brename -- a practical cross-platform command-line tool for safely batch renaming files/directories via regular expression

brename is a cross-platform command-line tool for safely batch renaming files/directories via regular expression.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Usage
• Examples
• Real-world examples
• Contact
• License
• Starchart

Features

• Cross-platform. Supporting Windows, Mac OS X and Linux,
  • Windows file systems, including NTFS and FAT, are case-insensitive. Some operations are allowed on Linux, while they could be dangerous on Windows. For example, renaming test.tar.gz to test.tar will overwrite TEST.tar. brename (v2.13.0 and later versions) can handle these cases appropriately (-w and -W).
• Safe. By checking potential conflicts and errors.
• Supporting Undo the LAST successful operation.
• Overwrite can be detected and users can choose whether overwrite or leave it.
• File filtering. Supporting including and excluding files via regular expression. No need to run commands like find ./ -name "*.html" -exec CMD.
• Renaming submatch with corresponding value via key-value file.
• Renaming via ascending integer.
• Automatically making directoy: a-b-c.txt -> a/b/c.txt
• Recursively renaming both files and directories.
• Supporting dry run.
• Colorful output. Screenshots:

  • Linux

    

  • Windows

    

Installation

brename is implemented in Go programming language, executable binary files for most popular operating systems are freely available in release page.

Method 1: Download binaries

brename v2.13.0

Tip: run brename -V to check update !!!

OS	Arch	File, **镜像	Download Count
Linux	32-bit	brename_linux_386.tar.gz, **镜像
Linux	64-bit	brename_linux_amd64.tar.gz, **镜像
Linux	arm64	brename_linux_arm64.tar.gz, **镜像
OS X	64-bit	brename_darwin_amd64.tar.gz, **镜像
OS X	arm64	brename_darwin_arm64.tar.gz, **镜像
Windows	32-bit	brename_windows_386.exe.tar.gz, **镜像
Windows	64-bit	brename_windows_amd64.exe.tar.gz, **镜像

Just download compressed executable file of your operating system, and decompress it with tar -zxvf *.tar.gz command or other tools. And then:

1. For Linux-like systems

   1. If you have root privilege simply copy it to /usr/local/bin:

       sudo cp brename /usr/local/bin/
      

   2. Or copy to anywhere in the environment variable PATH:

       mkdir -p $HOME/bin/; cp brename $HOME/bin/
      

2. For windows, just copy brename.exe to C:\WINDOWS\system32.

Method 2: For Go developer

go get -u github.com/shenwei356/brename/

Method 3: For ArchLinux AUR users

yaourt -S brename

Method 4: For Scoop users

scoop install brename

Method 5: Compiling from source

# download Go from https://go.dev/dl
wget https://go.dev/dl/go1.17.13.linux-amd64.tar.gz

tar -zxf go1.17.13.linux-amd64.tar.gz -C $HOME/

# or 
#   echo "export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/go/bin" >> ~/.bashrc
#   source ~/.bashrc
export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/go/bin

git clone https://github.com/shenwei356/brename
cd brename

go build

# or statically-linked binary
CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -tags netgo -ldflags '-w -s'

# or cross compile for other operating systems and architectures
CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=openbsd GOARCH=amd64 go build -tags netgo -ldflags '-w -s'

Usage

brename -- a practical cross-platform command-line tool for safely batch renaming files/directories via regular expression

Version: 2.13.0

Author: Wei Shen <[email protected]>

Homepage: https://github.com/shenwei356/brename

Warnings:
  1. The path in file systems like FAT32 or NTFS is case-insensitive, so you should switch on the flag
     -w/--case-insensitive-path to correctly check file overwrites.
  2. The flag -w/--case-insensitive-path is switched on by default on Windows, please use
     -W/--case-sensitive-path to disable it if the file system is indeed case-sensitive.
  3. New paths ending with a period of space, being error-prone, are not allowed.

