Replacing spaces in file names

[ppxp]

In a given folder, I want to rename all files: replace spaces with underscores. For example:

xplorer 2 user manual.pdf
becomes
xplorer_2_user_manual.pdf


Could you give me a hint on how to do that?

Ultimately, regex support for finding files and renaming files is a must feature that has to be added to xplorer2.

[fgagnon]

Although one can do a lot with x2's mass renamer it does not have a find-and-replace capability, nor does it support regular expressions (RegEx).
For those features, here are three very capable specialized 3rd party tools that integrate well with x2.
 
THE Rename Author's site (French)

ReNamer

and MRename.

PS - English mirror for THE Rename

[ppxp]

Too bad that this cannot be handled by xplorer2. I hope that this will be added soon.

Anyway, I recommend File renamer Extremely lightweight (420KB), portable and easy to use file renamer.

[jasperlotus]

My host does not support spaces in file names, and so I hope the feature could be added asap  :)

PS: Currently I must manually rename files to upload to my host

[Kilmatead]

My host does not support spaces in file names, and so I hope the feature could be added asap

Considering that it's simple enough to create a user command & toolbar button to call any of the above utilities with the selected files included,

> "...\ReNamer.exe" $S

There's nothing stopping you from using any of them as a virtually seamless substitute for x2's Mass Rename function.  ReNamer (as above) requires no installation and even has a convenient setting to close the utility on successful rename, so it's only there when you want it.  (It also comes with the added kudos of a User Manual by Narayan, he who masterminded x2's own repository of mental instability. )

[BRX]

You don't need a user command for the task here.

Use MRename which is a shell-extension and gives you to opportunity to choose from quite a lot of renaming samples after a right-click on the selected files (MR Quickmenu).

Though I just checked, the option to convert spaces to underscores doesn't seem to be in the quickmenu and I don't know if it can be edited.

So, then, have a look at awxrename from

http://www.arniworld.de/downloads.htm

which is also a renaming shell extension (which I mostly use for such conversions) which definitely has an option to convert from space to uncerscores and vice versa and works well with x2 including the scrap panes.

[Kilmatead]

You don't need a user command for the task here.

True, I erred on the side of caution and simplicity as some of the above (shell extensions notably) don't play nice with the advent of x64 systems, gaining in common usage.

Many of these renaming programs themselves seem to have fallen out of development favour, and so may never companion functional popularity again, regrettably.

[jgt1942]

For my bulk renaming I've been using "Bulk Rename Here", see http://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/Main_Intro.php

[jasperlotus]

I known almost alternative renaming solutions, but it's better if it is intergrated into x2  :lol:

[Kilmatead]

To indulge my penchant for being both on-topic and off-topic at the same time, I spent some time playing with these renaming utilities today to see what manner of mischief they can achieve.

(For those of you who dislike my topical meandering, or cannot abide a friendship with demons, stop reading now or skip to the last paragraph as this post contains no other useful information. )

jgt1942's suggestion of Bulk Rename had an interesting option (amidst its mind boggling GUI ) of enumerating via Roman Numerals.  Strangely I could not get this to work, but it sent me off into an interesting thread (here) for ReNamer's PascalScript variation which gave me something to assuage my boredom for a few hours.

Owing to a previous experiment for Nikos, I "just happened" to have a folder with some 16,384 files in it which were just begging to be renamed (as they do), and after a bit of messing, I arrived with this:



(Indeed, someone even supplied a useful script which would convert Arabic Numerals into Roman, so it can be applied to convert existing integers in names as well.)

For some reason, apropos of nothing, I found this whole experiment immensely amusing.  Who would have thought that 16384 would be (X)(V)MCCCLXXXIV?  "Not I," said the lamppost.

I just thought I would share that useless bit of fun. My USB drive never knew what hit it.

(And special thanks to Narayan for helping me organize ReNamer's settings to behave in accordance with my clandestine wishes.)

Quapropter bono christiano, sive mathematici, sive quilibet impie divinantium, maxime dicentes vera, cavendi sunt, ne consortio daemoniorum animam deceptam, pacto quodam societatis irretiant.

