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How To
This section explains WildRename's features in detail. The following paragraphs
focus on specific settings and tasks you can perform with WildRename:
Filename Scope
Define the scope of files by choosing a filename wild-card at the top of the main window and use the Folder Tree View
to select a starting directory for WildRename's operation. The application will perform the
jobs you define on every file matching the wild-card under the specified folder.
Job Definition
WildRename operates on every file that matches the Filename Scope and applies
a set of Renaming Commands (or Jobs) to it. The jobs themselves can be activated and de-activated using
check-boxes in the list, and can be re-ordered using the Up and Down buttons.
Use the Edit button to redefine the selected job and the Delete button to remove them from the list.
The Job Toolbar comprises a set of buttons which can be used to define the following jobs (from left to right):
- Lower Case: converts to lower case the full name of the file, the filename or the extension.
- Upper Case: converts to UPPER case the full name of the file, the filename or the extension.
- Normalized Case: converts to Normalized Case the full name of the file, the filename or the extension. Single
character strings are ignored, so for example the string "THIS IS A TEST" will be normalized to "This Is a Test"
- Insert Characters inserts a string of characters at the beginning, at the end, after a specified character, before a
given string or after given string.
- Remove Characters removes a number of characters from the beginning, the end, after a speci fied character, before a
given string or after given string.
- Replace String replaces a string of characters with another string. The search can be case-sensitive or case-insensitive.
Regular Expressions can also be used and tested on the fly.
- Insert Counter inserts a numeric counter (e.g. "000") of a specified length at the beginning, at the end,
after a specified character, before a given string or after given string. You can specify the starting number of the counter using
the spin edit box next to the job button
Options
You can use the options panel to define how WildRename will operate.
- Recurse into subdirectories
will visit all directories under the selected starting directory using a depth-first search.
- Rename subdirectories too will apply the same renaming jobs to directories as well as files.
- Use the Reset counter in every subdir if you are using a file counter in your renaming commands and you would
like to reset the counter to the predefined start number when a new subdirectory is visisted.
- Sort list before processing will apply a sorting order to the file list of each subdirectory and then
execute the renaming commands to the files. This is extremely useful if you are using counters as the numbering of the
files will match their order in the preselected sort order. You can define the order based on either filenames (case insensitive)
or file date.
- Confirm every chage allows you to confirm the renaming operation for each file. This can be quite tedious
for long operations that involve lots of files, but allows you to do selective renaming.
- Create Undo file creates a text file called "_wildrename_undo.txt" in every subdirectory that
WildRename operates. This file can be used later to undo file renaming operations if their result is not desirable.
- Produce Log generates a log while WildRename operates. You can view this log by selecting
View -> Log Window from the applications main menu. (see screenshot)
- Simulation mode is a very important feature that allows you to run the program in Read-Only mode, i.e.
execute all jobs on all files without actually making any changes to the disk. Simulation Mode is explained in the
following paragraph.
Simulation Mode
This is probably the most useful feature of WildRename. When choosing to run in simulation mode
the "Go" button is renamed to "Simulate" as shown in the figure on the right. Some options, that are not applicable
under simulation mode, are disabled. When you click the "Simulate" button, WildRename will run through
all files and perform all renaming commands without renaming the files on the disk. At the end it will produce its output in
a folder tree window which will display the new filenames of folders and files as they will appear if the normal mode is used
(see screenshot). You can navigate through the folder list and examine individual files.
Colorful icons denote whether the file (or folders) have been renamed or unaffected by the renaming commands.
Testing Changes
At the bottom of the main window, there's an edit box that you can type a test filename, and see the result of the renaming
jobs in the text-box below. Every change you make to the job list, will affect the test filename.
Another quick way of testing the effects of your job list on real filenames is to click on a file in the file list. The filename will be
copied into the test box and the renaming jobs will be applied to it.
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