truncate directory names to certain length

[Doran L. Barton]

Not long ago, Wade Preston Shearer proclaimed...
> I have a directory full of directories that are all named in the  
> following manner:
> 
> #####_alpha_name
> 
> 
> I need them renamed to just:
> 
> #####
> 
> 
> Is there an easy way via the command line to truncate them to just  
> the first five characters (which would be just their ID number)?

I'd use the 'cut' command:

    NEWNAME=`echo $FILE | cut -c1-5`

So, perhaps something like this:

for FILE in ?????_alpha_name
do
    NEWNAME=`echo $FILE | cut -c1-5`
    echo "$FILE => $NEWNAME"
    mv "$FILE" "$NEWNAME"
done

-- 
fozz at iodynamics.com is Doran L. Barton, president/CTO, Iodynamics LLC
Iodynamics: IT and Web services by Linux/Open Source specialists
 "When a passenger of the foot hove in view, tootle the horn; trumpet at
  him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage tootle
  him with vigor and express by word of mouth warning, 'Hi, Hi.'"
    -- Seen in a Tokyo traffic handbook
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