DO12 - "Rename" incompatibility with the past

Help & Support
1

The Rename command has been improved in Directory Opus 12, but it is not fully compatible with past versions.

One source of incompatibility was that the field in the Rename dialog that had input focus by default was the "Old name" field instead of the "New name" field. This problem could be adjusted with a script (a difficult task for pedestrians), but fortunately (many thanks for this solution!) since version 12.2.3.0 beta it can be set by means of the rename_default_focus option to Preferences / Miscellaneous / Advanced, to control which field in the Rename dialog gets input focus by default.

Another source of incompatibility is still present and has not yet been corrected. The Help file clearly states for Simple Rename that:
"If you don't enter a wildcard pattern, but instead just supply a literal new name, the function will rename each selected file in turn - the first file will be renamed, and the dialog will re-open showing the name for the second selected file, and so on."
This behaviour is described in the "Simple Wildcard Rename" section, where we also read that this mode "...is basically equivalent to the Standard Rename mode in the Advanced Rename dialog".

Well, neither Simple Wildcard Rename nor Advanced Rename in Standard Rename mode behave as described.

If I select two or more files, press the Rename button, change the name of the first file in the "New name" field, and press , the name of the first file is changed exactly as I want, but then the Rename dialog just closes and ignores all the other files. It does not re-open showing the name for the second selected file, and so on.

Of course this completely destroys 25 years of renaming experience with Directory Opus (I started my long and exciting use of Directory Opus since version 4 on Amiga computers).

I'm sorry if I've been so long and pedantic, but I already mentioned this problem in another thread (DO12 - Rename cursor 1st pos of new name box) and I presume that it was not properly realized there.

2

If you want to type the new name for each file individually, the batch renaming dialog may not be the most appropriate tool for the job.

Inline rename (F2) can be used for that in most cases.

Using the rename dialog that way may make sense if you want to focus on only the selected files, but if that's the aim I recommend turning off the macro option above the preview list and then editing each new name in the preview list itself, before clicking OK or Apply. That's better than renaming the files one by one in the old/new name fields.

The old way it worked prevented a number of things from being possible at all, which is why it was changed. We didn't really expect many to be using the batch renaming tool to rename individual files, and if you were then there are now better ways to do the same which won't take long to get used to.

3

This is a fair reply that I appreciate greatly, but problems are still there.

[quote="leo"]If you want to type the new name for each file individually, the batch renaming dialog may not be the most appropriate tool for the job.
...
The old way it worked prevented a number of things from being possible at all, which is why it was changed. We didn't really expect many to be using the batch renaming tool to rename individual files, and if you were then there are now better ways to do the same which won't take long to get used to.[/quote]

It is very clear for me that the new Advanced Rename was carefully designed to achieve higher efficiency in most cases where repeated or special operations are needed. And yes, I've used it in similar contexts: it works very fine in such cases and I am the first person to say that it should not be modified at all because the equilibrium reached in its way of working is a very important result.

So you're absolutely right, none should use a sophisticated tool like Advanced Rename for easy (not repetitive) renaming jobs where Simple Rename is most appropriate. In my country we say: "Don't shoot the flies with a cannon!".

[quote="leo"]...
Using the rename dialog that way may make sense if you want to focus on only the selected files, but if that's the aim I recommend turning off the macro option above the preview list and then editing each new name in the preview list itself, before clicking OK or Apply. That's better than renaming the files one by one in the old/new name fields.[/quote]

Unfortunately this approach does not work because as soon as I click in the editing box, the macro option above ("Macro operations") activates automatically and the system does not allow me to edit each filename in the list in a different way...

Yes this is true, but when many filenames must be changed one by one by hand it is definitively slower: this is the reason why I always used the old Rename command in such cases, and would like to still use Rename in the old way.

The real solution for "retro fanatics" like me should be the Simple Rename dialog, which I presume still exists just for this purpose and, maybe, for compatibility with old scripts that used that command. However, as I said in my first message, Simple Rename is not compatible with the past because actually it acts only on the first file selected and ignores all the other files. It does not re-open showing the name for the second selected file, and so on.

I presume that Simple Rename is not an independent routine but is simply Advanced Rename with most selections set in the "off" state. If Advanced Rename has not a re-open option, then Simple Rename will never have this option.

In my opinion there are very few solutions for the problem: (1) writing new code for correct action of Simple Rename; (2) using for Simple Rename the old code that has worked perfectly in the past; (3) correcting Directory Opus Help by removing the promise for a not existent re-opening on the selected files in Simple Rename. Of course I will prefer the first or second solution, the third is not what I hope, but at least it would be honest.

4

Turn off the Use preview list to build macros option.

5

Well, setting this option off, I see that all my multiple renaming actions work fine. This solves every practical problem: renaming multiple files independently can be done even faster than before, and Advanced Rename remembers the setting for the next time. Thank you.

However, please remember my previous recommendation:

One of these actions should be done anyway either to restore compatibility of Simple Rename with the past or to remove the inconsistency between Simple Rename actions and the documentation.

Furthermore let me add a small bug report concerning 12.2.3.0 beta: rename_default_focus option in Preferences / Miscellaneous / Advanced works the contrary it should do. Setting rename_default_focus to Old name actually sets focus on the New Name field, and vice versa.

6

Yes you're right, this is a bug in the Simple mode. We'll fix this in the next update.

7

I'm a little confused here on the rename issue. I liked the batch rename offered in previous versions but I guess it's no longer available?
Even unchecking the 'use preview list to build macros' does not allow me to rename multiple files as before, after renaming the first one in the 'new name' field, pressing enter, it just closes the dialog. Also is there an option to switch between 'Simple' and 'Advanced' rename settings in version 12.2.3? I am glad that is does allow you to change the focus from the old name to the new name field. Thanks for adding that option.

8

The "advanced" rename dialog is now only for batch renames; if all you want to do is rename one file after another then a batch renamer is really the wrong tool for the job. The Simple rename dialog will let you do that once the above-mentioned bug is fixed, or just use inline rename in the Lister. (Or edit the names in the batch rename dialog's preview list, which you can now click on to edit individual names when not in macro mode.)

9

So am I understanding correctly that there is a "Simple" mode and an "Advanced" mode? How do I switch between the two?
Can't find any reference to it. Thanks.

10

[quote="Catahoula"]So am I understanding correctly that there is a "Simple" mode and an "Advanced" mode? How do I switch between the two?
Can't find any reference to it. Thanks.[/quote]
Make a button or hotkey which runs Rename SIMPLE and it will open the simple rename dialog for the selected files.

But there isn't much reason to ever use it these days.

If you want to do batch renaming, the normal ("advanced") rename dialog is much better than the simple dialog.

If you do not want to do batch renaming then either:

  • Use F2 / inline rename in the file display, and type names directly over the old names without opening any dialog. (Note that you can use tab or up/down cursor keys to move between files while staying in inline rename mode.)

Or:

  • Use the advanced rename dialog, make sure macro mode is off, and type names directly over the preview list. (This is only preferable to inline rename if you want to only see the files you are renaming in the folder without the clutter of other files, otherwise you're just opening a dialog to do what you can already do in the file display.)
11

Once again, Thanks for the help and suggestions Leo !!!