Overview

  1. Features
  2. In addition
  3. Best practices
  4. C-Action
  5. Application Support Files
  6. Logging
  7. What's new?

1. Features

Strip

  • - Strip a number of characters from the left/right
  • - Remove specific character(s) or a range of characters/character combinations
  • - Remove character(s) from position X to position Y
  • - Remove text fragment before or after a given string, string excluded or included
  • - Allow alpha numeric characters or only letters

Replace

  • - Transform to lowercase or uppercase
  • - Capitalize
  • - Replace character(s) from position X to position Y by other characters
  • - Find text and replace by...

Add prefix/postfix

  • - Add prefix/postfix
  • - Add picture meta data such as: pixel height, pixel width, creation date, modification date, exposure, colorspace ...
  • - Multiple date formatting options

Numbering

  • - Starting from a certain number
  • - Prefix or postfix the number
  • - Number of digits used
  • - Numbering before or after the filename
  • - Sort the files from A to Z or from Z to A

Insert

  • - Insert text at given position(s)

Move

  • - Move substring at given position


Sequence rename functions:

Put the above functions in a sequence and apply!

Text file base

  • - Rename selected files, based on a text file, containing the original file name and the new file name.
  • - This feature can also be used to roll back a file renaming action, based on a loaded maFileRenamer log file.
    See chapter: 'Logging'

2. In addition

Additions

  • - maFileRenamer can also run in simulation mode, which allows you to preview the file renaming and fine tune your settings without risk.
  • - If you point your destintion folder to the original file folder and apply the "Allow overwrite" checkbox, you will be able to apply file renaming on the original file. By default maFileRenamer applies the file renaming on a copy of the file in case you should do something by mistake.
  • - maFileRenamer let you store your file rename settings in the presets database, so you can reuse them easily later on.
  • - maFileRenamer can keep a log file (menu: Window -> Log Preferences). This can become very handy if for some reason a few days later you notice that you have to roll back. With the help of the text file based renaming option of maFileRenamer.

3. Best practices

Simulation mode

Before you actually carry out a file rename, no matter how small, it is advisable to first simulate the change.
To do this, select the "Simulation mode" checkbox.
If you then perform a file transformation on your files, this name change will be displayed in red below the original name in the right column. That allows you to evaluate your settings. Once you are satisfied with the result, deselect the "Simulation mode" checkbox, and "Process" your files.

Sequence

For more complex filename transformations, the "Sequence" option comes into view. This option makes it possible to execute different transformation functions one after the other in a sequence.
To do this, select the checkbox: Sequence.
The most convenient way to work with this is to add a function to the list step by step and process it step by step in simulation mode.

Fast, faster, fastest

maFileRenamer isn't exactly slow, but if you need to rename thousands of files, start with a hundred files and test out your settings. This obviously works a lot faster than if you immediately run your first attempts on your entire number of files.

Allow overwrite

"Allow overwrite" is a security checkbox, tick this if you are 100% sure of your action.
For example, if you have to process a large/diverse number of files, it could be that certain originally different file names are ultimately assigned the same new name. When "overwrite" is selected, one file could overwrite another, to avoid this, uncheck the option: Allow overwrite.

But of course in certain cases you want to effectively overwrite, then this option comes in handy.

 We always suggest choosing a different destination folder, one that is different from where your original files are located.

4. C-Action

What are C-Actions?

C-Actions are tasks which you can run in Centurion and can be used by maWatermarker. Those actions makes Centurion and maWatermarker even more powerful. With Centurion you are able to set up a flow with automatic renaming capability.
NOTE: maWatermarker is fully integrated now in piQtility.

How to create a C-Actions?

You can create a C-Action using maFileRenamer.
  1. Configure your renaming options in maFileRenamer
  2. Click the button with the Centurion logo on it to export a C-Action file
    (If you defined a "MoonApp_SupportFiles" folder (See chapter below), the save window will point to the "c-Action" folder directly.)

What can you do with C-Actions?

Things you can do with C-Actions
  • - You can rename files, using options as: strip, replace, prefix and postfix
  • - Import C-Actions in maWatermarker and Centurion, and load the C-Actions in the order you like to execute them
  • - Import C-Actions multiple times if you need to repeat the action

    This makes Centurion an unique and extremely powerful file mover/file renamer!
    C-Actions make it possible to watermark and ad a complex rename function to maWatermarker.

5. Applications Support Files

Define a common Moon-App "MoonApp_SupportFiles" folder


'Application' > Settings...
Define a common location, where you store Moon-App applications specific files.
Click the button: "Choose library location"

Select the same location for 'maFileRenamer', 'maWatermarker', 'maGalleryCreator' and/or 'piQtility', this makes it easy to share watermark images, pattern images, application logs or c-Actions.

Once you defined a new common location for the "MoonApp_SupportFiles" folder, maFileRenamer will create 4 sub directories:
  • Watermarks
  • Patterns
  • Logs
  • c-Actions
(!)Do not change these names afterwards.

6. Logging

Why should I generate a log file?

Log files are handy to keep a history of the renaming actions but also handy if you have to do a roll back.
Those log files can be used in the "Text file based" rename function, to undo a certain file renaming.

How to generate logs automatically?

Logging can be activated via the application's "Settings..." panel. See figure below.
  1. "Choose library location" to select the root location for the "MoonApp_SupportFiles" folder
  2. "Write log to file" checkbox to define if a log file of the log table view is created automatically each time you quit maFileRenamer.
    The logs will be stored within a the "Logs" sub directory of the "MoonApp_SupportFiles" folder.
  3. "Keep old logs" checkbox if you want to keep old log files or 'uncheck' to keep the latest only.

How to export a log manually?


Why?
Log files are handy to keep a history of the renaming actions but also handy if you have to do a roll back.
Those log files can be used in the "Text file based" rename function, to undo a certain file renaming.

7. What's new?

version 2.1.0

Maintenance update:

  • First Subscription version.

version 2.0.2 - Latest stand alone version

Maintenance update:

  • Fix on application registration.

version 2.0.1

Maintenance update:

  • Bug fix on "Allow overwrite" when source and destination folder are the same.

version 2.0.0

Major Upgrade:

  • - NEW: Move string function
  • - NEW: sequence rename functions
    Put your rename functions in a sequence to execute
  • - NEW: Date formatting options
  • - Insert function improvements
    insert position from left/right
    Export Insert function to a c-action
  • - GUI improvements, focus on usability
    smoother rename preview
  • - Code enhancements

version 1.6.1

Maintenance update:

  • - Log function enhancements
  • - Enhancement on "Moon-App Applications Support" folder structure

version 1.6.0

Maintenance update:

  • - Code enhancements
  • - GUI enhancements (incl. further alignment with other applications of the Moon-App family)
  • - Integration with the Moon-App Applications Support Folder structure

version 1.5.0

Maintenance update:

  • - Code enhancements
  • - Minimum macos 10.14

version 1.4.0

Maintenance update, enhanced:

  • - Strip a range of characters/character combinations
  • - Progressbar

version 1.3.1

Maintenance update, enhanced

  • - Meta data such as FSCreationDate: adjusted to your mac's time zone
  • - 'Show in Finder' function
  • - Code optimization

Fixed:

  • - Presets "Add prefix" and "Add postfix" are restored correctly