Mass File Rename

Question

I have a folder with say 20-100 pdf files in it, I have extracted those file names, done some data manipulation which is dependant on user input. By the end of the workflow i have a table with two columns OldFileName and NewFileName with a row per file

I then want to rename the files en-mass to update them with the new nme, what ways are there to do this within alteryx? I have tried using the run command but not to much success. My workaround at the moment is that i output to an excel file and then use a VBA macro to do the rename but would prefer to have it done in all in one hit.

SGolnik · Answer

I have used the file-copy-move macro for this purpose because it has the ability to rename files when copying them to a new directory. Create a second folder and rename them as they are copied. Here is a link to the macro:

https://community.alteryx.com/discussion/1026101/file-directory-manager

alexnajm · Answer

Python would also work I'm sure, but I don't have the Python knowledge to make that suggestion!

alexnajm · Answer

Run Command would be the way in my opinion - there are a few articles online, including this one: Dynamically Rename Processed Files within Alteryx: A Step-by-Step Guide - The Information Lab

Otherwise you can try the blob input and blob output tools - they should work with PDFs but I'm not 100%. Input all your original paths as blobs and output to your new paths!