A file rename script for bash, supporting wildcards. Syntax similar to DOS - rename files via wildcards.
Parses input for options & parameters, handles Pathname Expansion, and once parameters are cleaned, passes them to the "mv" command.
NOTE: It is impossible to achieve the desired results with Pathname Expansion enabled, and it is not desirable to disable it: This project is cancelled.
Suppose an existing directory with 3 files:
- file1.html
- file2.htm
- file3.htm
Next, consider the following attempt to rename the htm files as html files (works for all commands run in bash, not just ren):
Basic usage: ren *.htm *.html
What the target script receives is ALL THREE file names, because the wildcards are expanded PRIOR to the script receiving them as parameters.
The following is impossible to determine a desired result from:
ren file1.html file2.htm file3.htm when one considers all permutations that could occur.
The same reason why mv *.htm *.html, for exampe, will not work in bash.
It is possible to achieve something close to the desired result by enclosing all parameters in quotes, thusly:
ren "*.htm" "*.html"
But that loses the "muscle memory" of the old DOS ren command, and forgetting the quotes could have quite poor consequences.
Also recall that * is a valid file name in Linux file systems.
Hence, the project has been cancelled; at least a lot was learned about bash, Pathname Expansion, and more.
Run with -h to get usage. Run with -h -vv to get full usage.