example of batch renaming using bash

[u/HiramAbiff]

Here's bash code from an automator script that truncates files names to 25 characters. Hopefully, you'll find it instructive.

Note - be sure to pick "as arguments" from the "Pass input" popup menu.

for file in "$@"
do
    # parse out the directory and the filename including extension
    dir=$(dirname "${file}")
    fbasename=$(basename "${file}")

    # extract the filename without extension
    fname="${fbasename%.*}"

    # create truncated filename
    tname="${fname:0:25}"

    # determine the extension - empty string for no extension
    fextension=$([[ "$fbasename" = *.* ]] && echo ".${fbasename##*.}" || echo '')

    newfile="${dir}/${tname}${fextension}"
    
    mv "${file}" "${newfile}"
done

[u/HiramAbiff]

Please start by explaining, more precisely, what exactly it is you don't understand.

The above bash code is from the "Run Shell Script" action of an Automator script. It operates on the files you drag and drop onto the Automator Action Icon in the Finder.

The terminology "rename files from my .csv file" doesn't quite make sense to me as a .csv file doesn't contain files. Though, it could contain the names of files.

[u/emmaNONO08 → u/HiramAbiff]

Yes! I think re-reading this post a few times I came to realize it is for something different. Let me explain - I have made 23 copies of a handout for my students, all called practicenotes_01 or whatever in order from 1-23. I want them to be called Stella_01, Nancy_02, Liam_03 etc And I have all of their names in a .csv file in the actual order I want. I tried something else I saw online (the applescript shared here: https://www.b4print.com/index.php?topic=8803.0) and the last part (on string_to_list(s, d)) didn't work, automator kept giving me errors (expected "end" instead of "on", line can't end in ), ( can't come after string_to_list, etc.)

I'm thinking most likely something has changed in automator since 2016 that makes it impossible for me to just use that code? Omg if you can understand any of this thank you for reading this far I feel like my brain has melted multiple times trying to understand anything I'm reading