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Main settings

TODO: Proof read, update links.

This section describes the settings that change ReNamer's behaviour in various ways.

General settings

These settings control the general behaviour of the application.

ReNamer settings general.png

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Option Description
AlwaysStay on top (mainof windowother only)windows Keeps the ReNamer window aboveon thetop of other windows.applications.

This feature is useful when you are using the drag-and-drop method to add files from Windows Explorer. When you are working in Windows Explorer, the ReNamer window does not vanish below the Windows Explorer window.
Remember last position and size of major windows ReNamer will retainRetain the same size and position in the next session. You will not need to resize/re-positionreposition the ReNamermain windowwindows each time you start it.
Remember sorting options (files table) ReNamer will retain the file sorting order in the next session.
Save rules configuration on exit, load on start up Remember the currently loaded rules/preset on exit and load them automatically on the next start up.

As of v7.2.0.6 Beta, the default preset is remembered by the preset name, rather than via an anonymous default preset, unless the preset was in the modified state at the time of saving.
AlwaysShow show non-main forms centeredtoolbar AllThis windowsoption andallows dialogyou boxesto (excepthide the main window)toolbar appearto gain extra space for rules and files tables.

You can still use the main menu or the shortcuts to access the actions normally presented in the centertoolbar.
Convert paths to long path specification, if neededConvert all added paths to long path specification when the ReNamersystem window.does Younot stillsupport maylong shiftpaths natively.

This will prefix paths with \\?\ to increase the newmaximum window,allowed butpath whenlength youenforeced closeby itWindows andoperating opensystem againfrom it260 willcharacters beto opened32,767 in the center of ReNamer window. If the option is disabled the windows would reopen in their previously remembered position.characters.
Folders also have extensions, process them as such File extension is considered to be whatever follows the last dot in the filename. This setting controls if this concept also applies to folders, i.e. folders can have an extension.

Prior to v5.74.5 Beta, a dot in the name of a folder was also considered to identify an extension, hence, the Skip Extension option in rules also applied to folders. In newer versions the extension in folders is no longer treated as such, however, this behavior can be changed with this setting.
Use natural sort order sorting algorithm If this option is enabled, filenames are sorted in Natural order; otherwise they are sorted in Lexicographical order. See below the description of sorting alogirthms for more information.

Sorting algorithms

Sorting Example Description
Natural
Name1.ext
Name2.ext
Name3.ext
Name10.ext
Name20.ext
Numbers are sorted in their natural order.
Lexicographical
Name1.ext
Name10.ext
Name2.ext
Name20.ext
Name3.ext
Sorts like in a dictionary. All entries are sorted based on character positions, counted from left.

Preview settings

These settings are applicable only to the previewing.

ReNamer settings preview.png

the
Option Description
Autosize table on change Each column resizes automatically to accommodate the longest name in it.
Auto preview on change of rules configurations Whenever a rule is added/deleted/edited, the preview refreshes automaticallyautomatically.
Auto preview when new files are added Whenever a file is added, the preview refreshes automaticallyautomatically.
FixHighlight conflictingchanged file namesHighlight new names onusing preview Resolvespecified conflictscolor inif newthey namesdiffer from the original names.

This is a great way to visually identify files which get impacted by addingthe aactive numberrenaming suffix, like so: "Name (2)", "Name (3)", etc.rules.
Validate new filenames on preview Raises a warning if new filenames are not valid:
  • There are duplicates in the New path column
  • New path contains forbidden characters
  • New path is already taken by an existing file
  • New path exceeds maximum allowed length
Fix conflicting new names on previewResolve conflicts in new names by adding a number suffix, like so: "Name (2)", "Name (3)", etc.
Real-time update of the preview When this option is disabled (default setting), when you click the Preview button, ReNamer does not show any progress until all files have been processed.

If this option is enabled, when you click the Preview button, files will be updated one-by-one to provide real-time visual feedback.

WARNING: ReNamer continues to accept user inputs (mouse/keyboard) in order to update the graphical user interface. Any interaction with the user interface while files are being processed may lead to unpredictable behavior. Use this option with EXTREME CAUTION, only for cases when some heavy processing is done on each file, for example, using hash/checksum functions or other types of content analysis.

Rename settings

These settings are applicable to the renaming process.

ReNamer settings rename.png

ReNamer can boost your productivity by doing certain operations on its own. On the other hand, you may want to have the flexibility of choosing your options each time. So this panel lets you decide how to strike a balance.

Option Description
Display message on successful rename Disable if you do not want a message shown each time.

This setting does not affect the error messages.
Close program after successful rename Useful if you use ReNamer sparingly, i.e. rename and close.

In case of problems, ReNamer stays open.
Unmark rules list on renameUnmark all rules after a rename operation. This is a nice safety check which will require you to reactivate the necessary renaming rules after each rename.
Clear rules list afteron rename Useful if you use a different set of rules each time. This option will clear off the Rules pane automatically.
Clear files table on rename Useful if you want to load another set of files for each new renaming.

Note that even files that were not renamed in the last round will get cleared off. So, disable this option if you tend to rename your loaded files in 2-3 separate renaming operations.

This will make the Undo option unusable.
Clear renamed files on rename Clears off the files once you have finished renaming them.

Note that the files that were not renamed will remain behind, so that you can apply a new set of rules to them.

Note that the currently marked set of rules may not change some file names (for example, if you want to insert a string at 10th position, and we have some files with shorter file names.) Even in such cases, the files are considered to be renamed.

This will make the Undo option unusable.
Skip renaming of unchanged filesNormally, all marked files get renamed to their corresponding new name, even if the new name matches the original name. This is done this way to maintain consistency with other relevant options which apply to renamed files. However, if you wish to avoid renaming unchanged files, you can do so by enabling this option.
Overwrite files with new names If there is a naming conflict as a result of renaming, the newly renamed files can overwrite the existing files with the same names automatically.

Note that the name conflict can occur with a file that exists in the same folder, but which is NOT loaded in ReNamer.

Note also that multiple files from the same folder may be renamed in such a way that most of them get overwritten in sequence. In the worst case, only the last file to be renamed will survive.

WARNING: Your files can be overwritten and deleted forever.
Must be successfully confirmed by user This option is applicable only when the Overwrite files with new names option is enabled.

If enabled: ReNamer will pop up confirmation dialog for every file that is to be overwritten. The old file will be overwritten only if you confirm. (If the renamed file has no conflicts in its folder, ReNamer will rename it without asking for permission.).

If disabled: If a renamed file has the same name as an existing file, ReNamer will overwrite the old file silently.

WARNING: Your files can be overwritten and deleted forever.

Meta tags settings

These settings are for meta-tags only.

ReNamer settings meta tags.png

Option Description
Meta tag support Extracting meta tags from files can require significant system resources. If you do not need meta tags, disable this option.
Date format The specified date format will be used for formatting date & time meta tags. See Date and Time format for available formatting options.
Preview Tests the specified date-time format using the current time.

Miscellaneous settings

A general-purpose tab to provide all miscellaneous settings.

ReNamer settings miscellaneous.png

Option Description
Register preset extension (*.rnp) Associate the .rnp extension with ReNamer.
Add to folders context menu in Windows Explorer, a ReNamer option is added to the context menu for folders.
Add to "Send toTo" context menu in Windows Explorer, a ReNamer option is added to the Send To context menu.
Change text of "Drag your files here" TheCustomise lowerthe panewelcome oflabel ReNamershown willin showthe yourfiles custom texttable when emptyempty.
Change text of "Click here to add a rule" TheCustomise upperthe panewelcome oflabel ReNamershown willin showthe yourrules custom texttable when emptyempty.