Editing File and Folder Names
Display names, file system names, and extensions
In Mac OS X:
A file's display name is the name displayed in the Finder. |
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A file's full name including its extension is called its file system name. |
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If a file's extension is not hidden in the Finder, or if it has no extension, its display name and file system name are the same. |
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File Buddy always displays the file system name for an item, so extensions are never hidden when viewing names in File Buddy. |
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When an item is first opened in an Info window, its name is selected. If a file has a valid extension, only the portion of the name preceding the extension is selected. If the name has no extension, or the extension is not a valid extension, the entire name is selected. If the name is selected by tabbing to the name field, the name is selected the same way. |
Editing names with the Info Window
File Buddy can edit the name of a file even if the file or its name is locked. |
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Names are limited to the maximum number of characters allowed by the volume containing the item to be renamed. This is typically 255 characters, even in Mac OS 9. |
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The Finder in Mac OS 9 displays a maximum of 31 characters. If a file or folder name exceeds that limit, the Finder displays a somewhat cryptic name such as "A really long name that's#4888B". This name is only for display in the Finder. The file's full name is still intact and can be viewed in its entirety and edited in File Buddy. |
Renaming Multiple Items with the Info Window
The info window provides three options for renaming multiple items. The following describes these options and how they work when used in conjunction with the Change All button and any droplets you may create to change names:
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Entering a new name |
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If a new name is entered by typing it into the name field, File Buddy will attempt to name every item processed by the info window to that name. This is rarely the desired behavior, but with the exception of changing an extension (discussed below), File Buddy cannot determine a unique pattern for renaming by comparing the original name with the new name, so it simply tries to use the name you entered for every item. |
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Renaming based on a pattern |
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The Rename... command in the actions drop-down menu displays a dialog in which you can set several options to be used in renaming items. These options include replacing or deleting substrings within a name, appending or pre-pending strings, even replacing specified characters with other characters. |
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Changing extensions |
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If an extension is changed, added, or deleted in an Info window, and the rest of the name is left as it was originally, the Change All button now applies the change to every item's name. This can be used to remove extensions, add an extension, or change the extension of multiple files. If you add or change an extension, the new extension will replace existing extensions and be added to names with no extension. |
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Note 1: File Buddy will ask you to confirm an extension change when applied to multiple items with the Change All button. It will not ask you to comfirm an extension change for a single file applied with the Save button. |
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Note 2: File Buddy does not require either extension existing or new to be a valid extension or claimed (in Mac OS X). This allows users the freedom of assigning or replacing extensions as they choose. In Mac OS X File Buddy will tell you if an extension is not claimed when it asks you to confirm the change. |
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Note 3: Droplets created to change extensions do not ask for confirmation before performing the changes. |
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Important Note for Users of Mac OS X:
As you must already know by now, changing a file's extension can cause the file to open in a different application in Mac OS X. In particular, the Finder may not be able to determine an application with which to open a file if the file has an invalid extension, or an extension not claimed by any application. It's difficult to state exactly when this will be the case since Mac OS X considers several factors when choosing an application to open a file. |
Related topics
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