removing spaces from front and end of filenames

[hokiegal99]

This script works as I expect, except for the last section. I want the
last section to actually remove all spaces from the front and/or end of
filenames. For example, a file that was named " test " would be
renamed "test" (the 2 spaces before and after the filename removed). Any
suggestions on how to do this?

import os, re, string
print " "
print "--- Remove '%2f' From Filenames ---"
print " "
percent2f = re.compile('%2f') #look for this exact string.
for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts'):
for file in files:
badchars = percent2f.findall(file)
newfile = ''
for badchar in badchars:
newfile = file.replace(badchar,'-') #replace %2f with a -
if newfile:
newpath = os.path.join(root,newfile)
oldpath = os.path.join(root,file)
os.rename(oldpath,newpath)
print oldpath
print newpath
print " "
print "--- Done ---"
print " "
print "--- Remove Bad Characters From Filenames ---"
print " "
badcharset = re.compile(r'[*?<>/\|\\]') #remove any occurance of *?<>/|\
for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts/'):
for file in files:
badchars = badcharset.findall(file)
newfile = ''
for badchar in badchars:
newfile = file.replace(badchar,'-') #replace with a dash.
if newfile:
newpath = os.path.join(root,newfile)
oldpath = os.path.join(root,file)
os.rename(oldpath,newpath)
print oldpath
print newpath
print " "
print "--- Done ---"
print " "
print "--- Remove Spaces From Filenames ---"
print " "
for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts'):
for file in files:
fname = (file)
fname = fname.strip( )
print fname
print " "
print "--- Done ---"
print " "

 

[Erik Max Francis]

This script works as I expect, except for the last section. I want the
last section to actually remove all spaces from the front and/or end
of
filenames. For example, a file that was named " test " would be
renamed "test" (the 2 spaces before and after the filename removed).
Any
suggestions on how to do this?

That's what the .strip method, which is what you're using, does. If
it's not working for you you're doing something else wrong.

 

[Stephen Horne]

This script works as I expect, except for the last section. I want the
last section to actually remove all spaces from the front and/or end of
filenames. For example, a file that was named " test " would be
renamed "test" (the 2 spaces before and after the filename removed). Any
suggestions on how to do this?
....

for file in files:
fname = (file)
fname = fname.strip( )
print fname

The indentation here looks suspicious. It is a very bad idea to indent
some lines with tabs and others with spaces - use one method or the
other.

Also, you are not saving the stripped versions of the strings
anywhere.

BTW - the strip method doesn't change the object in place, so I don't
see the point of the 'fname = (file)' line. I certainly don't
understand the brackets. In fact, why not just...

files = [i.strip() for i in files]

My best guess is that you expected the 'file' variable to reference
into the list, but this won't happen - its one of those things that
depends on whether the values are mutable or immutable, and with for
loops it's the type of the items within the list (ie the strings) that
is important. Strings are immutable.

Yes, this mutable/immutable thing is a pain :-(

Anyway, if you don't like list comprehensions, you'll need to loop
through the indices using something like...

for i in range(len(files)) :
files = files.strip ()

Hope this helps.

 

[Stephen Horne]

for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts'):
for file in files:
fname = (file)
fname = fname.strip( )
print fname

When I print fname, it prints the filenames w/o spaces (a file named "
test " looks like "test"), but when I ls the actual files in the
directory they still contain spaces at both ends. That's what I don't
understand. It seems that .strip is ready to remove the spaces, but
that it needs one more step to actually do so. Any ideas?

If you mean looking at the list, the stripped results aren't in there
because you didn't put them there. See my other reply.

If you literally mean 'in the directory' (ie looking using a file
browser) you need to do yet another step - to apply the stripped names
back to the files using the 'os.rename' function. I'm not familiar
with os.walk and can't find the documentation, so the following is
probably wrong, but I'd suggest something like...

for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts'):
for file in files:
os.rename(file, file.strip ())

This does seem very unlikely, though.

 

[Jeff Epler]

for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts'):
for file in files:
fname = (file)
fname = fname.strip( )
print fname

When I print fname, it prints the filenames w/o spaces (a file named "
test " looks like "test"), but when I ls the actual files in the
directory they still contain spaces at both ends. That's what I don't
understand. It seems that .strip is ready to remove the spaces, but
that it needs one more step to actually do so. Any ideas?

Surely you need to actually rename the file:
for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts'):
for name in files:
newname = name.strip()
if newname != name: os.rename(name, newname)

Jeff

 

[hokiegal99]

Ha!!

