use * with a batch file to get filenames - batch-file

Question

I am using Windows XP and need to create a batch file to move tok.filename to filename.tok.
This works for one file if I type in fix.bat tok.filename.
set filename=%1
set newname=%filename:~4,45%
ren %1 %newname%.tok
I need to type in fix.bat tok*, but this puts tok* in the filename.
How do I get it to read all the files into the filename one at a time?

Answer 1

Use a for statement.
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
for %%i in (tok.*) do (
set filename=%%i
set newname=!filename:~4,45!
ren %%i !newname!.tok
)
Enabling the delayed expansion makes it so that the variables are evaluated at the time they are used.
Alternatively, since you already have a batch file that works, you could write another batch file that uses the for statement, which calls your working batch file -- like this:
for %%i in (tok.*) do call fix.bat %%i
Or you could run it directly from the command line like this:
for %i in (tok.*) do call fix.bat %i

Answer 2

No need for a batch script
for %F in (tok.*) do for /f "delims=." %X in ("%~xF") do ren "%F" "%X.%~nF"
Double up the percents if used within a batch script.
The above may not give the desired result if more than one . appears in a file name.
For example tok.part1.part2 would become part2.tok.part1.
If you want part1.part2.tok instead, then you can use the following simple script.
#echo off
ren tok.* .*?.tok
for %%F in (.*.tok) do for /f "tokens=* delims=." %%A in ("%%F") do ren "%%F" "%%A"
For an explanation of how that 1st REN works in the 2nd script, see How does the Windows RENAME command interpret wildcards?
I suppose an esoteric argument could be made that a name like tok..name would become name.tok when it should be .name.tok. That could be fixed by using:
#echo off
setlocal disableDelayedExpansion
ren tok.* .*?.tok
for %%F in (.*.tok) do (
set "name=%%F"
setlocal enableDelayedExpansion
ren "!name!" "!name:~1!"
endlocal
)
The nice thing about the solutions above is they don't rely on the length of "tok". A string value of any length could be substituted for "tok" and the code works just as well.
The James L solution works well for a constant length. That solution can be improved a bit.
The 2nd argument to the substring operation is not needed. Removing it lets the solution work no matter how long the full original name is.
The code will fail if a name has an ! in it. Fixed by toggling delayed expansion on and off.
The filenames should be quoted in the REN statement in case of spaces or special characters
.
#echo off
setlocal disableDelayedExpansion
for %%i in (tok.*) do (
set "filename=%%i"
setlocal enableDelayedExpansion
ren "!filename!" "!filename:~4!.tok"
endlocal
)

Answer 3

you can also do the same without delayed expansion (which is slow).
Also, if there is only one dot, without explicitly using lengths of name parts.
%~n expands to filename without extension, and %~x to dot with extension (so I remove dot with :~1).
Also, using %* in for, you may pass arbitrary number of arguments.
And even more. If you add /R bewteen for and %%I (you'll get for /R %%I), it will recurse into subdirs also.
Whole batch file:
for %%I IN (%*) do call :Rename "%~I"
exit /b
:Rename
set newname=%~x1
ren %1 "%~dp1%newname:~1%.%~n1"
exit /b