File Naming App

Node.js must be installed to run this app.

This app can be used to select one or more files from a file explorer, or drag and drop one or multiple files, and prepend them with a descriptor. It will also create a folder to store the groups in. This utility will NOT edit the original files. I recommend checking to make sure the new files are not corrupted before erasing original files.

After filling out the form and selecting the files you want to group, simply click Submit. Navigate to the uploads/ directory created in the root of this project and verify that all of your files are there and that they are not corrupted.

Updated Jan 2023

This utility now offers an option to enter a starting position and ending position of characters to remove from the original filename. It is important to note that these are NOT ZERO-BASED INDEXES; The first character in the filename is located at position 1. The inputs default values are 0, which will leave the string as is.

Examples of Behavior:

Given robot_yellow.png as the original filename and starting/ending position input values in the format (startPositionValue, endPositionValue), the following examples demonstrate how the filename will be changed.

The default values will return the original name:

• (0, 0) returns robot_yellow.png

End result: /uploads/[userInputtedDirectory]/[userInputToPrepend]_robot_yellow.png

Valid syntax returns a new name with the characters removed between the startPositionValue and endPositionValue (inclusively):

• (1, 1) returns obot_yellow.png

End result: /uploads/[userInputtedDirectory]/[userInputToPrepend]_obot_yellow.png

• (3, 5) returns ro_yellow.png

End result: /uploads/[userInputtedDirectory]/[userInputToPrepend]_ro_yellow.png

0 is not valid in starting or ending positions. This will return the original name:

• (5, 0) returns robot_yellow.png

End result: /uploads/[userInputtedDirectory]/[userInputToPrepend]_robot_yellow.png

• (0, 2) returns robot_yellow.png

End result: /uploads/[userInputtedDirectory]/[userInputToPrepend]_robot_yellow.png

Negative numbers are not valid in starting or ending positions. This will return the original name:

• (-2, 3) returns robot_yellow.png

End result: /uploads/[userInputtedDirectory]/[userInputToPrepend]_robot_yellow.png

It is not valid to have the ending position less than the starting position. This will return the original name:

• (5, 3) returns robot_yellow.png

End result: /uploads/[userInputtedDirectory]/[userInputToPrepend]_robot_yellow.png

If the ending position extends into the file extension the file extension will be appended to the name which may have unexpected results:

• (7, 14) returns robot_ng.png

End result: /uploads/[userInputtedDirectory]/[userInputToPrepend]_robot_ng.png

If all characters are remove it will return only the file extension:

• (1, 16) returns .png

End result: /uploads/[userInputtedDirectory]/[userInputToPrepend]_.png

Getting Started

• clone this repository
• cd into project directory
• run npm install
• run node server.js
• go to 127.0.0.1:3001 in your web browser

Alternitavely (this will only work on Windows)

• clone down this repository
• run npm install
• navigate to the project in your file explorer
• double-click the start.bat file

Kill the node service with ctrl + c when you are finished using the utility.