NameChanger 2.2
That’s right, on the heels of Syrinx 1.0.1 comes NameChanger 2.2. This is a solid usability update for NameChanger. I started by updating the UI, I’ve dropped both the “Original Text:” and “New Text:” labels that lived just under the toolbar since NameChanger debuted. They’ve been supplanted by default text within the appropriate text fields. This gives a nice tweak to the UI and really streamlines it. I have also changed some of the animations when dealing with Append/Prepend as well as how those fields behave during resize.
After that I integrated Quick Look. Pressing space bar will preview the selected file just as it does in the Finder. Unfortunately Quick Look is still a Private Framework, so I debated wether to include it, but in the end I went “Whatever is best for the app”. This framework gets loaded dynamically at runtime, and if it is not found for any reason(such as Apple moving it), NameChanger will continue to function normally albeit without the Quick Look ability. So all in all I think it was a reasonable and safe move.
Lastly I added inline name changing. For too long has NameChanger existed without the ability to individually change file names. That wrong has now been righted. Double clicking or pressing return on a row will now allow the user to change the filename in place.
This update is available through the built-in Sparkle updater and has been submitted to the usual suspects: MacUpdate, VersionTracker and Apple Downloads.
Thanks! Still love this app! One more request, though. Instead of hiding the ‘Check all’ and other funtions under the ‘Options’ toolbar button, can we have them as draggable items to add or delete from the toolbar direct? That’ll save having to open the separate ‘Options’ menu to select these very handy functions, making the use of NameChanger even more enjoyable. Five stars – and if and when my suggestion has been incorporated, you’ll get six.
Big, big suggestion: make it easy for people to find your website from the application. I had to do a “Check for Updates”, then get the domain name from the Little Snitch warning message. You should add a link to your website from the “About NameChanger” dialog box, or perhaps even add a “NameChanger Product Page” to the Help menu. Otherwise, it’s much harder for people whose lives you’ve made vastly easier to donate. (Yep; I’m one such person. Thanks.)
@kobalt – I agree, I think the current options panel contains too much functionality to be hidden away and am working on something better.
@Daniel – Thanks for the suggestion, I will try to work something in for the next release.
Very useful application indeed, but I have a recurrent problem on my eMac 10.5.5. Every 3rd or 4th usage, NameChanger 2.2 (don’t know about the other versions) will crash (spinning beach ball and all). This is automatic. I would have like to send a report (as prompted by the system each time it occurs), but I am not usually connected to the Internet when this happens. Is there anything I should know or do better? Thanks.
@Denis C. – To send a crash log after the fact: launch /Applications/Utilities/Console. If there is not an outline list on the left, click the Show Log List button in the toolbar. Expand ~/Library/Logs. Expand CrashReporter. NameChanger crash logs will begin with “NameChanger” and then have a timestamp at the end. Right click on one of the logs you got from one of the crashes you described and select Mail. This will open an email with that crash log attached. Send it to mrrsoftware (at) mrrsoftware (dot) com.