Three path filters:

  1. -S/--skip-filters       black list     default value: ^\. (skipping paths starting with ".")
  2. -F/--exclude-filters    black list     no default value
  3. -f/--include-filters    white list     default value: .   (anything)
  
  Notes: 
  1. Paths starting with "." are ignored by default, disable this with -S "".
  2. These options support multiple values, e.g., -f ".html" -f ".htm".
     But ATTENTION: each comma in filters is treated as a separator of multiple filters.
     Please use double quotation marks for patterns containing comma, e.g., -p '"A{2,}"'
  3. The three filters are performed in order of -S, -F, -f.
  4. -F/--exclude-filters is prefered for excluding path, cause it has no default value.
     Setting -S/--skip-filters will overwrite its default value.


Special replacement symbols:

  {nr}    Ascending integer
  {kv}    Corresponding value of the key (captured variable $n) by key-value file,
          n can be specified by flag -I/--key-capt-idx (default: 1)

Usage:
  brename [flags] 

Examples:
  1. dry run and showing potential dangerous operations
      brename -p "abc" -d
  2. dry run and only show operations that will cause error
      brename -p "abc" -d -v 2
  3. only renaming specific paths via include filters
      brename -p ":" -r "-" -f ".htm$" -f ".html$"
  4. renaming all .jpeg files to .jpg in all subdirectories
      brename -p "\.jpeg" -r ".jpg" -R   dir
  5. using capture variables, e.g., $1, $2 ...
      brename -p "(a)" -r "\$1\$1"
      or brename -p "(a)" -r '$1$1' in Linux/Mac OS X
  6. renaming directory too
      brename -p ":" -r "-" -R -D   pdf-dirs
  7. using key-value file
      brename -p "(.+)" -r "{kv}" -k kv.tsv
  8. do not touch file extension
      brename -p ".+" -r "{nr}" -f .mkv -f .mp4 -e
  9. only list paths that match pattern (-l)
      brename -i -f '.docx?$' -p . -R -l
  10. undo the LAST successful operation
      brename -u
  11. disable undo if you do not want to create .brename_detail.txt (-x)
      brename -p xxx -r yyy -x
  12. clear/remove all .brename_detail.txt files (--clear)
      brename --clear -R
  13. also operate on hidden files: empty -S (default: ^\.)
      brename -p xxx -r yyy -S ""

  More examples: https://github.com/shenwei356/brename

Flags:
  -w, --case-insensitive-path     the file system (e.g., FAT32 or NTFS) is case-insensitive. It's
                                  automatically swiched on on Windows
  -W, --case-sensitive-path       believing that the file system is case-sensitive. Please use this to
                                  disable the flag -w/--case-insensitive-path, which is switched on by
                                  default on Windows
      --clear                     remove all .brename_detail.txt" file, you may need to add
                                  -R/--recursive to recursively clear all files in the given path
  -x, --disable-undo              do not create .brename_detail.txt file for undo
  -d, --dry-run                   print rename operations but do not run
  -F, --exclude-filters strings   exclude file filter(s) (regular expression, NOT wildcard). multiple
                                  values supported, e.g., -F ".html" -F ".htm", but ATTENTION: each
                                  comma in the filter is treated as the separator of multiple filters,
                                  please use double quotation marks for patterns containing comma, e.g.,
                                  -p '"A{2,}"'
  -U, --force-undo                continue undo even when some operations failed
  -h, --help                      help for brename
  -i, --ignore-case               ignore case of -p/--pattern, -f/--include-filters and -F/--exclude-filters
  -e, --ignore-ext                ignore file extension. i.e., replacement does not change file extension
  -f, --include-filters strings   include file filter(s) (regular expression, NOT wildcard). multiple
                                  values supported, e.g., -f ".html" -f ".htm", but ATTENTION: each
                                  comma in the filter is treated as the separator of multiple filters,
                                  please use double quotation marks for patterns containing comma, e.g.,
                                  -p '"A{2,}"' (default [.])
  -D, --including-dir             rename directories
  -K, --keep-key                  keep the key as value when no value found for the key
  -I, --key-capt-idx int          capture variable index of key (1-based) (default 1)
  -m, --key-miss-repl string      replacement for key with no corresponding value
  -k, --kv-file string            tab-delimited key-value file for replacing key with value when using
                                  "{kv}" in -r (--replacement)
  -l, --list                      only list paths that match pattern
  -a, --list-abs                  list absolute path, using along with -l/--list
  -s, --list-sep string           separator for list of found paths (default "\n")
      --max-depth int             maximum depth for recursive search (0 for no limit)
  -N, --nature-sort               list paths in nature sort, using along with -l/--list
      --nr-width int              minimum width for {nr} in flag -r/--replacement. e.g., formating "1"
                                  to "001" by --nr-width 3 (default 1)
      --only-dir                  only rename directories
  -o, --overwrite-mode int        overwrite mode (0 for reporting error, 1 for overwrite, 2 for not
                                  renaming) (default 0)
  -p, --pattern string            search pattern (regular expression)
  -q, --quiet                     be quiet, do not show information and warning
  -R, --recursive                 rename recursively
  -r, --replacement string        replacement. capture variables supported.  e.g. $1 represents the
                                  first submatch. ATTENTION: for *nix OS, use SINGLE quote NOT double
                                  quotes or use the \ escape character. Ascending integer is also
                                  supported by "{nr}"
  -S, --skip-filters strings      skip file filter(s) (regular expression, NOT wildcard). multiple
                                  values supported, e.g., -S "^\." for skipping files starting with a
                                  dot, but ATTENTION: each comma in the filter is treated as the
                                  separator of multiple filters, please use double quotation marks for
                                  patterns containing comma, e.g., -p '"A{2,}"' (default [^\.])
  -n, --start-num int             starting number when using {nr} in replacement (default 1)
  -u, --undo                      undo the LAST successful operation
  -v, --verbose int               verbose level (0 for all, 1 for warning and error, 2 for only error)
                                  (default 0)
  -V, --version                   print version information and check for update

