Auto Image Upload Rename

Automatically clean uploaded image filenames by converting to lowercase, removing special characters, and adding a unique identifier. Turn “Screenshot 2024-03-15 at 9.23.45 AM.png” into “screenshot-2024-03-15-at-9-23-45-am-x7k.png”.

Use Cases#

• Convert camera filenames like DSC_0001.jpg to readable, SEO-friendly names
• Clean up messy client uploads with spaces and special characters
• Ensure server compatibility by removing problematic characters

How It Works#

This is a toggle module — enable it and all future image uploads are automatically renamed. No configuration needed.

When an image is uploaded:

1. Filename converted to lowercase
2. Spaces and special characters replaced with hyphens
3. Multiple hyphens collapsed to single hyphens
4. 3-character unique ID appended to prevent collisions
5. Clean filename used for the upload

Examples#

What Gets Cleaned#

Characters Preserved#

These characters remain in filenames:

• Lowercase letters (a-z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Hyphens (-)
• Underscores (_)
• Periods (.)
• @ symbol

The Unique ID#

Every renamed file gets a 3-character unique identifier:

product-photo-x7k.jpg
                ^^^
                Unique ID

This prevents filename collisions when uploading multiple files with similar names. Without it, uploading three “product.jpg” files would create “product.jpg”, “product-1.jpg”, “product-2.jpg”. With the ID, each gets a unique name from the start.

Length Limit#

Filenames are limited to 50 characters (before extension) to prevent issues with long paths and certain servers.

Long filenames are truncated cleanly:

this-is-a-very-long-filename-that-exceeds-the-maximum-allowed-length.jpg
→ this-is-a-very-long-filename-that-exceeds-the-m-k2f.jpg

Why Clean Filenames Matter#

SEO Benefits#

Search engines use filenames as signals. red-running-shoes.jpg tells Google more than IMG_4521.jpg.

Server Compatibility#

Some servers struggle with spaces, special characters, or non-ASCII characters in filenames. Clean names prevent 404 errors and broken images.

Easier Management#

Clean, consistent filenames are easier to find and manage when browsing files via FTP or file managers.

URL Readability#

Image URLs become human-readable:

Bad:  /uploads/Screenshot%202024-03-15%20at%209.23.45%20AM.png
Good: /uploads/screenshot-2024-03-15-at-9-23-45-am-f2p.png

What’s Not Changed#

• File extension — .jpg stays .jpg
• File content — Only the name changes, not the image
• Existing files — Only new uploads are renamed

FAQ#