Requested Better handling of rename + move operations

[cwb3106]

When I organize a new batch of pictures, I frequently rename them before moving them to the permanent location. I enable the "Jump to the next file after deleting/moving" and "Don't change directory index after file renaming" options so that I can work my way through the folder systematically.

These two options don't seem to work perfectly together. Normally, moving a file to another directory removes the file from the directory index so that next/previous navigation doesn't try to display it. But the rename operation seems to add the renamed file to the directory index based on the new name and the move operation doesn't remove the file from this new location. So when you navigate to that spot, IrfanView displays an error.

Maybe an example would help. The directory originally contains 5 files: A, B, C, E, F. You open file A, rename it to D and then move it. File B automatically displays (because of the "jump to" option. Hit the space bar and file C displays, as expected. Hit the space bar again, and IrfanView complains that it can't read the file header for file D.

Note: if file A hadn't been moved - just renamed to D, it would display again between files C and E. I don't think that should happen either, but it doesn't bother me.

[Sjef]

Why not do the recommended Irfan-suggestion? Which is Copy original/input files to output directory in the Batch rename settings. Your files A to F will be renamed to another directory. No error messages and keeping yourself on the safe side.
Maybe you're right about strange behaviour misreading the file header. And it's clever of you to detect this issue, but I won't bother to try this out here, because in my opinion this will never occur when using the batch rename option at the normal, safe way.

[cwb3106]

Problem is with Manual Rename, not Batch

I'm not using the batch rename feature. The rename and move are manual. I apologize for the confusion ... I should have said "new collection of pictures" instead of "new batch".

[Sjef]

Well, I apologize too, because I didn't read your line ‘... so that I can work my way through the folder systematically.’
In your example you wrote: You op file A, rename it to D and then move it. I suppose you use F7 from the thumbnail-mode and ‘move’ the file to the same directory. Or you use F2 to rename the file and then move it with F7. Still I don't see the logic of your file handling at this point. Maybe you could specify this more clearly.

[cwb3106]

I'll try to explain better. I get a new bunch of pictures of pets. I want to put them into folders based on the type of animal (cats, dogs, etc). I also want to add the owners name to the filename.

I start with the pictures in a folder called NEW. The files are named: Buddy.jpg, Jake.jpg, Max.jpg, Tiger.jpg.

I open the first file (Buddy.jpg) in IrfanView. I hit the F2 and rename it to Nancy's_Buddy.jpg. Then I hit F7 and 1 to move it to the Cat folder. The second file, Jake.jpg automatically displays (because of the "jump to" option).

I use the same procedure to rename and move Jake.jpg (to Andy's_Jake.jpg) and Max.jpg (to Bill's_Max). But after moving Max.jpg, Tiger.jpg does NOT appear. Instead, IrfanView complains that it can't read the file header for Nancy's_Buddy.jpg.

I just tried this again and watched the changes to the thumbnail display (I don't usually have this open). When I renamed Buddy.jpg, the thumbnail was moved to between Max.jpg and Tiger.jpg as expected. And if I were to step through the pictures with the space bar, I would see the picture again after Max.jpg.

When I moved the file using F7, the thumbnail was removed from the thumbnail display (as expected). But not, apparently, from the internal list of files. Now the odd thing is, if I just move a file without renaming it, IrfanView works perfectly. That is, navigating past the spot where the picture used to be produces no errors.

I experimented further and discovered that if a file is renamed to a "smaller" name (earlier in the list), there are no errors. Changing Jake.jpg to Andy's_Jake.jpg is an example of this situation.

If I turn off the "Don't change directory index after file renaming" option IrfanView works correctly. But then I can't work methodically through the list of files since each rename jumps me to a new point in the list.

I haven't experimented with other sort orders like date or with descending sorts.