Losing focus while renaming files

[theodumont]

When using the rename command with open_while_renaming: True in data.yaml, each time a file is opened, the subprocess takes the focus and one has to ctrl + tab back to the terminal to write the file's new name. It's not a big deal but it slows down the renaming process an can be a bit annoying when dealing with a lot of files.

• one solution may be to use win32gui, but it is only available on Windows;
• another one may be to use a workaround using xdotool for Linux, as suggested here. It seems that there is a Windows version, xdotool-for-windows, so it may be a solution that would work for both OS.

At the risk of disappointing you all 😉, I do not plan to implement this enhancement for now.

[roadelou]

I don't have a copy of Windows available, but I think this might be because of the start command.

I had inferred that start runs the given command in a new shell, but from what you are saying it might be that it actually runs into a new graphical terminal :computer:

Because internally you are trying to run a file that is not executable, my guess is that the process crashes before the terminal has time for visually appear, and the only artifact of its existence is that the focus has moved to the now defunct window.

I might be wrong though, as I don't have Windows to test it I cannot tell for sure :smile:

Maybe that running the file directly in the subprocess (without the start command) would solve this?

# So changing from this
Popen("start /WAIT $file", shell=True)
# To this
Popen("$file", shell=True)

This may or may not do the trick.