Examples

Take a directory for example (run generate-example-folder.sh to generate)

$ sh generate-example-folder.sh 
example
├── abc
│   ├── A.JPEG
│   ├── B.HTM
│   └── B.JPEG
├── a.html
├── a.jpeg
└── b.jpeg

# examples below were executed in directory: example
cd example/

1. Recursively renaming all .jpeg files to .jpg in all subdirectories (-R/--recursive). A dry run is firstly performed for safety checking (-d/--dry-run).

    $ brename -p "\.jpeg" -r ".jpg" -R -d
    [INFO] main options:
    [INFO]   ignore case: false
    [INFO]   search pattern: \.jpeg
    [INFO]   include filters: .
    [INFO]   search paths: ./
    [INFO] 
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'a.jpeg' -> 'a.jpg'
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'b.jpeg' -> 'b.jpg'
    [INFO] 2 path(s) to be renamed
   
   
    $ brename -p "\.jpeg" -r ".jpg" -R
    [INFO] main options:
    [INFO]   ignore case: false
    [INFO]   search pattern: \.jpeg
    [INFO]   include filters: .
    [INFO]   search paths: ./
    [INFO] 
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'a.jpeg' -> 'a.jpg'
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'b.jpeg' -> 'b.jpg'
    [INFO] 2 path(s) to be renamed
    [INFO] renamed: 'a.jpeg' -> 'a.jpg'
    [INFO] renamed: 'b.jpeg' -> 'b.jpg'
    [INFO] 2 path(s) renamed
   
    $ tree
    .
    ├── abc
    │   ├── A.JPEG
    │   ├── B.HTM
    │   └── B.JPEG
    ├── a.html
    ├── a.jpg
    └── b.jpg
   

2. Undo the LAST successful operation, yes it's COOL! (-u/--undo, -U/--force-undo)

    $ brename -u
    [INFO] rename back: 'b.jpg' -> 'b.jpeg'
    [INFO] rename back: 'a.jpg' -> 'a.jpeg'
    [INFO] 2 path(s) renamed
   

   Disable undo if you do not want to create .brename_detail.txt (-x)

    $ brename -p xxx -r yyy -x
   

   Clear/remove all .brename_detail.txt files (--clear)

