Vista - renaming files, depending on their dates ...

hi,

i have a list of mp3 files in non-alphabetical order,

i want to sort the ascending on the property "date modified"

i want to add a number, so that the mp3s are sorted correctly on my
mp3 player as

jamming.mp3
gone with the wind.mp3
zero clutter - fast rush.mp3

renamed to

9999 gone with the wind.mp3
9998 zero clutter.mp3
9997 jamming.mp3

also the filename, after the new added number (from 9999 to 00000)
should be limited to 26 chars,
how is that posible?

cincerly yours - $how3r

Try this...
$i=1
get-childitem c:\test -rec | Sort-Object LastWriteTime | foreach{$newname =
"$i-{0}" -f $_.Name; Rename-Item $_.Fullname -new $newName -whatif; $i++}

If it works as expected remove whatif

"show3r" <show3r@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1190899384.922672.14830@xxxxxx

With all the discussion about one liners.. I figure I would get you the
verbose output

# Set Counter
$i=1
# Gets files in Path and sorts by LastWriteTime (modified)
$files = get-ChildItem c:\test | Where-Object{$_.PSisContainer -eq $false} |
Sort-Object LastWriteTime
# process all the files
foreach($file in $files)
{
# Creates a New Name adding $i- to the front
$newname = "$i-{0}" -f $file.Name
# Renames
Rename-Item $file.Fullname -new $newName -whatif
# increase counter
$i++
}


"Brandon Shell" <tshell.mask@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:OAyiLURAIHA.3900@xxxxxx

# files with '[' or ']' in their names "can't be found" with Rename-Item
# remove the -whatIf switch to apply changes\

$music = resolve-path "~\my documents\my music"
$original = get-childItem $music *.mp3 -recurse | where {!$_.psIsContainer}
| sort LastWriteTime | select fullname
$ofs=''
$counter = 9999
$new = $original | foreach {"{0:0000} {1}" -f $counter, ((split-path
$_.fullname -leaf) -replace '\.mp3$'); $counter--} | foreach
{"$($_[0..21]).mp3"}
if ($original.length -eq $new.length)
{
0..($new.length - 1) | % {rename-item $original[$_].fullname
$new[$_] -whatIf}
}

--
Kiron

This time al+AF8- files are renamed, even those with brackets:

+ACM- get the music folder's path
+ACQ-music +AD0- resolve-path +ACIAfgBc-my documents+AFw-my music+ACI-

+ACM- get the sorted list of the songs
+ACM- filter files only (no directories)
+ACQ-original +AD0- get-childItem +ACQ-music +ACo-.mp3 -recurse +AHw-
where +AHsAIQAkAF8-.psIsContainer+AH0- +AHw- sort lastWriteTime

+ACM- change the Output Field Separator
+ACQ-ofs +AD0- ''

+ACQ-counter +AD0- 9999

+ACM- create a list of new names from the first list
+ACQ-new +AD0- +ACQ-original +AHw- foreach +AHs-
+ACM- create the new name in the form of
+ACM- +ADw-counter+AD4APA-space+AD4APA-name+AD4- without the .mp3 extension
+ACM- and decrement the counter
+ACIAew-0:0000+AH0- +AHs-1+AH0AIg- -f +ACQ-counter--,
((split-path +ACQAXw-.fullname -leaf) -replace '+AFw-.mp3+ACQ-')
+AH0- +AHw- foreach +AHs-
+ACM- limit the size of the new name to 22 chars
+ACM- and append the .mp3 extension (+-4 chars)
+ACM- filename's length should be -le 26 chars
+ACM- here is why the +ACQ-ofs was changed to an empty string
+ACIAJA-(+ACQAXwBb-0..21+AF0-).mp3+ACI-
+AH0-

+ACM- iterate through all elements and create a new list with
+ACM- escaped brackets in order for Rename-Item to rename all files
+ACQ-original+AF8- +AD0- +ACQ-original +AHw- foreach +AHsAJABf-.fullName -replace '+AFsAXABbAFwAXQBd-', '+AGAAYAAk-0'+AH0-

+ACM- verify that both lists are of the same size
if (+ACQ-original+AF8-.length -eq +ACQ-new.length) +AHs-
+ACM- pipe the lists' indices
0..(+ACQ-new.length - 1) +AHw- foreach +AHs-
+ACM- rename each file, +AF8-remove+AF8- -whatIf if trial run succeeds
rename-item +ACQ-original+AF8AWwAkAF8AXQ- +ACQ-new+AFsAJABfAF0- -whatIf
+AH0-
+AH0-

+ACM- restore the Output Field Separator to a space
+ACQ-ofs +AD0- ' '

--
Kiron

Correction: Because of Rename-Item's bug, execute the script from a drive
different from the one that contains the target files. This will ensure the
renaming of files whose path or name contains brackets.

