This guide covers how to purchase and install Name Mangler 3 on macOS devices and use the tool to rename your photo files in batches (Item-by-Item). If you need assistance with installing or configuring this software, get in touch with us at support@webtronoa.com to arrange a meeting time.

Purchasing and Installing Name Mangler 3

1. To get started, follow this link to open the Name Mangler 3 store page on the Apple App Store – https://apps.apple.com/au/app/name-mangler-3/id603637384?mt=12
2. Click the green Buy button and follow the prompts. Once you’ve complete the purchase, click the blue Install button.
3. Name Mangler 3 will now be added to your LaunchPad and Applications folder, open either of those and open Name Mangler 3.

Name Mangler Steps Defined

Name Mangler renames files based on what Steps you set, for the purposes of this Guide we’ll just be using the Sequence and Remove steps, but the full list of Steps are:

• Find and Replace – this step enables you to quickly search for a word, number string or phrase in a file name and swap it for something else. Find sets the search parameter, Replace sets what it will be replaced with.
  • Find and Replace uses to checkboxes to refine your search, Query is a regular expression, and Ignore case. If you decide to use Find and Replace, keep the Query checkbox unticked and Ignore case ticked for the best results.
• Sequence – we’ll be using the Sequence step in this Guide, in a nutshell it allows you to wipe the existing file name and rename your files using a numerical sequence, in our case, a sequence where each file name in a batch goes up one digit. Each of the fields in the Sequence step are
  • Format – Sets the format of the sequence as Alphabetical or Numerical, we’ll be using the Arabic (Numerical) option.
  • Group By – Sets and creates groupings of files by either a text or number string, we don’t recommend using this option.
  • Start at – Sets the first number in the sequence, we’ll be using this option to set the start digit for the Suffix.
  • Increase by – Sets the rate each file will increase by from the Start at value, for example, setting the Increase by to 1 will increase set the sequence to increase by 1 digit from file-to-file.
  • Number of Digits – Leave this option on Auto.
  • Prefix – Sets the starting half of the new file name, for this guide we’ll be setting the Prefix to match/set the Lot Number plus a dash “-“, i.e. Lot 23 will be Prefix: 23-.
  • Suffix – Sets the second half of the new file name, for this guide we’ll be setting the Suffix to set the order of the photos for that Lot, i.e. the first 3 photos for Lot 23 will now be: 23-1.jpeg, 23-2.jpeg and 23-3.jpeg. The Start at and Increase by options will set the start digit for you.
• Compose – in the Webtron office, we’ve nicknamed the Compose step as the Clean Slate step. Essentially it will wipe the existing file names and allow you to set a new one. We don’t recommend using this option, as we’ll be using the Remove step to achieve a similar effect but with a bit more precision.
• Add Prefix – this step functions exactly the same as the Prefix option in the Sequence step, but as it’s own standalone step.
• Add Suffix – like Add Prefix, this step is also functionally identical to the Suffix option in the Sequence step, but acts independently.
• Insert – this step allows you to insert either letters or numbers at a certain point in a filename (index), for example, you have a file named 12-3.jpeg but you want to quickly rename it to 123-3.jpeg. Using Insert allows you to set an index, counting from the start or end of a file name, to add something in at that point. If I set the index to 3, I can add something from after the number 2 but before the dash in that file name. Not required for this guide but a handy Step if you’re in a pinch.
• Remove – we’ll be using the Remove step later in this Guide, in a nutshell it allows you to remove existing letters or numbers (characters) from the original file name by setting a Remove # of characters, and a Start at index # as the starting point. Typically we’ll use the Remove step to delete characters we don’t want in the new file name with a bit more precision, or in other words to clean up any renames will leftover characters.
  • For example, if I have a few photos from a DSLR with the file names DSC_0135.JPG, DSC_0136.JPG and DSC_0137.JPG. Since the shoot order of these photos matches the order I want them to appear in on my Portal, I can set Remove to
    • Remove 7 characters
    • Start at index 1
    • Count from the start
  • Name Mangler will now rename the photo files to 5.JPG, 6.JPG, and 7.JPG, allowing me to set a simple Prefix of 1-, rename them again, and they become 1-5.JPG, 1-6.JPG, and 1-7.JPG. Quick and easy.
• Change Case – this step allows you to auto-capitalise or change capitals to lower case in a file name. If you have set your Lot Numbers manually with an Alphanumeric value, i.e. 12A, the case of the letter in the file name is irrelevant, the Webtron Dashboard will automatically assign any files labelled 12A or 12a to it’s respective Lot Number regardless of letter case.
• Set Extension – ignore this step, we don’t recommend changing file extensions if you are unfamiliar with image formats and image editing tools like Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Photo.