    $ brename --clear -R
   

3. Dry run and only showing operations that will cause error (-v/--verbose)

    # default value of -v is 0
    $ brename -p a -r b -R -D -d
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'a.html' -> 'b.html'
    [ERRO] checking: [ new path existed ] 'a.jpg' -> 'b.jpg'
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'abc' -> 'bbc'
    [ERRO] 1 potential error(s) detected, please check
   
    $ brename -p a -r b -R -D -d -v 2
    [ERRO] checking: [ new path existed ] 'a.jpg' -> 'b.jpg'
    [ERRO] 1 potential error(s) detected, please check
   

4. Ignoring cases (-i/--ignore-case)

    $ brename -p "\.jpeg" -r ".jpg" -R -i
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'abc/A.JPEG' -> 'abc/A.jpg'
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'abc/B.JPEG' -> 'abc/B.jpg'
    [INFO] 2 path(s) to be renamed
    [INFO] renamed: 'abc/A.JPEG' -> 'abc/A.jpg'
    [INFO] renamed: 'abc/B.JPEG' -> 'abc/B.jpg'
    [INFO] 2 path(s) renamed
   
    $ tree
    .
    ├── abc
    │   ├── A.jpg
    │   ├── B.HTM
    │   └── B.jpg
    ├── a.html
    ├── a.jpg
    └── b.jpg
   

5. Using capture variables, e.g., $1, $2 ...

    # or brename -p "(a)" -r '$1$1' in Linux/Mac OS X
    $ brename -p "(a)" -r "\$1\$1" -i
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'a.html' -> 'aa.html'
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'a.jpg' -> 'aa.jpg'
    [INFO] 2 path(s) to be renamed
    [INFO] renamed: 'a.html' -> 'aa.html'
    [INFO] renamed: 'a.jpg' -> 'aa.jpg'
    [INFO] 2 path(s) renamed
   
    $ tree
    .
    ├── aa.html
    ├── aa.jpg
    ├── abc
    │   ├── A.jpg
    │   ├── B.HTM
    │   └── B.jpg
    └── b.jpg
   

6. Renaming directory too (-D/--including-dir), even renaming directory only (-D --only-dir)

    $ brename -p "a" -r "A" -R -D
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'aa.html' -> 'AA.html'
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'aa.jpg' -> 'AA.jpg'
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'abc' -> 'Abc'
    [INFO] 3 path(s) to be renamed
    [INFO] renamed: 'aa.html' -> 'AA.html'
    [INFO] renamed: 'aa.jpg' -> 'AA.jpg'
    [INFO] renamed: 'abc' -> 'Abc'
    [INFO] 3 path(s) renamed
   
    $ tree
    .
    ├── AA.html
    ├── AA.jpg
    ├── Abc
    │   ├── A.jpg
    │   ├── B.HTM
    │   └── B.jpg
    └── b.jpg
   

7. Only renaming specific files via include filters (regular expression) (-f/--include-filters)

    $ brename -p '(.)' -r '$1 ' -d
    [INFO] main options:
    [INFO]   ignore case: false
    [INFO]   search pattern: (.)
    [INFO]   include filters: .
    [INFO]   search paths: ./
    [INFO] 
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'AA.html' -> 'A A . h t m l '
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'AA.jpg' -> 'A A . j p g '
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'b.jpg' -> 'b . j p g '
    [INFO] 3 path(s) to be renamed
   
    
    $ brename -p '(.)' -r '$1 ' -d -f '\.jpg$'
    [INFO] main options:
    [INFO]   ignore case: false
    [INFO]   search pattern: (.)
    [INFO]   include filters: \.jpg$
    [INFO]   search paths: ./
    [INFO] 
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'AA.jpg' -> 'A A . j p g '
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'b.jpg' -> 'b . j p g '
    [INFO] 2 path(s) to be renamed
   

   Attention: value of -f/--include-filters and -F/--exclude-filters should be regular expression, NOT wildcard!

