Find second instance of a word in a file and rename file

Question

I files which a system generates with a generic file name. I want to have a script I can run which scans these files for the second instance of the word ProcID (after the word ProcID is a number) and then renames the file with the ProcID number. Currently I have the following:

FILEPATH; awk -F '[:)]' '/ProcID./{printf "mv %s %s.txt\n", FILENAME, $2 | "/bin/sh"; nextfile}' O*.TXT

For example, script scans files and finds second instance of (ProcID:0000014778) and then it renames the file with this Proc ID number.

The script above finds only the first instance, and therefore files are being renamed before the system has finished outputting to the file.

Answer 1

The script below renames all files in a directory, to the id in the second found string, starting with ProcID::

1. Renaming to the id in the second matching string (literally; no extension)

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import shutil
import os
import sys

dr = sys.argv[1]

for f in os.listdir(dr):
    file = os.path.join(dr, f)
    try:
        # only rename if the second instance exists
        new = [s for s in open(file).read().split() if s.startswith("(ProcID:")][1]
    except (IndexError, IsADirectoryError):
        pass
    else:
        # rename the file
        shutil.move(file, os.path.join(dr, new.split(":")[-1].strip()[:-1]))

To use

1. Copy the script into an empty file, save it as rename_files.py

2. run it with the directory as argument:

   python3 /path/to/rename_files.py /path/to/directory_with_files
   

Notes

• The script assumes the (exact) format: ProcID:0000014778
• The script will not rename files if there is no second instance of ProcID (or none at all)

2. Only rename .txt files, and keep the extension

...Then use the version below, it will only rename .txt files and keep the extension in the renamed file. Usage is exactly the same.

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import shutil
import os
import sys

dr = sys.argv[1]

for f in os.listdir(dr):
    file = os.path.join(dr, f)
    try:
        # only rename is the second instance exists
        new = [s for s in open(file).read().split() if all([
            s.startswith("(ProcID:"), f.endswith(".txt")
            ])][1]
    except (IndexError, IsADirectoryError):
        pass
    else:
        shutil.move(file, os.path.join(dr, new.split(":")[-1].strip()[:-1]+".txt"))

What the script does

• it lists the files in the directory:

  for f in os.listdir(dr)
  

• lists the strings inside the file, starting with ProcID:

  new = [s for s in open(file).read().split() if s.startswith("(ProcID:")][1]
  

  The ending [1] extracts the second occurrence of strings, starting with ProcID: ([0] is the first one)

• splits of the id:

  new.split(":")[-1].strip()
  

• and renames the file, using the id:

  shutil.move(file, os.path.join(dr, new.split(":")[-1].strip()[:-1]))
  

---

EDIT

Python2 version of script 1. OP turns out to have python2 installed, which requires IOError instead of IsADirectoryError to prevent errors in case the script runs into a directory instead of a file.

#!/usr/bin/env python
import shutil
import os
import sys

dr = sys.argv[1]

for f in os.listdir(dr):
    file = os.path.join(dr, f)
    try:
        # only rename if the second instance exists
        new = [s for s in open(file).read().split() if s.startswith("(ProcID:")][1]
    except (IndexError, IOError):
        pass
    else:
        # rename the file
        shutil.move(file, os.path.join(dr, new.split(":")[-1].strip()[:-1]))

...and for being complete, a python2 version of the second script:

#!/usr/bin/env python
import shutil
import os
import sys

dr = sys.argv[1]

for f in os.listdir(dr):
    file = os.path.join(dr, f)
    try:
        # only rename is the second instance exists
        new = [s for s in open(file).read().split() if all([
            s.startswith("(ProcID:"), f.endswith(".txt")
            ])][1]
    except (IndexError, IOError):
        pass
    else:
        shutil.move(file, os.path.join(dr, new.split(":")[-1].strip()+".txt"))

Answer 2

Your original script was kind of close, and it can be edited to count the instances via if statement and a counter variable:

FILEPATH; awk -F '[:)]' '/ProcID./{ count++; if(count == 2 ){ printf "mv %s %s.txt\n", FILENAME, $2 | "/bin/sh"; nextfile}}' O*.TXT

In case you're seeking alternative solution, you could use this Perl script:

#!/usr/bin/env perl
use strict;
use warnings;

my $cnt=0;
open(my $fh,'<',$ARGV[0]) or die "open failed";
my $new_name;
while ( my $line = <$fh> ){
    $cnt+=1 if $line =~ /ProcID/;
    if($cnt==2){
        chomp $line;
        my @words = split(/[:)]/,$line); 
        $new_name = $words[1] . ".TXT";
        last;
    }
}
if (defined $new_name){
   rename $ARGV[0], $new_name;
}
close($fh)

Sample run:

$ ls
0000014777.TXT  rename_by_procid.pl*

$ ./rename_by_procid.pl 0000014777.TXT                                                                                                

$ ls
0000014778.TXT  rename_by_procid.pl*