Automatically duplicate Filename in the comments column

Mr.Pleasant

Anyone got a brilliant idea for this?
I'm renaming a large amount of files. They need to be renamed according to another file naming system. But I don't want to lose the connection with their old name altogether. So I'm thinking of putting their old file (base) name in the comments column (you know, the comment you can change with the Alt-z shortcut).
Now I'm looking for a way to do this automatically (the renaming itself is tiring enough...). So, if you know any way of clever X2 commands, Dos, or anything else that will achieve this: please help me out!
Thanks!

nikos · Moderator Joined: 07 Feb 2002 Posts: 12346 Location: UK

the only thing i can think of is to write a WSH (script) and add comments programmatically through some shell object

Cosmo · Gold Member Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 408

Sounds that there will be a tremendous amount of labor. And what for? It sounds, as if you want get the option to get back to the old names. And then the labor has to be done a second time.

Perhaps this is feasible: Say the files are named oldname.ext
By mass-renaming like $#.$N you give them a temporary new name and override the number with the needed new name. This would preserve oldname in the middle. Perhaps the idea helps.
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Thomas

Mr.Pleasant · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 3:09 pm Post subject:

Thanks, Nikos and Cosmo!
The problem is that I have a lot of image files which are all linked to a big DTP document by means of their file name. Now, these image files have been updated. Actually, the new files contain translations into another language (I'm doing a localisation job). These new set of images, as I wrote, have all new filenames. To link them to the DTP document, I have to rename them according to the names of the old images.
But for the sake of checking, and, who knows, 're-updating' images or going back indeed, I'd like to have some system which could give me an easy clue of the 'naming history'.
Your suggestion, Cosmo, might work, in a copied environment, and could then function as some sort of conversion table. But it is not exactly what I'm after.
Maybe I'll try to work out about Nikos' suggestion, and see if VBscript, or other WSH, could help me there.

nikos · Moderator Joined: 07 Feb 2002 Posts: 12346 Location: UK

if i manage to figure this out in time i'll devote tomorrow's blog to this topic, as a general introduction to WSH

Mr.Pleasant · Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:46 am Post subject:

nikos · Moderator Joined: 07 Feb 2002 Posts: 12346 Location: UK

nice one! but the stream "x2_AFScomment" is something that x2 uses only if all else fails so it won't be "portable" to other file managers

Mr.Pleasant · Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:10 am Post subject:

nikos · Moderator Joined: 07 Feb 2002 Posts: 12346 Location: UK

i found this WSH extension object that should read and write file comments. I won't blog about it since nobody will understand it as an introductory article!

Mr.Pleasant · Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 9:12 am Post subject:

Well, I hope it isn't too advanced for me either.... But surely, I will have a look at this and see if I can use it to my benefit. Thanks for pointing me in the direction, Nikos!