The Rename
What is a File Name Conflict?
What a file name conflict is, why renaming several files to the same name fails, and how Better Rename detects and resolves it before renaming.
All modern file systems require that all files within a same folder have a unique file name.
This is so that every file (or indeed folder) in the file system can be uniquely identified by their name and location within the file system.
When you rename multiple files according to a renaming action, it is easy to end up with multiple files that all share the same file name.
Take the following example. You have 2 files:
Image1112.gifImage1113.gif
and you apply a “truncate to 8 characters” rename action (for instance to make the names fit the display of a car stereo or a camera). You’ll end up with:
Image111.gifImage111.gif
The last character (the 9th) has been removed and both files now have the same file name, which we’ve just seen isn’t possible as file names need to be unique.
The above is an example of a file name conflict.
In this situation Better Rename applies automatic file name conflict resolution.