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🕒 Build a Professional Batch File Renamer with Python (Tkinter + ttkbootstrap)

#tutorial #beginners #python #tkinter

AutoDateInserter is a desktop app that batch-renames files by prepending or appending timestamps.
It supports preview, undo, dry-run, pause/resume, drag & drop, and progress tracking.

This tutorial walks through the app step by step, making it beginner-friendly and easy to understand.

🧠 What You’ll Learn

How to structure a class-based Tkinter app

How to safely batch-rename files

How to add previews, undo, and dry-run

How to keep the UI responsive with threads + queues

How to design a clean UI using ttkbootstrap

📦 Project Structure

Everything lives in one Python file for simplicity:

AutoDateInserter.py
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Dependencies:

pip install ttkbootstrap tkinterdnd2
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1️⃣ Imports & Feature Detection

We start by importing everything we need.

import os, sys, threading, platform, json, time
import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import filedialog
from datetime import datetime
import ttkbootstrap as tb
from ttkbootstrap.constants import *
import queue
import logging
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Optional Drag & Drop Support

try:
    from tkinterdnd2 import TkinterDnD, DND_FILES
    DND_ENABLED = True
except ImportError:
    DND_ENABLED = False
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💡 Why?
If tkinterdnd2 isn’t installed, the app still works — just without drag & drop.

2️⃣ App Class & Window Setup

We wrap the entire app in a class to keep things clean and scalable.

class AutoDateInserterApp:
    APP_NAME = "AutoDateInserter"
    APP_VERSION = "1.2.0"
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Create the Window

self.root = TkinterDnD.Tk() if DND_ENABLED else tk.Tk()
tb.Style(theme="darkly")
self.root.title(f"{self.APP_NAME} v{self.APP_VERSION}")
self.root.geometry("1120x700")
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🎨 ttkbootstrap instantly gives us a modern dark theme.

3️⃣ App Storage & Logging

We store logs and undo history in a user-safe directory.

self.app_dir = os.path.join(
    os.path.expanduser("~"),
    "AppData", "Local", self.APP_NAME
)
os.makedirs(self.app_dir, exist_ok=True)
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Enable Logging

log_file = os.path.join(self.app_dir, "rename.log")
logging.basicConfig(
    filename=log_file,
    level=logging.INFO,
    format="%(asctime)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s"
)
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🧠 This lets us debug rename failures later.

4️⃣ App State & Thread Safety

self.rename_map = {}
self.start_time = None
self.pause_event = threading.Event()
self.pause_event.set()
self.is_paused = False
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Thread-Safe UI Updates

self.ui_queue = queue.Queue()
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💡 Important:
Tkinter is not thread-safe, so background threads send updates through a queue.

5️⃣ Tkinter Variables (Reactive UI)

self.mode_var = tk.StringVar(value="prepend")
self.recursive_var = tk.BooleanVar(value=False)
self.dry_run_var = tk.BooleanVar(value=False)

self.progress_var = tk.IntVar(value=0)
self.eta_var = tk.StringVar(value="ETA: --:--")
self.speed_var = tk.StringVar(value="0.00 files/sec")
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These automatically update UI widgets when changed.

6️⃣ Utility Functions
Timestamp Generator

def timestamp(self):
    return datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")
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Safe Rename (Avoid Overwrites)

def safe_name(self, path):
    base, ext = os.path.splitext(path)
    i = 1
    new = path
    while os.path.exists(new):
        new = f"{base} ({i}){ext}"
        i += 1
    return new
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✔ Prevents accidental file loss.

7️⃣ Building the UI (High-Level)

The UI is broken into logical sections:

Title

File list

Options

Preview

Controls

def _build_ui(self):
    tb.Label(self.root, text=self.APP_NAME,
             font=("Segoe UI", 22, "bold")).pack()
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File List + Scrollbar

self.listbox = tk.Listbox(box, selectmode=tk.EXTENDED)
self.listbox.pack(side="left", fill="both", expand=True)
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Drag & Drop Support

if DND_ENABLED:
    self.listbox.drop_target_register(DND_FILES)
    self.listbox.dnd_bind("<<Drop>>", self.on_drop)
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8️⃣ Adding Files & Folders
Add Files

def add_files(self):
    for f in filedialog.askopenfilenames():
        self.listbox.insert(tk.END, f)
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Add Folder (Recursive Optional)

def collect_files(self, folder):
    if self.recursive_var.get():
        for r, _, files in os.walk(folder):
            for f in files:
                self.listbox.insert(tk.END, os.path.join(r, f))
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9️⃣ Preview Before Renaming (Critical Safety Feature)

def build_preview(self):
    self.rename_map.clear()
    ts = self.timestamp()
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Generate New Names

new = (
    f"{ts}_{base}{ext}"
    if self.mode_var.get() == "prepend"
    else f"{base}_{ts}{ext}"
)
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Show Preview

self.preview.insert(
    tk.END, f"{name} → {os.path.basename(dst)}\n"
)
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👀 Users see exactly what will happen before committing.

🔟 Renaming Files (Threaded)

threading.Thread(
    target=self.rename_files,
    daemon=True
).start()
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Rename Logic

os.rename(src, dst)
undo[dst] = src
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Progress + ETA

speed = i / elapsed
eta = (total - i) / speed
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1️⃣1️⃣ Pause / Resume Support
self.pause_event.wait()

def toggle_pause(self):
    self.is_paused = not self.is_paused
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✔ Useful for large batches.

1️⃣2️⃣ Undo System (JSON-Based)

undo_file = f"undo_{timestamp}.json"
json.dump(undo, f, indent=2)

Restore Files
os.rename(dst, src)
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🔥 This makes the app safe for production use.

1️⃣3️⃣ Why This Architecture Works

✅ Class-based
✅ Thread-safe
✅ Undoable
✅ Preview-first
✅ Beginner-readable
✅ Production-ready

🚀 Final Thoughts

AutoDateInserter shows how far Tkinter can go when combined with:

Good structure

Safety features

Modern styling

Thoughtful UX

If you’re learning Python desktop apps — this is a perfect real-world project.

🔗 Source Code

GitHub:
👉 https://github.com/rogers-cyber/AutoDateInserter

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