How to Replace All Filenames with Spaces to Underscores Using a Shell Script

Renaming filenames in bulk is a common task that arises when working on a website. Sometimes, you may need to replace spaces in filenames with underscores for better readability or compatibility. In this article, we will explore how to accomplish this using a shell script.

To begin with, we will be using the Fish Shell, a user-friendly shell with powerful scripting capabilities. Let’s dive into the script!

#!/opt/homebrew/bin/fish


set search_dir ./


find $search_dir -type f | while read -l file
    # Replace spaces with underscores in the file name
    set new_name (echo $file | tr ' ' '\_')

    # Rename the file
    mv $file $new_name
end

To get started, create a new file named replace_spaces.fish and place it in the folder containing the files and folders you want to rename. Now, let’s go through the process step by step:

Open a terminal and navigate to the location where the replace_spaces.fish script is located.
Set the script as executable by running the following command:

chmod +x replace_spaces.fish

Execute the script by running:

./replace_spaces.fish

The script will now recursively search for all files in the specified directory (in this case, the current directory), and for each file, it will replace any spaces in the filename with underscores. Finally, it will rename the file to its new name.

This simple script saves you the hassle of manually renaming each file and makes the whole process efficient and error-free.

That’s it! You have successfully replaced all filenames with spaces to underscores using a shell script. This method proves to be handy when dealing with a large number of files. Feel free to customize the script according to your specific requirements.

Tags: shell script, file renaming, Fish Shell, bulk rename, underscore, space