If contracts, agreements, orders, and other PDFs are only named with serial numbers, it will bring great trouble to searching and archiving. This article uses actual screenshots to explain how to use the "Rename PDF Files Using File Content" function of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to import multiple PDFs, set the text matched by a custom formula, and use the regular expression \d{8} to capture the 8-digit number in the body text, ultimately batch overwriting the original file names.
Whether the naming of contract PDFs is standardized directly affects subsequent management efficiency. Many people, when scanning or downloading contracts, first save the files as 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, and then open them one by one to check the contract number when it's time to archive. This process seems simple but is actually very time-consuming: open the file, find the number, copy the number, close the file, rename, paste, and then move on to the next file. The larger the number of files, the more obvious the repetitive operations, and the higher the probability of errors.
If the contract number already exists in the PDF body, there is no need to manually copy them one by one. A more reasonable approach is to let office software read PDF content in batches, automatically extract numbers that match the rules, and then use them as filenames. This article will explain, with screenshots, how to batch rename contract PDFs in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . The example uses a regular expression like a wildcard, \d{8}, to capture a sequence of 8 consecutive digits from the PDF content and overwrite the original filename.
This method is not only suitable for contract PDFs but also for a large number of order PDFs, project material PDFs, archival scans, business document PDFs, etc. As long as there is a steadily formatted number within the file content, rules can be used to extract them in batches, reducing a great deal of repetitive labor.
Applicable Scenarios
The method in this article is suitable for the following office scenarios:
- Contract files are named with serial numbers, but the contract number exists in the body text.
- There is a need to uniformly change PDF filenames to contract numbers, order numbers, or project numbers.
- The number of files is large, and manual opening and renaming is too inefficient.
- You hope to search for files by number to improve archiving and retrieval efficiency.
- Files need to be handed over to other colleagues or departments, and clearer filenames are desired.
In actual work, many PDF filenames exported from systems do not conform to company archiving standards. After downloading, they might be random characters, serial numbers, temporary sequence numbers, or names automatically generated by the scanner. Although these names allow the files to be saved, they do not help users understand the file content. For contract management, naming by contract number is often more intuitive and more convenient for subsequent reconciliation, auditing, and querying.
HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is a batch office file processing software, and its interface provides categories for file names, folder names, file organization, Word tools, Excel tools, PDF tools, etc. This article uses the PDF content renaming capability under the "File Names" category, whose core value is transforming repetitive manual operations into a one-time rule setting and batch execution.
Effect Preview: Before and After Comparison
Before Processing: Contract PDF Names Have No Business Meaning
From the pre-processing screenshot, you can see there are multiple PDFs in the folder, named 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, 4.pdf. Such names cannot reflect the contract number, nor can you determine which contract each file corresponds to.
After opening the PDF, you can see that the contract body actually contains a key number. In the screenshot, the area marked by the red box shows the number following "Contract No." is 10026877. This means that information suitable for use as a filename already exists in the file content, it's just not being utilized yet.
After Processing: Filenames Directly Become Contract Numbers
After completing the batch processing, the original serial number filenames are replaced with the numbers extracted from the PDF content. Example results include 10026877.pdf, 20036655.pdf, 20100511.pdf, 33952100.pdf.
The processed filenames are more suitable for office archiving. Whether searching in a Windows folder, or uploading to a shared drive, cloud storage, or contract management directory, files can be located directly by number, reducing the number of times you need to open a file to confirm its content.
Operating Steps
Step One: Open the Software and Enter the File Name Tool
After starting HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "File Names" in the left navigation bar. The main interface will display multiple function cards related to filename processing, such as finding and replacing keywords in file names, inserting text into file names, adding prefixes and suffixes, etc.
This time, to extract the number from the PDF body, select "7. Rename PDF Files Using File Content". In the screenshot, this function card is highlighted, and the hint explains that it batch renames PDF files using certain text from the file content as the filename.
The purpose of this step is clear: enter the batch renaming function capable of reading PDF content. Ordinary batch filename replacement can only process the filename itself, but the contract number is within the PDF body, so the content-based renaming function must be used.
Step Two: Import the Contract PDFs to be Processed
After entering the "Rename PDF Files Using File Content" page, the first step is to select the records to be processed. In the upper right corner of the interface, you can see buttons like "Add Files," "Import Files from Folder," "Clear," and "More."
If the contract PDFs are scattered in different locations, you can use "Add Files" to select them; if they are already in the same folder, it is recommended to use "Import Files from Folder," which adds all PDFs from a folder to the list at once. The screenshot shows 4 PDFs already imported, with the list displaying information like name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time.
In this step, three things need to be checked carefully. First, whether the file count is correct—the total record count in the screenshot is 4; second, whether the extension is pdf; third, whether the path is the directory you intend to process. After confirming everything is correct, click "Next" at the bottom to enter the rule settings.
Step Three: Use an Expression to Match the Contract Number
The second step is "Set Processing Options." In the "Search Area," select "Text Matched by Custom Formula." This indicates that the new filename will not be a fixed first line of text or a randomly selected piece of content, but rather determined by a user-defined matching rule that the software uses to find text in the PDF body.
