Can Automation Blocks import clips into a sequence from a spreadsheet using "file name starts with..." instead of the exact clip name?

Question

Looking for a way to import clips using a “starts with” filename match (Premiere Pro / Automation Blocks / spreadsheet-driven workflows)I’m using Automation Blocks for Premiere Pro to automatically pull video clips into a sequence based on file paths generated from a spreadsheet.Previous workflow (worked well):	All footage was shot on one camera.			Filenames followed a simple, predictable pattern (e.g. 1J1A0001.MP4, 1J1A0002.MP4, etc.).			While filming, I logged the clip number in Excel.			A formula built the full file path (path + prefix + clip number + extension).			Automation Blocks could find each clip via an exact filename match and import it into a sequence.	New issue:	I added a second camera (Canon R5C recording .mxf).			Canon filenames are much longer and include metadata (date, UUID, etc.).			The clip number itself still matches what I log in Excel, but it’s now embedded inside a longer filename.			Because Automation Blocks requires an exact filename match, I can’t reliably reconstruct the full filename via a formula anymore.	What I’m trying to solve:Instead of requiring an exact filename match, I’m hoping to find:	a way (in Automation Blocks, Premiere Pro, or another tool) to pull clips from a file path using a “starts with” / partial filename match			e.g. “import the first clip in this folder whose name starts with B_0012”	*Ideally avoiding renaming media if possible, since the clip numbers already align with my logs Has anyone found a way to use partial filename matching with Automation Blocks or implement a similar spreadsheet-to-timeline automation that doesn’t rely on exact filename equality? Any insight, workarounds, or alternative tools would be hugely appreciated!

Mathias Moehl · Answer

Sorry for the delayed reply. Since the forum migration, I apparently stopped receiving notifications for some Automation Blocks questions, so I’m only catching up on them now.

Yes, this should be possible, but probably not with a simple “exact file path from spreadsheet” approach.

Instead of letting the spreadsheet generate the full exact filename, I would change the workflow a bit:

For each row in the spreadsheet, you could read the folder path and the clip number/prefix, then let Automation Blocks loop over all files in that folder and search for the first file whose name matches the pattern.

The relevant blocks would be:

For Each Row/Column of Spreadsheet to read the spreadsheet row by row
List of Files to get all files in the target folder
Search in Text to check whether a filename starts with, or contains, a certain pattern
For All RegExp Matches if you need more advanced regular-expression matching

For a simple “starts with” search, you could check whether the file name starts with something like B_0012.

For more flexible Canon-style names, regular expressions are probably the best solution. For example, depending on the exact naming pattern, you could search for something like:

^B_0012.*\.mxf$

or, if the clip number is somewhere inside the filename:

.*B_0012.*\.mxf$

So the basic structure would be:

Read the clip number/prefix from the spreadsheet.
Get the list of files in the target folder.
Loop over those files.
Test each filename against the prefix/regular expression.
When a match is found, use that file path for the import/insert workflow.

So in short: Automation Blocks does not need to rely on exact filename equality here. You can build a small matching step first and then continue with the matching file.

The main thing to be careful about is ambiguity: if more than one file matches the same prefix, the script needs a rule for what to do — for example, use the first match, show an error, or ask the user to choose.

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