Renames CSV files of iMessages extracted with iExplorer from iTunes backup and prints start and end date of conversations.

imsg-cleaner.py

#!/usr/bin/env python
#coding=utf-8
#
#  imsg-cleaner.py
#
#  Renames CSV files of iMessages extracted with iExplorer from iTunes backup and prints start and end date of conversations.
#
#  Created by Raphael Schaad on 2013-12.
#  This is free and unencumbered software released into the public domain.
#
#  Usage: $ python imsg-cleaner.py <path/to/csv/directory>
#

import sys
from os import listdir
import os
import datetime

start_date = None
end_date = None

dir_path = sys.argv[1]
for filename in listdir(dir_path):
	src_path = os.path.join(dir_path, filename)

	# Remove double-spaces and space before file extension.
	dst_filename = filename.replace('  ', ' ')
	dst_filename = dst_filename.replace(' .csv', '.csv')
	dst_path = os.path.join(dir_path, dst_filename)
	if src_path != dst_path:
		print('Renaming "' + filename + '" to "' + dst_filename + '"')
		os.rename(src_path, dst_path)

	# Find start and end date of conversations. Date example: Mar 1, 2012, 12:43:50 AM
	file_handler = open(dst_path, 'r')
	file_lines = file_handler.readlines()
	for file_line in file_lines:
		values = file_line.split('","')
		for value in values:
			try:
				date_time = datetime.datetime.strptime(value, '%b %d, %Y, %I:%M:%S %p')
				date = datetime.datetime.strftime(date_time, '%Y-%m-%d')
				if start_date == None or date < start_date:
					start_date = date
				if end_date == None or date > end_date:
					end_date = date
			except:
				continue
	file_handler.close()

print ('start date: ' + start_date)
print ('end date: ' + end_date)