Sometimes you want to automate system tasks with scripts that need to be executed in a specific order. Then you need to edit your process and the numbering is not correct anymore. The following script will help to number your roughly ordered files by providing the necessary move command string.

The Script

#!/bin/bash
# This script sorts files in a directory and creates move commands to number them.
# Copyright 2010 by Reiner Rottmann. Released under BSD license.
#
d=${1%/*}
sep="-"
cnt=0
if [ -z "$1" ]; then
 pat="*"
else
 pat="$1"
fi
for f in $pat
do
 f=${f##*/}
 if [ $cnt -ge 0 ] && [ $cnt -lt 10 ]; then
 dst=00$cnt$sep"$f"
 elif [ $cnt -ge 10 ] && [ $cnt -lt 100 ]; then
 dst=0$cnt$sep"$f"
 else
 dst=$cnt$sep"$f"
 fi
 echo mv "$d"/"$f" "$d"/"$dst"
 cnt=$(($cnt + 1))
done

The Script in Action

$ ls /tmp/test
apple.schema        core.schema        fmserver.schema 
microsoft.ext.schema    nadf.schema        ppolicy.schema
apple_auxillary.schema    cosine.schema        inetorgperson.schema
microsoft.schema    netinfo.schema        samba.schema
collective.schema    duaconf.schema        java.schema
microsoft.std.schema    nis.schema
corba.schema        dyngroup.schema        krb5-kdc.schema
misc.schema        openldap.schema

$ ./fn "/tmp/test/*"
mv /tmp/test/apple.schema /tmp/test/000-apple.schema
mv /tmp/test/apple_auxillary.schema /tmp/test/001-apple_auxillary.schema
mv /tmp/test/collective.schema /tmp/test/002-collective.schema
mv /tmp/test/corba.schema /tmp/test/003-corba.schema
mv /tmp/test/core.schema /tmp/test/004-core.schema
mv /tmp/test/cosine.schema /tmp/test/005-cosine.schema
mv /tmp/test/duaconf.schema /tmp/test/006-duaconf.schema
mv /tmp/test/dyngroup.schema /tmp/test/007-dyngroup.schema
mv /tmp/test/fmserver.schema /tmp/test/008-fmserver.schema
mv /tmp/test/inetorgperson.schema /tmp/test/009-inetorgperson.schema
mv /tmp/test/java.schema /tmp/test/010-java.schema
mv /tmp/test/krb5-kdc.schema /tmp/test/011-krb5-kdc.schema
mv /tmp/test/microsoft.ext.schema /tmp/test/012-microsoft.ext.schema
mv /tmp/test/microsoft.schema /tmp/test/013-microsoft.schema
mv /tmp/test/microsoft.std.schema /tmp/test/014-microsoft.std.schema
mv /tmp/test/misc.schema /tmp/test/015-misc.schema
mv /tmp/test/nadf.schema /tmp/test/016-nadf.schema
mv /tmp/test/netinfo.schema /tmp/test/017-netinfo.schema
mv /tmp/test/nis.schema /tmp/test/018-nis.schema
mv /tmp/test/openldap.schema /tmp/test/019-openldap.schema
mv /tmp/test/ppolicy.schema /tmp/test/020-ppolicy.schema
mv /tmp/test/samba.schema /tmp/test/021-samba.schema