g.rename(1grass)

💖 g.rename — the manual page, but make it cute 💖

okay bestie, gather round, because today we are talking about g.rename(1grass) — yes that's the real name, that's how the cool kids cite it, and yes it's exactly as iconic as it sounds. ✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

g.rename — renames data base element files in the user's current mapset.

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🎀 KEYWORDS 🎀

general, map management, rename

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

g.rename
g.rename --help
g.rename  [raster=from,to]   [raster_3d=from,to]   [vector=from,to]
[label=from,to]   [region=from,to]   [group=from,to]   [--overwrite]
[--help]  [--verbose]  [--quiet]  [--ui]

🌈 Flags:

• --overwrite — let output files just bulldoze right over existing files, no questions asked
• --help — prints the usage summary so you're not out here guessing
• --verbose — verbose module output, aka it tells you everything it's doing
• --quiet — quiet module output, aka it says nothing, mysterious queen behavior
• --ui — forces the GUI dialog to launch, for the visual girlies

Parameters:

• raster=from,to — raster map(s) to be renamed
• raster_3d=from,to — 3D raster map(s) to be renamed
• vector=from,to — vector map(s) to be renamed
• label=from,to — paint label file(s) to be renamed
• region=from,to — region definition(s) to be renamed
• group=from,to — imagery group(s) to be renamed

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🌼 DESCRIPTION 🌼

so like, g.rename lets you rename data base element files in the user's current mapset. that's the whole vibe. 🦋

you can hand g.rename every single thing it needs straight on the command line, by specifying:

• the type of data base element you wanna rename — one or more of: raster, raster_3d, vector, icon, labels, region, and group
• the specific file element in the current mapset you're renaming (that's the old one)
• and the new name you're assigning to this file element (new) in the current mapset

then the file element old gets renamed to new. done. slay. 💅

not me knowing you can also just type g.rename --help with zero arguments and get a whole menu of existing data base element types and files to pick from for possible renaming. menu below, no cap:

      raster   raster map(s) to be renamed
   raster_3d   3D raster map(s) to be renamed
      vector   vector map(s) to be renamed
      labels   paint label file(s) to be renamed
      region   region definition(s) to be renamed
       group   imagery group(s) to be renamed

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⭐ NOTES ⭐

• if a data base element has support files (like, super commonly the case with raster maps), those support files get renamed too. the whole entourage travels together, iykyk. 💜
• if you try to rename a file to itself by setting the new name equal to the old name — like g.rename raster=soils,soils — g.rename will not do the rename. instead it'll just tell you that no rename is needed. rude but fair. 🙈
• BUT — g.rename will let you overwrite other existing files in the current mapset by making the new file name that of an already existing file. yes, really. proceed with your main character energy and maybe some caution. 😭
• for portability reasons, g.rename is ignoring case of names. so if you wanna change the case of a map name, first rename the map to a name that differs by more than just case, then rename it to the name you actually wanted. two-step. little dance. iconic. 🎀

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🌈 EXAMPLE 🌈

# rename raster map
g.rename raster=oldrast,newrast
# rename vector map
g.rename vector=oldvect,newvect
# combined renaming
g.rename raster=oldrast,newrast vector=oldvect,newvect

look at that combined renaming. she's doing both at once. 🌟

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🫶 SEE ALSO 🫶

g.copy, g.list, g.remove

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👑 AUTHOR 👑

Michael Shapiro, U.S.Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

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🔥 SOURCE CODE 🔥

Available at: g.rename source code (history)

Latest change: Thursday May 08 14:35:40 2025 in commit: 9528b1e38ba37992c1597a979dc3efbb07b74ec5

Main index | General index | Topics index | Keywords index | Graphical index | Full index

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and that's the whole page bestie!! 💖 this loveliness is © 2003-2026 GRASS Development Team, straight out of the GRASS 8.5.0 Reference Manual, and yes the version really is GRASS 8.5.0 — the g.rename(1grass) agenda stays winning. mwah. 💅✨🌸