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File management

Shelf, batch rename, and saved searches

Gather file references, preview new names, and reuse a live search.

Collect files on the Shelf

  1. Select files and choose File → Add to Shelf, or drag them into the Shelf.
  2. Choose View → Shelf → Show Shelf to see the collection.
  3. Focus the destination pane, then choose Copy Shelf Items to Active Pane or Move Shelf Items to Active Pane from the Shelf menu.

The Shelf stores references, not copies. Remove from Shelf and Clear Shelf remove references, not original files. It is per window/session. Unavailable references must be resolved before a transfer can succeed.

Current limits: Shelf items do not have Quick Look/Open or drag-out actions; folder sizes are not recursively summed. A move from several source folders has no Undo.

Preview a batch rename

  1. Select multiple files and choose Rename.
  2. Choose Replace Text, Add Text, or Format.
  3. Review every Original → New Name row and its Status.
  4. Choose Rename only when the preview is correct. Cancel leaves the files unchanged.

Replace Text can optionally include the extension. Add Text puts a prefix or suffix around the name. Format offers Name and Index, Name and Counter, or Name and Date, with a custom name, position, and starting number.

Example: use Add Text to prefix a project code, or Name and Counter to number an image set. Invalid or colliding names block Rename. This UI does not offer regular expressions or AI-generated names.

Save a search you use repeatedly

  1. Run a Find query with the intended scope.
  2. Choose File → Save Search… or the search bar's Save control.
  3. Name it and choose whether to Add to Sidebar.
  4. Open it from the sidebar or Go → Saved Searches.

Saved searches store the query and location, not a frozen list of matching files. Results rerun and update while shown. Relative phrases such as last week are evaluated against the current date each time.

Use the Saved Searches menu to rename, delete, or change a sidebar pin. Replacing a same-named search asks for confirmation. Removing a saved search never deletes its results. Missing saved locations are reported rather than silently expanding the scope.

Useful saved searches include screenshots past 7 days, kind:pdf tag:Review, and downloaded from github, provided the relevant metadata and approved locations are available.

Save the current query and scope with a descriptive name and the Add to Sidebar option.

Recorded in FileOctopus using fictional files. No audio. The clip shows saving, not a frozen results snapshot. Relative date filters are evaluated when a saved search runs again.

Read the demo steps
  1. Run ‘pdfs from last week’ in the active pane.
  2. Choose Save and name the search ‘Weekly PDF review’.
  3. Leave Add to Sidebar selected and save. The app confirms the saved search; it is available from Go → Saved Searches.

Watch: preview a rename, undo, and collect files

Rename three disposable images using a reviewed replacement, undo the change, and add the restored files to the Shelf.

Recorded in FileOctopus using fictional files. No audio. Playback is approximately 1.18×. A solid mask hides only the Shelf's fixture-location column. File names, rename results and item counts remain visible.

Read the demo steps
  1. Select Campaign-01.png, Campaign-02.png and Campaign-03.png; choose Rename 3 Items.
  2. Use Replace Text: find ‘Campaign’ and replace it with ‘Studio-Launch’. Review all three original and new names.
  3. Choose Rename. The file list shows Studio-Launch-01.png through Studio-Launch-03.png.
  4. Use Undo to restore the original names.
  5. Select the restored files and choose File → Add to Shelf. The Shelf shows three references; the originals stay in place.