renamify rename

The rename command is the fastest way to rename terms in your codebase. It combines planning and applying in a single interactive command with preview and confirmation.

Usage

renamify rename <OLD> <NEW> [PATHS]... [OPTIONS]

Arguments

• <OLD> - Old identifier to replace
• <NEW> - New identifier to replace with
• [PATHS]... - Search paths (files or directories)

Options

Preview and Confirmation

• --preview <FORMAT> - Show preview before confirmation (table, diff, json, none) [default: table]
• --dry-run - Show preview only, don’t apply changes
• --large - Acknowledge large changes (>500 files or >100 renames)

File Processing

• --include <PATTERNS> - Only process files matching these glob patterns
• --exclude <PATTERNS> - Skip files matching these glob patterns
• --no-rename-files - Don’t rename matching files
• --no-rename-dirs - Don’t rename matching directories

Root Directory

• --rename-root - Allow renaming the root project directory (requires confirmation)
• --no-rename-root - Never rename the root project directory

Case Styles

• --exclude-styles <STYLES> - Exclude specific case styles from the default set
• --include-styles <STYLES> - Add additional case styles to the active set
• --only-styles <STYLES> - Use only these case styles, ignoring defaults

Match Control

• --exclude-match <PATTERNS> - Skip specific matches (e.g., compound words to ignore)
• --exclude-matching-lines <REGEX> - Skip matches on lines matching this regex pattern

Acronym Handling

• --no-acronyms - Disable acronym detection and transformation
• --include-acronyms <ACRONYMS> - Add custom acronyms to detect (e.g., “API,URL”)
• --exclude-acronyms <ACRONYMS> - Exclude specific acronyms from detection
• --only-acronyms <ACRONYMS> - Only use these acronyms, ignore defaults

Display Options

• --fixed-table-width - Use fixed column widths in table output for consistent formatting

Safety and Git

• --commit - Create a git commit after applying changes
• --force-with-conflicts - Force apply even with conflicts
• --confirm-collisions - Confirm case-insensitive or collision renames

Unrestricted Mode

• -u - Disable .gitignore files
• -uu - Disable all ignore files, include hidden files
• -uuu - Disable all ignore files, include hidden files, process binary files

Examples

Basic Rename

# Rename with automatic preview and confirmation
renamify rename getUserName fetchUserProfile

# Or specify specific paths
renamify rename getUserName fetchUserProfile src/ tests/

Specific File Types

# Only process TypeScript files using patterns
renamify rename oldName newName --include "**/*.{ts,tsx}"

# Or use specific paths
renamify rename oldName newName src/components/ src/utils/

Exclude Certain Areas

# Skip test files and node_modules
renamify rename oldApi newApi \
  --exclude "**/*test*,node_modules/**"

Case Style Control

# Only handle camelCase and PascalCase (common in React projects)
renamify rename oldComponent newComponent \
  --only-styles camel,pascal

With Git Commit

# Automatically commit changes after applying
renamify rename old_function new_function --commit

Project-Wide Rename

# Rename entire project including root directory
renamify rename myproject awesome_project \
  --rename-root \
  --commit

Exclude Specific Matches

# Skip compound words that contain your pattern
renamify rename config settings \
  --exclude-match ConfigurationManager,ConfigService

Interactive Flow

When you run rename, this is what happens:

1. Scanning: Renamify scans your codebase for matches
2. Preview: Shows a table/diff of all planned changes
3. Confirmation: Prompts “Apply these changes? [y/N]:”
4. Apply: If confirmed, applies changes atomically
5. Results: Shows operation ID for potential undo

Example Session

$ renamify rename getUserName fetchUserProfile

Files to modify: 12
┌─────────────────────────────────────┬──────────┬────────────────────┬─────────────────────┐
│ File                                │ Lines    │ Old                │ New                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼──────────┼────────────────────┼─────────────────────┤
│ src/auth.js                         │ 23, 45   │ getUserName        │ fetchUserProfile    │
│ src/auth.js                         │ 12       │ get_user_name      │ fetch_user_profile  │
│ components/UserProfile.tsx          │ 89       │ GetUserName        │ FetchUserProfile    │
└─────────────────────────────────────┴──────────┴────────────────────┴─────────────────────┘

Files to rename: 2
┌─────────────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Current Path                        │ New Path                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ utils/get-user-name.js              │ utils/fetch-user-profile.js         │
│ tests/getUserName.test.js           │ tests/fetchUserProfile.test.js      │
└─────────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────┘

Apply these changes? [y/N]: y
✅ Applied successfully! Operation ID: abc123-20241201-143022

When to Use rename vs plan/apply

Use rename when:

• Making smaller, focused changes
• You want immediate feedback and confirmation
• Working interactively and want speed
• The preview looks correct and you’re confident

Use plan/apply when:

• Making large, complex renaming operations
• You need time to review the plan thoroughly
• Working with teammates who need to review changes
• You want to save and potentially modify the plan

Safety Features

The rename command includes all of Renamify’s safety features:

• Atomic operations: All changes succeed or none do
• Automatic backups: Created before applying changes
• Conflict detection: Warns about potential issues
• Undo support: Use renamify undo <id> to revert

Exit Codes

• 0 - Success
• 1 - Conflicts detected (use --force-with-conflicts to override)
• 2 - Invalid input or arguments
• 3 - Internal error or system issue