For this reason, the good Christian should beware not only numerologists, but all those who make impious divinations, above all when they tell truth. Otherwise, they may deceive the soul, and ensnare her in a pact of friendship with demons.

For the record, and purely as my own opinion, as renaming utilities go, if for no reason other than its scripting capacity (which I did not encounter elsewhere), ReNamer wins the day.

Of all the programs mentioned in this thread, ReNamer and Bulk Renaming Utility seemed the most professional and functional (others were either dysfunctional on Win7x64 or had interfaces which were so traditionally XP oriented as to be awkward and out of place).  BRU's GUI is what let it down, in my opinion, as it seems to be designed for spiders (who have 8 eyes compared to my mere 2).

[BRX]

If you're comparing renamers you shouldn't leave out Flexible Renamer which (surprisingly) isn't so well known. It's my personal favourite and appealed to me from the start (similar to 2x way back). I've recommended it before.

I don't know about Win7 or 64bit apps since I'm still on XP. But please check it out.

http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA014830 ... /FlexRena/

[Kilmatead]

If you're comparing renamers you shouldn't leave out Flexible Renamer which (surprisingly) isn't so well known. It's my personal favourite and appealed to me from the start (similar to 2x way back).

I'm not in any way giving an organized or thoughtful approach to comparison (there are other threads/sites which can do that).  Any of my observations are based solely on "first impressions", initial functionality, and "my ability to seriously screw it up" - in other words, I'm intentionally trying to break the programs, to see reliability.

In light of that, Flexible Renamer acquitted itself rather well, a few GUI issues notwithstanding (it has window display/setting faults under win7 - but nothing the author couldn't sort out if he were so pressed).

I can see why it appealed to you as its approach is (at the expense of re-iterative tasking) more straightforward than others... genuinely helpful (and obvious) presets, VBS and JS scripting, and a more intuitive way of building/rebuilding complex filename strings (RegEx aside, as almost all renamers do that - which raises a curiosity as to why Nikos left it out of his initial design ).

Which brings me to a general observation regarding (all) these utilities - aside from the fact that they're all free which is amazing unto itself as the authors all obviously put a lot of time and effort into design.  The thing that stands out most is the personalised approach each has taken - while at the end of the day they all do the same thing - the ergonomics are all wildly different.  Some are minimalistic (yet just as powerful), while others are overwhelming with "look at all my toys!"

To each their own, to be sure, and one can only judge by that most personal of biases - the "je ne sais quoi" element - to tickle one's fancy.  Much, as BRX noted, the same as whatever drew us to x2 or any other application in the first place.

My opinion still rests upon ReNamer, as its un-cluttered rule-based approach allows for intuitive understanding, yet that same simplicity hints at the complex power available, should one choose to dig deeper.  It also seems designed around the idea of "complementing" a proper file manager, while others see themselves as stand-alone applications.

At least, that's my impression.  It could just be an ensnaring devil in disguise.

[FrizzleFry]

awxrename was my favorite for a long time... it provided scripting capability in perl or vbscript... but I abandoned it when I made the switch to 64 bit x2.

I used MRename for awhile but it is a 32 bit extension as well.

What I liked about these 2 renamers is that you could setup custom context menu entries for common renaming patterns.

ReNamer allows you to setup send to menu entries.

The one I use the most now is Ken Rename. It's similar to Bulk Rename Utility.

I do wish Nikos would upgrade the builtin mass renamer.

[Kilmatead]

ReNamer allows you to setup send to menu entries.

Considering that "Send To" entries are nothing more than shortcuts placed in the \User\...\SendTo folder, any program you wish can be configured that way.

(How many of these bloody renaming programs exist? There seems to be a surfeit plethora, to coin a phrase.)

I do wish Nikos would upgrade the built-in mass renamer.

While I doubt he would ever hope (or need) to include all the functionality displayed in these utilities, you're right, it could do with an upgrade - not least the originally mentioned RegEx.

But, again, as these utilities are all easily integrated (more or less), there is not a seriously pressing need.  "Reinventing the wheel" comes to mind.

[nikos]

i think it's easy for me to add regexp rename, but who will benefit? rocket scientists only