I have a bunch of file with this format YYYY - name.ext
1925 - test1.txt
1944 - test2.txt
2008 - test3.txt



and I would like to rename these files to
test1 - 1925.txt
test2 - 1944.txt
test3 - 2008.txt

I'm trying this with no success
dir | rename-item -newname {$_.name -replace '^(\d\d\d\d) -
(.*)',"$matches[2] - $matches[1]"} -whatif

Thanks for your help

On Aug 30, 9:18*am, Personne <cpdiv...@xxxxxx> wrote:

> I have a bunch of file with this format YYYY - name.ext
> 1925 - test1.txt
> 1944 - test2.txt
> 2008 - test3.txt
>
> and I would like to rename these files to
> test1 - 1925.txt
> test2 - 1944.txt
> test3 - 2008.txt
>
> I'm trying this with no success
> dir | rename-item -newname {$_.name -replace '^(\d\d\d\d) -
> (.*)',"$matches[2] - $matches[1]"} -whatif
>
> Thanks for your help

How about something like this?

dir |
%{$parts = [regex]::split($_.basename, ' - ')
Rename-item $_ ("{0} - {1}{2}" -f $parts[1], $parts[0],
$_.Extension)
}

dir | rename-item -NewName {$_.name -replace '^(\d+)(\s\-\s)([^\.]+)(.+$)','$3$2$1$4'}


---
Shay Levy
Windows PowerShell MVP
http://blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/ScriptFanatic
PowerShell Toolbar: http://tinyurl.com/PSToolbar



P> I have a bunch of file with this format YYYY - name.ext
P> 1925 - test1.txt
P> 1944 - test2.txt
P> 2008 - test3.txt
P> and I would like to rename these files to
P> test1 - 1925.txt
P> test2 - 1944.txt
P> test3 - 2008.txt
P> I'm trying this with no success
P> dir | rename-item -newname {$_.name -replace '^(\d\d\d\d) -
P> (.*)',"$matches[2] - $matches[1]"} -whatif
P> Thanks for your help
P>

Thanks Shay

Anyway $4 is not necessary

dir | rename-item -NewName {$_.name -replace '^(\d+)(\s\-\s)([^\.]+)(.
+$)','$3$2$1'}



On Aug 30, 2:15*pm, Shay Levy [MVP] <n...@xxxxxx> wrote:

> dir *| rename-item -NewName {$_.name -replace '^(\d+)(\s\-\s)([^\.]+)(.+$)','$3$2$1$4'}
>
> ---
> Shay Levy
> Windows PowerShell MVPhttp://blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/ScriptFanatic
> PowerShell Toolbar:http://tinyurl.com/PSToolbar
>
> P> I have a bunch of file with this format YYYY - name.ext
> P> 1925 - test1.txt
> P> 1944 - test2.txt
> P> 2008 - test3.txt
> P> and I would like to rename these files to
> P> test1 - 1925.txt
> P> test2 - 1944.txt
> P> test3 - 2008.txt
> P> I'm trying this with no success
> P> dir | rename-item -newname {$_.name -replace '^(\d\d\d\d) -
> P> (.*)',"$matches[2] - $matches[1]"} -whatif
> P> Thanks for your help
> P>

On Aug 31, 3:26*pm, Personne <cpdiv...@xxxxxx> wrote:

> Thanks Shay
>
> Anyway $4 is not necessary
>
> dir *| rename-item -NewName {$_.name -replace '^(\d+)(\s\-\s)([^\.]+)(.
> +$)','$3$2$1'}
>
> On Aug 30, 2:15*pm, Shay Levy [MVP] <n...@xxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
>

> > dir *| rename-item -NewName {$_.name -replace '^(\d+)(\s\-\s)([^\.]+)(.+$)','$3$2$1$4'}

>

> > ---
> > Shay Levy
> > Windows PowerShell MVPhttp://blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/ScriptFanatic
> > PowerShell Toolbar:http://tinyurl.com/PSToolbar

>

> > P> I have a bunch of file with this format YYYY - name.ext
> > P> 1925 - test1.txt
> > P> 1944 - test2.txt
> > P> 2008 - test3.txt
> > P> and I would like to rename these files to
> > P> test1 - 1925.txt
> > P> test2 - 1944.txt
> > P> test3 - 2008.txt
> > P> I'm trying this with no success
> > P> dir | rename-item -newname {$_.name -replace '^(\d\d\d\d) -
> > P> (.*)',"$matches[2] - $matches[1]"} -whatif
> > P> Thanks for your help
> > P>

If you want to nitpick, you don't need to escape the dash outside of a
character class, you can just use a space to indicate a space unless
you think it might be some other whitespace character for some reason,
and you don't really need the $ anchor at the end since .+ will eat up
anything until the end of the string. Not to say that it's the
"right" way, but just another way.

'^(\d+)( - )([^\.]+)(.+)'
vs.
'^(\d+)(\s\-\s)([^\.]+)(.+$)'