How to sort files by name using a shell script

Question

I would like to sort all files by date with a Shell script.

For example, in /Users/KanZ/Desktop/Project/Test/ there are the files M1.h, A2.h and F4.h.

Each file has a different time. How do I sort all these files from oldest to current by date and time?

Currently I have a rename script:

cd /Users/KanZ/Desktop/Project/Test/ 
n=1
for file in *.jpg;
do 
  echo $file prefix=M file_name=M$n.jpg 
  echo $file_name n=$(( $n+1 ))
  mv $file $file_name 
done

The first time I run script the JPG files will be M1.jpg, M2.jpg and M3.jpg but if I add a new file named A1.jpg to this directory and run the script again, M1.jpg, M2.jpg and M3.jpg will be replaced by M4.jpg (before running the script, this file was named A1.jpg) because the first letter is A and came before M.

I would like to get M1, M2, M3 and M4.jpg.

The question changed mid-stream. It started out sorting *.h files but the commentary and code reflect sorting *.jpg files. Consistency is important when asking questions. — the Tin Man
– the Tin Man, Commented May 22, 2017 at 20:27

ckhan · Accepted Answer · 2012-12-22 10:10:44Z

10

The ls command can easily sort by last modified time:

$ ls -1t /Users/KanZ/Desktop/Project/Test

To reverse the sort, include the -r option:

$ ls -1tr /Users/KanZ/Desktop/Project/Test

Including the 1 tells ls to output one file per line without extra metadata (like the length, modification time, etc), which is often what you need in a shell script if you need to send the list to other commands for further processing.

edited Dec 22, 2012 at 10:10

answered Dec 22, 2012 at 9:52

ckhan

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2 Comments

Andreas Florath Over a year ago

This sorts from new to old - this is not what was ask.

the Tin Man Over a year ago

Then use the -r flag as appropriate to change the order.

Andreas Florath · Accepted Answer · 2012-12-22 14:36:20Z

3

(Completely new because the question changed)

Try this:

cd /Users/KanZ/Desktop/Project/Test
n=1
for f in `ls -tr *.jpg`; do
  mv $f M$n.jpg
  n=$(( n + 1 ))
done

edited Dec 22, 2012 at 14:36

answered Dec 22, 2012 at 9:53

Andreas Florath

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6 Comments

kantawit Over a year ago

Nothing is happend. Don't u should specify the type of files? e.g. *.h *.jpg

Andreas Florath Over a year ago

What did you try? What is the result? (There is no need to specify the suffix of the file: if not given, all files are shown.)

kantawit Over a year ago

I would like to sort the jpg files by time&date first, after that I want to rename them like A1.jpg A2.jpg A3.jpg. Now I can rename the all files but I want to sort them from old to current before rename them.

Andreas Florath Over a year ago

This has nothing to do with your question: please reformulate / update you initial question.

glenn jackman Over a year ago

@kantawit, you need to edit your question to add that information.

|

the Tin Man · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-22 20:28:55Z

0

You need to pass the -t option to the ls command. The -t option sorts by time modified, i.e. the most recently modified first before sorting the operands by lexicographical order. In other words, last downloaded file can be displayed using the following command.

Open the Terminal and type the following command.

ls -t

edited May 22, 2017 at 20:28

the Tin Man

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answered Nov 2, 2016 at 16:47

Fadid

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Comments

the Tin Man · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-22 20:29:21Z

0

In case if you need to sort file paths in ascending order

ls -tUr -d $PWD/*

might be useful

edited May 22, 2017 at 20:29

the Tin Man

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answered Mar 9, 2014 at 16:51

Nikolay Frick

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