Rename each file in a folder using an external file

[Aspect11]

So I'm trying to create a where there is a folder of files each of which need to be renamed and there is an text document with all the filenames that need to be used inside. I basically want it to loop through and rename each file in the folder to the corresponding one in the text document. My current code:

import os

names = []
directory = "1/"

with open("names.txt") as file:
    for line in file:
        names.append(line)

print(names)

for filename in os.listdir(directory):
    i = 0
    print(filename)
    os.rename(directory + filename, directory + names[i] + '.pdf')
    i += 1

But I keep getting the error:

Quote

OSError: [WinError 123] The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect: '1/#NoFilter.pdf' -> "1/& all my problems (it's so stupid, they're not even problems!)\n.pdf"

Anyone know what's wrong?

 

Thanks!

[boggy77]

you need to specify the directory name with a full path

[Aspect11]

4 minutes ago, boggy77 said:

you need to specify the directory name with a full path

But it still does read the filenames from the folder. I only can't seem to increment through each value in the array.

[boggy77]

so which line throws the error?

[Aspect11]

Just now, boggy77 said:

so which line throws the error?

It's line 15, it doesn't increment through the array

[Franck]

4 minutes ago, Aspect11 said:

It's line 15, it doesn't increment through the array

you know directory are backslash [ \ ] and not front slash [ / ]

[vlads_]

The problem you are having is because each line string includes the newline ('\n') character at the end of the line. Windows does not support '\n' in filenames, hence the error you are getting.

 

You want to change

        names.append(line)

to

        names.append(line.replace('\n', ''))

which gets rid of the problem character.

[vorticalbox]

you need to move the 

i = 0

to above the loop as you're resetting it to 0 every loop

i = 0
for filename in os.listdir(directory):
    print(filename)
    os.rename(directory + filename, directory + names[i] + '.pdf')
    i += 1

 

[Aspect11]

58 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

you need to move the 

i = 0

to above the loop as you're resetting it to 0 every loop

i = 0
for filename in os.listdir(directory):
    print(filename)
    os.rename(directory + filename, directory + names[i] + '.pdf')
    i += 1

 

I've done that (kinda stupid me) and I've modified it like:

import os

names = []
directory = "1/"

with open("names.txt") as file:
    for line in file:
        names.append(line.replace('\n', ''))

i = 0

for filename in os.listdir(directory):
    print(filename)
    try:
        os.rename(directory + filename, directory + names[i] + '.pdf')
    except FileExistsError:
        continue
    i += 1

with open("names.txt") as file:
    for line in file:
        print(line)

But the second 'with open' shows that the files have been renamed bu in the file explorer, they haven't

[mariushm]

Windows works with both  / and \ when building the path, but Python's libraries may or may not reject them ... don't know.