diff --git a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/internal/util/ShortFilenameUtil.java b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/internal/util/ShortFilenameUtil.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cc081da613
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/internal/util/ShortFilenameUtil.java
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+/**
+ * BSD-style license; for more info see http://pmd.sourceforge.net/license.html
+ */
+
+package net.sourceforge.pmd.internal.util;
+
+import java.io.File;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.nio.file.Paths;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.PMDConfiguration;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.cli.PMDParameters;
+
+public final class ShortFilenameUtil {
+
+    private ShortFilenameUtil() {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Determines the filename that should be used in the report depending on the
+     * option "shortnames". If the option is enabled, then the filename in the report
+     * is without the directory prefix of the directories, that have been analyzed.
+     * If the option "shortnames" is not enabled, then the inputFileName is returned as-is.
+     *
+     * @param inputPathPrefixes
+     * @param inputFileName
+     * @return
+     *
+     * @see PMDConfiguration#isReportShortNames()
+     * @see PMDParameters#isShortnames()
+     */
+    public static String determineFileName(List<String> inputPathPrefixes, String inputFileName) {
+        for (final String prefix : inputPathPrefixes) {
+            final Path prefPath = Paths.get(prefix).toAbsolutePath();
+            final String prefPathString = prefPath.toString();
+
+            if (inputFileName.startsWith(prefPathString)) {
+                if (prefPath.toFile().isDirectory()) {
+                    return trimAnyPathSep(inputFileName.substring(prefPathString.length()));
+                } else {
+                    if (inputFileName.indexOf(File.separatorChar) == -1) {
+                        return inputFileName;
+                    }
+                    return trimAnyPathSep(inputFileName.substring(prefPathString.lastIndexOf(File.separatorChar)));
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        return inputFileName;
+    }
+
+    private static String trimAnyPathSep(String name) {
+        return name != null && name.charAt(0) == File.separatorChar ? name.substring(1) : name;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/renderers/AbstractRenderer.java b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/renderers/AbstractRenderer.java
index 71420e8a78..6279575266 100644
--- a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/renderers/AbstractRenderer.java
+++ b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/renderers/AbstractRenderer.java
@@ -4,11 +4,8 @@
 
 package net.sourceforge.pmd.renderers;
 
-import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.Writer;
-import java.nio.file.Path;
-import java.nio.file.Paths;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 
@@ -16,6 +13,7 @@ import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
 
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.PMDConfiguration;
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.cli.PMDParameters;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.internal.util.ShortFilenameUtil;
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.properties.AbstractPropertySource;
 
 /**
@@ -88,27 +86,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRenderer extends AbstractPropertySource implements
      * @see PMDParameters#isShortnames()
      */
     protected String determineFileName(String inputFileName) {
-        for (final String prefix : inputPathPrefixes) {
-            final Path prefPath = Paths.get(prefix).toAbsolutePath();
-            final String prefPathString = prefPath.toString();
-
-            if (inputFileName.startsWith(prefPathString)) {
-                if (prefPath.toFile().isDirectory()) {
-                    return trimAnyPathSep(inputFileName.substring(prefPathString.length()));
-                } else {
-                    if (inputFileName.indexOf(File.separatorChar) == -1) {
-                        return inputFileName;
-                    }
-                    return trimAnyPathSep(inputFileName.substring(prefPathString.lastIndexOf(File.separatorChar)));
-                }
-            }
-        }
-
-        return inputFileName;
-    }
-
-    private String trimAnyPathSep(String name) {
-        return name != null && name.charAt(0) == File.separatorChar ? name.substring(1) : name;
+        return ShortFilenameUtil.determineFileName(inputPathPrefixes, inputFileName);
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/util/datasource/FileDataSource.java b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/util/datasource/FileDataSource.java
index b4bb31aa01..8f2bca6082 100644
--- a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/util/datasource/FileDataSource.java
+++ b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/util/datasource/FileDataSource.java
@@ -8,16 +8,15 @@ import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.nio.file.Files;
-import java.nio.file.Path;
-import java.nio.file.Paths;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.internal.util.ShortFilenameUtil;
 
 /**
  * DataSource implementation to read data from a file.
  */
 public class FileDataSource implements DataSource {
-
-    private static final String FILE_SEPARATOR = System.getProperty("file.separator");
-
     private final File file;
 
     /**
@@ -34,29 +33,16 @@ public class FileDataSource implements DataSource {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public String getNiceFileName(boolean shortNames, String inputFileName) {
-        return glomName(shortNames, inputFileName, file);
+    public String getNiceFileName(boolean shortNames, String inputPaths) {
+        return glomName(shortNames, inputPaths, file);
     }
 
-    private String glomName(boolean shortNames, String inputFileName, File file) {
+    private String glomName(boolean shortNames, String inputPaths, File file) {
         if (shortNames) {
-            if (inputFileName != null) {
-                for (final String prefix : inputFileName.split(",")) {
-                    final Path prefPath = Paths.get(prefix).toAbsolutePath();
-                    final String prefPathString = prefPath.toString();
-                    final String absoluteFilePath = file.getAbsolutePath();
-
-                    if (absoluteFilePath.startsWith(prefPathString)) {
-                        if (prefPath.toFile().isDirectory()) {
-                            return trimAnyPathSep(absoluteFilePath.substring(prefPathString.length()));
-                        } else {
-                            if (inputFileName.indexOf(FILE_SEPARATOR.charAt(0)) == -1) {
-                                return inputFileName;
-                            }
-                            return trimAnyPathSep(absoluteFilePath.substring(prefPathString.lastIndexOf(FILE_SEPARATOR)));
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
+            if (inputPaths != null) {
+                List<String> inputPathPrefixes = Arrays.asList(inputPaths.split(","));
+                final String absoluteFilePath = file.getAbsolutePath();
+                return ShortFilenameUtil.determineFileName(inputPathPrefixes, absoluteFilePath);
             } else {
                 // if the 'master' file is not specified, just use the file name
                 return file.getName();
@@ -70,11 +56,6 @@ public class FileDataSource implements DataSource {
         }
     }
 
-    private String trimAnyPathSep(String name) {
-
-        return name.startsWith(FILE_SEPARATOR) ? name.substring(1) : name;
-    }
-
     @Override
     public String toString() {
         return new StringBuilder(FileDataSource.class.getSimpleName())