me, it made me wonder what others are doing in situations like this. Is the listed numbering order sometimes a problem to you? Do you have a renaming utility and/or a picture viewer that will show the files in the same order as Explorer? 

-Curt (November 10, 2008, 06:03 AM)

As you've already notices I am addicted of my file manager so I use it as picture viewer too (no problems with sorting).

Edited:
I forgot to say that I so far have settled with XnView, because it will handle the numbers correctly. But the image quality from XnView really is inferior, so I would like to know your answers anyway.

-Curt (November 10, 2008, 06:03 AM)

Doesn't setting better quality help?

Tools -> Options -> General -> Read
Tools -> Options -> View -> High quality zoom
Tools -> Options -> -> View -> Fullscreen -> Use delayed high quality...

[Target]

what about a simple AHK script?

the following would handle up 99,999 files

[Select]

fileselectfolder, root, ::{20d04fe0-3aea-1069-a2d8-08002b30309d},3,Select the target folder

loop, %root%\*.*,0,1
{
tmp:= a_loopfilename
stringtrimright, tmp,tmp,4
loop
{
if len >= 5
{
len:=0
break
}
tmp:= "0" . tmp
stringlen,len, tmp
}
filemove, %a_loopfilefullpath%, %a_loopfiledir%\%tmp%`.%a_loopfileext%
}

[cmpm]

I don't know what renamers you have and use.
This is the one I use, when I need it, which is rare.
Very batch capable.

Advanced Renamer

http://aren.hulubulu.net/

hope it helps

[AbteriX]

... but my favourite image viewers would display them in the order 1, 10, 100, 1000, 1001, (...), 1999, 2, etc.
...only to find out that four of my five renaming utility are suffering from the same illness,

 Do you have a renaming utility and/or a picture viewer that will show the files in the same order as Explorer? 

-Curt (November 10, 2008, 06:03 AM)

I just created 1000 files and load them in my favored renamers and they sort them like 1,2,3....,10,11,...99,100,101,...999,1000,...

Siren by Scarabée Software => http://www.scarabee-...t/en/siren_pres.html
ReNamer by den4b ========> http://www.den4b.com....php?project=ReNamer
TotalCommanders renamer ==> http://screenshots.w...re.de/1123489351.jpg (if you set the right option)

HTH?
If you have any question about renamers.... just ask ;-)

[Curt]

I just created 1000 files and load them in my favored renamers and they sort them like 1,2,3....,10,11,...99,100,101,...999,1000,...

ReNamer by den4b ========> http://www.den4b.com....php?project=ReNamer

-AbteriX (November 11, 2008, 01:53 AM)

- are you sure about ReNamer as well? My version did not sort it like this.

Anyway, the job is done, thanks to Ant Renamer. And the brothers Kristiansen of Norway have already started to work out a more permanent solution for me. Watch out for the next version of Kristanix File Renamer Turbo; it just may begin to respect it's own suffix...

what about a simple AHK script?
the following would handle up 99,999 files

-Target (November 10, 2008, 05:37 PM)

- thanks a  lot, Target! I really look forward to test this script.

This is the one I use, when I need it, which is rare.
Advanced Renamer http://aren.hulubulu.net/

-cmpm (November 10, 2008, 10:03 PM)

Thanks a lot for reminding me, cmpm. Advanced Renamer is yet another competent Dane ("hulubulu"!?) I had forgotten about! I tried it several years ago, but I can see it has been constantly improved ever since.

---

As for my bad-mouthing of XnView's picture quality:

Doesn't setting better quality help?

Tools -> Options -> General -> Read
Tools -> Options -> View -> High quality zoom
Tools -> Options -> -> View -> Fullscreen -> Use delayed high quality...

-fenixproductions (November 10, 2008, 05:08 PM)

- I must admit that I already have forgotten what change I made, but I do remember clicking a box - and now XnView is just as good as the other viewers. Sorry, XnView, and Thank You, fenixproductions!

[AbteriX]

- are you sure about ReNamer as well? My version did not sort it like this.

-Curt (November 11, 2008, 04:28 AM)

Yes it work out of the box.
But there is an "use natural order sorting" - option to set too.

...glad you get it done anyway 

[Curt]

there is an "use natural order sorting" - option to set too.

-AbteriX (November 11, 2008, 05:50 AM)

This is strange to me! I am certain natural sorting already was checked, so I didn't start the "old" ReNamer up to test again, but went and updated it instead. A minor update it was, but right out of the box it uses "natural sorting". Thanks, AbteriX!

However, I didn't find a way to make ReNamer transform 1, 2, 3, into 0001, 0002, 0003. But that is okay, for the time being, as I now have Ant Renamer to do that little part - until another fine renamer enters the stage :-)

Are there any more "Rename natural sorted files" -renaming programs? 

transform 1, 2, 3, into 0001, 0002, 0003

-Rename natural sorted files

[AbteriX]

there is an "use natural order sorting" - option to set too.

-AbteriX (November 11, 2008, 05:50 AM)

This is strange to me! I am certain natural sorting already was checked, so I didn't start the "old" ReNamer up to test again, but went and updated it instead. A minor update it was, but right out of the box it uses "natural sorting". Thanks, AbteriX!

-Curt (November 11, 2008, 07:16 AM)

That wasn't consistent for my neither.
First natural sort wasn't checked (out of the box i think)
But the sort works natural 1,2,3 10,11,12,100,101

Then if i test this checkbox..... the natural sort works only if i check this option.
If i uncheck ... i have non-natural sort. Maybe i should report this to the autor.

However, I didn't find a way to make ReNamer transform 1, 2, 3, into 0001, 0002, 0003.

transform 1, 2, 3, into 0001, 0002, 0003

-Rename natural sorted files

The simplest way is to
- sort old file name in natural order
- delete this number parts from old file name
- serialize again (start 1 - pad zeros - 4 digits (or like this))
(EDIT: or even simpler: >>> http://www.den4b.com...c.php?pid=6308#p6308)

An other way may be using RegEx or PascalScript.

With an good ReNamer and an editor with scripting support (like VIM) you can do all you want.

BTW, ReNamer is at v 5.31 at the moment http://www.den4b.com...c.php?id=409&p=2

[Curt]

As for my bad-mouthing of XnView's picture quality:

Doesn't setting better quality help?

Tools -> Options -> General -> Read
Tools -> Options -> View -> High quality zoom
Tools -> Options -> -> View -> Fullscreen -> Use delayed high quality...

-fenixproductions (November 10, 2008, 05:08 PM)

- I must admit that I already have forgotten what change I made, but I do remember clicking a box - and now XnView is just as good as the other viewers. Sorry, XnView, and Thank You, fenixproductions!

-Curt (November 11, 2008, 04:28 AM)

No, I stand firm by my first impression: the picture quality from XnView is inferior to IrfanView and many others! 

The reason I have kept it is that I want an easy solution to see my pictures in different orders, by name, by last change, etcetera, and it is faster just to use another viewer than to click "change order" and wait for the sorting of 8.000 pictures.

Once again I will look for a replacement of XnView.