does that mean that I have to type .$(FILE_EXTENSION) each time? If that was the case I would find typing the file extension myself quicker. Thanks for the reply.
If you rename images one by one yes. If you select a bunch of images and want to rename them to 20230930-$(FILE_NAME).$(FILE_EXTENSION) then using the variables makes sense.
Thanks Bill. It really isnât a big problem typing the file extension so I will do that. I truly appreciate you having written such a useful lua script. BTW, I often rename my images on import to include location details in name, but this script of yours is great for naming copies of images to use in my classes.
I hope it is ok to resurrect this thread; I had a question related to the rename_images.lua script and this is more or less in-topic.
First, I understand that you mostly donât need any renaming with darktable, so I totally get what most of the people here are saying, but sometimes I need to dig into the filesystem so file names (and renaming) are important to me.
What I realized now in 4.6 (not sure if this was the same also in earlier versions) is that dtâs variables (darktable 4.6 user manual - variables) are not the same as the one used in the script.
So when doing copy & import I use this pattern to rename files:
$(EXIF.YEAR)$(EXIF.MONTH)$(EXIF.DAY)$(FILE.NAME#IMG).$(FILE_EXTENSION)
to rename files like IMG_6222.JPG to 20230210_6222.JPG, relying on the string substitution magic $(var#pattern) to delete IMG from the filename.
However the same pattern wonât work in rename_images first because
- the variable names are different:
$(EXIF_YEAR)instead of$(EXIF.YEAR) - there is no string substitution magics
I thought that all these variables and magics are âcoreâ so they would work in main darktable and within LUA scripts too, but evidently theyâre not.
I wonder if @wpferguson has time to look at it? If thereâs something I can do let me know. And thanks!
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Itâs already in the works, Add substitution to string lib by wpferguson ¡ Pull Request #412 ¡ darktable-org/lua-scripts ¡ GitHub. I just need to get the tag substitution working and add the new variables that have been added to darktable in the last year.
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thank you Bill! I did have a quick look in the github issues but couldnt find this â sorry I shouldâve looked better!
@wpferguson thanks for your work with this LUA script. It is brilliant for what I want.
I think it will be a useful feature, especially when we create duplicates in lighttable. At the moment, it is not easy to differentiate which is which. A file rename option will certainly be useful, even if it is implemented as an add-on variable, for example .
The duplicates in the lighttable use the same input image (only the XMP file is different â itâs numbered).
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@PD1 you can rename the duplicate version to help differentiate which version you are looking at. I previously have suggested I wish I could do this with the snapshots I make so I can better different what each snapshot is showing me. But I didnât get much traction with that suggestion.
Or you didnât read the release notes 
This is supported already, you can rename snapshots. Just ctrl+click on the snapshot button.
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Thanks Pascal. Despite reading the release notes for 4.6 I didnât pick up on this change. It is a nice improvement. DT just keeps getting better. Thanks for all your work with DT as I really appreciate it. I try the weekly windows builds and look for the new features that pop up there, but some sneak past me.