Simple File Rename

[Bart]

I've used XnView for many years. I've just bought a new computer and installed the latest version of XnView.
Now I find that I can't do something that I did all the time with my previous version: click on the name of an image file and change its name. Now it seems that to change a filename I have to go through a multistep dialogue.
If that is so, it seems a horrible unwanted change.
Or am I missing something?

[Peter2]

Select (Click) - F2 - ..

Peter

[Bart]

Thanks Peter. That works. But it's more laborious than the old way. Quite a big disadvantage as far as I'm concerned.

[Peter2]

...Quite a big disadvantage as far as I'm concerned.

For me an important factor of usability and ergonomics of an application is the changing between "Mouse - keyboard - mouse - ...".

Click - F2 - type name is "Quick mouse - key - keyboard"
Click - Click - type name is "Slow mouse - careful mouse - keyboard"

I (old DOS user) prefer the first way.

Peter

[Bart]

Here is the main thing for which I use XnView:
1 Come home from photographing a cathedral; put the photos (say, 200) into my computer.
2 Look at them in XnView. Use BatchRename to number them, from 001 upwards.
3 Rearrange them in a natural order by renaming; eg photo 079 belongs naturally after 061; so rename 079 to 061m (thus leaving room for some more between 061 and 061m)
4 Having done that extensively (typically renaming perhaps 100 of 200 photos) use BatchRename to renumber them all from 001 upwards.
Doing that the old way is far easier. (Maybe if the names I was giving were 20-characters long and so required a lot of care in typing it would be a different matter, but I never do that.)

Bart

[Bart]

It looks as though I shan’t be using XnView to view my photos very much from now on. With the current version of XnView my most efficient approach seems to be this:
1 Come home from photographing a cathedral; put the photos (say, 200) into my computer.
2 In XnView, use BatchRename to number them, from 001 upwards. (No need to see them: just view as list in a tiny window)
3 In Windows Explorer view them as thumbnails and rearrange them in a natural order by renaming; eg photo 079 belongs naturally after 061; so rename 079 to 061m (thus leaving room for some more between 061 and 061m)
4 Having done that extensively (typically renaming perhaps 100 of 200 photos), return to XnView and use BatchRename to renumber them all from 001 upwards. (Again no need to see them: just view as list in a tiny window).
Bart

[Peter2]

Have you tried to change "Options - Browser - Use dialog to rename file"?

Peter

[Bart]

Ah, brilliant! That works. Problem solved.
Sorry to take up your time, but I did search through the PDF manual first without success before coming onto this board.
Thanks
Bart

[RobertWebb]

I already found the option to rename in-place rather than in a dialog, which makes things quite a bit more bearable, but it still doesn't allow you to click on the file name to edit it. Yes I know about F2, and I often use it, but I also like the option of simply clicking on the file name to rename it. I imagine most users will try this first too. This used to work in XnView, but no longer seems to. I've scoured through every option and can't find any way to change it. Why on Earth would this capability be removed?

Any suggestions?
Rob.

[XnTriq]

Any suggestions?

I would also like to have an option like this one…

• Tools » Options... » Browser » Folder tree » Single click to rename

… for the thumbnail pane.

Related topics:

• Disable rename with one click in browser
• Thanks: Rename Dialog
• One Click Rename
• Single-click renaming