Can't rename file with parenthesis in name
 

hey everyone :cool:

im using RH9 and just got overnet working and im downloading some stuff. i have a file called (Banned Commercials) Coca Cola Christina Aguilera vs PEPSI Britney Spears.mpeg

and i know my mplayer and xine works fine but it wont let me see the file cause of the (banned commercials) part

it sez.... bash: syntax error near unexpected token `Banned\ Commercials'

then i try to rename it but it sez--------> bash: syntax error near unexpected token `('

I CAN RENAME ANY FILE IN THAT DIRECTORY BUT NOT IF IT HAS A PAREN IN THE NAME.


whats the deal with this i dont get it? any tips?

Try putting the whole thing in "s. Doing

mv "(test)" test

worked for me.

damn i tried it but it says---> mv: can't stat source (Banned\ Commercials)

and with single quotes same thing mv '(file)' newfile

could it be cause this file name is too long or something?

anyone know?

Try using the inverted commas only around the parentheses, example,

mv "("banned adds")" christina agu ... etc ... in fact you want to enclose those spaces in quotes too. Such that -

mv "("banned" "add") "christina" "aguilera" " ... etc .. newname.mpg

or get the old wildcards out

mv *spears.mpg newname.mpg

Try going through midnight commander, it's a smart app. Type "mc" at the command line, traverse your tree until you get the file in the crosshair and press F6 to do a rename.

Or perhaps try a rename using konquerer or another file manager. Or, if things get very desperate, you can try substituting the ascii codes instead of the parentheses using the \xHH hexvalues method.

One of these could work !

mv \(Banned\ Commercials\) not_dumb_title

mv '(Banned Commercials)' not_dumb_title

Just don't mix and match your escapes.