How to? rename files with spaces

[Charles G]

assume .\temp\ already exists.

c:> set %fn=Screenshot_20181028-191416_Hangouts (2).jpg

c:> for %fn in (*) move /n /r "%fn" "temp\%@replace[:,_,%@replace[-,_,%@filedate[`%fn`,c,4]_%@filetime[`%fn`,c,s]]].%@ext[`%fn`]"

how would I get this to work - since @file functions require quoting in case the %fn has spaces?

 

[rps]

assume .\temp\ already exists.

c:> set %fn=Screenshot_20181028-191416_Hangouts (2).jpg

c:> for %fn in (*) move /n /r "%fn" "temp\%@replace[:,_,%@replace[-,_,%@filedate[`%fn`,c,4]_%@filetime[`%fn`,c,s]]].%@ext[`%fn`]"

how would I get this to work - since @file functions require quoting in case the %fn has spaces?

I not sure what you expect the new file name to be.

I think the 1st thing is to use set fn="Screenshot_20181028-191416_Hangouts (2).jpg " with the quotes and no %
This fn is independant of the one used by FOR.

When you use the for %fn in (*) move /n /r "%fn" .... statement try:

for %fn in (*) move /n /r "%fn" %@replace[:,_,%@replace[-,_,%@filedate["%fn",c,4]_%@filetime["%fn",c,s]]].%@ext["%fn"]

I don't have the same directory structure as your so I ran a test case with your very long filename and several of my test files:

v24.00.19_$dir /nhsv /h /a:-d-h /t:c *.txt;*.jpg
11/11/2017   4:00             270  DummFNames.txt
12/05/2018   1:49              32  Screenshot_20181028-191416_Hangouts (2).jpg
 2/20/2017   1:13             851  TEST123.TXT
 2/20/2017   1:13              15  testdatename-07-15.tx

v24.00.19_$set fn="Screenshot_20181028-191416_Hangouts (2).jpg"

v24.00.19_$for %fn in (*.txt *.jpg) move /n /r "%fn" %@replace[:,_,%@replace[-,_,%@filedate["%fn",c,4]_%@filetime["%fn",c,s]]].%@ext["%fn"]
D:\BAT\test01\DummFNames.txt -> D:\BAT\test01\2017_11_11_04_00_39.txt
     1 file would be moved
D:\BAT\test01\TEST123.TXT -> D:\BAT\test01\2017_02_20_01_13_47.TXT
     1 file would be moved
D:\BAT\test01\testdatename-07-15.txt -> D:\BAT\test01\2017_02_20_01_13_47.txt
     1 file would be moved
D:\BAT\test01\Screenshot_20181028-191416_Hangouts (2).jpg -> D:\BAT\test01\2018_12_05_01_49_27.jpg
     1 file would be moved

v24.00.19_$echo %fn
"Screenshot_20181028-191416_Hangouts (2).jpg"

Those are really strange names, just having dates and times. Oh well, each to his own.
Looks like these changes will do what you requested.

 

[Charles G]

@rps I actually had it in a

for %fn in (*) move /n /r "%fn" "temp\%@replace[:,_,%@replace[-,_,%@filedate[`%fn`,c,4]_%@filetime[`%fn`,c,s]]].%@ext[`%fn`]"

No set actually hardcoded. would it be better to use this?

for %fn in (*) move /n /r "%fn" "temp\%@replace[:,_,%@replace[-,_,%@filedate[%@quote[%fn],c,4]_%@filetime[%@quote[%fn],c,s]]].%@ext[%@quote[%fn]]"

?? thank you for your help !

 

[samintz]

if the directory the file is being moved to is on the same drive you could use REN and regular expressions. Your initial example shows you assigning a string indirectly to a variable. I.e. you have 'set %fn=' instead of 'set fn='. I'm not sure what you were trying to accomplish.

As far as the move/rename, what are you trying to accomplish? It looks like you want to replace the filename with a date/time string but keep the extension.
-Scott

 

[vefatica]

Back to the beginning ... what's the matter with quoting the variable containing the filename normally? I don't feel like mucking around with FOR and wildcards, but this works.

v:\> set fn=a b.txt & ren "%fn" "a b-%@filedate["%fn"]-%@replace[:,-,%@filetime["%fn"]].%@ext["%fn"]"
V:\a b.txt -> V:\a b-2018-12-05-12-37.txt
     1 file renamed

 

[rps]

@rps
...

for %fn in (*) move /n /r "%fn" "temp\%@replace[:,_,%@replace[-,_,%@filedate[%@quote[%fn],c,4]_%@filetime[%@quote[%fn],c,s]]].%@ext[%@quote[%fn]]"

Does that actually work? If so, then you have what you want.

I don't have any plugins loaded.

When I ran that in my test directory, I receive the error

TCC: (Sys) The system cannot find the file specified.
 "D:\BAT\test01\Screenshot_20181028-191416_Hangouts"

Which means the multiple "%fn" syntax is needed to act on any file names with spaces.

The outer most double quotes don't seem to do anything useful.

 

[Charles G]

if the directory the file is being moved to is on the same drive you could use REN and regular expressions. Your initial example shows you assigning a string indirectly to a variable. I.e. you have 'set %fn=' instead of 'set fn='. I'm not sure what you were trying to accomplish.

As far as the move/rename, what are you trying to accomplish? It looks like you want to replace the filename with a date/time string but keep the extension.
-Scott

@samintz Guess in my OP I should have said I was doing the MOVEing in a for loop, sorry. I was moving them so that the files were not possibly going to be renamed more then once, then i would just MOVE /D /R /S temp\* . to move them back. And yes you are correct on my intentions.

Back to the beginning ... what's the matter with quoting the variable containing the filename normally? I don't feel like mucking around with FOR and wildcards, but this works.

v:\> set fn=a b.txt & ren "%fn" "a b-%@filedate["%fn"]-%@replace[:,-,%@filetime["%fn"]].%@ext["%fn"]"
V:\a b.txt -> V:\a b-2018-12-05-12-37.txt
     1 file renamed

@vefatica First I didn't want any part of the original filename to be part of the new name. Just to a date/time and original extension for the new file name.

 

[vefatica]

@vefatica First I didn't want any part of the original filename to be part of the new name. Just to a date/time and original extension for the new file name.

That was just an experiment. In your original post, why didn't you just quote %fn normally when it's inside a @FILE* function? That seems to work.

 

[vefatica]

I mean, what was the problem in the first place? Below I used COPY instead of MOVE (and didn't nest @replace). The files with spaces in their names (the first three) were handled just fine.

v:\> for %fn in ( *.txt ) copy "%fn" "temp\%@replace[-,_,%@filedate["%fn",c,4]]_%@replace[:,_,%@filetime["%fn",c,s]].%@ext["%fn"]"
V:\a b-2018-12-05-12-37.txt => V:\temp\2018_12_05_12_37_51.txt
     1 file copied
V:\a b-2018-12-05-12-40.txt => V:\temp\2018_12_05_12_40_23.txt
     1 file copied
V:\a b.txt => V:\temp\2018_12_05_16_33_16.txt
     1 file copied
V:\abc2017.txt => V:\temp\2018_10_22_00_24_12.txt
     1 file copied