rename.ul

Rename files using simple string substitution (util-linux version)

TLDR

Replace "foo" with "bar" in all matching filenames

$ rename.ul foo bar *.txt

Preview changes without doing anything

$ rename.ul -n foo bar *

Replace only the first occurrence per filename

$ rename.ul -o foo bar *

SYNOPSIS

rename.ul [options] from to file...

rename.ul is the util-linux implementation of a simple bulk renamer. It replaces the first (or all) occurrences of the string from with to in the basenames of the listed files.It is intentionally simpler than the Perl-based `rename` found on Debian systems. The syntax is closer to a basic search-and-replace than a full Perl expression engine.Because it only operates on basenames and does not cross directory boundaries by default, it is very safe for everyday bulk renaming tasks.

PARAMETERS

-n, --no-act

Show what would be done, but do not actually rename

-v, --verbose

Print the names of files that are renamed

-o, --one

Only replace the first occurrence of from in each filename

-i, --interactive

Prompt before each rename

-f, --force

Overwrite existing files if necessary

INSTALL

sudo apt install util-linux

sudo dnf install util-linux

sudo pacman -S util-linux

sudo zypper install util-linux

brew install util-linux

nix profile install nixpkgs#util-linux

CAVEATS

- It will refuse to overwrite an existing file unless --force is given.- Only the filename portion is changed; the directory part is untouched.- The `from` and `to` strings are literal — no regex or glob expansion is performed on them.