Q: Apple Script to rename images using CSV file

Interesting... the original spreadsheet did come from an external source, most likely Excel and then was delivered to me via Google Docs... and then I messed with it in Numbers... I wonder if there's a "Show Invisible Characters" feature in Numbers...?

Thanks again!

Hi, Sorry to add to this thread, but I'm strapped for time and I need assistance with the scripts described here; I am not able to get any of them to work. My situation is almost identical: The images are in a folder called "images" on my desktop (~/Desktop/images) and the csv file is contained within it (~/Desktop/images/SND.csv)

So, for example in line 1:I would like the file named 0031.jpg to be changed to 31-Dallas Morning News.jpg. I've been at this problem for a while, so any assistance would be greatly appreciate it.

The 1st bash script listed here should work:

     #!/bin/bash

     cd ~/Documents/images

     while read line         

     do         

          OldImageName=${line%,*}

          NewImageName=${line#*,}

          mv "$OldImageName" "$NewImageName"

     done <"SND.csv"

As is does not, try this, then post a few lines of the error.txt file that will be created on the Desktop

#!/bin/bash


cd ~/Documents/images
while read line          
do          
     OldImageName=${line%,*}
     NewImageName=${line#*,}
     echo mv "$OldImageName" "$NewImageName" >> ~/Desktop/error.txt
done <"SND.csv"

Thanks for the prompt reply.

Originally, when running the script, there was no error, but there was no affect on any of the images.

On a second try, I omitted the first line cd ~/[Desktop]/images and tried saving the script in the folder with everything else and running it from there. At that point, I get a "while: bad interpreter: No such file or directory" error message in the terminal.

Nothing shows on the desktop at either point.

Perhaps I am executing the script incorrectly?

I used SublimeText to create a new script, which i called "rename.sh." I then navigated to it's directory, changed the permissions using the following command: "chmod +x ./rename.sh." I then ran it using the "./rename.sh" command.

Let me know if you need further details and thanks again.

Make sure that the 1st line in the script is:

      #!/bin/bash

If it still doen not work, try using TextEdit and save as a Plain Text File

(TextEdit->Format->Make Plan Text)

If it still does not work, in Terminal, what do you get when you run: which bash

Still not working; when I run the script from the desktop directory, I get no errors and no affect on the images in the folder.

When the script is run from the images directory, I get the following, based on whether or not I include the first (second after #!/bin/bash) line.

cd: bad interpreter: No such file or directory

-or-

while: bad interpreter: No such file or directory

which bash yields "/bin/bash"

Try to run from Applescript.

Copy this to Apple Script Editor, and click [Run]

Also click [Result] at the bottom of AppleScript Editor to show any errors:

do shell script "
cd ~/Desktop/images
while read line          
do          
     OldImageName=${line%,*}
     NewImageName=${line#*,}
     mv \"$OldImageName\" \"$NewImageName\"
done < \"SND.csv\"
"

""

The above is what shows in "Result" when run as an AppleScript - still no effects on the image files.

Could it be a permissions issue on the image files themselves? I have Read & Write access to each image but "Everyone" and "staff" has Read only permission.

Try this in AppleScript, and post the first few lines of what's created in the file error.txt on the desktop:

do shell script "
cd ~/Desktop/images
while read line         
do         
     OldImageName=${line%,*}
     NewImageName=${line#*,}
     echo mv \"$OldImageName\" \"$NewImageName\" >> ~/Desktop/error.txt
done < \"SND.csv\"
"

Hi Tony,

I have tried the Automater but for whatever reason I can't get it to work. It says the workflow is complete and nothing changes with file name for the images does not change.

Are you sure your CSV file is the same format as the OP?

Post a screenshot of your CSV file.

Thank you for the quick reply.

This is just a test of the CSV to get it going before I attempt the 1000+ files.

This is the Run Shell Script I am using:

cd "$1"

while read line      

do      

     OldImageName=${line%,*}

     NewImageName=${line#*,}

     if [ -e "$OldImageName" ] ; then

          mv "$OldImageName" "$NewImageName"

     else

          echo "$OldImageName" >> ~/Desktop/Errors.txt

     fi

done <"$2"

Are you getting an Error.txt file on the Desktop?

I am but it comes across as jiberish unforntantly.