Multiple Replace/With and a suggestion on how to implement

[JMM]

I've read some posts in this forum about this, and it's actually the biggest shortcoming of BRU compared to any other renamers I've tried, and I've tried plenty. Instead of suggesting to approximate how some of them do it, I've thought of what would the average user need which is also easy to implement (although I know nothing of the code, I hope my proposal is simpler than other possible options).

Briefly, what people seem to want is to be able to apply several Replace/With criteria in one single run. I'd also like the same, beyond what the Character Translation can do quickly (btw, why the comma and not a simple space?) due to how it must be laid. During the years of using BRU I've thought of several ways to do it, but in the last times I've thought of it, it has always took the same shape.

Below the input fields of RegEx (1) or Replace (2) have a label saying 'Multiple Replaces' next to a checkbox and an Edit button. Pushing the Edit button would open a window with several columns, and one single row of controls. Each column has:
* D, or '-', a button to delete a particular row.
* Replace, an input field;
* With, an input field;
* RegEx, a checkbox;
* Match Case, a checkbox;
* Include Extension, a checkbox;

For each row one would set what would be replaced with what, and specify if it's a normal string or a regular expression, if case must match, and if extension must be included.
* RegEx and Match Case can't be enabled at the same time, so it runs either RegEx (1) or Replace (2). So checking one disables the other.
* Include Extension could be the same, but it could very well work for both and override whatever is set in Rename Options -> Ignore -> File extension.

Actualy if the checkboxes are put on the main screen, you can merge the RegEx and Replace functionality (visually) into one, leaving place for something else before Replace (2) (but that's some other suggestion). Although outside they might look like the same criteria, internally you're going to still use either one or the other processing function.


Everytime the last row contains anything in the first field, a new row of controls would be created and shown below dinamically (oh the joy of dinamically created controls!) and deleting a row would shift the control contents from below up one place, and deleting the last row (I hope this one is clear). Or instead of dinamically created controls, use a simple list like the main file list, if that control allows putting checkboxes and buttons on rows you could use that control.

A big plus would be two buttons to load and save the Replace/With information in a simple text file with tab separated fields like:
matchtext replacetext y n n
matchtext2 replacetext2 n y y

Or it could be saved within the .bru settings files.

Ultra-deluxe would be on each row arrows to change order of the replacement pairs, and a checkbox for enabling or not a particular pair.

Note that this is not a replacement of Character Translation, I think Character Translation is powerful and useful the way it is, and other than substituting the comma for space, I would leave it unchanged. This is a complement, designed to input and work and I think a lot of us would prefer something like this instead of Character Translation. But, if we can have both, this is how I suggest it could be done. I could do a mock up screen if you think the idea is interesting.

Regards, JMM

[tyrion88]

This is a great idea. Would love this feature!