Here is the one-line version:

+ACM- long version
+ACQ-ofs +AD0- ''+ADs- +ACQ-counter +AD0- 9999+ADs- get-childItem +ACIAfgBc-my documents+AFw-my music+ACI-
+ACo-.mp3 -recurse +AHw- where +AHsAIQAkAF8-.psIsContainer+AH0- +AHw- sort lastWriteTime +AHw- foreach
+AHs-add-member scriptProperty new +AHsAIgB7-0:0000+AH0- +AHs-1+AH0-.mp3+ACI- -f +ACQ-counter,
+ACIAJA-(+AGAAIgAk-(+ACQ-this.name -replace '+AFw-.mp3+ACQ-')+AGAAIgBb-0..16+AF0-)+ACIAfQ- -in +ACQAXw- -pass+ADs- +ACQ-counter--+AH0- +AHw-
foreach +AHs-rename-item (+ACQAXw-.fullName -replace '+AFsAXABbAFwAXQBd-', '+AGAAYAAk-0') +ACQAXw-.new -whatIf+AH0AOw-
+ACQ-ofs +AD0- ' '

+ACM- short version
+ACQ-ofs+AD0-''+ADsAJA-counter+AD0-9999+ADs-ls +ACIAfgBc-my documents+AFw-my
music+ACIAKg-.mp3 -r+AHw-?+AHsAIQAkAF8-.psIsContainer+AH0AfA-sort lastWriteTime+AHwAJQB7-add-member
scriptProperty new +AHsAIgB7-0:0000+AH0-
+AHs-1+AH0-.mp3+ACI--f+ACQ-counter,+ACIAJA-(+AGAAIgAk-(+ACQ-this.name-replace'+AFw-.mp3+ACQ-')+AGAAIgBb-0..16+AF0-)+ACIAfQ--in
+ACQAXw- -pass+ADsAJA-counter--+AH0AfAAlAHs-rni(+ACQAXw-.fullName-replace'+AFsAXABbAFwAXQBd-','+AGAAYAAk-0')+ACQAXw-.new-wh+AH0AOwAk-ofs+AD0-'
'

--
Kiron

My last two postings had wrong Encoding for the web, sorry.
.................................................................................

Because of Rename-Item's bug, execute the script from a drive
different from the one that contains the target files. This will ensure the
renaming of files whose path or name contains brackets.

# get the music folder's path
$music = resolve-path "~\my documents\my music"

# get the sorted list of the songs
# filter files only (no directories)
$original = get-childItem $music *.mp3 -recurse |
where {!$_.psIsContainer} | sort lastWriteTime

# change the Output Field Separator
$ofs = ''

$counter = 9999

# create a list of new names from the first list
$new = $original | foreach {
# create the new name in the form of
# <counter><space><name> without the .mp3 extension
# and decrement the counter
"{0:0000} {1}" -f $counter--,
((split-path $_.fullname -leaf) -replace '\.mp3$')
} | foreach {
# limit the size of the new name to 22 chars
# and append the .mp3 extension (+4 chars)
# filename's length should be -le 26 chars
# here is why the $ofs was changed to an empty string
"$($_[0..21]).mp3"
}

# iterate through all elements and create a new list with
# escaped brackets in order for Rename-Item to rename all files
$original_ = $original | foreach {$_.fullName -replace '[\[\]]', '``$0'}

# verify that both lists are of the same size
if ($original_.length -eq $new.length) {
# pipe the lists' indices
0..($new.length - 1) | foreach {
# rename each file, _remove_ -whatIf if trial run succeeds
rename-item $original_[$_] $new[$_] -whatIf
}
}

# restore the Output Field Separator to a space
$ofs = ' '

.................................................................................

Here is the one-line version:

# long version
$ofs = ''; $counter = 9999; get-childItem "~\my documents\my music"
*.mp3 -recurse | where {!$_.psIsContainer} | sort lastWriteTime | foreach
{add-member scriptProperty new {"{0:0000} {1}.mp3" -f $counter,
"$(`"$($this.name -replace '\.mp3$')`"[0..16])"} -in $_ -pass; $counter--} |
foreach {rename-item ($_.fullName -replace '[\[\]]', '``$0') $_.new -whatIf};
$ofs = ' '

# short version
$ofs='';$counter=9999;ls "~\my documents\my
music"*.mp3 -r|?{!$_.psIsContainer}|sort lastWriteTime|%{add-member
scriptProperty new {"{0:0000}
{1}.mp3"-f$counter,"$(`"$($this.name-replace'\.mp3$')`"[0..16])"}-in
$_ -pass;$counter--}|%{rni($_.fullName-replace'[\[\]]','``$0')$_.new-wh};$ofs='
'

--
Kiron