First and foremost, thanks for using this. I wrote this because I had the need to rename stuff on a mass scale, and it ballooned from there. If you like it, pay absolutely nothing (unless you *reeaally* want to). But at least send me an email at jyurek@wpi.edu so I know how many people are using this.
If you like this, have ideas, or want to offer me a better job, email me at jyurek@wpi.edu.
Use of Renamer
Drag files onto Renamer and it will perform the tasks asked of it. When files are dragged onto it, it prompts you for options. If you want to bypass the preferences when you drag something onto Renamer, hold down Command and whatever preferences are there will be executed.
You can change the Type and Creator based on the extension or vice versa. You can also change them manually, or a combination of the two. If both Manual and Contextual are selected, the Before and After buttons will become active. Selecting Before will cause the Contextual Change to happen before the Manual one. Combining the two functions in this way allows for a greater range of usage.
In the manual change section, only the options selected will be performed. So you can change all the types to JPEG or TEXT without touching the creator if you want. The change extension changes the file's extension to exactly what you have typed. So if you leave the field blank but the box checked, Renamer will effectively remove all extensions. You don't necessarily have to add a true extension in this field (i.e. it doesn't have to start with a period. You could end the file with " copy" to emulate a Finder-copy for example).
Double-clicking on the application itself will bring about a very boring interface which should probably be avoided. Hit Command-P for the prefs or select Preferences from the menu, even though you get them when you drag and drop anyway. Command-E will let you edit the Contexts for the Contextual Change option by opening the File Exchange Control Panel. The boring interface shouldn't really be used, except maybe to see the about box.
The contextual change option will not work unless you have the Internet Config extension installed in your system. However, most recent Mac OS's come with this as a normal install when you install the Internet group.If you have the Internet Control Panel, you have the IC Extension. If you happen not to have it, then you can download it at http://www.stairways.com/ic/ from Stairways Software.
Note: The way the items are listed in the File Exchange Control Panel is very important. If there is more than one extension for a Type and Creator that will satisfy context (like a type of JPEG will have .jpeg and .jpg for extensions), the first in the list will be taken. In the list, the extensions are listed alphabetically, which may cause unexpected results.
There are a few known differences in the 68k version. They were bugs, and in order for them to be removed, some very limited functionality has been removed. There is no about box, and in the Add Creator and Add Type dialogs, there are no keyboard shortcuts for the buttons. I told you it was limited. If you miss those that much, I'll see that they get fixed. ;o)
Disclaimer
There is no warranty, expressed or implied, that come with this software. It is provided "as is." I'm pretty sure you can't screw anything up that you don't put right into the program, but I don't want to have to fix it for you. ;) All I can say is that it works on my machine.
To Do
Renaming of files as a list (file001, file002, etc.)
Progress Bar if there are many files to rename.
Ability to add things to beginning of filename as well as end.
Possible Contextual Finder Menu
Always Improve Interface
&c... let me know if there's something you want me to add.
Version History
May 3, 1999 - version 1.6 - Added Internet Config support for Mac-Standard list of Types, Creators, and their extensions.
April 22, 1999 - version 1.5 - Cleaned up Interface.
April 14, 1999 - version 1.4 - Not released - Added LDEF for Dialogs
April 9, 1999 - version 1.3 - Made Type/Creator <-> Extension conversion and Type/Creator popups in main dialog.
April 2, 1999 - version 1.2 - Added support for file Types and Creators. You can change one or the other or both or neither, if you wish.
April 1, 1999 - version 1.1 - Changed the way folders are handled. Now they are recursively searched instead of renaming the folder itself.
