in the face of multiple docx or doc documents, if you want to replace the content that conforms to specific rules, such as English capital abbreviations, number numbers, template placeholders, manual search and replacement efficiency is very low. This article describes how HeSoft Doc Batch Tool In the use of find and replace the keyword function in Word, through the formula fuzzy find text input wildcard rules, to achieve a one-time batch replacement of multiple Word files. The article contains the effect before and after processing, detailed operation steps and the matters needing attention in regular rule setting, which is suitable for office scenes that need batch cleaning of Word content.
When sorting out Word data, the most troublesome thing is often not to modify a document, but to repeat the same modification in many documents. For example, a package has 1.docx to 6.docx, or even more docx files, each with course abbreviations, department codes, numeric numbers, or placeholder text. If you open Word one by one and manually press Ctrl H to find and replace, it is not only time-consuming, but also easy to cause inconsistent versions due to forgetting to process a file.
If you want to replace fixed words, the problem is simple. If you want to replace content that conforms to some kind of rule, such as all three uppercase English and all consecutive numbers, you need to use regular expressions or wildcard formulas. This article will combine screenshots to introduce how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool Find and replace keywords in Word function, batch find and replace multiple Word documents. In the example, a formula is used to blur the text, replacing the match of [A-Z]{3} with A and the match of \d with B.
Application scenario: Why multiple Word files are more suitable for batch processing
word's own find and replace is suitable for processing a single document currently open, but in a multi-file scenario, repeated operations will significantly increase the time cost. The batch processing value of office software is to concentrate these repetitive tasks into one process.
1. The same batch of documents needs to implement the same replacement rules
for example, in training materials, course descriptions, contract templates, tender documents, and project documents, there are often a number of Word documents with similar structures. They may come from the same template, and the numbers, abbreviations, and placeholders all have the same pattern. At this time, as long as the rule is set once, it can be applied to multiple docx files in batches.
2. The content to be replaced is not a fixed keyword.
If there are different abbreviations in the document, such as BOT, ELA, ABC, XYZ, etc., it will be very troublesome to list them one by one. Using a wildcard formula like [A-Z]{3}, you can treat all three consecutive uppercase letters as one type of content. Similarly,\d can match consecutive numbers, suitable for processing class numbers, numbers, page numbers, etc.
3. Need to reduce leakage and repeated preservation
when manually processing multiple Word files, it is easy to open the file but forget to save, replace a word but miss another word, a file is not processed and other problems. Batch processing tools can make the replacement process clearer by unifying the management of tasks through file lists and process steps.
Effect preview: From original docx to Word after batch replacement
before processing: There are multiple pending Word documents in the folder
the screenshot shows that the folder before processing contains 6 docx documents with file names from 1.docx to 6.docx. Such documents named by serial number are very common in data sorting, batch templates and course documents, and are also very suitable for unified processing.
When you open one of the documents, you can see that the body contains multiple abbreviations and numbers. The red arrows in the screenshot mark the BOT and 60 positions, which are the targets to be matched and replaced by this wildcard formula.
It is important to note here that the real processing goal is not to replace only BOT or 60, but to replace all similar text that satisfies the rule. For example, BOT belongs to three consecutive capital letters and 60 belongs to consecutive numbers. As long as there is other content in the document that meets the rules, it will also be matched.
After processing: the text hit by the rule is replaced with the specified content
the effect after processing is shown in the figure. The position in the document that originally conforms to the capital letter rule is replaced with A, and the position that originally conforms to the numerical rule is replaced with B. The yellow marker visually shows where the substitution takes place.
This indicates that the batch replacement has taken effect according to the settings: one type of text is uniformly replaced with A, and the other type of text is uniformly replaced with B. For actual office scenarios, you can replace A and B with what you really need, such as new department abbreviations, uniform number placeholders, standard description text, etc.
Steps: Batch replace multiple docx files with wildcard formulas
step 1: Open the Find and Replace function in Word tool
start HeSoft Doc Batch Tool After that, select the Word tool on the left. The main interface shows a number of Word-related function cards. This time, you need to click to find and replace keywords in Word. This function description is to find and replace keywords in the contents of Word files in batches, which is just suitable for the unified modification of multiple docx documents.
The purpose of this step is to enter a special process for Word content replacement. Since software positioning is a document batch processing tool, multiple files can be imported later instead of operating on a single Word document.
Step 2: Import all Word files that need to be replaced
after entering the function page, first complete the selection of records to be processed. The top of the interface provides two entries for adding files and importing files from folders. In the example, six files are imported. The file name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time are displayed in the list.
