Question

when I run the program from the command line I get no errors and it seems to execute, but nothing happens! I’m ready to stab my eyes out from staring at code for so long. I just want this to work so I can turn it in and be done with this assignment.

The program is supposed to run as follows.

python bulk.py (directory name) (name for files)

import os
import sys
import random


def filterByExtension(root, allfiles, extensions):
  matching = []
  ext = []
  for i in allfiles:
    name = i
    dot = name.rfind('.')
    ext = name[dot+1:].lower()
    if ext not in extensions:
      continue
    path = os.path.join(root, name)
    if not os.path.isfile(path):
      print "Warning: File type not expected"
      continue
      if os.path.isfile(path):
        matching.append(name)
  return matching    

def sortByMTime(path, matching):
  presort = []
  for file in matching:
    path = os.path.join(path, file)
    mtime = os.path.getmtime(path)
    presort.append((mtime, file))
    presort.sort()
  return presort
  print "Here is the presorted shtuff",presort


def assignNames(prefix, inorder):
  count = ''
  digits = 0
  count = str(len(inorder))
  digits = len(count)
  template = '%%0%dd' % digits
  newnames = {}
  count = 0
  for i in inorder:
    count += 1
    s = template % count
    newnames[i[1]] = prefix+s+'.'+i[1].split('.')[1]
  return newnames
  print "Here are the new names that will be used",newnames


def makeTempName(allfiles):
  n = random.randint(1, 1000000000)
  t = '__temp' + str(n) + '__'
  while t in allfiles:
    n += 1
    t = '__temp' + str(n) + '__'
  return t



def makeScript(inorder, newnames, tempname):
  script = []
  print
  print "a" 
  print
  for elt in inorder:
    print 
    print "b"
    print
    chain = []
    inthechain = {}
    if elt not in newnames:
      continue
    if newnames[elt] == elt:
      del newnames[elt]
      continue
    if newnames[elt] not in newnames:
      print "This is the script output inside the if statement:"
      print script
      script.append( (elt,newnames[elt]) )
      del newnames[elt]
      continue
    else:
      link = elt
      while True:
        target = newnames[elt]
        chain.append( (link,target) )
        inthechain[link] = True
        link = target
        if link not in newnames:
          break 

        chain.reverse()
        print "this is the chain output before loop:"
    print chain
    for ( a, b ) in chain:
          print "This is the output of chain:"
          print chain
          script.append( a, b )
          del newnames[a]


          print 'here is the inthechain output in function'
          print inthechain
          print '=========================================='

          print 'here is the inorder output in function'
          print inorder
          print '=========================================='

          print 'here is the newnames output in function'
          print newnames
          print '=========================================='

          print 'here is the tempname output in function'
          print tempname
          print '=========================================='

          print 'here is the script output in function'
          print script
          print '=========================================='
  return script




def doRenames(pathfull, script):
  for entry in script:
    print entry[0], '->', entry[1]
    oldpath = os.path.join(path, entry[0])
    newpath = os.path.join(path, entry[1])
    if os.path.exists(newpath):
      print 'Error: file name already exists.'
      os.exit(1)
    else:
      os.rename(oldpath, newpath)




def main():
  directory = []
  prefix = []
  path = []
  tempname = []
  if len(sys.argv) <= 1 or len(sys.argv) > 3:
    print "You have messed up, please check your arguments again"
    sys.exit(1)

  elif len(sys.argv) == 3:    
    directory = sys.argv[1]
    path = os.path.abspath(directory)
    dirname = os.path.basename(path)
    print "Directory: ", sys.argv[1:-1]
    print "Prefix: ", sys.argv[-1]
    allfiles = []
    allfiles = os.listdir(sys.argv[1])
    print allfiles
    extensions = []
    extensions = ['jpeg','jpg','png','gif']
    matching = filterByExtension(path, allfiles, extensions)
    inorder = sortByMTime(path, matching)
    newnames = assignNames(prefix, inorder)
    tempname = makeTempName(allfiles)
    script = makeScript(inorder, newnames, tempname)
    renamed = doRenames(path, script)

  else:
    directory = sys.argv[1]
    path = os.path.abspath(directory)
    dirname = os.path.basename(path)    
    print "Directory: ", path
    print "Prefix: ", dirname









main()

Answer 1

No file names will ever be added to matching here:

if not os.path.isfile(path):
  print "Warning: File type not expected"
  continue
  if os.path.isfile(path):
    matching.append(name)

Probably you wanted to have the second if in the outer block, not indented under the first if:

if not os.path.isfile(path):
  print "Warning: File type not expected"
  continue
if os.path.isfile(path):
  matching.append(name)

Or, simpler:

if not os.path.isfile(path):
  print "Warning: File type not expected"
else:
  matching.append(name)