Setting Name Mangler Steps

For this guide, we’ll be using the Sequence step. It is essential that any other steps are remove from the sidebar before setting up the Sequence step, your Name Mangler should look like this:

Click the + Add Step button at the top-right of the Name Mangler window if your Step sidebar is empty, then click the dropdown at the top of the first step and choose the Sequence step:

Add your photos to Name Mangler (in batches)

Once you’ve selected your steps, open your Finder, navigate to the folder containing your photos, and select the files for the first batch, in this case Lot 1:

To select multiple files in Finder, hold the Command button down and left click each file to select them:

Or if your photos are in shoot order, click the first file, hold the Shift key and click the last file, Finder will now highlight and select every file between the first and last file you chose:

Click and drag the highlighted files into the Name Mangler window:

Preview your changes in Name Mangler

Once you’ve dropped your photos into Name Mangler, the app will now load for a moment. The left-hand column will display the original file name, and the right-hand column will display a preview of the changes you’ve set in the options for the Sequence step:

Sequence will completely wipe your existing file name and replace it with the Prefix and Suffix values you set, for example, if you’ve shot your photos with an iPhone, your photo files will typically look similar to this:

• IMG_1004.JPG

In the Sequence step, set the following options:

• Sequence
  • Format: Arabic (1, 2, 3, …)
  • Group by: leave blank
  • Start at: 1
  • Increase by: 1
  • Number of digits: leave on Auto
  • Prefix: 1- (or the Lot Number of the Item this batch of photos are for) (and don’t forget the “-” dash)
  • Suffix: leave blank (the suffix starting digit is set by the Start at and Increase by options)

Apply your file name changes in Name Mangler

Check the Preview column for any errors, if you’re happy with the preview results, click the grey Rename # Files… button at the bottom right of the Name Mangler window:

Name Mangler will ask if you are sure, click the blue Rename button to confirm. (You can also tick Don’t ask again at the bottom of that pop-up but we recommend leaving that unticked).

Name Mangler will now update the File Names for that batch, Finder may take a second to reflect the changes, but you can now repeat the process with the next batch. Simply select the next batch of photos, drag and drop them into Name Mangler, and update the Prefix to set the new Lot Number for each batch.

Common Errors with Name Mangler

The Rename # Files button isn’t clickable and says “Settings do not apply.”

Name Mangler will apply your changes to the files where they are, it won’t copy or duplicate the files you’ve chosen. If you are seeing the “Settings do not apply.” warning, it is because there are files that already match the Preview name of your files in their folder. Name Mangler won’t replace existing files and cannot change file names if there are already files in that folder that match the new name you’re trying to set.

You’ll most likely see this error if you haven’t update the Prefix option yet.

Remove isn’t changing the File Name in the preview column

If you have Remove in the Steps sidebar with other steps like Compose or Sequence, Remove is disregarded. Steps such as Compose, Sequence and Find and Replace will ignore Remove, as these steps wipe the entire exisiting file name.

A small X is appearing alongside all or some of the file names in the preview column

Check your Steps for a misconfiguration, Name Mangler will highlight changes that will result in an empty file name with a red X.