Suggestion: Rename as a Batch Convert action

[JohnFredC]

This post has been edited for clarity.

There have been a couple of very good proposals for improving Batch Rename (for instance, see Helmut's recent post here).

But perhaps rename should also be a Batch Convert action?

For instance, if rename occurred "in-line" with other actions, then the user could "export" multiple resolutions (as just one simple example) in a single pass. A "reset all" action could be useful for that. (...and a passive {comment} action might good, too .)

• {Output 1024x768}
  Resize
  Rename
  Perform All
  Reset All
  
  {Output 640x480}
  Resize
  Rename
  Perform All
  Reset All

Or one could perform a sequential naming:

• Rename
  Rename
  Rename
  Perform All

This latter example would be useful for particularly difficult renaming scenarios where the results of the first rename action would get passed to the subsequent one and so forth.

All of the standard renaming options would appear in the adjacent parameters panel for each action.

To accommodate the legacy "Batch Rename" menu option and behavior, the Batch Convert dialog (or tab, my preference) would open in response to the user selecting "Batch Rename", but showing the action list already populated with a single rename action.

A GUI for the results list preview would still be needed, though. Maybe that would go in the output tab?

[helmut]

Batch rename with action list
I like the idea to have batch conversion and batch renaming combined with a unified user interface/concept. This is why I have made a design in topic Batch rename with action list. Batch conversion and renaming are still separated by tabs and action lists are separated.

To be honest, I'm a bit surprised that you (John) have opened another topic for Rename as Batch Convert actions, because the mentioned topic before is very related. Perhaps you haven't seen or read it.

One action list for both conversion and renaming
It's good to see that you also suggest the action list approach. In your draft/suggestion you go a step further than me: One action list for both conversion and renaming. The approach would definitely bring even more flexibility to the users (multiple output targets in one conversion run), but apart from that I see little advantage and many disadvantages:

• User interface seems to be simpler but the concept behind it is more complex, because actions that apply on different objects are mixed together. The user has to know which actions apply which objects to understand what is happening.
• How can a preview for the actions be presented to the user? Not 100% sure, but my guess is that designing a simple user interface for this will be difficult.
• When reading the action list, one cannot easily see what's happening, because it just says "Rename" once or several times in the action list. You have to click on each rename action to see what's going on.
• Problems like the need for multiple replaces during rename are not solved, unless you used "Rename" several times.
• Some people use batch rename, only, those people should not be confronted with the (complex) image conversions and vice versa.

XnView is a tool for the masses, I think the masses would be massively overcharged with one action list for both batch renaming and batch conversion. "Where can I perform batch renaming?"

That's just my two cents. Would be nice if you wrote some feedback for my suggested batch rename with action list.

[JohnFredC]

(edit)

Helmut... no problem. If you think my post should be merged into your thread, by all means do so! Your ideas about rename actions sparked my imagination and I cited it at the very top to show that.

However, my suggestion was more about how to merge batch rename into the already existing batch script environment and a few script execution "control" actions I thought might be useful in such a scheme (for all scripts, not just those specifically used for file renaming).

Perhaps my use of rename in the examples was misleading. I've rewritten some parts of the original post to make things less ambiguous.

You wrote:

• I think the masses would be massively overcharged with one action list for both batch renaming and batch conversion. "Where can I perform batch renaming?

I tried to anticipate this valid issue with:

• To accommodate the legacy "Batch Rename" menu option, the Batch Convert dialog (or tab, my preference) would open in response to the user selecting "Batch Rename", but showing the action list already populated with a single rename action.

...but I do indeed see your point.

Why not have both? The code could be reused or re-instanced...

[budz45]

But perhaps rename should also be a Batch Convert action?

The "Batch Rename" function in XnView MP should remain as it is as a separate tool, IMO.

However Helmut's post on a "Rename" tab for Batch Convert/XnConvert is an idea I support:
Subject: 'Rename' tab

...A 'rename' tab would just re-use the same code programmed for Batch Rename. Either all of the code or part of it.

[JohnFredC]

I really don't mean "instead" of Helmut's proposal... but rather "in addition to".

The ability to output several different sizes of an image from a single script is very appealing but requires an execution schema similar to what I have described above.

Otherwise (even employing Helmut's excellent proposal) there remains the existing limitation of only a single output file for each input file.

[grafical]

Any chance a function like this might make its way into xnView also, and not just 'MP' ?

Having batch renaming integrated into the batch processing sequence would be phenomenal.. Being able to process an entire tree full of images, selecting only the TIF files, resizing them down to a max of 96px, converting them to JPG, and renaming them all to thumb_FILENAME.jpg while saving them out to $\thumb under their respective folders..

Imagine the time savings being able to rename at the same time as converting! Please add this in!