Batch renaming is a form of

batch processing Computerized batch processing is a method of running software programs called jobs in batches automatically. While users are required to submit the jobs, no other interaction by the user is required to process the batch. Batches may automatically ...

used to

rename Rename may refer to: * Rename (computing), rename of a file on a computer * RENAME (command), command to rename a file in various operating systems * Rename (relational algebra), unary operation in relational algebra * Company renaming, rename ...

multiple

computer files A computer file is a computer resource for recording data in a computer storage device, primarily identified by its file name. Just as words can be written to paper, so can data be written to a computer file. Files can be shared with and transfe ...

and folders in an automated fashion, in order to save time and reduce the amount of work involved. Some sort of

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consist ...

is required to do this. Such software can be more or less advanced, but most have the same basic functions. Batch renaming can also be referred to as 'mass file renaming', rename 'en masse' and 'bulk renaming'.

Common functions

Most batch renamers share a basic set of functions to manipulate the filenames: * Find a string within the filename and replace it with another, or remove it. * Setting the

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of the letters in the filenames. * Extracting information from the files, such as

Mp3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

ID3 tags, and putting it in the filename. * Add a number sequence (001,002,003,...) to a list of files. * Use a text file as a source for new file names. Some batch rename software can do more than just renaming filenames. Features include changing the dates of files and changing the file attributes (such as the write protected attribute).

Common uses

There are many situations where batch renaming software can be useful. Here is a list of some common uses: * Many digital cameras store images using a base filename, such as DCSN0001 or IMG0001. Using a batch renamer the photographer can easily give the pictures meaningful names. * When

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files from the

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such as mp3 music, the files often have crude names. A batch renamer can be used to quickly change the filenames to a style that suits the person who downloaded them. * When managing large amount of files, such as a picture database, a batch renamer is more or less essential for the task of maintaining filenames without too much manual labour. * When authoring music files onto a CD/ DVD or transferring the files to a

digital audio player A portable media player (PMP) (also including the related digital audio player (DAP)) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. The data is typically stored o ...

, a batch renamer can be used to listen to songs in desired order. * When uploading files to a

web server A web server is computer software and underlying hardware that accepts requests via HTTP (the network protocol created to distribute web content) or its secure variant HTTPS. A user agent, commonly a web browser or web crawler, initia ...

or transferring the files to an environment that does not support

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or non-English characters in filenames, a batch renamer can be used to substitute such characters with acceptable ones.

Problems

There are a few problems to take in consideration when renaming a file list.
(→ means: renamed to) * Detecting that the target filename already exist.

file01 → file02 (file02 already exists in file-system)

* Detecting that the target filename is already used.

file01 → file03
file02 → file03 (file03 is already used)

* Detecting cycle renaming (Solved by a two-pass renaming).

file01 → file02 (file02 already exists in file-system)
file02 → file03 (file03 already exists in file-system)
file03 → file01 (file01 already exists in file-system)

Two-pass renaming

Two-pass renaming uses a temporary filename (that doesn't exist in file-system) as shown below.
(→ means: renamed to) * First pass

file01 → file01_AAAAA
file02 → file02_AAAAB
file03 → file03_AAAAC

* Second pass

file01_AAAAA → file02
file02_AAAAB → file03
file03_AAAAC → file01

It solves the cycle renaming problem. If this approach is to be used care should be taken not to exceed any filename length limits during the rename, and also that the temporary names do not clash with any existing files.

List of software

This is a list of notable batch renaming programs in the form of a comparison table.

Footnotes