Name Patterns Reference

When you choose Customized name in the Batch Data Generator, you can build names from patterns. A pattern is ordinary text with one or more tokens in curly braces that ANE fills in for each item.

Tokens

Token	Produces	Example result
{n}	A running number.	1, 2, 3, …
{n:000}	A running number, zero-padded to that many digits.	001, 002, …
{date}	The date in a default format.	2026-09-20
{date:FORMAT}	The date in any format you specify.	{date:dd.MM.yyyy} → 20.09.2026
{time}	The time in a default format.	14-30-00
{time:FORMAT}	The time in any format you specify.	{time:HH-mm} → 14-30
{guid:8}	A random identifier of the given length.	a1b2c3d4
{rand:N}	Random digits, N of them (any length).	{rand:6} → 481920
{word:a|b|c}	Cycles through the listed words, one per item.	red, blue, green, red, …

Date and time formats

The FORMAT part uses standard date/time letters. Some useful pieces:

Piece	Means	Example
dd	Day, two digits	07
MM	Month, two digits	09
MMMM	Month name	September
yyyy	Full year	2026
HH	Hour, 24-hour	14
mm	Minute	30
ss	Second	05

So {date:dd MMMM yyyy} produces 20 September 2026, and {date:dd.MM.yyyy} produces 20.09.2026.

Combining tokens

You can mix tokens with ordinary text and with each other:

Pattern	Example result
File_{n:000}	File_001, File_002, …
Report {date:yyyy-MM-dd}	Report 2026-09-20
{n} - {date:dd.MM.yyyy}	1 - 20.09.2026
backup_{rand:6}	backup_481920
{word:draft|final}_{n:00}	draft_01, final_02, draft_03, …

The {word:…} token explained

{word:red|blue|green} does not create only three items, it cycles through the list. For ten items you would get red, blue, green, red, blue, …. Because identical names get a numeric suffix automatically, combine it with a counter for clean results, e.g. {word:red|blue|green}_{n:000}.

Date sequences vs. {date}

• On its own, {date} uses today's date for every item (so all items share the same date, then get numeric suffixes).
• With Date sequence turned on, {date} counts up one item per date across the range you set, this is how you generate, say, one file for each day from 11.01.2026 to 20.09.2026.

See also

• Batch Data Generator: where these patterns are used.
• Examples and Use Cases: pattern examples in context.