mod renamer?

[Nova]

anyone knows if there exist a tool for renaming amiga mods: ext.xy ---> artist - title.ext?

[chip]

Is the artist info inside the mod ?

[Nova]

perhaps, there is mods containing metadata (title).

[jotd]

I think I can write one in python in a few minutes (with the proper mod format). This tool could even run on amiga since python (old but functional) exists...

[Axxy]

How do you propose to add artist info if there is none?

I think there was an .exe called mod-renamer somewhere, either AMP or on Modland that would do something similar by taking the internal name (if it had one), but not the artist name. Might be PC util, not sure about Amiga.

Only other way might be to use a multi-rename tool such as the one in TotalCommander, I'm sure there is a standalone version that does the same thing. Artist name I have to add manually, but the rest is easy to do..

[Nova]

@jotd:

@axxy: a creatio ex nihil... no, just kidding. of course, somewhere the info needs be fetched...

i am sure you know a lot better than me, but how about adjusting a database that already exists and collecting the needed infos from that source - like kestra? should not be impossible and probably a hell lot of work but maybe worth a thought?

[daxb]

You never will get 100% correct results. How to get the correct artist name from a mod where is no name or two or more names?! You could use the AMP database for example but that is also not 100% correct.

Another question is, why do you want to rename mods?

[jotd]

I see a reason: so extension is always ".mod"... handy to play on PC with VLC.

A quick start in python (paste than in a .py file and pass directory to rename as sole argument). I made that simplistic so it can be pasted and everyone can understand.

import fnmatch,os,sys

directory = sys.argv[1]
for module in os.listdir(directory):
    if fnmatch.fnmatch(module,"mod.*"):
        new_name = module[4:]+".mod"
        os.rename(os.path.join(directory,module),os.path.join(directory,new_name))

that changes mod.xxx in xxx.mod in the specified directory.

for author name, it would require opening the file in binary mode, get the proper offset/tag and add it to the new name

[Nova]

Originally Posted by daxb

You never will get 100% correct results.

true - however, a certain amount of tracks could be addressed this way for sure.

reasons? - hey, i am just a daydreamer...

well, some (non amiga) players do not accept file-extensions in first place, even though they do support mod-playback. and it is also practical and aesthetical reasons, better accessibility to your mod collection, grouping, sorting all kinds of stuff.

an even more utopic aim: building a corrected amiga mods collection on the long run (incl. proper songlenghts via database with exotic formats).

i forgot about the most important feature: actually find the mod you are looking for in a bunch of hundreds. try this with a ext.xy mod...

[Axxy]

Originally Posted by jotd

I see a reason: so extension is always ".mod"... handy to play on PC with VLC.

I think only AMP contains mod.name for the most part or Aminet, I always use TC to switch the extension for PC.

Originally Posted by Nova

but how about adjusting a database that already exists

How much mod info are you talking about? A full blown database of everything about an individual mod or more a summary of an individual mod? ie/ author/mod name/format etc?

How about using a playlist (say from xmplay) and exported to html, no idea if it could be done with 10s of thousands of mods without crashing.

Saga-Musix over at ModArchive has a Module Library (v1 & v2) program on his website https://sagagames.de/?programm=modlib, kind of a standalone program but does practically almost all formats. Again, both PC programs.

If anything, I would say that there is no definitive database yet, I'm still finding incorrect data from mods that are over 20 years old.

[Nova]

Originally Posted by Axxy

How much mod info are you talking about?

the more the better, but keeping things simple and minimal for the start, artist and title would be very cool indeed, don't you think?

@jotd: you made the first step, cool cat

[chip]

Building a corrected amiga mods collection is a great project .... are you going to do that Nova ?

[Nova]

Originally Posted by chip

Building a corrected amiga mods collection is a great project .... are you going to do that Nova ?

no, because others started doing so long ago - but gathering ideas and improving things at fractions is not so bad either.

[daxb]

I'm not sure if all artist would agree if you rename their mods and make it public somewhere. In private you can do what you want of course. However, I don't see a need for it. Maybe work for years or decades.

What about of sorting by artist named directories? Then you don't need to add artist name to mod name. I think this is easier and also easy to find.

[Axxy]

Originally Posted by daxb

I'm not sure if all artist would agree if you rename their mods and make it public somewhere. In private you can do what you want of course. However, I don't see a need for it. Maybe work for years or decades.

What about of sorting by artist named directories? Then you don't need to add artist name to mod name. I think this is easier and also easy to find.

Tbh, I don't care about naming conventions. When you have a few hundred/thousand mods it's not much of an issue. But when it's in the 100,000+ across many formats, the old filenames are a complete nightmare.

abc.mod or mod.abc tells you nothing. What happens when you have 3 or 4 or more with that filename. Way back I decided to use artist_modname.ext. I structured my folders 0-9, A1,A2,B1 etc and added more when needed, and I also kept the folders at around CD size. With HD space now, I just backup to external drive when I need to. Think most naming conventions nowadays are artist_-_mod_name.ext.

As for a DB, I attached an image of my database which I store in Excel, did try to import to Access but it couldn't handle that many entries. I use an old plug-in for 32bit Totalcommder that just about handles old tracker files (not all) to grab the info before importing it into Excel, works for me but it's a bit of a chore to do. There is an old copy on AMP's website in the download section.

[daxb]

Yes, the bigger the collection becomes, the more problems you get. There are several reasons why you cannot build a good database because the source mod can be everything or nothing. Many releases without information. Artists with equal names or several different names. Ripped mods and so on. You know it.

[Nova]

Originally Posted by daxb

I'm not sure if all artist would agree if you rename their mods and make it public somewhere.

a proper naming scheme won't harm or discredit any artist, in fact it is the very reverse, so your point is rather difficult for me to follow. implementation or the pure significance of starting this for a limited set of files (due to lack of information) is another story, of course.

What about of sorting by artist named directories? Then you don't need to add artist name to mod name. I think this is easier and also easy to find.

this is actually the workaround when sorting my cluttered mods, collected over the past years and also the reason for asking here. for now, i try to focus on my favourite mods only, gathering infos & renaming them accordingly in a sepparate folder one by one for better accessibility.

@axxy: mod-db picture looks very neat. need to check for a possible equivalent plugin for linux filemanagers.

[Axxy]

Originally Posted by daxb

Yes, the bigger the collection becomes, the more problems you get. There are several reasons why you cannot build a good database because the source mod can be everything or nothing. Many releases without information. Artists with equal names or several different names. Ripped mods and so on. You know it.

Dupes, bad rips, and lost info still to this day keep appearing and I'm constantly editing and updating stuff.

Just to highlight this,
https://amp.dascene.net/forum/index....pic,858.0.html.

This mod surfaced a month or so ago from a production from 1992. Turns out we've all had this for quite some time, me about 27 years apparently under a different name. Still waiting to see if Asle reads the post and add a comment. Wonder if Dizzy is still contactable?

[daxb]

@Axxy:
I follow AMP forum and have read that thread. So I know your problems. Hence it is a work/profession for life.

[Axxy]

Originally Posted by Nova

@axxy: mod-db picture looks very neat. need to check for a possible equivalent plugin for linux filemanagers.

What I want is a Playlist editor in the style of what Winamp did with MP3s. Something that could get metadata from the mods themselves. Unfortunately there would be a lot of empty space as many mods contain no information or credits, but an absolutely massive database with the data it could get, but something that could get the main module info into some structure for a database and export it.

The closest thing we got is the Library window in XMPlay and the Database functions of Module Library, but no export options and 2 instead of 1 program to do all.