AppleScript File Rename Request

This should do what you want, within limits:

tell application "Finder"

set fileList to selection as alias list

end tell

tell application "System Events"

repeat with thisFile in fileList

set fName to name of thisFile

set {oldTID, AppleScript'stext item delimiters} to {AppleScript'stext item delimiters, {" ", "."}}

set nameBits to text items of fName

set AppleScript'stext item delimiters to oldTID

set newName to item 2 of nameBits & ", " & item 1 of nameBits & "." & item 3 of nameBits

set name of thisFile to newName

end repeat

end tell

Limitations:

• Filenames must have a file extension or you'll get an error
• Filenames must have only a first name, a last name, and a single space between them. If any files have a middle name or a qualifier like Jr. or III, the final result may be in the wrong order.

These are fixable with a somewhat more complicated script.

as I said, your files must have file extensions for this script to work. In other words, this file should be called something like 'Alan Furst.txt', whereas it is obviously only called 'Alan Furst'. This script works by using file name regularities, and if your files are named irregularly the script needs to be modified.

If you need the script modified you'll have to provide a sample of the file names you're working with. Make sure the sample includes all the file name variations you're dealing with (e.g. one, two, three or etc words in the name, with and without extensions, other details that might trip up the script).

Ah, that makes life easier. I've added a couple of if statements to make sure it only works on folders and skips names that have been done (i.e. names that already have commas in them).

tell application "Finder"

set fileList to selection as alias list

end tell

tell application "System Events"

repeat with thisFile in fileList

if kind of thisFile is "Folder" then

set fName to name of thisFile

if fName does not contain "," and (count of words of fName) > 1 then

set {oldTID, AppleScript'stext item delimiters} to {AppleScript'stext item delimiters, {" "}}

set nameBits to text items of fName

set newName to last item of nameBits & ", " & items 1 thru -2 of nameBits

set AppleScript'stext item delimiters to oldTID

set name of thisFile to newName

end if

end if

end repeat

end tell