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Rename All Files

Rename All Files

The Rename All Files tool standardizes and cleans filenames across all comics in a directory and its subdirectories. It is accessed via the icon to the right of any directory name in the File Manager.

When executed, the renaming engine applies the following cleaning rules:

  1. Removes all parenthetical metadata with the exception of the 4-digit release year (if present).
  2. Removes release format tags such as c2c (cover-to-cover).
  3. Strips bracketed annotations (e.g. [any text]) along with the brackets themselves.
  4. Trims scanner watermarks and trailing metadata appearing after {Series} {Issue} ({Year}).
  5. Removes duplicate whitespace and trailing spaces before the file extension.

The default naming pattern is: {Series Name} {Issue Number} ({Year})

You can configure custom naming formats in File Settings.

Issue Number Handling

The renaming engine includes built-in rules for edge cases:

  • Configurable leading zeros: The Issue Number Leading Zeros setting controls issue padding: None (44), 3 digits (044, default), or 4 digits (0044).
  • Decimal and suffix issues: Point issues (e.g. 001.1) and publisher event tags (e.g. 1.MU, .NOW, and .INH) are preserved during renaming.
  • Large issue numbers: High issue numbers (such as DC #1,000,000 one-shots like Action Comics 1000000) are preserved without truncation.

Batched Bulk Renames

Renaming directories with large file counts executes as a single, coalesced background task. Progress updates in real time via the operations indicator in the top navigation bar.

Batch renames run on a shared file job queue alongside post-move tagging, Remove XML, and bulk metadata tasks:

  • Jobs run sequentially in the order submitted, ensuring a rename operation never moves a file while a tagging job is active.
  • If another file operation is running, the rename dialog indicates that the job is queued and will start automatically once the current job finishes.

Renaming Rules & Year Parsing

Renaming rules are configured in rename_rules.ini on a priority basis. The default rule definitions are maintained in the project repository.

Bare-Year Filenames

Filenames containing unparenthesized release years (such as Star Wars - Poe Dameron 001 2016) are parsed correctly, ensuring the four-digit year is not mistakenly captured as the issue number. When an archive lacks a ComicInfo.xml tag, the {issue_year} token falls back to the year extracted from the filename.

Resolving collision suffixes

If files in a folder previously acquired collision suffixes (such as Series (2).cbz, Series (3).cbz), simply re-run Rename All Files on that folder to re-parse the archives and restore their proper issue numbers.