When there are similar but not exactly the same contents in multiple Word documents, it is time-consuming to open docx or doc files one by one to manually find for deletion. With the help HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can use regular expressions to fuzzy match text according to rules, such as batch deletion of three-digit capital letter abbreviations, number numbers, and so on. This article combines the pre-and post-processing effects and software operation steps to demonstrate how to use the "Find and Replace Keywords in Word" function to clean up target keywords in multiple Word files in batches at one time.
When sorting out a large number of Word documents, you often encounter a situation: the content to be deleted is not a fixed word, but a regular type of text. For example, the three-digit capital English abbreviation, number, number, code, number of class hours, etc. that appear repeatedly in the document. If docx or doc files are opened one by one and then processed manually with Word's own search function, it is not only time-consuming, but also easy to miss and delete.
This article describes how to use office software" HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ", batch fuzzy deletion of keywords in multiple Word through regular expressions. The core idea is to use formula matching rules to find the target text and leave the replacement content blank to realize batch deletion.
Applicable Scenarios
regular expression batch delete Word keywords, suitable for dealing with obvious rules but the content is not exactly the same text. Common scenarios include:
- batch delete English abbreviations in multiple Word files, such as BOT, ELA and other three-digit capital letter combinations.
- Batch delete the digital content in the document, such as 60, 2026, 001 and other consecutive numbers.
- Clean up the number, code, tag words, or template residual fields in docx and doc documents.
- Implement the same set of find and replace rules for dozens or hundreds of Word files to reduce duplication of effort.
As can be seen from the screenshot, this example needs to process multiple Word documents in the same folder, and the file names are 1.docx to 6.docx.
Effect preview: pre-treatment and post-treatment comparison
before processing: there are regular keywords that need to be deleted in the document
in the Word content before processing, it can be seen that the title position contains "BOT" and the text contains "ELA" and the number "60. These are not necessarily the same every time, but they conform to certain rules: for example, three capital letters can be matched with the regular expression [A-Z]{3}, and consecutive numbers can be matched with \d.
After processing: the matched keywords are deleted in batch
after the processing is completed, the "BOT", "ELA" and "60" in the original text have been deleted. Since the keyword list after this replacement is empty, the software will directly remove the matching text and keep other contents in the document.
Operation steps
step 1: Enter the Word tool and select the find and replace function
open" HeSoft Doc Batch Tool "After that, select" Word Tools "in the category on the left". Find and click "Find and replace keywords in Word" in the list of tools ". This function is used to find and replace keywords in Word file content in batch, and can also be deleted in batch by leaving the replacement content blank.
Operation purpose: Enter the function entrance of batch processing Word content to prepare for subsequent addition of docx and doc files and setting regular expression rules.
Step 2: Add the Word document that needs to be processed
after entering the function page, the software will enter the first step "select the records to be processed". You can click "Add Files" to select Word documents one by one, or click "Import Files from Folder" to import multiple Word files in a folder at one time.
As you can see from the screenshot, 6 docx files have been imported, and the file name, path, extension, creation time and modification time are displayed in the list. After confirming that the file is correct, click "Next" at the bottom ".
Operation purpose: to add Word files that need to be deleted in batches to the processing list. The expected result is that all pending documents appear in the file list and the number of records is displayed.
Step 3: Select "Use formula blur to find text"
after entering step 2 "Set processing options", select "Use formula fuzzy to find text" in "Find method". The "formula" here can be understood as finding text by rules, that is, using a regular expression-like writing method for fuzzy matching.
In this example, two keyword rules are set:
- [A-Z]{3}: Matches three consecutive uppercase letters, such as BOT and ELA.
- \d: Matches one or more consecutive digits, for example, 60.
The list of replaced keywords on the right is empty, and the interface prompts "do not fill in the list to delete". Therefore, this operation does not replace the keyword with other text, but directly deletes the matched content.
Operation purpose: batch match a class of text through regular expressions, rather than just looking for a fixed word. The expected result is that all content that meets the rules will be identified as objects to be processed.
Step 4: Continue to set the save location and start processing
when you have finished setting up keyword rules, click Next ". According to the process at the top of the page, the following steps will enter the "set save location" and "start processing. It is recommended to save the processed file to a new folder, which is convenient to distinguish from the original Word document and to check the results.
Operation purpose: to determine the output location of the processed docx or doc file and perform batch search and replacement tasks. The expected result is that the software automatically traverses the multiple Word documents that have been added, removing all keywords that match the regular expression.
Regular Expression Rule Description
when deleting Word keywords in bulk, the writing of the regular expression determines the scope of deletion. The more precise the rules, the more controllable the processing results.
- [A-Z]{3} means to match 3 consecutive uppercase letters. If the document contains BOT, ELA, ABC, etc., it will be matched.
- \d to match consecutive digits. If 60, 2026, 12345, etc. appear in the document, they will be matched.
- If you only want to delete a certain type of number, it is recommended to test the rules in a small number of documents before batch processing all the files.
Note that regular expressions are matched by rules. If the rule is set too wide, it may delete content that you do not want to delete. For example, [A-Z]{3} matches all three uppercase English combinations, not just a particular abbreviation.
Frequently Asked Questions and Precautions
1. Why can the replaced keyword list be empty?
In this function, the right side of the "replaced keyword list" prompt "do not fill in the column means delete". In other words, if you only fill in the keyword rules to be found on the left and do not fill in the replacement content on the right, the software will delete the matching text.
2. Is it suitable for batch processing doc and docx files?
This function belongs to the batch find and replace function in Word tool, which is suitable for processing Word document content. From the screenshot example, the imported docx file; If Word format files such as doc and docx exist at the same time in actual work, they can be imported according to the software support when adding files.
3. What should I pay attention to before using regular expressions to delete content?
It is recommended to back up the original file first, or save the processing results to a new location. The regular expression matches the text against the rule, and more content may be deleted once the rule coverage is larger. For important documents, it is recommended to test with a small number of sample documents first.
4. Why are spaces, brackets, or hyphens left after deletion?
In this example, the matching keywords are deleted, such as BOT, ELA, and 60. Spaces, parentheses, hyphens, etc. around keywords are usually retained if they are not written into the rules. If you want to delete along with the symbol, you need to further adjust the matching rules according to the document content.
Summary
use" HeSoft Doc Batch Tool "You can turn the work that you originally needed to open Word documents one by one and find and delete them one by one into a one-time batch process. For regular keywords, numbers, numbers, or abbreviations in multiple docx and doc files, use regular expressions to search for fuzzy keywords, numbers, or abbreviations, and then leave the replacement content blank to quickly complete batch deletion.
If you often need to organize a large number of Word files, it is recommended to use batch processing tools to establish unified rules, and then focus on the operation. This will not only reduce duplication of labor, but also reduce the probability of manual deletion and misoperation.