In bash how would I rename multiple files using names from a text file, I have a directory with multiple .mp3 files: 1.mp3. 2.mp3, 3.mp3, 4.mp3 etc...
and a text file: names.txt with:
song1.mp3
song2.mp3
song3.mp3
etc..
first line in the text file will correspond to the first line of the file , second line to the second line etc. I have found a few ways to do it in python, but would like to learn how to accomplish this in bash, thanks in advance!
If the files in your directory have names, like 1.mp3, that contain no tabs or newlines, then the following will work:
printf "%s\n" *.mp3 | paste - file | while IFS=$'\t' read -r old new; do mv "$old" "$new"; done
This will work even in the new file names contain blanks, like Joe's "favorite" song.mp3.
The printf statement writes each mp3 file name, one per line:
$ printf "%s\n" *.mp3
1.mp3
2.mp3
3.mp3
The paste command combines the old file names and the new, separating them by a tab:
$ printf "%s\n" *.mp3 | paste - file2
1.mp3 song1.mp3
2.mp3 song2.mp3
3.mp3 song3.mp3
The read command, IFS=$'\t' read -r old new, reads the old and new file names into the shell variables old and new.
The mv command, mv "$old" "$new", renames the files.
If you like your code spread over multiple lines:
printf "%s\n" *.mp3 | paste - file | while IFS=$'\t' read -r old new
do
mv "$old" "$new"
done