14 DAY TRIAL // Considering the avalanche of data that gets stored on our computers, having a file renamer around sounds like a pretty good idea. Panda Batch File Renamer tries to provide you with the options you need to alter the names of any file on your computer.
The freebie is portable, so you can deploy it from a removable device and take advantage of its options on more than one machine, without having to install it or worry about losing the settings.
The interface is no impressive thing, but functionality is what you should appreciate in this sort of application more than looks. As soon as it is launched the program pops up an initial screen asking for the type of files you want to load up to rename: images, music items or any sort of file type.
This sort of segregation is necessary because the program can read information related to the loaded file and display it. Thus, if you load up images Panda Batch File Renamer will make available columns revealing the resolution of the items as well as a preview thumbnail. In the case of music files the columns will display data such as the artist name, album, track number and play duration.
If you want to rename a mixture of file types there will be no details available and only the rename preview column will be enabled. Loading up the items in the application can be done with a single drag and drop move, but you can also go the old fashioned way and use the built-in file browser.
Renaming options are present in the lower part of the screen and include inserting of new characters, replacing text or sections of the text. Removing characters from the original name is also a choice in the rename options. Additional possibilities refer to changing case, reverting text (yes, it is all backwards) and trimming it (removing specific characters from the end or the beginning of the file name).
The range of file renaming rules is not extensive as in other similar applications, but combining them could get you the desired result. In some cases for the end result, which is available in the preview column, to fit your needs additional sessions are required.
Almost each rename option the program puts at your disposal comes with a set of advanced features, which can be enabled from the drop-down menu located under the down arrow at the end of the row. In order to have these at hand at all times you can enable the global feature from the “Preferences” menu at the top of the application screen by ticking “Always show extended options”.
Depending on the renaming option you choose, the extended choices include defining an offset, making the change at the beginning or the end of the file name, apply it to the extension of the item, the filename itself, or both.
Despite the somewhat cumbersome interface which sometimes locates functions in unexpected places, Panda Batch File Renamer is quite easy to use once you get the hang of it. It is perfectly capable of changing the name only of the portion of data you selected as well as the entire batch. Additionally, it gives you the possibility to run the process file by file or apply the modifications to the entire lot.
Moreover, you can save renaming profiles and use them at a later time (check out “Renaming options” menu in the upper part of the application screen). These are stored in the folder of the application, so you can carry them around with no trouble.
If you go wrong with a name and want to revert the process, Panda Batch File Renamer offers you this possibility. In the lower right corner of the application screen you’ll find a list with all the jobs ran, organized by date and time.
During our tests the application managed to process a number of 107 files in about a second. System resources used for the job were insignificant, with the CPU rising to about 30% while RAM usage increased to 26MB from the ~15MB it required on a regular basis.
However, the program revealed a “dark” side, which cannot go unmentioned. It constantly crashed some minutes after loading up the files that needed to be processed. In our case adding the files was enough to cause this strange behavior. It would let us make all the options, but if we spent too much time at it Panda Batch File Renamer would crash out of the blue. In our evaluation we simply loaded the elements and waited for the odd reaction to occur.
You can use it to rename only a selected batch of the loaded items and it can process the files one by one (thus you can skip certain files) or all of them at once. If you make a mistake, you can revert the file renaming process and bring the items to their original name. The lack of more renaming options makes the application less flexible and less ready to fulfill the file name changing needs of a larger audience. On the upside, it is gentle with the system resources and completes the renaming task very fast. Portability and the fact that it is free of charge (for personal use) need not be forgotten, either. Update: Starting version 1.5 Panda Batch File Renamer no longer crashes unexpectedly after loading data and waiting for some time. The developer fixed this issue and, as such, the application gained another star for "Ease of use" and "Pricing/Value" ratings.
The Good
The Bad
The Truth
