gdrive-rename-files

$Date: 2023/03/28 03:28:13 $ UTC

This Google Apps Script application will list and rename folders and files in your Google Drive.

Why did I write this? My google drive was getting cluttered with files that were named by others, who had a (bad) habit of using spaces and lots of other special characters. (Usually, this is because people try to encode too much information into a file name. But that is another topic.) I would download, version, and process some files, then upload them. Spaces and special characters in the file names messed my ability to write "simple" bash scripts. So how about a renaming tool to normalize the file names? I.e. convert all the non-alphanumeric characters to '_'. ('.' and '-' would be OK too.)

The app script is attached to a Google Sheet. The spreadsheet has and Interface sheet-tab where you can fill in the pseudo form for your options. The files are listed in another sheet-tab.

For more details see the User Guide. (This link is also in the Spreadsheet. And the source doc is versioned in: Rename_Files_User_Guide.docx)

Quick Start

You can get the latest stable version of the Spreadsheet, with the scripts attached, in my Google Drive at: Released -> Software

Copy the spreadsheet to your Google Drive.

(gdrive-util-scripts.xlsx is the base spreadsheet file, with no scripts.)

Implementation Notes

This is my first "complete" Google Apps Script application. I used a Test Driven Development process for creating this app. See my Clean Code blog post for why I used TDD. I started with another person's GSUnit test library, but it disappeared (and the source code repo was not complete), so I created my own test library and test driver. See repository gsunit-test.

Update Notes

If you want the latest code, you can replace the attached scripts, in the spreadsheet, with the files you find in this repository. The order of the files in the Script Editor matters, so don't move them around. The required files are util-objs.gs and rename-files.gs

If you are changing the code, then you'll need all of the test script files: gsunit-test.gs, test-util-objs.gs, and test-rename-files.gs. Put them in that order after the rename-file.gs script.

The Rename-Files menus will automatically update when you reload the spreadsheet.

If didn't start with the Quick Start Google Sheet, you can upload the gdrive-util-scripts.xlsx to your Google Drive. Then attach the scripts.

Coding Style

Experienced JavaScript programmers will probably not like my style. JavaScript is a new language for me. I've been a software engineer for 40 years. I know more than 10 computer languages, and I'm am proficient in 5. So I have developed my own way of using a subset of languages. I.e. I do not used ALL of the quirky features that are in most languages.

My "Clean Coding Style".

• I've just started to learn how to refactor by removing braces {}.

• I follow a naming convention that uses prefixes that help with showing the "scope" of a variable, which I have found is more important than its type. The type can be determined by its use, but the scope will be unknown unless you go looking.
  Prefix codes:

  • pName - a parameter passed into a function
  • pArg={} - pass args in any order and set default values for most args
  • tName - a variable that is local to a function
  • obj.name - a class variable that a user can usually "get" or "set"
  • obj._name - a class variable that is assumed to be private (do not depend on it)
  • obj.name() - a class method
  • _name() - a function or method that is assumed to be private (do not depend on it)
  • obj.uiName() - this method is probably called by a menuName() function
  • menuName() - a menu item is usually bound to these functions, and they call obj.uiName() methods
  • fName() - usually a global function
  • runName() - run the defined tests. No args, so that it can be called by a menu item. See RunTests class
  • defName() - define the unit test functions, and any setup/cleanup code. See RunTests class
  • unitName() - unit test functions in defName()
  • assertName() - gsunit test asserts. See GsUnit class

• I try to push all error handling to catch() blocks. Also I try to do the "throws" in low level functions, so that the upper level functions are not cluttered with error handling.

• I try to refactor 'if' statements to exit early, to that will reduce the need for 'else' statements.

• I try to put the bulk of the application in class objects. Yes, I know "classes" in JavaScript are not really full classes. But I try to write with a style as if they were, by avoiding "tricky" JavaScript syntax.

Clean Coding and formal TDD is new for me, so my test code is very messy. The GSUnit library needs to be enhanced to support begin/end sections that will be run before and after test sections. Then the duplicate code can be reduced. Also I probably put too many asserts in the different test sections. However I did try to make sure there were no dependencies between test functions.

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Release Checklist

• Do all functions and methods have unit tests?
• Have ALL unit tests been run?
• Update CHANGES.md and README.md
• Download the latest spreadsheet and doc files from gdrive.
• Check in all code: cvs ci; git ci
• Fixup the Revision and Date keywords in the spreadsheet scripts
• Publish:
  • git push origin develop
  • git co main
  • git merge develop
  • git push origin main
• Create the new Release, tagging "main" branch. Use the CVS Revision keyword value in rename-file for the version number.
• Copy the spreadsheet, with scripts, to the Released/Software folder (rename the spreadsheet with the version number).