[Novalug] changing file names

Jon LaBadie novalugml@jgcomp.com
Mon Nov 23 23:52:50 EST 2009


On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 10:39:33PM -0500, Nino Pereira wrote:
> List,
> 
> over the years I have seen various ways to change file names
> in a directory, e.g., from lower case to upper case or vice
> versa, in some automatic way. Unfortunately, I can't remember
> which program to use with this: awk? , sed? the mind boggles.
> 
> I have a long list of files without extensions. I want to
> add an extension (like .pdf or .jpg or .gif). How do you do that?
> 

Only way is to do them one at a time.  Either you do the loop
or some command does it for you.  I see linux has a "rename"
command but it doesn't seem to have the capability to add
an extension.  Change one to another, but not add one.

I tend to shell program a loop at the command line.  But before
executing the loop with an actual "mv" command, I prepend the
command with an "echo" to see what it will do.  For example,
assuming you are renaming everything in a directory:

  $ for f in *
  > do
  >     echo mv $f $f.jpg
  > done
  mv abc abc.jpg
  mv def def.jpg
  mv foo foo.jpg
  $

Assuming I'm happy with the list of commands that will execute,
I use command line editing to recall the last command, delete
the word "echo", and re-execute the loop.

Jon
-- 
Jon H. LaBadie                  jon@jgcomp.com
 JG Computing
 12027 Creekbend Drive		(703) 787-0884
 Reston, VA  20194		(703) 787-0922 (fax)



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