how to rename via CLI with a space in the name

Lleb_KCir · 05-18-2004, 04:54 PM

i have a few files in my home dir that have spaces in them and i want to rename them to have _ instead of spaces.

problem i run into is with mv command every time i put a space in there the system thinks its a new file and gives me an error.

example:

file name what ever.ddd

i type:

mv file name what ever.ddd file_name_what_ever.ddd

and get an error. is there a way around this in the CLI? im currenly working via SSH over cygwin. i just dont know how to start natalis, or what ever the GUI file program is called.

Dark_Helmet · 05-18-2004, 05:04 PM

You can try this: place a \ in front of any space in the filename on the command line. For instance, the command you used earlier would be:

mv file\ name\ what\ ever.ddd file_name_what_ever.ddd

That works for me in the terminal (in both Red Hat 8 and 9). I don't know if cygwin would have a problem with it.

Poetics · 05-18-2004, 05:08 PM

Quotes should also work as well

IsaacKuo · 05-18-2004, 05:11 PM

Put the file name in double quotes, like this:

mv "file name what ever.ddd" file_name_what_ever.ddd

BTW, putting filenames in quotes generally works in Windows also, if you care.

Lleb_KCir · 05-18-2004, 08:30 PM

great answeres. thanks for the help. ill keep that in mind. had no clue how to get around that in *nix, and know very little about windows cmd line as i did little with dos.

Shade · 05-18-2004, 11:31 PM

I use the tab completion in bash wherever possible. It's great -- and it takes care of that for you

Type out what<hittab> and it fills in the \ ever.ddd for you

it's quite useful.

--Shade

Lleb_KCir · 05-19-2004, 09:31 AM

i normaly do too, but being a complete newB to linux i had no idea what those \ were for so i deleted them.

now i know its ok for them to be there.