rename files including wildcards

[mewallis7]

I've read through the help file and searched the forums, but I cannot find a solution to what should be a simple problem. How do I do batch file renames using search and replace with wildcards. Example:

old name * S??E?? *.*
new name * - s??e?? - *.*

I'd like to write a script that can be attached to a button.

I used to do this sort of thing with PowerDesk and I think even XTree, but XYplorer only partially supports it.

TIA, Mike Wallis

[admin]

Hi and welcome,

You can very probably do this using a Regular Expression (RegExp Rename). But I cannot help you with the exact pattern you need. I'm sure some of the RegExp experts here will soon tell you more...

Don

[highend]

If Don could provide a regexsearch() command, which only stores found patterns in variables, it would be a simple script...

But you aren't able to convert to lowercase via the integrated regex implementation (if I'm not missing something obvious) and I'm currently too lazy to think about a "super smart" way to handle this with regexreplace() because you would have to use the same pattern twice (to separate the inner match from the first and last).

Without converting to lowercase and assuming that your ?? are word characters (letters, digits) e.g.:

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$a = regexreplace("aaaSbbEccxxx.txt", "(.*?)(S\w{2}E\w{2})(.*)", "$1 - $2 - $3");
    text $a;

Even with regexsearch() it's complicated...
recase() converts strings to upper, lower, etc. but you have to use multiple reference groups to convert only single characters. If your pattern is really strict: yes, can be done.

[admin]

If Don could provide a regexsearch() command, which only stores found patterns in variables, it would be a simple script...

I'm really regexp dumb. Could you elaborate a little on this. How should this command work?

[highend]

I'm really regexp dumb. Could you elaborate a little on this. How should this command work?

E.g.:
regexsearch(string, pattern, variables, [matchcase])

It should search for the pattern and create variables for each capture group.

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$match = regexsearch("aaaSbbEccxxx.txt", "(.*?)(S\w{2}E\w{2})(.*)", $cg1, $cg2, $cg3);
 text $cg1." - ".recase($cg2, "lower")." - ".$cg3;

Would output:

aaa - sbbecc - xxx.txt

Ofc the regex pattern should be modified to match the op's request (only the S and the E would be converted, not the whole string).

Afaik there was already a suggestion to implement a new regex command that doesn't replace at the same moment.

[admin]

Afaik there was already a suggestion to implement a new regex command that doesn't replace at the same moment.

Yes, from Marco I think.

The problem is: What you suggest needs function arguments that return values. This is not supported currently and not easy to do. That would be a major task for me.

[Stefan]

How do I do batch file renames using search and replace with wildcards. Example:

old name * S??E?? *.*
new name * - s??e?? - *.*

Hi Mike, welcome.

You could do that by using an XYplorer script:

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$oldname = "File Name part S12E34 Trailing Part.ext";
//new name * - s??e?? - *.*

 //Get the various parts of the file name:
 $P1 = regexreplace($oldname,"(.+ )(S\d\d)(E\d\d)( .+)", "$1");
 $P2 = regexreplace($oldname,"(.+ )(S\d\d)(E\d\d)( .+)", "$2");
 $P3 = regexreplace($oldname,"(.+ )(S\d\d)(E\d\d)( .+)", "$3");
 $P4 = regexreplace($oldname,"(.+ )(S\d\d)(E\d\d)( .+)", "$4");


 //if our regexpattern match:
 if($P1 != $oldname){

    //recase part 2 + 3:
    $P2 = recase($P2, "lower");
    $P3 = recase($P3, "lower");

    //do the renaming:
    msg "$oldname<crlf 2>$P1$P2$P3$P4";
 }

Result:

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      ---------------------------
                 XYplorer
      ---------------------------
File Name part S12E34 Trailing Part.ext

File Name part s12e34 Trailing Part.ext
      ---------------------------
                 OK   
      ---------------------------

For how to use an script or add an button see my signature.

[Stefan]

BTW, over at ReNamer we have the following script command "SubMatchesRegEx",
maybe this is from interest here too?

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var
  Parts: TStringsArray;
  
begin
  Parts := SubMatchesRegEx(WideExtractBaseName(FileName), '(.)(.+_)(.+_)(.+)', FALSE);
  If (Length(Parts) <=0) then exit;

 FileName := WideUpperCase(Parts[0]) + Parts[1]  + WideUpperCase(Parts[2]) + Parts[3]  + WideExtractFileExt(FileName);
end.

Basically that's:

$PARTS = SubMatchesRegEx( $input, "regex pattern" );

Returns an array of matching groups: $PARTS_1, $PARTS_2, ...

.

[highend]

This is not supported currently and not easy to do. That would be a major task for me.

Sure. It's just a suggestion. Would make things much easier for the user, not for you

<curname> = aaaSBbECcxxx.txt

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$curName = "<curname>";
    $cg1 = regexreplace("$curName", "(.*?)(S)(\w{2})(E)(\w{2})(.*)", "$1");
    $cg2 = regexreplace("$curName", "(.*?)(S)(\w{2})(E)(\w{2})(.*)", "$2");
    $cg3 = regexreplace("$curName", "(.*?)(S)(\w{2})(E)(\w{2})(.*)", "$3");
    $cg4 = regexreplace("$curName", "(.*?)(S)(\w{2})(E)(\w{2})(.*)", "$4");
    $cg5 = regexreplace("$curName", "(.*?)(S)(\w{2})(E)(\w{2})(.*)", "$5");
    $cg6 = regexreplace("$curName", "(.*?)(S)(\w{2})(E)(\w{2})(.*)", "$6");
    text $cg1." - ".recase($cg2, "lower").$cg3.recase($cg4, "lower").$cg5." - ".$cg6;

This would be one possible solution but it's ähm, ugly as hell... One minor change and you need to edit 6 or more lines...

[Marco]

Simple one liner, works here

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regexreplace ("File Name part S12E34 Trailing Part.ext","S(\d)(\d)E(\d)(\d)","s$1$2e$3$4")

[Stefan]

Simple one liner, works here

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regexreplace ("File Name part S12E34 Trailing Part.ext","S(\d)(\d)E(\d)(\d)","s$1$2e$3$4")

good idea for that special renaming case

You can even shorten it:

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regexreplace ("File Name part S12E34 Trailing Part.ext","S(\d\d)E(\d\d)","s$1e$2");