If the files are scattered in different locations, you can use Add files to select one by one; if all files are in the same directory, importing files from a folder will be faster. After importing, check the number of records and file names to ensure that there are no multiple or missed selections.
In the screenshot, you can see that the file path is D:\test\1.docx to D:\test\6.docx, the extension is docx, and the total number of records at the bottom is 6. After confirmation, click Next to enter the processing option settings.
Step 3: Select Formula Fuzzy Find Text
on the Settings Processing Options page, find the exact way to find the text and use the formula fuzzy to find the text. Because this example is matching a type of text, rather than a fixed keyword, you should choose to use the formula fuzzy find text.
Accurate search text is suitable for finding fixed words, such as a company name or fixed phrase. Formula fuzzy search text is suitable for regular content, such as capital letter combination, number, specific format number, etc. Choosing the correct search method is the key to whether the batch replacement can achieve the expectation.
Step 4: Enter the search rule and the replaced keyword
in the list of keywords to search for, two rules are entered in the screenshot example. The first is [A-Z]{3} and the second is \d. In the replaced keyword list, enter A and B accordingly.
The meaning of this set of settings is as follows:
- [A-Z]{3}: Matches three consecutive uppercase letters with A.
- \d: Matches one or more consecutive digits and replaces them with B.
Note that the left and right sides correspond in rows. The first row on the left is replaced with the first row on the right, and the second row on the left is replaced with the second row on the right. In actual use, you can fill in more lines according to business needs, but each line should be checked clearly.
Step 5: Confirm additional options
as you can see in the screenshot, there are additional options to ignore the case of letters. This option affects the matching results for English content. If you only want to deal with uppercase abbreviations, you usually need to choose carefully; if you want both upper and lower case to be recognized, you can set it according to the actual situation.
Since [A-Z]{3} itself represents a combination of uppercase A to Z, it is recommended to test with one or two copies before processing official documents to ensure that the case matching results meet expectations before running in batches.
Step 6: Set Save Location and Start Batch Processing
after completing the rule entry, click Next. The interface process also includes setting the save location and starting the process. In actual operation, select the saved directory of the processed file according to the interface prompt, and then start the processing. In order to avoid overwriting the original file, it is recommended to save it to a new folder first to facilitate the comparison of the effect before and after processing.
After the processing is completed, you can open one of the result files to check whether the uppercase abbreviations and numbers are replaced according to the rules. If the results are correct, review other files or file them later.
Frequently Asked Questions or Precautions
1. The wildcard formula matches all content that matches the rule
when using [A-Z]{3}, the software finds all content that matches three consecutive uppercase letters instead of just replacing the BOT pointed to by the arrow in the screenshot. Therefore, if there are three-bit capital abbreviations in the document that you do not want to replace, you need to adjust the rules or narrow the scope of processing first.
2. \d will match consecutive numbers
\d is typically used to match one or more numbers. It may match class 60, or it may match numbers in list numbers, page numbers, and dates. Determine which numbers in the document will be affected before actual use, and use more precise rules if necessary.
3. It is recommended to backup before batch processing
once the batch replacement is performed, it affects multiple Word files. If there is no backup, it will be more troublesome to restore when the rules are found to be inappropriate. Therefore, before processing important documents such as contracts, papers, course materials, etc., the original documents should be retained or the results should be saved to a new directory.
4. The simpler the rules, the greater the coverage may be.
Simple rules are easy to understand, but they can also hurt. For example, [A-Z]{3} is easy to match to many English abbreviations. If you only want to match content in some specific context, you need to design a more strict formula based on the actual text structure.
5. The replacement content is empty may mean deletion.
If you do not fill in the prompt in the keyword list area after replacement in the screenshot, it indicates deletion. In other words, if you do not fill in the replacement content on the right side of a search rule, the matched content may be deleted. Be sure to check whether the list on the right is complete during formal operation.
Summary: Reduce docx duplicate modifications with batch find replacement
the core of batch search and replacement of multiple docx files is to standardize the steps of file import, rule setting and saving processing results. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool The Find and Replace Keywords feature provided in Word allows users to fuzzy-find text matching a category of content through formulas instead of entering each keyword one by one.
For office scenarios that require unified modification of Word content, especially data sorting tasks involving numbers, English abbreviations, numbers, and template placeholders, the use of regular expression wildcard formulas can significantly reduce duplication of labor. It is recommended that you test the rules with a small number of files before importing the complete folder for processing. This can not only improve efficiency, but also ensure that the batch replacement results are more controllable.