Bulk File Renamer Desktop Utility

Photographers returning from a shoot, students organizing assignment folders, and office staff archiving scans all face the same chore: hundreds of files named IMG_20250112_071523.jpg or scan001.pdf that need meaningful, ordered names. Doing it by hand is slow and error-prone; doing it with a shell one-liner is powerful but dangerous — one wrong pattern can destroy a naming scheme with no undo. A bulk file renamer sits in the middle: it lets the user stack simple rules (replace text, add numbering, change case, insert dates), shows exactly what every filename will become before anything touches the disk, flags collisions in advance, and keeps a reversible log of every batch. This project implements that as a real desktop utility with a rule pipeline, dry-run preview, conflict detection and a 30-day undo history.

1. The user selects a folder (optionally including subfolders); the app enumerates files with their names, sizes and dates into the preview table.
2. Rules are added from the rule panel and ordered by drag-and-drop; each rule is a pure function from old name to new name.
3. The engine composes the pipeline and computes every new name, then runs collision detection against the directory listing and within the batch itself.
4. In dry-run mode the app simulates the renames and reports the outcome; in apply mode it renames files sequentially, journaling each old→new pair.
5. On completion, a summary log shows renamed, skipped and error counts with per-file detail.
6. Undo reads the batch journal and renames everything back in reverse order, verifying each file still exists before touching it.

Tech stack:

• Python 3
• PyQt6 · Qt (desktop UI)
• SQLite (batch journal)
• Pillow (EXIF metadata tokens)
• watchdog (folder refresh)
• PyInstaller (packaging)

• [Composable rule pipeline] Stack rules — replace text, add prefix/suffix, sequential numbering, case transform, insert date/metadata — applied top to bottom in order.
• [Live before/after preview] A table shows every current filename beside its computed new name, updating instantly as rules are edited.
• [Collision detection] Targets that would clash with existing files or with each other are flagged before the batch runs, with optional auto-resolve by suffixing.
• [Dry-run mode] Preview the full batch including a simulated file-system pass, with zero writes until the user confirms.
• [One-click undo] Every batch is journaled to a local database with original names; any batch can be fully reverted within 30 days.
• [Batch history] A history tab lists past renames with timestamps, folders and file counts for audit and repeat runs.
• [Metadata tokens] Insert EXIF dates, file creation dates and counters into names — handy for photo and scan archives.

• Complete desktop utility source code
• Installers for Windows, macOS and Linux
• User manual with rule recipes (photos, scans, music libraries)
• Project report PDF (rule-engine design, collision algorithms, filesystem safety)
• PPT presentation for final review
• Viva Q&A preparation document (regex, filesystem atomicity, journaling, EXIF)