Changing file names with "--" to "-"

Changing file names with "--" to "-"

[wael-zwaiter]

I have a lot of files and want to change "--" to "-".

Am using

rename 's/--/-/g' *

on the current directory.

How can I recursively go through all sub directories and do the
changes for files only.

Re: Changing file names with "--" to "-"

[Emanuel Berg via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor]

wael-zwaiter wrote:

> I have a lot of files and want to change "--" to "-".
>
> Am using
>
>   rename 's/--/-/g' *
>
> on the current directory.
>
> How can I recursively go through all sub directories and do
> the changes for files only.

In zsh you can use **/* to get recursion, then exclude
directories from the match with the glob qualifier (.), i.e.
**/*(.)

So try

  $ rename 's/--/-/g' **/*(.)

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573
https://dataswamp.org/~incal

Re: Changing file names with "--" to "-" recursively

[Jean Louis]

* wael-zwaiter@gmx.com <wael-zwaiter@gmx.com> [2021-02-21 06:07]:
> 
> I have a lot of files and want to change "--" to "-".
> 
> Am using
> 
> rename 's/--/-/g' *
> 
> on the current directory.
> 
> How can I recursively go through all sub directories and do the
> changes for files only.

The command:

$ rename 's/--/-/g' *

does not work on my side as it works on yours, maybe it is different
software.     

You do as following in the top directory:

for i in $(find . -type f -iname "*--*"); do mv $i $(echo $i | sed -e "s/--/-/"); done

You may alias the command to:

alias renamedashes='for i in $(find . -type f -name "*--*"); do mv $i $(echo $i | sed -e "s/--/-/"); done'

and invoke it with

$ renamedashes

in future.

Re: Changing file names with "--" to "-" recursively

[Emanuel Berg via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor]

Jean Louis wrote:

> The command:
>
> $ rename 's/--/-/g' *
>
> does not work on my side as it works on yours, maybe it is
> different software.

Works here!

$ rename --version

  /bin/rename using File::Rename version 1.13,
  File::Rename::Options version 1.10

By Larry Wall, I read in rename(1p), from the "User
Contributed Perl Documentation". You gotta love it :)

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573
https://dataswamp.org/~incal

Re: Changing file names with "--" to "-" recursively

[Jean Louis]

* Emanuel Berg via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor <help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org> [2021-02-21 10:47]:
> Jean Louis wrote:
> 
> > The command:
> >
> > $ rename 's/--/-/g' *
> >
> > does not work on my side as it works on yours, maybe it is
> > different software.
> 
> Works here!
> 
> $ rename --version
> 
>   /bin/rename using File::Rename version 1.13,
>   File::Rename::Options version 1.10
> 
> By Larry Wall, I read in rename(1p), from the "User
> Contributed Perl Documentation". You gotta love it :)

Sure, I remember that one.

My command is from from util-linux 2.29.2

But it does not matter, the iteration that was proposed replaces both
of them.

Re: Changing file names with "--" to "-" recursively

[ken]

On 02/21/2021 01:45 AM, Jean Louis wrote:
> * wael-zwaiter@gmx.com <wael-zwaiter@gmx.com> [2021-02-21 06:07]:
>> I have a lot of files and want to change "--" to "-".
>>
>> Am using
>>
>> rename 's/--/-/g' *
>>
>> on the current directory.
>>
>> How can I recursively go through all sub directories and do the
>> changes for files only.
> The command:
>
> $ rename 's/--/-/g' *
>
> does not work on my side as it works on yours, maybe it is different
> software.
>
> You do as following in the top directory:
>
> for i in $(find . -type f -iname "*--*"); do mv $i $(echo $i | sed -e "s/--/-/"); done
>
> You may alias the command to:
>
> alias renamedashes='for i in $(find . -type f -name "*--*"); do mv $i $(echo $i | sed -e "s/--/-/"); done'
>
> and invoke it with
>
> $ renamedashes
>
> in future.
>

This is very good, especially making it into an alias.  Two small 
improvements perhaps:

First, check to see if a file with the new name doesn't already exist... 
for if it does, it would be overwritten and lost. Changing "mv" to "mv 
-i"  would also notify the user of such events.

Secondly, unfortunately some filenames may contain whitespace.  In such 
a case the mv command will give unexpected results.  So the arguments to 
mv should be quoted.

hth

Re: Changing file names with "--" to "-" recursively

[David Masterson]

Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> writes:

> * wael-zwaiter@gmx.com <wael-zwaiter@gmx.com> [2021-02-21 06:07]:
>> 
>> I have a lot of files and want to change "--" to "-".
>> 
>> Am using
>> 
>> rename 's/--/-/g' *
>> 
>> on the current directory.
>> 
>> How can I recursively go through all sub directories and do the
>> changes for files only.
>
> The command:
>
> $ rename 's/--/-/g' *
>
> does not work on my side as it works on yours, maybe it is different
> software.     
>
> You do as following in the top directory:
>
> for i in $(find . -type f -iname "*--*"); do mv $i $(echo $i | sed -e "s/--/-/"); done
>

That should be "s/--/-/g" to handle files like "aaa--bbb--ccc"

>
> You may alias the command to:
>
> alias renamedashes='for i in $(find . -type f -name "*--*"); do mv $i $(echo $i | sed -e "s/--/-/"); done'
>
> and invoke it with
>
> $ renamedashes
>
> in future.
>

-- 
David Masterson

Re: Changing file names with "--" to "-"

[Robert Thorpe]

wael-zwaiter@gmx.com writes:

> I have a lot of files and want to change "--" to "-".
>
> Am using
>
> rename 's/--/-/g' *
>
> on the current directory.
>
> How can I recursively go through all sub directories and do the
> changes for files only.

People have provided lots of good suggestions for doing this with the
shell.  You can also do this with Emacs.  I would tend to do it with
Emacs myself.

Firstly do "M-x find-name-dired".  You can type "M-x f-n-d" then press
tab.  Since Emacs has separate expansion for each word these days, that
will auto complete.

Then fill in the directory to start from.  After that it will prompt you
"Find name (file wildcard): ".  Just put in "*".  That will find all
files in the directory and every subdirectory.

Wait until find has finished (see it's mode line indicator).  Then
you'll have a dired buffer containing every file and sub-directory in
that directory.

Now, enable writeable dired with "C-x C-q".  Now you can treat the dired
buffer as a normal buffer.  Then use normal search-and-replace.  You can
use "M-%" to replace "--" with "-".  You can use query-replace or
replace all using "a".  Then if everything is ok press "C-c C-c" to make
the actual changes.  If things are wrong then press "C-c ESC".  Emacs
will then spend a while doing the renames.

The contents of the buffer will disappear at this point.  That's a
little disconcerting, but anyway, you're finished.  All of the files are
renamed.  To view them do "M-x find-name-dired" again.

This method will also rename *sub-directories* containing "--", which
might not be what you want.  Using query-replace and checking everything
is a way to avoid that.

BR,
Robert Thorpe