Big Problem for me - fix 1st letter of folders

[wakrajci]

Forgetting the power of BRU, I hastily deleted the 1st letter of folders in a very large array. I did not discover it for a few days later.Thankfully the files in the folder have the same name. The folder contains about 4000 folders with files in them. I have been working on this problem for a while, and I can't seem to get it right. I want to copy the 1st letter of the file in each folder and add it to the beginning of the folders name:
Example: ape Fear (1991) --- Cape Fear (1991).mkv --- Cape Fear (1991).
A File in that folder

Please help!!

[Admin]

You can fix the folder names by using Bulk Rename Utility's JavaScript renaming feature to copy the first letter of a file inside each folder and prepend it to the folder name. Here's a step-by-step approach:

1. Open Bulk Rename Utility and navigate to the parent folder containing the 4000 folders.

2. Make sure you have the option to include folders in the file list (Filters (12) ? check "Folders").

3. Select all the folders you want to fix.

4. Go to the Special (14) section and enable "Javascript Renaming."

5. Enter a JavaScript script like the following (adjust as needed):

Code: Select all

```javascript
// Only process folders
if (object("isdir")) {
    // Get list of files inside this folder
    var files = listFilesInFolder("*.*", false, false);
    if (files.length > 0) {
        // Get the first file's name (without extension)
        var firstFileName = removeExt(files[0]);
        if (firstFileName.length > 0) {
            // Get the first letter of the first file's name
            var firstLetter = firstFileName.charAt(0);
            // Prepend this letter to the folder name
            newName = firstLetter + origName;
        } else {
            newName = origName; // no change if no file name
        }
    } else {
        newName = origName; // no change if no files
    }
} else {
    newName = origName; // no change for files
}
```


6. Preview the changes to ensure the folder names will be corrected as expected.

7. If satisfied, click Rename to apply the changes.

This script works by checking each folder, listing the files inside it, taking the first letter of the first file's name, and adding that letter to the start of the folder name.

Make sure to back up your data before running batch renames. Also, test on a small subset first to confirm it works as you want.

[wakrajci]

Hi Admin,
I'm new to Javascript so please bear with me:
- On Filter (12), should I have Folders and files, or just folders included?
- On the Javascript you sent me should I copy and paste '''javascript with the rest of the script?

Thanks for the help!

[wakrajci]

Hi again Admin,
You’re amazing! I have been trying to get this done for weeks without JavaScript and you did it in minutes. WOW! I was so impressed I went ahead and got a Home License. It looks like I need to learn JavaScript. What JavaScript version should I start with?
I played with your script for a while, and I got it to work by eliminating the first and last ‘’’ lines. I forgot to mention that I corrected a few 100 folder names to its file names manually. So, when I ran the script it gave me a lot of double first characters.
Is there something I can add to this script to check if the name has already been corrected and if so, skipped to the rest of the JavaScript?
Thank You!

[Admin]

Hi, I am glad that it 's working and thank you for purchasing a license!
You can use this tool to create javascipt, just enter what you need. You can also learn Javascript this way by examples.

https://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/js/

In the requirements enter "change folder name only if it does not already match contained file"

[Admin]

Bulk Rename Utility (BRU) uses ECMAScript as specified in ECMA-262, 5th edition (ES5). This means BRU supports all standard JavaScript syntax and functions from ES5.

[Luuk]

Greetings everyone, this the 1st-time Im learning about the new listFilesInFolder() function.
Does anyone know what the parameters are?? Like when using listFilesInFolder("filespec", ____, ____).
I tried many different listFilesInFolder(/regexp/, true, true) but could only match names using "filespec".

This a modification to prefix folders only if the folder-name matches the 1st-filename, except for the 1st-character.
It will also fix any folder-names that did accidentally get prefixed (1-or-more times, just in case)....

files = listFilesInFolder()
first = removeExt(files[0])
namel = name.replace(/([\][(){}^$])/g, '\\' + '$1')
mtcha = new RegExp('^.' + namel + '$')
if (mtcha.test(first)||name.replace(/^(.)(\1)*(?=\1)/, '')==first) {newName=first}

Remember its using the very 1st-filenames, so if they're like below, renames parent-folders like...
Path\)test\1)test.txt -------------------------> Path\1)test\1)test.txt
Path\]test\2]test.txt -------------------------> Path\2]test\2]test.txt
Path\)test\3)test.txt -------------------------> Path\3)test\3)test.txt
Path\edBaron\RedBaron.txt -----------------> Path\RedBaron\RedBaron.txt
Path\omeName1\SomeName1.txt ----------> Path\SomeName1\SomeName1.txt
Path\SSomeName2\SomeName2.txt -------> Path\SomeName2\SomeName2.txt
Path\SSSSSomeName3\SomeName3.txt ---> Path\SomeName3\SomeName3.txt
Path\SSXSSomeName\SomeName.txt ------> (not renamed)
Path\ASomeName\SomeName.txt ----------> (not renamed)

[Admin]

The JavaScript function listFilesInFolder() in Bulk Rename Utility returns an array of file names present in a folder.

Usage:
- listFilesInFolder("pattern", includeHidden, includeSystem)

Parameters:
- pattern (optional): A search pattern like "*.txt" or "*.pdf". If omitted or empty, all files are included.
- includeHidden (optional, boolean): If true, hidden files are included; default is false.
- includeSystem (optional, boolean): If true, system files are included; default is false.

Returns:
- An array of file names (strings) matching the pattern and inclusion options.

Examples:
- listFilesInFolder() — returns all files in the folder.
- listFilesInFolder("*.pdf") — returns all PDF files.
- listFilesInFolder("", true) — returns all files including hidden files.
- listFilesInFolder("*.*", true, true) — returns all files including hidden and system files.
- listFilesInFolder("*.jpg", true, false) — returns all JPG files including hidden files but excluding system files.

If applied to a folder name, it lists files in that folder; if applied to a file name, it lists files in the file's containing folder.

You can use this function in JavaScript renaming scripts to get file lists for custom renaming logic.

[wakrajci]

Thanks Admin,
I used the website you referred me to, and it worked perfectly. Thank you for all your help, guidance, and teaching. Will the newer versions of JavaScript work with BRU?