Fixed it with this bit of code:

for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/BradTill/python'):
for file in files:
fname = (file)
fname = fname.strip( )
newfile = fname
if newfile:
newpath = os.path.join(root,newfile)
oldpath = os.path.join(root,file)
os.rename(oldpath,newpath)
print oldpath
print newpath

Below is a sample of how the script acts on filenames:

--- Remove '%2f' From Filenames ---

/home/BradTill/python/ %2fbad%2fmac%2ffile>
/home/BradTill/python/ -bad-mac-file>
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/ %2fbad%2fmac%2ffile|
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/ -bad-mac-file|
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/ %2fbad%2fmac%2ffile?
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/ -bad-mac-file?
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/-target3-/
%2fbad%2fmac%2ffile\
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/-target3-/ -bad-mac-file\

--- Done ---

--- Remove Bad Characters From Filenames ---

/home/BradTill/python/ -bad-mac-file>
/home/BradTill/python/ -bad-mac-file-
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/ -bad-mac-file|
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/ -bad-mac-file-
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/ -bad-mac-file?
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/ -bad-mac-file-
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/-target3-/ -bad-mac-file\
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/-target3-/ -bad-mac-file-

--- Done ---

--- Remove Spaces From Filenames ---

/home/BradTill/python/fix_files.py
/home/BradTill/python/fix_files.py
/home/BradTill/python/fix_dirs.py
/home/BradTill/python/fix_dirs.py
/home/BradTill/python/files
/home/BradTill/python/files
/home/BradTill/python/ -bad-mac-file-
/home/BradTill/python/-bad-mac-file-
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/ -bad-mac-file-
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-bad-mac-file-
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/ -bad-mac-file-
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/-bad-mac-file-
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/-target3-/ -bad-mac-file-
/home/BradTill/python/-target1-/-target2-/-target3-/-bad-mac-file-

--- Done ---

Works well on dirs too, except that the path changes when a fix is
made to a parent dir so the script has to be run over and over until
all sub dirs are fixed.

 

[Erik Max Francis]

for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts'):
for file in files:
fname = (file)
fname = fname.strip( )
print fname

When I print fname, it prints the filenames w/o spaces (a file named "
test " looks like "test"), but when I ls the actual files in the
directory they still contain spaces at both ends. That's what I don't
understand. It seems that .strip is ready to remove the spaces, but
that it needs one more step to actually do so. Any ideas?

I'm puzzled as to why you find this result confusing. You're getting a
list of files, and putting their names (as strings) into a variable.
You're then stripping the spaces from that variable and printing it.
That doesn't have any effect on the file, because you're manipulating a
string containing the file_name_, not the file itself. If you want to
rename the file, you need to do something like

oldFilename = ...
newFilename = oldFilename.strip()
os.rename(oldFilename, newFilename)

 

[Bengt Richter]

for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts'):
for file in files:
fname = (file)
fname = fname.strip( )
print fname

When I print fname, it prints the filenames w/o spaces (a file named "
test " looks like "test"), but when I ls the actual files in the
directory they still contain spaces at both ends. That's what I don't
understand. It seems that .strip is ready to remove the spaces, but
that it needs one more step to actually do so. Any ideas?

I don't see where you rename " test " to "test" ;-)

BTW, file is a builtin name for the file class, which creates open file objects,
so it's best to use another name.

Maybe change that last loop to (untested!)

for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts'):
for fname in files:
newfile = fname.strip( )
if newfile != fname:
newpath = os.path.join(root,newfile)
oldpath = os.path.join(root,fname)
os.rename(oldpath,newpath)
print `oldpath` # back ticks to print repr to make sure you can see spaces
print `newpath`

Regards,
Bengt Richter

 

[hokiegal99]

I don't see where you rename " test " to "test" ;-)

BTW, file is a builtin name for the file class, which creates open file objects,
so it's best to use another name.

Maybe change that last loop to (untested!)

for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts'):
for fname in files:
newfile = fname.strip( )
if newfile != fname:
newpath = os.path.join(root,newfile)
oldpath = os.path.join(root,fname)
os.rename(oldpath,newpath)
print `oldpath` # back ticks to print repr to make sure you can see spaces
print `newpath`

Regards,
Bengt Richter

I've found the below code to OK, does anyone see any problems with it?
I've ran it several times w/o damaging anything . The only problem
with doing this on dirs is that the script doesn't act on dirs within
dirs that are being renamed by the script as the path didn't exist when
the script started running. So, I have to run it several times. It works
but it's a bit of a kludge. Anyone know of a work around for this?


for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/test'):
for dir in dirs:
old_dname = (dir)
new_dname = old_dname.strip( )
newdir = new_dname
if newdir <> old_dname:
newpath = os.path.join(root,newdir)
oldpath = os.path.join(root,dir)
os.rename(oldpath,newpath)
print oldpath
print newpath

 

[Bengt Richter]

Ha!!

Fixed it with this bit of code:

for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/BradTill/python'):
for file in files:
fname = (file)
fname = fname.strip( )
newfile = fname
if newfile:

for fname in files:
newfile = fname.strip()
if newfile!=fname:

newpath = os.path.join(root,newfile)
oldpath = os.path.join(root,file)
os.rename(oldpath,newpath)
print oldpath
print newpath

I'd suggest using four spaces instead of tabs ;-)

Why not do the whole thing in one loop? (Ignore my prev post suggestion for final
renaming loop just for spaces):

#XXX# untested !!
import re, os
percent2f_n_bad = re.compile(r'%2f|[*?<>/|\\]') # look for bad chars too
for root, dirs, files in os.walk('/home/rbt/scripts'):
for fname in files:
newfile = percent2f_n_bad.sub('-', fname)
newfile.strip() # and the space thing
if newfile != fname: # you really only need to know if something changed, right?
newpath = os.path.join(root,newfile)
oldpath = os.path.join(root,fname)
os.rename(oldpath,newpath)
print `oldpath` # backticks to get quoted repr, to see spaces
print `newpath`

Or am I missing something?

Regards,
Bengt Richter