Use Terminal to select multiple files by filetype and add extension

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Level 1

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Use Terminal to select multiple files by filetype and add extension

I need help using Terminal.

I have a Mac (OS Tiger!) where there are many files without extensions (unknown type) EVERY folder has a FINDER.DAT and a folder named RESOURCE.FRK

(I assume old Mac files, maybe OS 9, have been restored from PC formatted drive.)

It's easy to get rid of these files, but the extension-less files are still unknown types in the Finder.

I have learned that I find the filetype and encoding of a single file by typing this in Terminal:

file -I path/filename

But I would like to be able to select all extension-less files of one type (eg. jpg or Word) in one folder (and subfolders) and then add the correct extension to all of them.

Any ideas? :)

Cheers, Simon

MacBook

Posted on Apr 27, 2019 9:58 AM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

362,173 points

Apr 27, 2019 10:56 AM in response to Simon Beer1

Try a renaming utility such as Easy Renamer that you can download from the Mac App Store. It is a free app. There are many others that range from free to $$$.

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Answer 2

Kappy

Level 10

362,173 points

Apr 27, 2019 10:25 AM in response to Simon Beer1

Why not make use of one out of many file renaming utilities you will find either at the Mac Apple Store or MacUpdate? Much easier to use than the Terminal.

If you are trying to get these old files from OS 9 or earlier to work now that they have items stripped out, then you will get no success. Importing Mac files from an old PC as you have done will yield non-working files. This includes apps such as Word because it is not a single file but a package (bundle) of files made to work as an application package. Without all of its components it will simply not work on a Mac.

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Answer 3

Simon Beer1 Author

Level 1

58 points

Apr 27, 2019 10:34 AM in response to Kappy

Hi Kappy. :)

I'm sure the originals were Mac files. Somehow they have gone to a PC drive and back again.

The files are mostly jpg or doc files. If i manually add the correct extension, they work fine!

Just to be clear, there are no applications.

These files don't have extensions, so Finder does not recognise them. Only Terminal can show the true format and filetype, so I assume only terminal can fix this… unless I do everything file by file! :D

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Answer 4

Simon Beer1 Author

Level 1

58 points

Apr 27, 2019 1:24 PM in response to Kappy

Thanks Kappy. My fault for not being clearer. There is over 50GB of folders and files, with doc, jpg, tif, jpg files (without extensions) all mixed together! So I REALLY need to it to be automated.

Thanks again for your suggestions. 😉

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Answer 5

Kappy

Level 10

362,173 points

Apr 27, 2019 1:39 PM in response to Simon Beer1

I don't have anything more, I'm afraid. I am a below average Unix programmer. I cannot offer a known utility that is able to perform the check you need. There are many you could check if you have the time.

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Answer 6

Simon Beer1 Author

Level 1

58 points

Apr 27, 2019 11:09 AM in response to Kappy

Thank for the suggestion. Sorry Kappy, but I think you missed the point.

The files have no extensions. Easy Renamer cannot select by filetype without an extension.

I can easily rename multiple files in Automator.

But only Terminal can identify each file's correct filetype.

Thanks for trying to help. :)

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Answer 7

Kappy

Level 10

362,173 points

Apr 27, 2019 11:37 AM in response to Simon Beer1

I do not know a Unix command for detecting filetypes. There is a Tcl command, fileutil, that can but to use it also requires installing Tcl, etc.

If you know the filetypes of multiple files, then you can move them into a separate folder. CD to the new folder and use "mv" to rename them all by adding the needed extension. That's what I have done.

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Use Terminal to select multiple files by filetype and add extension

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