default file rename when using Keep Both option in Finder

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Level 1

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default file rename when using Keep Both option in Finder

When I use the Keep Both option in Finder to move files into a folder where files of the same name already exist, I find that the system appends "copy" to the name of the files being moved. Is there a setting to change the default string that gets applied to the filename?

Appending "copy" to the filename implies that the two files contain the same content just because they had the same filename, a poor assumption IMO. (Just think of a digital camera where the user resets the filename sequence regularly, a perfectly reasonable practice. There will be many "IMG0001.jpg" files, none of which are actually copies of each other.

I guess a counter-example would be where the user intentionally duplicates files within the same folder, then it makes sense to name the copied files as "copy", but that seems like a lesser use case to me. (Duplication of content is something I try to avoid in libraries, be it photos, music or anything.)

So, is there a way to change the default filename handling here?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.2)

Posted on Feb 12, 2016 9:13 AM

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Answer 1

dialabrain

Level 10

136,727 points

Feb 12, 2016 9:48 AM in response to sdh91

FWIW, I can't address how digital cameras work since I've never owned one, but in the world of operating systems you can't have multiple files in the same directory with the same name and extension. Hence copy being appended.

And no, there's not a way to change the default filename handling.

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Answer 2

sdh91 Author

Level 1

20 points

Feb 12, 2016 12:35 PM in response to dialabrain

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I'm aware that you can't have multiple files in one folder with the same name and extension, so the filename has to be modified.

My wish is for the system to append something else besides 'copy' to the filename, because I think labelling a file 'copy' just because it has the same name as another file, is misleading.

I had hoped to avoid making a comparison to MS Windows (because I imagine folks have had their fill of new Apple users saying "why doesn't x/y/z work like MS), however...

In Windows Explorer when you move files into a folder where there already exist other files of the same name & extension, the system appends " [1]" to the filename. IMO this is smarter because there's no guarantee that the files being moved & renamed are actually duplicates of the files in the target folder.

If you copy files within the same folder, then it does append "copy" to the filename, which I also think makes sense because then files really are copies.

Hopefully this clarifies my question. And assuming your statement that there's no way to change filename handling still applies, then thank you for the answer.

Lastly, I just discovered the excellent File Rename function inside Finder, something Windows Explorer doesn't have anything equivalent to IIRC.

So I'd say my original request is more of a nice-to-have than a real need, since it's very easy to batch rename files when name conflicts occur.

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Answer 3

dialabrain

Level 10

136,727 points

Feb 12, 2016 12:52 PM in response to sdh91

sdh91 wrote:

In Windows Explorer when you move files into a folder where there already exist other files of the same name & extension, the system appends " [1]" to the filename. IMO this is smarter because there's no guarantee that the files being moved & renamed are actually duplicates of the files in the target folder.

It's interesting you brought this up because, in OSX if you download an identical file it actually does append numbers to each file… xxx.jpg, xxx(1).jog, xxx(2).jpg etc. even though they are identical files.

I won't pretend to understand the vagaries of decisions made by Apple developers. 😎

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