Drop file to rename it according to list of names

[kilele]

Hi all,
How could I do the following?
I have a folder with files and a text file with a list of names (actually it's a spreadsheet with two columns)
What I'd want to do is to drag and drop each file to a listbox so it gets renamed

[tomos]

Hi all,
How could I do the following?
I have a folder with files and a text file with a list of names (actually it's a spreadsheet with two columns)
What I'd want to do is to drag and drop each file to a listbox so it gets renamed

I had to rename a bunch of files using a text list just this week.
Used Oscar's Renamer after a 2006 (!) recommendation here on dc.
it isnt in development, but is still being sold
I used the trial -- it worked on Windows 7 x64
it was very fussy: wouldn't work for a while, I think possibly because of an extra carriage return at the bottom of the list of new names. But it did work in the end.

Also found a couple of sites showing how to do it using spreadsheet (and?). Can check my desktop history later and post link/s.

[kilele]

Thanks, I'll see if Oscar's Renamer works for me.
The problem is that new names and current ones are quite different and unrelated that's why I asked for a way to drag the file onto the list, since there is a column with descriptions so I can visually tell which file corresponds to the new name

[tomos]

Thanks, I'll see if Oscar's Renamer works for me.
The problem is that new names and current ones are quite different and unrelated that's why I asked for a way to drag the file onto the list, since there is a column with descriptions so I can visually tell which file corresponds to the new name

I'll add a +1 to your request, would be very helpful to be able to do something like that

[kilele]

Hi tomos. I can't see in Oscar´s Renamer how to rearrange files on the left panel to match the text lines from the right panel.
What I had in mind is something like one of those worksheets for children where they have to match figures on the left column to the related ones on the right by drawing a line

[tomos]

I can't see in Oscar´s Renamer how to rearrange files on the left panel to match the text lines from the right panel.

I did it in a spreadsheet first...

[kilele]

I can't see in Oscar´s Renamer how to rearrange files on the left panel to match the text lines from the right panel.

I did it in a spreadsheet first...

How did you did it?
I can make a csv out of the files folder to get all current names. Then I paste the csv column next to the column with new names. How can I match them correctly? Can you share some good tip?

[tomos]

^ okay,
let me see:
first I need the filenames, old and new correctly synced in spreadsheet



the second column are the current names,
I'm going to revert back to the previous naming system here.
Following does require having just the relevant files in a folder.

open Renamer,
select relevant folder - a doubled list shows in the main pane:
renaming is in the right column, so select that list



(I've reduced the tree pane on the left for the screenshot)

Copy relevant cells from your spreadsheet, and paste in Renamer (might be best to paste in text editor first and then copy again ensuring you have exactly the correct number of lines):



I think it was then:
menu: File > Apply changes to folder

Hope that works for you -- I did have to mess around a bit, but was doing it 'cold'

[kilele]

@tomos fine what you explain, i can paste the new names on the right column but how to sort them to match the left column, by hand doing ctrl+x ctrl+v inside the textbox ? I'd rather a way to avoid this kind of manual process.. afaik there's no way to sort files of the left panel of Oscar's Renamer nor a way to rearrange its listbox elements to match the lines of text

[tomos]

Yeah, things do need to be sorted in spreadsheet first: you need to have the correct names in the correct columns -
i.e.
A | B
C | D
where B & D are new names for A & C.
I sorted then by actual names in spreadsheet, then copied the new names (G00, etc. in example above) for pasting into renamer. I did not have to do any messing around in Renamer then. Might not be suitable for your needs, but was worth it for me.

So yeah, you need to do that work in advance.
Otherwise in Renamer, you can paste into or edit individual lines -- but I didnt use that capability myself.

[kilele]

Thanks tomos for let me know about Oscar's Renamer.
Yes, definitively you have to rearrange cells on the spreadsheet before pasting into the renamer's text editor.
Do you know some way to drag a file from winexplorer and drop it to some spreadsheet program or text editor so the file name be pasted? msexcel does not allow to do such drag&drop

[kilele]

Hi Tomos. How about using Skwire's "Text 2 Folders" ? this app will make folders out of the column with new names, then I will drop one by one the files on each folder, finally I need some script to rename files with their folder name. I think this will soothe somewhat my pains 

[tomos]

Do you know some way to drag a file from winexplorer and drop it to some spreadsheet program or text editor so the file name be pasted? msexcel does not allow to do such drag&drop

I used my file manager (Dopus) to copy the filenames. Other file-managers can do this too, e.g. XYplorer.

Note: for me it was also worth my time doing it in spreadsheet, because I needed to keep a record of old vs. new names.

[rjbull]

Does it have to be drag and drop?  Wouldn't a batch file be better from the point of view of automation?  At its simplest, you'd just have a series of lines like

if exist abc123.xyz ren abc123.xyz widgets_report.txt

and you could add in refinements like moving the file to a different location, making a backup and renaming it using something like BRC (the command-line version of BRU (Bulk Rename Utility), and triggering the whole thing automatically using one of the various folder-watching utilities, e.g. perhaps NewFileGo to name a recent free one (that admittedly I haven't tried).

[kilele]

@rjbull
I wanted to avoid typing by hand hence the drag&drop approach
Folders' names may be formed with delimiters to keep old information. These separators can be used later by any renamer to remove unwanted info

[Target]

this might be of interest...

http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/05/tutorial/batch-rename-using-excel.html

[kilele]

@Target thanks for the tip on how to rename files using Excel and Advancedrenamer.
I had new names on a column and descriptions on the other one (not the current files names).
In the end I used "Text 2 Folders" and den4b renamer

[AbteriX]

Maybe this helps:


I have a folder with files and a spreadsheet with two columns with a list of names.
Current names on the left column (A), the new names on the right column (B).
Old name.txt |  New wanted.txt
Alter Name.TXT |  Neuer Name.TXT
Current name.txt |  Target Name.txt



Use third column (C) and enter a formula in C1:

=" Ren " & """" & A1 & """  " & """" & B1 &""""

After pressing ENTER key you will get:

Old name.txt |  New wanted.txt |  Ren "Old name.txt"  "New wanted.txt"
Alter Name.TXT |  Neuer Name.TXT
Current name.txt |  Target Name.txt




Now select C1 and double click at the black square at the bottom right of that cell.
The formula is copied down.

Awaited Result:

Old name.txt |  New wanted.txt |  Ren "Old name.txt"  "New wanted.txt"
Alter Name.TXT |  Neuer Name.TXT |  Ren "Alter Name.TXT"  "Neuer Name.TXT"
Current name.txt |  Target Name.txt |  Ren "Current name.txt"  "Target Name.txt"




At last, select whole C-column, paste to a New Textfile.txt.
Open that file (add '@ECHO OFF' as new first line) and see if all went fine.
Change extension to .CMD and run on a copy of your real files (or have a backup).

DOS command REN will try to find file with name on the left, and if found, rename with name on the right.



---------------------------------------RenameBatch.CMD
@ECHO OFF

Ren "Old name.txt"  "New wanted.txt"
Ren "Alter Name.TXT"  "Neuer Name.TXT"
Ren "Current name.txt"  "Target Name.txt"

PAUSE
---------------------------------------

[kilele]

@AbteriX
Very useful! though, as I said above, I was not given two columns with old names sided with new names, just new names with a brief description.
I solved the task as explained above with manual drag&drop