Hello! I have a specific renaming task and wonder if people who use dedicated apps (Better Finder Renamer, Hazel, etc) could say if this can be done. I have a large amount of image files from archival resources currently named numerically by the camera output. I need for them to be renamed with a prefix that describes the MS, archive, etc (that bit is easy), but then a sequence as follows:
Many manuscripts are foliated rather than paginated (the entire leaf gets a number) and the front and back referred to as recto (r) and verso (v); so I need consecutive steps of 1r, 1v, 2r, 2v, 3r, 3v, and so on. Can this be done automatically?
A Better Finder Rename is THE tool for renaming tasks. I love it.
But… I am not sure how to accomplish this particular task. ABFR has to always take two files, naming both of them with the SAME sequence number and adding r to the first one and v to the second one. And then it has keep doing so with the next two files and so on.
The only way I would be able to make it work via ABFR would be to put the source files into two different folders: the files with odd numbers in the filename in one folder and the files with the even numbers into a second folder. After that ABFR could rename the files: The files in the folder with the odd numbers will be renamed with a sequence number and an added r. The files in the folder with the even numbers will be renamed the same way, but with a v in the end. There probably is a better solution…
Thanks for this recommendation, and even a workflow! I see that ABFR offers a trial download so I will give this a spin.
This renaming is a frequent task for me and I’ve never found an automated solution. Manual renaming takes way too long, so as I result I keep poking around folders with unhelpfully named files until I get close to what I need. It’s not very efficient. I’ll report back if I manage to make this work for me.
Instead of putting the files into different folders, you could also add tags.
And then add those tags towards the renaming algorithm. This is possible in Hazel, and should be possible also with ABFR.
You can select the different files that should get a tag with Finder, by Holding the CMD-Button while you made a single click with the mouse onto the file. After that, you can select “Tags” from the Right-Click Menu.
A different idea: use the new “Rename from file list” feature in ABFR (translated from the German localization, may be named a bit differently). It is the first option within the last category in the dropdown menu.
The first thing is to create a file list (txt file) that fits your needs.
Choose this file list in ABFR using the feature described above.
Throw your files into the ABFR window.
You are done.
If you are not sure how to create the file list: I have just created a quick and dirty template in Numbers for 1,000 files. You just have to change the prefix to the one you need in column D (first line). Then copy only column E to a txt file (erase the first blank line from the txt file). That’s it.
It does not matter how many files have to be renamed as long as they are less than there are lines in the txt file. In other words: my example file works with up to 1,000 files. It is no problem, if there are less than 1,000 files.
My files (numbers file and an example txt):
Disclaimer: There are many users in this community who could come up with better solutions. A Python script might also be a good idea. But … that is for the real experts out there.
This is genius and works a treat! Thanks for taking the time. I am alas a complete Python ignoramus and so that option isn’t really open to me. I’ll add it to my list of things I want to do once I learn to code . Thanks again for the heroic solution.
(I wrote the reply but never posted it, it seems, I just revisited the thread and the forum had saved my near-reply. Sorry not to thank you earlier Christian for going out of your way here!).
