Renaming Options
Moderators: fgagnon, nikos, Site Mods
Renaming Options
At present, when you go to rename a file, it selects all but the extension. While I can see why this would be very useful, and at times it is, it tends to actually slow me down. Would it be possible to impliment an option to toggle how renaming a file functions? Basically, I'm asking for the default explorer renaming style to be an option.
While we're on the topic of file renaming, which I find myself doing way to much because of digital cameras, I have the following suggestion.
When renaming a file, if the user ends by pressing the up or down arrow then the previous or next file, respectively, should automatically be selected for renaming.
This would greatly speed up renaming large number of files, and I hope its somewhere on the todo list. I realize that I could use the built in file renamer, but currently I rename files randomly to reflect the pictures contents. Quickview is extremly helpful here already.
That brings up yet another idea. I'd love to be able to choose EXIF information as columns. This could then be used as part of the rename feature. Oh well, maybe next century!
When renaming a file, if the user ends by pressing the up or down arrow then the previous or next file, respectively, should automatically be selected for renaming.
This would greatly speed up renaming large number of files, and I hope its somewhere on the todo list. I realize that I could use the built in file renamer, but currently I rename files randomly to reflect the pictures contents. Quickview is extremly helpful here already.
That brings up yet another idea. I'd love to be able to choose EXIF information as columns. This could then be used as part of the rename feature. Oh well, maybe next century!
We like to be ahead of ideas: EXIF columns are already there (well, for Windows 2000 and XP; NT4 does not support additional columns).
This is treated in FAQ http://netez.com/xplorer2/x2faq.htm, see C7 half-way down..
In fact, you can add MP3 and EXIF columns in x2; and x2 PRO can even search on these columns, sort on them, etc...
Let us see what you can do with it:
* Find all photos where flash did not fire and correct them for exposure
* Find all wide-angle photos and correct them for distortion
* If you have multiple cameras, find photos taken on a particular camera
* search for a photo taken on a particular date (this is not same as the Created Date)
* Search for all photos taken in portrait mode and resize them (Some cameras have a built-in provision, though)
For all corrections, you could use GIMP (freeware) or Photoshop CS.
The GIMP site (http://www.GIMP.org) also offers tutorials on photo-corrections (and a lot of other applications of GIMP).
You need to search only once, and then save the search results in temporary lists as *.CIDA files (save them from the scrap container). Then take up these photos one by one whenever you find time.
The CIDA file will serve as a TODO list for you: When you are done correcting a photo, you can remove it from the CIDA file (the photo will remain on the disk, don't worry!). The remaining photos in the CIDA file are yet to be processed.
@Using extracted EXIF information in renaming:
For that, we need extra "tokens" derived from EXIF data. The same could be done for MP3.
As far as we know, you are the first (amatuer?) digital photographer to visit these forums. We'd love to exchange ideas about how to serve your specific needs. Do share your ideas!
This is treated in FAQ http://netez.com/xplorer2/x2faq.htm, see C7 half-way down..
In fact, you can add MP3 and EXIF columns in x2; and x2 PRO can even search on these columns, sort on them, etc...
Let us see what you can do with it:
* Find all photos where flash did not fire and correct them for exposure
* Find all wide-angle photos and correct them for distortion
* If you have multiple cameras, find photos taken on a particular camera
* search for a photo taken on a particular date (this is not same as the Created Date)
* Search for all photos taken in portrait mode and resize them (Some cameras have a built-in provision, though)
For all corrections, you could use GIMP (freeware) or Photoshop CS.
The GIMP site (http://www.GIMP.org) also offers tutorials on photo-corrections (and a lot of other applications of GIMP).
You need to search only once, and then save the search results in temporary lists as *.CIDA files (save them from the scrap container). Then take up these photos one by one whenever you find time.
The CIDA file will serve as a TODO list for you: When you are done correcting a photo, you can remove it from the CIDA file (the photo will remain on the disk, don't worry!). The remaining photos in the CIDA file are yet to be processed.
@Using extracted EXIF information in renaming:
For that, we need extra "tokens" derived from EXIF data. The same could be done for MP3.
As far as we know, you are the first (amatuer?) digital photographer to visit these forums. We'd love to exchange ideas about how to serve your specific needs. Do share your ideas!
It seems we're running in circles here, since you've already had an answer to that (twice now, since fgagnon has given you the Ctrl+F2 answer again).kagaku wrote:I'm specificly looking for the ability to rename the file via F2 and have it select the entire filename, not everything but the extension.
Maybe I can break the circle by explaining why the default behaviour for F2 is to select only the filename without extension.
Usually an extension indicates a specific type of file. When renaming, you'd normally (that is, in more than 90% of the times you do this) leave the extension the same and only change the descriptive part of the filename (the part before the last period[.]).
Tha is the reason F2 only selects the filename up until the last period of the full name. So it is a carefully considered choice to have F2 select only this part, to support the quickest way to rename under normal circumstances.
Sorry if you don't like this choice, but I think you'd have to agree that most of the time this behaviour is what you'd want. It is all about usability for day to day filemanagement chores
Maybe you can choose your own shortcut keys for commands in a distant future, when Nikos has come around making that possible for us
Dumb questions are the ones that are never asked 
The reason I don't like the Ctrl+F2 option is because it takes focus away from the file manager window. I've got to click the mouse to get focus back. Once again, I lose a lot of speed in doing something that used to take me no time.
To be honest, as a programmer, I find that I rename extensions a lot more then 10% of the time. I'd say it's close to 30% of the time for me. I'm not asking for nikos to completely change everything over to the way I prefer for everyone, just the option to do it for those of us who need it.
To be honest, as a programmer, I find that I rename extensions a lot more then 10% of the time. I'd say it's close to 30% of the time for me. I'm not asking for nikos to completely change everything over to the way I prefer for everyone, just the option to do it for those of us who need it.
If it's really easy to add an option for F2 behaviour, nikos might surprise us with a preference setting in a future release; but, until then, ....
to keep hands off the dirty rodent & not lose focus,
you could follow F2 with Shift+End
(more keystrokes 30% of the time for you)
PS - I realized after posting that you don't have to touch the mouse in the first place (your complaint with Ctrl+F2 renaming) --- just hit enter to OK & close dialog, & it's even 1 less keystroke than Shift+End.
to keep hands off the dirty rodent & not lose focus,
you could follow F2 with Shift+End
(more keystrokes 30% of the time for you)
PS - I realized after posting that you don't have to touch the mouse in the first place (your complaint with Ctrl+F2 renaming) --- just hit enter to OK & close dialog, & it's even 1 less keystroke than Shift+End.