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  1. Work with source code
  2. Refactor code
  3. Rename refactorings

Rename refactorings

Last modified: 31 January 2023

Shortcut for the action: Shift+F6

General refactoring settings: Settings | Editor | General

In-place refactoring is available

Use the Rename refactoring to change names of symbols, files, and all the references to them throughout code.

Renaming local variables or private methods can be done easily inline since only the limited scope is affected. Renaming classes or public methods could potentially impact a lot of files. Preview potential changes before you refactor.

tip

When you rename methods that are declared in interfaces, you can also review and rename their implementations as well. The refactoring changes are displayed on the Refactoring Preview tab in the Find tool window.

Rename code in place

  1. In the editor start renaming a code element. PyCharm will display the Rename the usages of icon in the gutter.

  2. Click the gutter icon or press Alt+Enter and apply a suggestion.

    Rename inline

    You might be prompted to confirm changes in comments.

    Applying rename refactoring to comments

    Once you confirm your choice, PyCharm renames the code element and updates its usages accordingly.

    Rename refactoring result

Rename a code element

  1. In the editor, select an element you want to rename. If you need to rename a file, select one in the Project tool window.

  2. Press Shift+F6 or from the main menu, select Refactor | Rename.

  3. You can perform the rename refactoring in-place or press Shift+F6 again to open the Rename dialog. Enter a new name of the element to enable the Preview and Refactor buttons.

    The Rename dialog

    You can specify additional options. For example, specify where to search for element occurrences, or what else to rename. You can also specify a scope for the refactoring.

  4. Click Preview to see the potential changes or click Refactor.

    When you click Preview, PyCharm opens the Find tool window with the results of found usages where you can check the results and confirm the refactoring (Do Refactor).

Next time you invoke the Rename refactoring, PyCharm remembers the options you have specified inside the Rename dialog.

note

You cannot rename the .idea project directory since PyCharm always reads the project files from the directory with that exact name. Also you cannot rename any element that is defined outside of the project, for example, in an imported package.

tip

To rename just a part of variable and not the whole thing, clear the Preselect old name option located in Settings | Editor | General in the Refactorings section.

Examples

Let's rename a method:

Before

After

import datetime


def  was_published_today(self):
    return  self.pub_date.date () == datetime.date.today()
import datetime


def  published_today(self):
    return  self.pub_date.date () == datetime.date.today()

See also

Reference