A Python utility that cleans filenames in a folder by removing spaces and special characters, making them filesystem-friendly and safe for cross-platform usage.

• Automatic Sanitization: Removes spaces (replaced with underscores) and special characters from filenames
• Safe Processing: Preserves file extensions and handles edge cases
• Dry-Run Mode: Preview changes before applying them
• Conflict Resolution: Automatically handles filename conflicts by appending numbers
• User-Friendly Output: Clear progress indicators and summary statistics
• Error Handling: Robust validation of folder paths and file operations

• Python 3.6 or higher
• No external dependencies (uses only standard library)

1. Clone this repository or download the script
2. No additional installation needed - pure Python!

Sanitize files in the current directory:

python file_name_sanitizer.py

Sanitize files in a specific folder:

python file_name_sanitizer.py /path/to/folder

Preview changes without actually renaming files:

python file_name_sanitizer.py /path/to/folder --dry-run
# or use the short flag
python file_name_sanitizer.py /path/to/folder -d

Before:

• My Document (1).pdf
• Photo@2024!.jpg
• Report #5 - Final.docx

After:

• My_Document_1.pdf
• Photo2024.jpg
• Report_5_Final.docx

If document.txt already exists and document (1).txt gets sanitized to the same name, it will automatically become document_1.txt.

File Name Sanitizer
==================================================
[DRY RUN MODE - No files will be renamed]

Processing 3 file(s) in '/home/user/documents'...

→ Would rename: 'My Document (1).pdf' → 'My_Document_1.pdf'
→ Would rename: 'Photo@2024!.jpg' → 'Photo2024.jpg'
✓ Skipped: 'clean_file.txt' (already clean)

Summary: 2 file(s) renamed, 1 file(s) skipped.

1. Scans the specified folder for all files (skips subdirectories)
2. Analyzes each filename to determine if sanitization is needed
3. Transforms filenames by:
   • Replacing spaces with underscores
   • Removing special characters (keeps alphanumeric, underscores, and hyphens)
   • Removing multiple consecutive underscores
   • Trimming leading/trailing underscores and hyphens
4. Checks for naming conflicts and resolves them automatically
5. Renames files (or shows preview in dry-run mode)
6. Reports summary of operations performed

• Spaces → Converted to underscores (_)
• Special Characters → Removed (except hyphens and underscores)
• Multiple Underscores → Collapsed to single underscore
• Leading/Trailing Special Chars → Removed
• Empty Names → Replaced with unnamed_file
• File Extensions → Always preserved

This script was created for issue #1013 of the 100LinesOfPythonCode repository.

Contributions are welcome! Please ensure:

• Code stays within 100 lines (excluding comments and blank lines)
• Follows Python best practices
• Includes proper error handling

This project is part of the 100LinesOfPythonCode repository. Please refer to the main repository for license information.

Created as part of Hacktoberfest 2024 contributions.

• Original Issue: #1013 - File Name Sanitizer

Note: Always backup important files before running batch rename operations!