How do you chnage the file extension of several files?

Question

How do you chnage the file extension of several files?

There is an action for changing the file name, but i can't seem to find something that would change the file extension..

Looked in both Finder and Quicktime actions (QT is the application i am using) and couldn't find anything..

Anyone know what this kind of action would be called, or where i could find it, or download it?

Thanks!

Mac pro, Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Posted on Jul 22, 2007 10:10 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 22, 2007 10:11 AM in response to strangelittleman

forgot to mention i am attempting to change the multiple files from .mp4 to .mov, if that makes any difference.

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Answer 2

Network 23

Level 6

12,351 points

Jul 22, 2007 12:15 PM in response to strangelittleman

I use Renamer4Mac (free) which has options for including or excluding the extension.

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Answer 3

Jul 22, 2007 1:36 PM in response to Network 23

Thanks, you can't just use Automator it though? It seems simple enough, and probably the only thing i'll ever need Automator for!

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Answer 4

Network 23

Level 6

12,351 points

Jul 22, 2007 2:19 PM in response to strangelittleman

Maybe I should apologize. I answered this question because it was listed in the catch-all master post listing under Tiger Forums, but now I see it was actually posted in the Automator sub-forum. I probably shouldn't have answered it because I don't use Automator.

You probably could use Automator. It's just that you would probably have to build it first, and write any necessary AppleScripts for parts not included in the box.

In comparison it would take just a few seconds to download that small utility that's already been tested and debugged. That's how I see it, anyway.

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Answer 5

Jul 22, 2007 8:39 PM in response to Network 23

Applescripts? uh-oh. Well, do you know where i could download a ready made Applescript that i could plug into Automator then?.. I'll try the small utility you posted, but I was hoping to learn more about Automator. Thanks!

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Answer 6

Andrew99

Level 4

1,305 points

Jul 23, 2007 10:46 AM in response to strangelittleman

strangelittleman,

You might try using Change Extension 1.0, available from automatoractions.com. Download it and unzip to extract the Change Extension.action file.

Open Automator, and from the File menu select Import Actions. Select the unzipped Change Extension.action file and press Import -- importing the Action will copy it to your ~/Library/Automator directory. You should also now see Change Extension listed among Automator's available Finder Actions.

When you're ready, drag these two Finder Actions into Automator's right-hand side Workflow pane:

1) Ask for Finder Items -- select Type: Folders as default.

2) Change Extension -- make sure to check "Show Action When Run" under Options.

Test it by selecting Run under Automator's Workflow menu. Select the folder containing the multiple .mp4 files and hit the Choose button. In the dialog enter the new extension -- mov, without the "dot" -- and then press Continue. Check the target folder now to see if the changes took, and when satisfied the workflow is working, save as an Application.

There's a similar Automator Action that you might try, available from Apple.com, found here.

Good luck!

Andrew99

iMac 1 GHz Flat Panel 15" PPC 768 MB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.10)

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