Bulk File Renaming and Special Character Removal – Python

File Renaming and Special Character Removal | Pyhton

Managing files can be a tedious task, especially when you have a large collection of documents, images, or other digital assets. Renaming multiple files to follow a specific naming convention or cleaning up filenames by removing special characters can be time-consuming if done manually. Fortunately, Python provides a powerful way to automate these tasks, making your file management more efficient and organized.

we’ll explore Five Python scripts that simplify file management: one for bulk file renaming and another for removing special characters from filenames. These scripts can save you valuable time and help maintain a clean and consistent file structure.

Bulk File Renaming

Problem: You have a directory filled with files, and you want to rename them systematically. For instance, you might want to add a prefix or suffix to each filename or increment a number for each file.

Solution: Python’s os and re modules come to the rescue with a script that allows you to rename multiple files based on a pattern and a replacement string. Here’s the code:

import os
import re

# Set the directory path and pattern replacement here
directory = r"D://testing"  # Example directory path
pattern = r" "  # Match a single space character
replacement = "_"  # Replace with an underscore


def bulk_rename(directory, pattern, replacement):
    try:
        # Ensure the directory exists
        if not os.path.exists(directory):
            raise FileNotFoundError(f"Directory '{directory}' not found.")

        # Iterate through files and directories in the directory
        for entry in os.scandir(directory):
            old_name = entry.name
            new_name = re.sub(pattern, replacement, old_name)

            # Check if the names are different
            if old_name != new_name:
                old_path = os.path.join(directory, old_name)
                new_path = os.path.join(directory, new_name)

                # Rename the file or directory
                os.rename(old_path, new_path)
                print(f"Renamed: {old_path} -> {new_path}")

        print("Bulk rename complete.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {str(e)}")


if __name__ == "__main__":
    bulk_rename(directory, pattern, replacement)

In this script, you set the directory path, specify a pattern to match (such as spaces), and provide a replacement string (such as an underscore). The script then iterates through the files in the specified directory, matches the pattern in the filenames, and renames them accordingly.

Removing Special Characters from Filenames

Problem: Filenames with special characters can cause issues in various applications, such as web hosting or cross-platform compatibility. You want to clean up your filenames by removing all special characters.

Solution: Python offers another script that addresses this problem. It removes special characters (anything that is not a letter, digit, period, or underscore) from filenames within a directory. Here’s the code:

import os
import re

# Set the directory path here
directory = r"D://testing"  # Example directory path

def bulk_remove_special_characters(directory):
    try:
        # Ensure the directory exists
        if not os.path.exists(directory):
            raise FileNotFoundError(f"Directory '{directory}' not found.")

        # Define a pattern to match special characters
        pattern = r'[^a-zA-Z0-9\._]'

        # Iterate through files in the directory
        for entry in os.scandir(directory):
            if entry.is_file():
                old_filename = entry.name

                # Use re.sub to remove special characters
                new_filename = re.sub(pattern, '', old_filename)

                # Check if the filenames are different
                if old_filename != new_filename:
                    old_path = os.path.join(directory, old_filename)
                    new_path = os.path.join(directory, new_filename)

                    # Rename the file
                    os.rename(old_path, new_path)
                    print(f"Renamed: {old_path} -> {new_path}")

        print("Bulk removal of special characters complete.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {str(e)}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    bulk_remove_special_characters(directory)

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Remove Digits from Filenames

Problem: You have a directory filled with files containing digits in their filenames, and you want to remove all the digits, effectively leaving only letters and other characters.

Solution: Python comes to the rescue again with a script that removes digits from filenames within a directory. Here’s the code:

import os
import re

# Set the directory path here
directory = r"D://testing"  # Example directory path

def remove_digits_from_filenames(directory):
    try:
        # Ensure the directory exists
        if not os.path.exists(directory):
            raise FileNotFoundError(f"Directory '{directory}' not found.")

        # Define a pattern to match digits
        pattern = r'\d'

        # Iterate through files in the directory
        for entry in os.scandir(directory):
            if entry.is_file():
                old_filename = entry.name

                # Use re.sub to remove digits
                new_filename = re.sub(pattern, '', old_filename)

                # Check if the filenames are different
                if old_filename != new_filename:
                    old_path = os.path.join(directory, old_filename)
                    new_path = os.path.join(directory, new_filename)

                    # Rename the file
                    os.rename(old_path, new_path)
                    print(f"Renamed: {old_path} -> {new_path}")

        print("Bulk removal of digits from filenames complete.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {str(e)}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    remove_digits_from_filenames(directory)

Change File Extensions

Problem: You have a directory with files in one file format (e.g., JPG), and you want to change the extensions of all those files to another format (e.g., PNG).

Solution: Python provides a script that allows you to change the file extensions of all files within a directory. Here’s the code:

import os

# Set the directory path here
directory = r"D://testing"  # Example directory path
old_extension = '.jpg'  # Specify the old file extension
new_extension = '.png'  # Specify the new file extension

def change_file_extensions(directory, old_extension, new_extension):
    try:
        # Ensure the directory exists
        if not os.path.exists(directory):
            raise FileNotFoundError(f"Directory '{directory}' not found.")

        # Iterate through files in the directory
        for entry in os.scandir(directory):
            if entry.is_file() and entry.name.lower().endswith(old_extension.lower()):
                old_path = os.path.join(directory, entry.name)
                new_path = os.path.join(directory, entry.name[:-len(old_extension)] + new_extension)

                # Rename the file by changing the extension
                os.rename(old_path, new_path)
                print(f"Renamed: {old_path} -> {new_path}")

        print(f"Bulk change of file extensions to {new_extension} complete.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {str(e)}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    change_file_extensions(directory, old_extension, new_extension)

Date-based Renaming

Problem: You have a directory filled with files named in “YYYY-MM-DD” format, and you want to rearrange the filenames to “DD-MM-YYYY” format.

Solution: Python offers a script that allows you to perform date-based renaming of files within a directory. Here’s the code:

import os
import re

# Set the directory path here
directory = r"D://testing"  # Example directory path

def date_based_renaming(directory):
    try:
        # Ensure the directory exists
        if not os.path.exists(directory):
            raise FileNotFoundError(f"Directory '{directory}' not found.")

        # Define a pattern to match dates in "YYYY-MM-DD" format
        pattern = r'(\d{4})-(\d{2})-(\d{2})'

        # Iterate through files in the directory
        for entry in os.scandir(directory):
            if entry.is_file():
                old_filename = entry.name

                # Use re.sub to rearrange the date in "DD-MM-YYYY" format
                new_filename = re.sub(pattern, r'\3-\2-\1', old_filename)

                # Check if the filenames are different
                if old_filename != new_filename:
                    old_path = os.path.join(directory, old_filename)
                    new_path = os.path.join(directory, new_filename)

                    # Rename the file
                    os.rename(old_path, new_path)
                    print(f"Renamed: {old_path} -> {new_path}")

        print("Date-based renaming complete.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {str(e)}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    date_based_renaming(directory)

Conclusion

These Python scripts provide efficient solutions for bulk file renaming and removing special characters from filenames. Whether you need to clean up a cluttered directory, standardize file names, or prepare files for a specific application, automation with Python can make these tasks significantly easier and faster. By adapting and using these scripts, you can take control of your file management processes and ensure a more organized and consistent file structure.