Help needed

[SGHA972]

Hi,

I had an iPad Pro for Christmas, I'm very happy with that but I need to know one thing.

How can I change the extensions of files with a single line of command ?

In my folder "Downloads" (app "Files"), I want to change the extensions of files which are ".cbr" to ".rar", is that possible withn an app like "Terminal" or else ?

Thx for your answers.

 

[twerppoet]

I don’t know of any way to do this in the Files app. Some document apps allow it when changing the name. I use Documents by Readdle: a combination of PDF editor and document management. When you rename a file in Documents with a new extension it asks if you want to use the new extension, or keep the old one. I used to use GoodReader for this. It may still work, but I haven’t used the app for a long while, so I’m not sure.

It is probably possible to use Shortuts to create an extension changing utility. I don’t see an obvious action that will do this, so you’d probably have to delve into the more advanced scripting features.

There are probably at least a few extention changing utilities in the App Store. A quick search didn’t turn up anything obvious, so maybe not.

Finally, you could create an app. I know, the opposite of what you wanted to do on an iPad. However, you could consider playhing around in the new Swift Playgrounds 4 as entertainment. I’ve been poking around, and I think even I could probably cobble together a simple app to change a file’s extension, eventually. Probably take a while. It’s easy to underestimate the nitty picky details. Unfortunately you need a developer account to turn it into an independent app.

 

[twerppoet]

I’m not aware of any Terminal style apps that allow access to the iPad’s file system.

 

[NSquirrel]

FileBrowser seems to allow a change to extensions.

 

[twerppoet]

I actually managed to change some .csv files to .txt files using this shortcut from the Share Sheet in the Files app. Unfortunately it makes you save each file individually. The same issue I have with my OCR shortcut. It makes selecting long lists of files impractical, but it can be tolerated for a dozen or so files. Once you chosen the destination you just have to tap Done, a lot.

If you're willing to stuff all the files into the Shortcut App's folder, you can turn off "Ask Where To Save" in the Save step and specify a path. But you can not specify a path outside the Shortcut App's folder space. This eliminates the doom of Done's, but means you have to move the converted files to where you want them manually.

WARNING: While the Shortcut App is much improved over the initial release, it still has some bugs, and actions that don't act as advertised.

 

[jdcaples]

I understand the desire to change file names; what problem will changing file names to include a file "type" solve for you?

You must want to accomplish something by renaming file.useless to file.usable

what problem is solved by renaming the file?

Jon

 

[DarrylC]

I don’t know of any way to do this in the Files app. Some document apps allow it when changing the name. I use Documents by Readdle: a combination of PDF editor and document management. When you rename a file in Documents with a new extension it asks if you want to use the new extension, or keep the old one. I used to use GoodReader for this. It may still work, but I haven’t used the app for a long while, so I’m not sure.

It is probably possible to use Shortuts to create an extension changing utility. I don’t see an obvious action that will do this, so you’d probably have to delve into the more advanced scripting features.

There are probably at least a few extention changing utilities in the App Store. A quick search didn’t turn up anything obvious, so maybe not.

Finally, you could create an app. I know, the opposite of what you wanted to do on an iPad. However, you could consider playhing around in the new Swift Playgrounds 4 as entertainment. I’ve been poking around, and I think even I could probably cobble together a simple app to change a file’s extension, eventually. Probably take a while. It’s easy to underestimate the nitty picky details. Unfortunately you need a developer account to turn it into an independent app.

This is why I don't rely totally on iPad for documents and keep using my Windows laptop for files. iPad can be used for somethings, but very cumbersome to me for productive work. And cannot get my external HD to be recognized,and have save everything to the cloud.

 

[twerppoet]

I understand the desire to change file names; what problem will changing file names to include a file "type" solve for you?

You must want to accomplish something by renaming file.useless to file.usable

what problem is solved by renaming the file?

Jon

I'm not sure what SGHA972 is trying to do. I recognize the .rar file as a compressed format often used in Linux operating systems. I'm guessing that the .cbr extension also denotes a compressed format. Perhaps it is backward, forward, or sideways compatible with .rar. Since apps and utilities often insist on having the correct extension, sometimes you can trick them into working with other otherwise compatible files.

In the case of my example .csv (comma separated values) and .txt are basically the same file type, but text apps won't usually read .csv files, and spreadsheets won't read .txt files. It is occasionally useful to be able to edit or import one file type into apps meant for the other. It is fairly easy to create a .csv formatted document in a text editor, and sometimes you may wan to take a small spreadsheet and (with a little editing) include the data in a text document. Modern tools usually have ways to do this, but there are always exceptions that need workarounds.

A good example is receiving a spreadsheet that's been exported as a .csv file. You want to do some major value and text replacements before importing it into your own spreadsheet app. Good text editor have extensive find and replace tools that make this easy. Many spreadsheets don't. So, you change the file type to .txt and do your find and replace editing, then change it back to .csv before importing it to your spreadsheet.

 

[NSquirrel]

Twerppoet >> I'm guessing that the .cbr extension also denotes a compressed format.


From CBR File Extension - What is a .cbr file and how do I open it?
A CBR file is a compressed set of .JPEG, .PNG, or static .GIF images saved in a single .RAR archive with the ".cbr" extension. It contains pages that are automatically ordered and can be presented one or two at a time. CBR files are used for storing and displaying comic books or other collections of pages.

 

[twerppoet]

Twerppoet >> I'm guessing that the .cbr extension also denotes a compressed format.


From CBR File Extension - What is a .cbr file and how do I open it?
A CBR file is a compressed set of .JPEG, .PNG, or static .GIF images saved in a single .RAR archive with the ".cbr" extension. It contains pages that are automatically ordered and can be presented one or two at a time. CBR files are used for storing and displaying comic books or other collections of pages.

Makes sense. Thanks for the info.