    $ brename -p '(.)' -r '$1 ' -d -f *.jpg
    [WARN] Seems you are using wildcard for -f/--include-filters? Make sure using regular expression: AA.jpg
    [INFO] main options:
    [INFO]   ignore case: false
    [INFO]   search pattern: (.)
    [INFO]   include filters: AA.jpg
    [INFO]   search paths: b.jpg
    [INFO] 
    [INFO] 0 path(s) to be renamed
    
    $ brename -p '(.)' -r '$1 ' -d -f '*.jpg'
    [WARN] Are you using wildcard for -f/--include-filters? It should be regular expression: *.jpg
    [ERRO] illegal regular expression for include filter: *.jpg
    
    $ brename -p '(.)' -r '$1 ' -d -f A*
    [WARN] Seems you are using wildcard for -f/--include-filters? Make sure using regular expression: AA.html
    [INFO] main options:
    [INFO]   ignore case: false
    [INFO]   search pattern: (.)
    [INFO]   include filters: AA.html
    [INFO]   search paths: AA.jpg, Abc
    [INFO] 
    [INFO] 0 path(s) to be renamed
   

8. Excluding files via exclude filters (regular expression) (-F/--exclude-filters)

    $ brename -p '(.)' -r '$1 ' -d
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'AA.jpg' -> 'A A . j p g '
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'b.jpg' -> 'b . j p g '
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'hello AA.html' -> 'h e l l o   A A . h t m l '
    [INFO] 3 path(s) to be renamed
   
   
    $ brename -p '(.)' -r '$1 ' -d -F '\.html$'
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'AA.jpg' -> 'A A . j p g '
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'b.jpg' -> 'b . j p g '
    [INFO] 2 path(s) to be renamed
   

9. Skipping files via skip filter (regular expression) (-S/--skip-filters). This filter step is performed before the exclude filters. The default value ^\. is for skipping files starting with dot, which are hidden configuration files in Linux. If you do not want to skip these paths, just empty it.

    $ brename -p xxx -r yyy -S ""
   

10. Do not touch file extension (-e/--ignore-ext)

     $ brename -p '(.)' -r '$1 ' -d
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'AA.jpg' -> 'A A . j p g '
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'b.jpg' -> 'b . j p g '
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'hello AA.html' -> 'h e l l o   A A . h t m l '
     [INFO] 3 path(s) to be renamed
    
     $ brename -p '(.)' -r '$1 ' -d -e
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'AA.jpg' -> 'A A .jpg'
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'b.jpg' -> 'b .jpg'
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'hello AA.html' -> 'h e l l o   A A .html'
     [INFO] 3 path(s) to be renamed
    

11. Renaming with number (-r {nr})

     $ brename -d -p '(.+)\.' -r 'pic-{nr}.' -f .jpg -d
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'AA.jpg' -> 'pic-1.jpg'
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'b.jpg' -> 'pic-2.jpg'
     [INFO] 2 path(s) to be renamed
    
     $ brename -d -p '(.+)\.' -r 'pic-{nr}.' -f .jpg -d --nr-width 3 --start-num 11
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'AA.jpg' -> 'pic-011.jpg'
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'b.jpg' -> 'pic-012.jpg'
     [INFO] 2 path(s) to be renamed
    

12. Replace submatch with corresponding value via tab delimited key-value file (-k/--kv-file)

     $ more kv.tsv
     a       一
     b       二
     c       三
    
     $ brename -p '^(\w)' -r '{kv}' -k kv.tsv -K -i -d
     [INFO] read key-value file: kv.tsv
     [INFO] 3 pairs of key-value loaded
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'AA.jpg' -> '一A.jpg'
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'b.jpg' -> '二.jpg'
     [WARN] checking: [ unchanged ] 'hello b.html' -> 'hello b.html'
     [WARN] checking: [ unchanged ] 'kv.tsv' -> 'kv.tsv'
    

13. Auto mkdir

     $ brename -f .txt -p '-' -r '/'
     [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'a-b-c.txt' -> 'a/b/c.txt'
     [INFO] 1 path(s) to be renamed
     [INFO] renamed: 'a-b-c.txt' -> 'a/b/c.txt'
     [INFO] 1 path(s) renamed
    
