Build a bulk renaming GUI

Creating a bulk renaming GUI application requires a combination of user interface design and file manipulation logic. Below is a complete example in Python using Tkinter (for GUI) and basic file handling. This app allows users to select a folder, preview the files, define a renaming pattern, and apply the renaming in bulk.

python
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import os
import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import filedialog, messagebox, simpledialog

class BulkRenamerApp:
    def __init__(self, root):
        self.root = root
        self.root.title("Bulk File Renamer")
        self.root.geometry("700x500")

        self.folder_path = ""
        self.files = []

        # Folder selection frame
        frame_top = tk.Frame(root)
        frame_top.pack(pady=10, fill=tk.X, padx=10)

        self.folder_label = tk.Label(frame_top, text="No folder selected", anchor="w")
        self.folder_label.pack(side=tk.LEFT, fill=tk.X, expand=True)

        btn_browse = tk.Button(frame_top, text="Browse Folder", command=self.browse_folder)
        btn_browse.pack(side=tk.RIGHT)

        # File listbox
        frame_list = tk.Frame(root)
        frame_list.pack(padx=10, pady=10, fill=tk.BOTH, expand=True)

        scrollbar = tk.Scrollbar(frame_list)
        scrollbar.pack(side=tk.RIGHT, fill=tk.Y)

        self.listbox = tk.Listbox(frame_list, selectmode=tk.EXTENDED, yscrollcommand=scrollbar.set)
        self.listbox.pack(fill=tk.BOTH, expand=True)
        scrollbar.config(command=self.listbox.yview)

        # Rename pattern entry
        frame_bottom = tk.Frame(root)
        frame_bottom.pack(pady=10, fill=tk.X, padx=10)

        tk.Label(frame_bottom, text="Rename pattern:").pack(side=tk.LEFT)

        self.pattern_entry = tk.Entry(frame_bottom)
        self.pattern_entry.pack(side=tk.LEFT, fill=tk.X, expand=True, padx=5)
        self.pattern_entry.insert(0, "file_{num}")

        btn_preview = tk.Button(frame_bottom, text="Preview", command=self.preview_renames)
        btn_preview.pack(side=tk.LEFT, padx=5)

        btn_rename = tk.Button(frame_bottom, text="Rename Files", command=self.rename_files)
        btn_rename.pack(side=tk.LEFT, padx=5)

    def browse_folder(self):
        folder = filedialog.askdirectory()
        if folder:
            self.folder_path = folder
            self.folder_label.config(text=folder)
            self.load_files()

    def load_files(self):
        self.files = []
        self.listbox.delete(0, tk.END)
        for filename in os.listdir(self.folder_path):
            if os.path.isfile(os.path.join(self.folder_path, filename)):
                self.files.append(filename)
                self.listbox.insert(tk.END, filename)

    def preview_renames(self):
        pattern = self.pattern_entry.get()
        if not pattern:
            messagebox.showerror("Error", "Rename pattern cannot be empty")
            return

        # Use selected files or all if none selected
        selected_indices = self.listbox.curselection()
        if selected_indices:
            selected_files = [self.files[i] for i in selected_indices]
        else:
            selected_files = self.files

        preview_list = []
        for i, filename in enumerate(selected_files, start=1):
            ext = os.path.splitext(filename)[1]
            try:
                new_name = pattern.format(num=i, ext=ext, name=os.path.splitext(filename)[0]) + ext
            except KeyError:
                # If user does not use .format() correctly, fallback
                new_name = f"{pattern}{i}{ext}"
            preview_list.append(new_name)

        preview_text = "Preview of new file names:n" + "n".join(preview_list)
        messagebox.showinfo("Preview", preview_text)

    def rename_files(self):
        pattern = self.pattern_entry.get()
        if not pattern:
            messagebox.showerror("Error", "Rename pattern cannot be empty")
            return

        selected_indices = self.listbox.curselection()
        if selected_indices:
            files_to_rename = [self.files[i] for i in selected_indices]
        else:
            files_to_rename = self.files

        # Confirm
        if not files_to_rename:
            messagebox.showinfo("Info", "No files to rename.")
            return

        confirm = messagebox.askyesno("Confirm", f"Are you sure you want to rename {len(files_to_rename)} files?")
        if not confirm:
            return

        errors = []
        for i, filename in enumerate(files_to_rename, start=1):
            ext = os.path.splitext(filename)[1]
            base_name = os.path.splitext(filename)[0]
            try:
                new_name = pattern.format(num=i, ext=ext, name=base_name) + ext
            except KeyError:
                new_name = f"{pattern}{i}{ext}"

            old_path = os.path.join(self.folder_path, filename)
            new_path = os.path.join(self.folder_path, new_name)

            try:
                if os.path.exists(new_path):
                    raise FileExistsError(f"{new_name} already exists.")
                os.rename(old_path, new_path)
            except Exception as e:
                errors.append(f"Failed to rename {filename}: {e}")

        if errors:
            messagebox.showerror("Errors Occurred", "n".join(errors))
        else:
            messagebox.showinfo("Success", f"Renamed {len(files_to_rename)} files successfully.")

        self.load_files()


if __name__ == "__main__":
    root = tk.Tk()
    app = BulkRenamerApp(root)
    root.mainloop()

Features

• Browse to select folder.

• Display list of files.

• Specify a renaming pattern using Python-style .format() placeholders:

  • {num} — incremental number starting from 1

  • {name} — original filename without extension

  • {ext} — file extension including dot (e.g., .txt)

• Preview new filenames before applying.

• Rename selected files or all files.

• Simple error handling (e.g., conflicts).

Example rename pattern

• file_{num} → file_1.txt, file_2.jpg

• {name}_backup_{num} → original_backup_1.txt, another_backup_2.jpg

If you’d like, I can help extend this with more advanced features such as regex renaming, undo functionality, or other enhancements!