When organizing project materials, customer files, annual ledgers, or departmental directories, many people need to repeatedly create the same set of folder structures multiple times. Manually creating them one by one is not only slow but also prone to omissions or errors in hierarchy levels. This article explains how to use the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool " to batch-create multiple independent new folders based on an existing template folder, with support for retaining only the folder structure without copying internal files. After reading, you will be able to quickly perform tasks such as batch directory generation and batch replication of hierarchical structures, significantly reducing repetitive work and improving file organization efficiency.
In daily office work, many people encounter this scenario: a standard folder structure has been organized, and next, dozens or even hundreds of directories with the same structure need to be created repeatedly by year, client, project, class, store, or batch. For example, each year requires the same reference directory, and each client needs a unified archiving hierarchy. If you manually create new folders level by level, it is not only time-consuming but also prone to problems like missed creation, inconsistent naming, and hierarchical errors.
What this article aims to solve is the problem of batch creating multiple new folders based on a template folder. Using the relevant function in the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can use an existing folder as a template to batch generate many independent new folders at once, and optionally keep only the folder structure, which is highly suitable for standardized data organization and batch file creation.
Applicable Scenarios
If you have the following needs, this function will be very practical:
- Batch create reference directories by year, such as 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025;
- Batch create client archive folders by client name;
- Batch generate project reference directories by project number;
- Batch replicate a unified directory structure by department, store, class, or region;
- Need to preserve the folder hierarchy from the template but do not want to copy the sample files along with it.
It essentially falls under a typical batch file processing in office software scenario: automating repetitive folder creation actions to reduce manual operations.
Effect Preview
Before Processing: Existing Template Folder
From the screenshot, we can see that there is a test folder in the original directory, which contains three folders: A, B, C. Each folder also contains its own subfolder structure:
- Under A: A-001, A-002, A-003
- Under B: B1, B2, B3
- Under C: C1, C2, C3
This indicates that A, B, and C are ready-made template folders, each with its respective subdirectory structure.
After Processing: Batch Generate Multiple New Directories
After processing, you can see in the output directory:
- Under the A folder, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 were batch generated
- Under the B folder, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 were also generated
- Similarly, under the C folder, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 were generated
Furthermore, upon expansion, you can discover that each newly created name inherits the original template's subfolder structure. For instance, 2001 under A still contains A-001, A-002, A-003.
In other words, what this function achieves is: based on an existing folder structure, batch replicate and generate multiple new folder names while retaining the original directory hierarchy.
Operating Steps
Step 1: Enter the "Batch Create New Folders Based on Existing Folders" Function
After opening the office software HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can see categories like "File Organization" on the left side. On the main interface, there is a function card named: Batch Create New Folders Based on Existing Folders.
The description of this function is roughly: Batch replicate many existing folders, and support customizing new folder names. Click to enter and start the operation.
Purpose of this step: Find the correct function entry to enter the batch folder creation processing workflow.
Expected result: Enter a step-by-step operating interface, where you will subsequently complete record selection, processing option settings, save location settings, and start processing.
Step 2: Add Folders to Be Used as Templates
After entering the function page, you are currently on Step 1 "Select records for processing." You can see the "Add Folder" button on the top right of the interface.
Click "Add Folder" to add the folders you need to use as templates to the list. In the screenshot, 3 records have been added, which are:
- A, path is D:\test\A\
- B, path is D:\test\B\
- C, path is D:\test\C\
The list also displays creation time and modification time, making it convenient to confirm whether the selected directories are correct.
Purpose of this step: Tell the software which folders need to have their structure batch copied.
Expected result: The template folders appear in the list. After confirming they are correct, click "Next" at the bottom.
Step 3: Set Processing Options and Input a New Name List
After entering Step 2 "Set Processing Options," you can see two key pieces of information:
- A toggle option: Ignore all files, keep only folder structure
- A required field: New Name List
In the screenshot, what is filled in the "New Name List" is:
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
This means the software will batch create directories corresponding to these 5 new names based on each template folder.
At the same time, the interface emphasizes "Ignore all files, keep only folder structure." Judging from the before and after effects, this is precisely the key to the scenario in this article: only copy the folder hierarchy, not the file content inside the template. This is more suitable for establishing blank archive frameworks, project directory frameworks, or annual archiving directories.
Purpose of this step: Set batch generation rules, telling the software which new folder names to create and whether to keep only the directory structure.
Expected result: The software will batch generate corresponding new directories for each template folder based on the name list.
Practical advice:
- Enter one name per line for easy batch recognition by the software;
- Names can be years, numbers, client names, project codes, etc.;
- If you only want to copy the hierarchical structure, it is recommended to enable "Ignore all files, keep only folder structure."
Step 4: Set the Save Location and Start Processing
From the process navigation, you can see that the next step is Set Save Location, followed by Start Processing. Although the screenshot does not expand the specific configuration area for the save location, it can be reasonably inferred from the processing result image that the software will output the results to a new directory, such as the hesoft-output folder in the screenshot.
After completing the save location settings, proceed to "Start Processing" to execute the batch creation.
Purpose of this step: Specify the output directory to avoid mixing with the original template folders, making it easier to verify the processing results.
Expected result: The software generates the new folder structure after batch creation in the specified location.
Step 5: Check the Batch Generation Results
After processing is complete, it is recommended to open the output directory for inspection. According to the screenshot, the final result is:
- Under A, 2001 to 2005 are generated, and each name contains A-001, A-002, A-003
- Under B, 2001 to 2005 are generated, with B1, B2, B3 retained under each name
- Under C, 2001 to 2005 are generated, with C1, C2, C3 retained under each name
This indicates that the software has successfully completed batch creating many independent folders based on the template folders, while maintaining the original directory structure.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. Does this copy files or the folder structure?
From the options in the screenshot, you can choose to ignore all files and keep only the folder structure. If your goal is to build an empty directory framework, it is recommended to use this option to avoid copying historical files, sample documents, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .pdf, images, and other content from the template together.
2. How to fill in the new name list more standardly?
It is recommended to put one name per line and try to unify naming rules in advance. For example, always use four-digit years, unified client abbreviations, or unified project numbers. This way, the directories generated in batch will be neater and more conducive to subsequent searching and archiving.
3. Why is it recommended to set the output location separately?
Outputting to a separate new directory can avoid confusion with the original template and make it convenient for you to uniformly check the results after processing. If the template directory is important, keeping it as is is safer.
4. Which scenarios are most suitable for this function?
Any task where "the same set of directories needs to be repeated many times" is suitable. Examples include annual data folders, project archiving folders, contract folders, client document folders, school class folders, etc.
5. Should I check the template folder before use?
It is recommended to first confirm that the template hierarchy has been organized. Because after batch creation, the new directories will inherit the template structure. If the naming in the template hierarchy is not standardized, it will also be retained after batch generation.
Summary
For office scenarios that require repeatedly establishing directory structures, manually creating new folders is a typical low-efficiency repetitive task. Using the Batch Create New Folders Based on Existing Folders function in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can expand existing template folders into many independent new directories at once, and optionally keep only the folder structure without copying internal files.
The value of doing this is very direct: batch process folders, unify naming, reduce missed creation, and improve organization speed. If you often need to create standard directories by year, client, project, or number, it is recommended to directly make commonly used structures into templates, and then use this function for batch generation. The efficiency will be much higher than manual operation.
Now you can first prepare a set of standard template folders, then organize a list of new names, follow the steps in this article, and quickly complete the task of batch creating folders.