In the screenshot, "\d{8}" is entered in the "Regular Expression" input box. It means match a sequence of 8 consecutive digits. The example contract number 10026877 exactly fits this rule, so the software can find the corresponding number from each contract PDF.
Many office users are used to calling such rules wildcard expressions. What the interface actually uses here is a "Regular Expression," which can be considered a more precise matching rule. \d represents a digit, {8} represents repeated 8 times, so \d{8} means "8 consecutive digits." When contract numbers, order numbers, or document numbers have a fixed length, this writing method is very practical.
In the "Position" option on the same page, select "Overwrite the entire filename." This way, the matched contract number will directly replace the main body of the original filename. For example, the original 1.pdf will be renamed to 10026877.pdf. For contract archiving, this result is the cleanest and most convenient for retrieval.
Step Four: Set the Save Location and Start Processing
After completing the matching rule setup, continue by clicking "Next." According to the interface flow, the subsequent steps will lead to "Set Save Location," and then "Start Processing." The save location determines where the processing results are output; careful selection is advised for formal batch processing.
If you are using this rule for the first time, it is recommended to first select a new output directory, or use a small number of PDFs in a test folder for verification. Only after confirming all filenames are correct should you process the entire official directory of contract PDFs. For important files, this practice can effectively prevent overwriting and misnaming.
After entering "Start Processing," the software will read the PDF content one by one according to the list, use \d{8} to match the contract number, and generate a new filename based on the "Overwrite the entire filename" setting. After processing, open the output directory to see the PDF files named by contract number.
Why Content-Based Renaming is More Efficient Than Manual Renaming
The process of manual renaming is linear: each file must be opened once, checked once, copied once, and modified once. Assuming 30 seconds per file, 100 files would take nearly an hour, and this does not include the time to check for errors. Batch processing is different; the initial stage only requires analyzing the numbering rule and setting an expression once, and the software automatically processes the entire list afterwards.
More importantly, batch processing reduces human error. Contract numbers are typically a string of digits, and during manual copying, it's easy to select too many, too few, or paste into the wrong file. Using rule-based matching ensures every file is processed with the same logic, leading to more uniform results. Unified naming is especially important for files requiring auditing, archiving, or matching numbers in business systems.
The value of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool lies in centralizing these high-frequency, repetitive, rule-based office tasks. In addition to PDF content renaming, the interface shows multiple tool categories related to file names, folders, Word, Excel, and PDF. For users who frequently handle office files like doc, docx, xls, xlsx, and pdf, batch processing software can significantly reduce mechanical operations.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. Will simply entering \d{8} always match the contract number?
Not necessarily. \d{8} matches all sequences of 8 consecutive digits. If the PDF contains other 8-digit numbers besides the contract number, such as dates, codes, or account numbers, it may match non-target content. Therefore, before formal processing, you should open a sample PDF to confirm the number format and test the processing results.
2. What if the contract number is not 8 digits?
You need to modify the expression based on the actual format. If it's 6 digits, you can use \d{6}; if it's 10 digits, use \d{10}. If the number includes letters, hyphens, or other symbols, this example cannot be simply applied, and the rule needs to be designed according to the actual number structure.
3. Why choose "Overwrite the entire filename"?
Because the goal in this example is for the filename to become the contract number entirely. If you choose to insert on the left or right, the original 1, 2, 3 serial numbers might be retained. For contract archiving, using the number directly as the filename is usually clearer. However, if your company's naming convention requires the original name to be kept, you can choose another location based on your actual needs.
4. Can I import an entire folder at once?
Yes. The screenshot provides an "Import Files from Folder" button, suitable for batch importing PDF files from the same directory. When processing a large number of contract scans, this saves more time than adding them individually.
5. What should I pay attention to when processing scanned documents?
If the PDF is a scanned image, there might be no readable text layer within the file. In this case, content-based renaming may not directly extract the number. It is recommended to first check if the contract number can be selected or copied in the PDF; if not, OCR recognition might be needed first before content matching and batch renaming.
6. Do I need to back up the original files?
Backup is recommended, especially for important documents like formal contracts, financial files, and customer materials. Batch processing is highly efficient, but if the rule setting is inaccurate, it can also quickly produce erroneous results. Backing up first or outputting to a new directory is a safer office habit.
Summary
The key to batch renaming contract PDFs is to automatically extract valid numbers from the PDF body and replace the meaningless original filenames. Through the "Rename PDF Files Using File Content" function in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can import multiple PDFs, select "Text Matched by Custom Formula," enter \d{8} to match 8 consecutive digits, set it to overwrite the entire filename, and finally obtain PDFs named by contract number.
This method can significantly reduce the repetitive labor of opening files, copying numbers, and manual renaming, and also lowers the chance of manual entry errors. It is recommended to first verify the accuracy of the expression with a few sample PDFs before batch processing the entire folder. For PDFs like contracts, orders, and project files that require long-term storage and frequent retrieval, this is a very practical office efficiency improvement solution.