For things like saving photos to hard disk, I tend to use a few bash scripts
to rename the files, keeping the numerical part and coding something else in
place of the "cimg". For example, I might change all the files cimg1234.jpg
to cimg1299.jpg to be called foobar234.jpg to foobar299.jpg. I tend to
modify these scripts when need arises, but the latest one shows an oddity I
cannot understand.
The script (called prep) is inline below. It removes $1 from the beginning
of any filename in pwd and replaces it with $2, subject to a couple of
sanity checks.
Here is the output from a test run:
--------
[EMAIL PROTECTED]:~/test$ ls
ohdear ohwonderful oops oopsdeardear tutdear
[EMAIL PROTECTED]:~/test$ prep oops wer
... working
oops -> wer
oopsdeardear -> werdeardear
2 renamed --all done.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]:~/test$ ls
ohdear ohwonderful tutdear wer? werdeardear
--------
My question is: where did the question mark come from? It always occurs if
the whole filename is substituted.
Of course, someone will tell me there is a standard unix command to do
this...
richard
--------here is the script:
#!/bin/bash
#
prep
# in present working directory, remove occurrences of a string at the start of
# any filenames, and replace it by another string, subject to avoiding
# duplicate or empty filenames
# USAGE: prep [stringtoreplace [newstring] ]
# have we an old string?
if [ -n "$1" ] ; then
old="$1" ;
# if not, we ask for it
else
echo "enter initial string to be replaced " ;
read -p "(if you leave this blank, new string will be prepended): " old ;
fi
lenold=${#old}
#have we got a string to substitute?
if [ -n "$2" ] ; then
pre="$2" ;
# if not, get string
else
if [ -z "$old" ] ; then
prmpt="prepend" ;
echo "you will prepend all filenames in pwd," ;
else
prmpt="substitute" ;
echo "you will replace the initial string '$old' of filenames in pwd," ;
fi
read -p " -- enter new string to $prmpt: " pre ;
fi
# and do the job
echo ;
echo "... working"
for f in $old* ; do
nowf=`basename "$f"`;
subf="$pre${nowf:lenold}";
if [ -n "$subf" ] ; then
if [ -e "$subf" ] ; then
echo " $f not renamed because $subf already exixts"
else
echo " $f -> $subf"
mv "$f" "$subf"
nr=$((co ++))
fi
else
echo " $f not renamed to blank name"
fi
done
echo " $co renamed --all done."
echo ;
--------end of script
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