     $ tree a
     a
     └── b
         └── c.txt
    

14. Only listing paths that match pattern (-l and -a)

     $ brename -p '.gz$' -R -l
     binaries/brename_darwin_386.tar.gz
     binaries/brename_darwin_amd64.tar.gz
     binaries/brename_linux_386.tar.gz
     binaries/brename_linux_amd64.tar.gz
     binaries/brename_windows_386.exe.tar.gz
     binaries/brename_windows_amd64.exe.tar.gz
    
     $ brename -p '.gz$' -R -l -a
     /home/shenwei/project/src/github.com/shenwei356/brename/binaries/brename_darwin_386.tar.gz
     /home/shenwei/project/src/github.com/shenwei356/brename/binaries/brename_darwin_amd64.tar.gz
     /home/shenwei/project/src/github.com/shenwei356/brename/binaries/brename_linux_386.tar.gz
     /home/shenwei/project/src/github.com/shenwei356/brename/binaries/brename_linux_amd64.tar.gz
     /home/shenwei/project/src/github.com/shenwei356/brename/binaries/brename_windows_386.exe.tar.gz
     /home/shenwei/project/src/github.com/shenwei356/brename/binaries/brename_windows_amd64.exe.tar.gz
    

15. Overwrite mode (-o/--overwrite-mode)

     $ ls *.tar.gz
     brename_darwin_386.tar.gz    brename_linux_386.tar.gz    brename_windows_386.exe.tar.gz
     brename_darwin_amd64.tar.gz  brename_linux_amd64.tar.gz  brename_windows_amd64.exe.tar.gz
    

    1. default mode: reporting error

        $ brename -p 386 -r amd64 -d
        [ERRO] checking: [ new path existed ] 'brename_darwin_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_darwin_amd64.tar.gz'
        [ERRO] checking: [ new path existed ] 'brename_linux_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_linux_amd64.tar.gz'
        [ERRO] checking: [ new path existed ] 'brename_windows_386.exe.tar.gz' -> 'brename_windows_amd64.exe.tar.gz'
        [ERRO] 3 potential error(s) detected, please check
       

    2. allowing overwrite

        $ brename -p 386 -r amd64 -d -o 1
        [WARN] checking: [ new path existed ] 'brename_darwin_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_darwin_amd64.tar.gz' (will be overwrited)
        [WARN] checking: [ new path existed ] 'brename_linux_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_linux_amd64.tar.gz' (will be overwrited)
        [WARN] checking: [ new path existed ] 'brename_windows_386.exe.tar.gz' -> 'brename_windows_amd64.exe.tar.gz' (will be overwrited)
        [INFO] 3 path(s) to be renamed
       

    3. leave it

        $ brename -p 386 -r amd64 -d -o 2
        [WARN] checking: [ new path existed ] 'brename_darwin_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_darwin_amd64.tar.gz' (will NOT be overwrited)
        [WARN] checking: [ new path existed ] 'brename_linux_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_linux_amd64.tar.gz' (will NOT be overwrited)
        [WARN] checking: [ new path existed ] 'brename_windows_386.exe.tar.gz' -> 'brename_windows_amd64.exe.tar.gz' (will NOT be overwrited)
        [INFO] 0 path(s) to be renamed
       

    4. this flag also works for another case, where two or more files are renamed to same new path

        $ brename -f 386 -p 'darwin|linux' -r unix-like -d
        [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'brename_darwin_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_unix-like_386.tar.gz'
        [ERRO] checking: [ overwriting newly renamed path ] 'brename_linux_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_unix-like_386.tar.gz'
        [ERRO] 1 potential error(s) detected, please check
       
        $ brename -f 386 -p 'darwin|linux' -r unix-like -d -o 1
        [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'brename_darwin_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_unix-like_386.tar.gz'
        [WARN] checking: [ overwriting newly renamed path ] 'brename_linux_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_unix-like_386.tar.gz' (will be overwrited)
        [INFO] 2 path(s) to be renamed
       
        $ brename -f 386 -p 'darwin|linux' -r unix-like -d -o 2
        [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'brename_darwin_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_unix-like_386.tar.gz'
        [WARN] checking: [ overwriting newly renamed path ] 'brename_linux_386.tar.gz' -> 'brename_unix-like_386.tar.gz' (will NOT be overwrited)
        [INFO] 1 path(s) to be renamed
       

