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Conditional File Selection with Find Expressions ​

The find expression feature allows you to select files for renaming based on powerful, custom conditions. Instead of just matching filenames, you can filter files using their metadata with -f/--find.

The core idea is to provide an expression that evaluates to either true or false for each file. Only the files for which the expression is true will be included in the renaming operation.

Syntax ​

The general syntax is:

text
-f '{{<variable>} <operator> <value>}'

When comparing string values, you need need to wrap them in double quotes or backticks:

text
-f '{"{<string_variable>}" == "some_text"}'

The <variable> part refers to all the built-in variables supported by F2.

F2's find expressions support is backed by goval so see their documentation to learn more about the supported <operator>s.

Note that any selected files will have their entire filename replaced but you can control this by chaining multiple file/replace operations:

text
f2 -f '<find_expression> -r '{f}{ext}' -f '<regex_expression>' -r '<new_name>'

1. Filtering by Time and Date ​

A common task is to manage files based on their age. You can use the .since attribute, which provides the number of seconds since the file's timestamp.

Select files older than 30 days ​

The expression calculates 30 days in seconds (30 * 86400) and compares it to the file's birth time:

bash
# Select files with a birth time greater than 30 days ago
f2 -f '{{btime.since} > (30 * 86400)}'

Select images created less than a year ago ​

This example uses the creation date from EXIF data (x.cdt):

bash
# Select images with a creation date less than 365 days ago
f2 -f '{{x.cdt.since} < (365 * 86400)}'

2. Filtering by Image EXIF Data ​

Find expressions are incredibly useful for photographers and anyone working with large image collections.

Select files from a specific camera model ​

bash
# Note the quotes
f2 -f '{"{x.model}" == "Canon EOS 5D Mark III"}'

Select images from a list of camera brands ​

bash
f2 -f '{"{x.make}" in ["SONY", "CANON"]}'

Select only high-ISO images ​

bash
f2 -f '{{x.iso > 2000}}'

3. Organizing a Downloads Folder ​

You can combine find expressions with other f2 flags to create powerful workflows. This example moves files and directories older than 30 days into organized year/month subdirectories, while excluding any directories that have already been organized (e.g., 2024, 2025).

bash
f2 -E '^20\d{2}$' -d -f '{{btime.since} > (30 * 86400)}' -r '{btime.YYYY}/{btime.MM}/{f}{ext}'

Let's break it down:

  • -E '^20\d{2}$': Excludes any items whose names look like a year (e.g., "2024", "2025") to avoid recursive moving.

  • -d: Includes directories in the operation.

  • -f '{{btime.since} > (30 * 86400)}': The find expression that selects only items older than 30 days.

  • -r '{btime.YYYY}/{btime.MM}/{f}{ext}': The rename pattern that moves the selected files into a Year/Month/ directory structure.

Supported Functions ​

These functions can be used inside find expressions to perform more complex comparisons and data transformations.

  • strlen: Calculates the number of characters in a string.

    bash
    f2 -f '{strlen({xt.FileName}) > 15}'

  • dur: Parses a duration string (like "2d", "1h30m") and converts it into the total number of seconds.

    bash
    f2 -f '{{btime.since} < dur("2d")}'

  • contains: Checks if a string contains a specific substring. This function is case-sensitive.

    bash
    f2 -f '{contains("{f}", "night-shoot")}'

  • size: Parses a human-readable file size string (e.g., "2.5 MB", "512 kB") and converts it into bytes.

    bash
    f2 -f '{size("{xt.FileSize}") > size("50MB")}'

  • matches: Checks if a string matches a given regular expression.

    bash
    f2 -f '{matches("{f}", "^DSC_\\d{4}$")}'