Add prefix or suffix to multiple document names

In terms of workflow, I notice that I frequently have to add a prefix or suffix to multiple items. I can do this one by one, which becomes tedious when there are 10 items. It would be nice if I could select multiple items and add a prefix/suffix, or is this already possible ?
If not please put it on the wish list.
thank you

Until a way in DEVONthink appears (it may be there but Iā€™m unaware but probably easy for a cleaver person to write a script), 1. select all of them needing renaming, 2. export to your local hard disk (say a subfolder under Desktop), 3. Use Finder to select all, then rename with a prefix, 4. upon success delete in DEVONthink, 4. import back to DEVONthink with the new names. Yes, lose the DEVONthink metadata on export, but if bulk renaming truly needed, this works.

1 Like

Itā€™s a very good solution. I can use NameMangler or Pathfinder to easily add prefix and suffix and even regex.
If you have the patience for another question:
I export individual DevonThink items as well as one or multiple databases on a daily basis without problem.
I read the help and do not understand how to export either a group or multiple selected items. All I end up with is a Finder file called DEVONtech_storage with no way of opening it. Usually I can understand with the help but not in this case.
thanks very much

Sorry, but Menu: File/Export of multiply-selected files works for me. I donā€™t do it very often so iā€™m not experienced beyond my test a few minutes ago which I expected to work. It did. On my test, done before answering your first question, I saw ā€œDEVONtech_storageā€ but ignored it as the three other files (2 pdf-s and 1 txt) were there and accessible by Finder. I donā€™t know how exporting a Group (real or smart) works.

1 Like

OK thank you very much and happy new year.
Thank you for taking the time to do some testing !

Did you have a look in the ā€žRenameā€œ section of the script menu? There might be something there

2 Likes

Please clarify with specific file names what kind of appending youā€™re referring to. Thanks.

2 Likes

rename using regex script works perfectly. Problem solved. Thank you very much!.

@chrillek 's solution may interest @rmschne and @BLUEFROG

Well, as I said, I donā€™t rename very often. Hence I didnā€™t seek the scripts menu kindly suggested by @chrillek. I gave you a solution that I thought would work, that I thought you might have thought of but you chose to ask before trying. My bad for not remembering the scripts menu!, but batch renaming thingsā€“not really of interest to me actually. And the point by @bluefrog is an excellent one as you didnā€™t explain exactly what you were looking for, what you tried, what failed, etc.

2 Likes

yes, you are right. thank you

Just a reminder for those of us whoā€™ve been using Devonthink for thousands of years and who forget to check up on the new features which keep on being added :grinning:

I used to use the Rename > Prefix / Suffix / Regex scripts a lot, though one or two of them disappeared a while back.

Instead of seeing how theyā€™d been replaced by new features, Iā€™ve just been putting them back on the menu and muttering quietly.

Embarrassingly, Iā€™ve only just noticed the Tools > Batch Process command, and it turns out that you can do most of whatā€™s in the Rename scripts with this. Obviously, it doesnā€™t replaced the Rename > Regex version, but still, very useful.

  1. Highlight the files you want to change.

  2. Select ā€˜Change Nameā€™ in the first dropdown, and then add the Prefix and/or Suffix you want in front/behind the blue-lozenged Name entry.

  3. Press Enter.

Itā€™s taken me over two years to notice this feature.

Oopsā€¦

4 Likes

WOW !! works very well, and easy to automatize with keyboard maestro. Fantastic suggestion. Easier to enter prefix and suffix, and probably most important your note allowed me to discover this new (for me) menu item. Thanks so much !

1 Like

My man! This is what I needed. Legend.