Skip to content

rename multiple files by file.rename or other functions

7 messages · John, Ulrik Stervbo, Thierry Onkelinx +3 more

John
# 
Hi,

   I have 50 files whose names are

XYZW01Genesis_ABC.mp3
XYZW02Genesis_ABC.mp3
.......
XYZW50Genesis_ABC.mp3

   As you can tell, the only difference across the files are 01, 02,
03,....50.

   I would like to rename them to
01Gen01.mp3
01Gen02.mp3
.......
01Gen50.mp3

  If I store them in one folder and write an R code in that folder, how can
it be done?

   Thanks,

John
Ulrik Stervbo
# 
Hi John,

I don't know how to do this with R, but on Linux I'd use rename (or maybe
even by hand if it's a one time event). On Windows I believe there is a
tool called Bulk Rename.

HTH
Ulrik
On Thu, 28 Sep 2017 at 11:37 John <miaojpm at gmail.com> wrote:

            

      
      
      
    

        

      
      
    

        

  
  


  


      

    

    

      
      

        


  

        

      Thierry Onkelinx
    

    

      
      #
    

  


  

      
The combination of list.files(), gsub() and file.rename() should to the
trick.


ir. Thierry Onkelinx
Statisticus/ Statistician

Vlaamse Overheid / Government of Flanders
INSTITUUT VOOR NATUUR- EN BOSONDERZOEK / RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR NATURE AND
FOREST
Team Biometrie & Kwaliteitszorg / Team Biometrics & Quality Assurance
thierry.onkelinx at inbo.be
Kliniekstraat 25, B-1070 Brussel
www.inbo.be

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
To call in the statistician after the experiment is done may be no more
than asking him to perform a post-mortem examination: he may be able to say
what the experiment died of. ~ Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher
The plural of anecdote is not data. ~ Roger Brinner
The combination of some data and an aching desire for an answer does not
ensure that a reasonable answer can be extracted from a given body of data.
~ John Tukey
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[image: Van 14 tot en met 19 december 2017 verhuizen we uit onze vestiging
in Brussel naar het Herman Teirlinckgebouw op de site Thurn & Taxis. Vanaf
dan ben je welkom op het nieuwe adres: Havenlaan 88 bus 73, 1000 Brussel.]
<https://overheid.vlaanderen.be/mobiliteitsplan-herman-teirlinckgebouw>
Van 14 tot en met 19 december 2017 verhuizen we uit onze vestiging in
Brussel naar het Herman Teirlinckgebouw op de site Thurn & Taxis.
Vanaf dan ben je welkom op het nieuwe adres: Havenlaan 88 bus 73, 1000
Brussel.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
<https://www.inbo.be>

2017-09-28 11:37 GMT+02:00 John <miaojpm at gmail.com>:

            

      
      
      
    

        

      
      
    

        

  
  


  


      

    

    

      
      

        


  

        

      Jim Lemon
    

    

      
      #
    

  


  

      
Hi John,
Maybe this:

filenames<-c("XYZW01Genesis_ABC.mp3","XYZW02Genesis_ABC.mp3")
for(filename in filenames) {
 filefirst<-sapply(strsplit(filename,"[.]"),"[",1)
 fileno<-sub("_","",gsub("[[:alpha:]]","",filefirst))
 file.rename(filename,paste("01Gen",fileno,".mp3",sep=""))
}

Jim

        
On Thu, Sep 28, 2017 at 7:37 PM, John <miaojpm at gmail.com> wrote:

            

      
      
      
    

        

      
      
    

  
  


  


      

    

    

      
      

        


  

        

      Eric Berger
    

    

      
      #
    

  


  

      
Hi John,
Thanks to Jim for pointing out the file.rename() function. You can try this:

# define the filename templates
strIn  <- "XYZW--Genesis_ABC.mp3"
strOut <- "01Gen--.mp3"

# create the strings "01", "02", ..., "50"
v <- sapply(1:50, function(i) sprintf("%02d",i) )

# perform all the file renames
for ( s in v ) { file.rename(sub("--",s,strIn), sub("--",s,strOut) ) }

HTH,
Eric

        
On Thu, Sep 28, 2017 at 1:25 PM, Jim Lemon <drjimlemon at gmail.com> wrote:

        

            

      
      
      
    

        

      
      
    

            

      
      
      
    

        

      
      
    

            

      
      
      
    

        

      
      
    

        

  
  


  


      

    

    

      
      

        


  

        

      Peter Dalgaard
    

    

      
      #
    

  


  

          

      
      
      
    

        
I think you can even do this:

strIn <- sprintf("XYZW%02dGenesis_ABC.mp3", 1:50)
strOut <- sprintf("01Gen%02d.mp3", 1:50)
## perhaps try cbind(strIn,strOut) first
file.rename(strIn, strOut)

-pd

            

      
      
      
    

        

      
      
    

            

      
      
      
    

        

      
      
    

            

      
      
      
    

        

      
      
    

            

      
      
      
    

        

      
      
    

        

  
    

      
      
    

  


  


      

    

    

      
      

        


  

        

      Jim Lemon
    

    

      
      #
    

  


  

      
Hi John,
After a bit of thinking:

# fill in the appropriate path and pattern
filenames<-list.files(path=???,pattern=???)
for(filename in filenames) {
 filefirst<-sapply(strsplit(filename,"[.]"),"[",1)
 # delete all non-digits
 fileno<-gsub("[^[:digit:]]","",filefirst)
 file.rename(filename,paste("01Gen",fileno,".mp3",sep=""))
}

Jim