VBscript to rename all files in dir to start with an index

Question

Set fso = CreateObject(\"Scripting.FileSystemObject\")
sFolder = \".\"

Set folder = fso.GetFolder(sFolder)
Set files = folder.Files
Set index = 1
For each folderIdx         


        

Answer 1

The problem: You use File for the .Move and in the Replace call, but your For Each loop gives you the current file object in the variable named folderIdx.

Your Replace would result in just the intended file name, and probably move the file to the current folder (as seen by the FS). (I did not test this speculation)

To rename/renumber all files in a folder according to an increasing index, I'd use:

  Dim oFS  : Set oFS  = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
  Dim sDir : sDir     = "..\testdata\17165630"
  Dim nIdx : nIdx     = 1
  Dim oFile
  For Each oFile In oFS.GetFolder(sDir).Files
      WScript.Echo "bad idea:", Replace(oFile.Path, oFile, nIdx)
      WScript.StdOut.Write oFile.Name
      If oFS.FileExists(oFS.BuildPath(sDir, nIdx)) Then
         WScript.StdOut.WriteLine " already exists"
      Else
         oFile.Name = nIdx
         WScript.StdOut.WriteLine " => " & oFile.Name
      End If
      nIdx = nIdx + 1 ' Thanks, @Ansgar!
  Next

The output:

bad idea: 1
5 => 1
bad idea: 2
6 => 2
bad idea: 3
8 => 3
bad idea: 4
7 => 4

should make you cautious as to the order before and after the renumber action.

Update:

To prepend zeros, use somethink like:

>> For Each nIdx In Array(1, 5, 10, 99, 100, 999)
>>     WScript.Echo Right(1000 + nIdx, 3)
>> Next
>>
001
005
010
099
100
999

To keep a specific order, you'll have to process the files in that order. I'd start with shelling out to dir /o:.

Update II:

A .FileExists check can't avoid renumbering an already renumbered file. You must look at the oFile.Name of the current file and skip it, if it was already processed. If you have non-numerical file names in the beginning, you can use IsNumeric():

  Dim oFS  : Set oFS  = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
  Dim sDir : sDir     = "..\testdata\17165630"
  Dim nIdx : nIdx     = 1
  Dim oFile
  WScript.Echo "----- Given:"
  For Each oFile In oFS.GetFolder(sDir).Files
      WScript.Echo oFile.Path
  Next
  WScript.Echo "----- Rename:"
  For Each oFile In oFS.GetFolder(sDir).Files
      WScript.StdOut.Write oFile.Name
      If IsNumeric(Left(oFile.Name, 3)) Then
         WScript.Stdout.WriteLine " is already numbered"
      Else
         Dim sNewName : sNewName = Right(1000 + nIdx, 3) & "." & oFile.Name
         If oFS.FileExists(oFS.BuildPath(sDir, sNewName)) Then
            WScript.StdOut.WriteLine " already exists"
         Else
            oFile.Name = sNewName
            WScript.StdOut.WriteLine " => " & oFile.Name
         End If
         nIdx = nIdx + 1
      End If
  Next
  WScript.Echo "----- Result:"
  For Each oFile In oFS.GetFolder(sDir).Files
      WScript.Echo oFile.Path
  Next

Output of two runs:

----- Given:
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\c.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\a.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\b.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\d.png
----- Rename:
c.png => 001.c.png
a.png => 002.a.png
b.png => 003.b.png
d.png => 004.d.png
----- Result:
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\002.a.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\003.b.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\004.d.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\001.c.png

----- Given:
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\002.a.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\003.b.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\004.d.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\001.c.png
----- Rename:
002.a.png is already numbered
003.b.png is already numbered
004.d.png is already numbered
001.c.png is already numbered
----- Result:
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\002.a.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\003.b.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\004.d.png
M:\lib\kurs0705\testdata\17165630\001.c.png