Real-world examples

1. Formating genome assembly file from NCBI.

    $ ls 
    GCF_029211165.1_ASM2921116v1_genomic.fa
   
    # only keeping accession
    
    $ brename -R -p '^(\w{3}_\d{9}\.\d+).+' -r '$1.fa' -d
    [INFO] search paths: ./
    [INFO] 
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'GCF_029211165.1_ASM2921116v1_genomic.fa' -> 'GCF_029211165.1.fa'
    [INFO] 1 path(s) to be renamed
   
    # keeping accession.version
    
    $ brename -R -e -p '\..+' -d
    [INFO] search paths: ./
    [INFO] 
    [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'GCF_029211165.1_ASM2921116v1_genomic.fa' -> 'GCF_029211165.fa'
    [INFO] 1 path(s) to be renamed
   

2. Replace matches with corresponding pairing values

   1. Original files

       $ tree
       .
       ├── barcodes.tsv
       ├── tag_ATGCGTA.fasta
       ├── tag_CCCCCCC.fasta
       ├── tag_CGACGTC.fasta
       ├── tag_TCATAGC.fasta
       └── tag_TCTATAG.fasta
      

   2. Tab-delimited key-value file. Notice that CCCCCCC is not in it.

       $ cat barcodes.tsv
       CGACGTC S1
       ATGCGTA S2
       TCTATAG S4
       TCATAGC S3
      

   3. Renaming tag as sample name, marking unknown for non-existing tag.

       $ brename -e -p 'tag_(\w+)' -r '{kv}' -k barcodes.tsv -m unknown -d
       [INFO] read key-value file: barcodes.tsv
       [INFO] 4 pairs of key-value loaded
       [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'tag_ATGCGTA.fasta' -> 'S2.fasta'
       [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'tag_CCCCCCC.fasta' -> 'unknown.fasta'
       [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'tag_CGACGTC.fasta' -> 'S1.fasta'
       [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'tag_TCATAGC.fasta' -> 'S3.fasta'
       [INFO] checking: [ ok ] 'tag_TCTATAG.fasta' -> 'S4.fasta'
       [INFO] 5 path(s) to be renamed
      

3. Renaming PDF files for compatibility (moving from EXT4 to NTFS file system):

   1. Original files

       $ tree -Q
       .
       ├── "0000 Test.pdf"
       ├── "2016 SeqKit: A Cross-Platform and Ultrafast Toolkit for FASTA\342\201\204Q File Manipulation .pdf"
       ├── "metagenomics"
       │   ├── "2017 16S rRNA gene sequencing and healthy reference ranges for 28 clinically relevant microbial taxa from the human gut microbiome .pdf"
       │   ├── "2017 De novo assembly of viral quasispecies using overlap graphs .pdf"
       │   └── "2017 Tracking microbial colonization in fecal microbiota transplantation experiments via genome-resolved metagenomics .pdf"
       ├── "test2222222222222222222211111111122222222222222222233333333.pdf"
       └── "test.pdf"
      

   2. Removing "\n", "'", "?".

       $ brename -p "[\n'\?]" -r " " -R
      

   3. Replacing ":" with " _"

       $ brename -p ":" -r " _" -R
      

   4. Shortening file names (prefering spliting with space)

       $ brename -R -f .pdf -i -p "^(.{30,50})[ \.].*.pdf" -r "\$1.pdf" -d
      

   5. Result

       $ tree -Q
       .
       ├── "0000 Test.pdf"
       ├── "2016 SeqKit _ A Cross-Platform and Ultrafast.pdf"
       ├── "metagenomics"
       │   ├── "2017 16S rRNA gene sequencing and healthy.pdf"
       │   ├── "2017 De novo assembly of viral quasispecies using.pdf"
       │   └── "2017 Tracking microbial colonization in fecal.pdf"
       ├── "test2222222222222222222211111111122222222222222222233333333.pdf"
       └── "test.pdf"
      

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License

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