Default name for dired copy and rename

Question

I wonder if it is possible to change the following functions:

dired-do-rename
dired-do-copy

such that when I operate on a single file, it prompts the selected file's name as the default target name.

Most of my files have long names, when I copy/rename a file, I usually copy/rename it to a similar name. It's painful to type the entire name or copy it from the original file.

Thanks a lot for any suggestions!

Hm... tangent, but take a look at wdired-mode. It's awesome. — PythonNut, Feb 17 '15 at 05:04
What about typing the first letter then TAB key, to auto insert the source name, then move your cursor wherever necessary for modifying the name? — Nsukami _, Feb 17 '15 at 05:16
Related: Similar question about copy/rename when doing C-x C-w. — Kaushal Modi, Feb 17 '15 at 05:21
The first answer solves my problem. The function we need to call is M-n: (next-history-element) — DataHungry, Feb 17 '15 at 05:28

score 9 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 17 '15 at 05:17

The ability to set the "copy to" or "rename/move to" name same as the original name is already built in.

Initiate the copy or move (rename) in dired
(only for ido users) C-f or C-x C-f - kick out of ido mode
M-n - That will give you the current file/dir name

General tip that applies everywhere in emacs: Whenever you are hunting for a default that you think should be present, try out M-n or M-p.

Default name for dired copy and rename

1 Answers1