If contracts PDF are saved with serial numbers like 1.pdf, 2.pdf, it will cause trouble for subsequent retrieval and archiving. This article focuses on the contract number extraction scenario, explaining how to use the "Rename PDF Files Using File Content" function in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . By customizing the formula-matched text and the \d{8} regular expression, you can batch read the Contract No. in the PDF body and overwrite it as the new PDF file name. The tutorial includes effect previews, detailed steps, and notes, suitable for office scenarios such as contract management, legal archiving, and project document organization.
Electronic management of contract data often struggles with non-standard file names. Many contract PDFs, when scanned, downloaded, or exported, are named 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, or use a system default name. This seems harmless in the short term, but as the number of contracts grows, finding a specific one requires opening each PDF to check the number, which wastes time and leads to errors.
If the contract body already contains "Contract No." or "合同编号", a more logical approach is to use this number directly as the file name. This way, each PDF in the folder corresponds to a business number, making subsequent archiving, retrieval, system uploads, or cross-checking with Excel ledgers much easier.
This article will use the contract PDF in the screenshot as an example to introduce how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to match the 8-digit contract number in the PDF body using wildcards/regular expressions and batch rename multiple PDF files. This method is particularly suitable for positions in legal, administration, project management, procurement, and finance that need to organize large volumes of PDF contracts or agreements.
Applicable Scenarios: Naming Contract, Agreement, and Order PDFs by Body Number
This method applies to documents with clear numbers in the PDF body. Examples include Contract No. in English contracts, 合同编号 in Chinese contracts, PO numbers in purchase orders, agreement numbers in service agreements, and report numbers in report documents. As long as these numbers can be read from the PDF text and their format is relatively uniform, matching rules can be used for batch extraction.
The contract number in the screenshot example is a continuous 8-digit number, so a regular expression like \d{8} can be used for matching. Many users refer to this type of rule as a wildcard expression because its function is to "find text by pattern." However, as the software interface clearly labels the input field as "Regular Expression," the syntax should be filled in according to regular expression rules during actual setup.
If your documents are Word contracts like docx or doc, or Excel ledgers, or txt text files, you need to select the corresponding type of function module. This article's example is only for PDF files, and the function entry is "Rename PDF Files Using File Content."
Effect Preview: Contract Number Becomes the File Name
Before Processing: Folder Contains Only Sequentially Numbered PDFs
In the folder before processing, the 4 PDFs are named 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, and 4.pdf. Based solely on these file names, it is impossible to know which corresponds to which contract number or to quickly locate a specific contract.
After opening a PDF, the contract number field can be seen at the top of the page. In the screenshot, the red arrow points to "10026877," located after "Contract No." For contract management, this number is more important than the original file name and is more suitable as an archival file name.
After Processing: Each PDF is Named with the Contract Number
After batch processing, the original sequential file names are replaced with the numbers from the PDF body. The result displayed in the folder is 10026877.pdf, 20036655.pdf, 20100511.pdf, 33952100.pdf.
This effect is very intuitive: the file name itself is the contract number. Later, if someone provides contract number 10026877, simply searching for that number in the folder will quickly locate the corresponding PDF.
Operation Steps: Extracting Contract No. from PDF Content and Batch Renaming
Step 1: Open File Name Category
After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , first observe the left-hand function navigation. The screenshot shows the "File Name" category is selected. Since this task is to batch modify PDF file names, you should enter this category, not others like PDF Tools or File Organization.
In the File Name function list, find "7. Rename PDF Files Using File Content." The description below this function card says, "Batch use certain text from PDF file content as the file name." From this sentence, it's clear that this is the function for extracting the contract number from the PDF body and using it as the new file name.
After clicking this function, the software enters a wizard-style processing interface. The advantage of a wizard-style process is that the purpose of each step is clear, suitable for checking items one by one before batch tasks, reducing operational errors.
Step 2: Import Contract PDF Files
After entering the function interface, the first step is "Select records to be processed." In the upper right corner of the page are buttons like "Add File," "Import Files from Folder," "Clear," and "More." For contract archiving scenarios, it's usually recommended to place the PDFs to be processed into a single folder first, then use "Import Files from Folder" to avoid missing any.
The screenshot shows that 4 PDFs have been imported, with the list displaying the file name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time. The file names are 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, 4.pdf, with the extension pdf for all. The bottom shows a record count of 4.
The key to this step is confirming the processing objects. Batch renaming affects multiple files simultaneously, so don't rush to the next step. It's advisable to verify the file paths are correct and confirm there are no unrelated PDFs in the list. If an import error is found, you can use the delete operation in the list or "Clear" above and re-import.
Step 3: Select Text Matched by Custom Formula
After confirming the file list is correct, click "Next" to enter "Set Processing Options." In the "Search Area," the interface provides multiple options. The screenshot shows "Text matched by custom formula" is selected.
Why not choose "First line of text"? Because the contract number isn't always on the first line, which might contain a title, blank space, or other content. Why not choose "First barcode image"? Because the current target is the numeric text in the PDF body, not a barcode. Therefore, custom formula matching is more suitable for this requirement.
After selecting this item, the software will search for text matching the rules in the PDF content based on the regular expression filled in below, and use the matching result for subsequent naming.
Step 4: Enter the Expression to Match an 8-Digit Contract Number
In the "Regular Expression" input field, fill in:
\d{8}
The meaning of this rule is to match 8 consecutive digits. The contract numbers in the screenshot, 10026877, and the results 20036655, 20100511, and 33952100 all conform to this rule. Therefore, the software can find the corresponding number from each PDF.
In many office scenarios, users say "use wildcards to match the number." A slight distinction is needed here: wildcards usually refer to simple match symbols like asterisks and question marks, while regular expressions are more suitable for describing complex rules like digit count, letter ranges, and repetition times. The HeSoft Doc Batch Tool interface uses "Regular Expression," so fill it in using regex syntax.
If your contract number is not 8 digits, you cannot copy this example. For instance, if the number is HT20260001, the rule needs to consider a combination of letters and numbers; if the number length is not fixed, a more flexible approach is needed. Observing sample files before formal processing is very important.
Step 5: Overwrite the Entire File Name with the Match Result
In the "Position" area, select "Overwrite entire file name." This option means the matched contract number will replace the main part of the original file name. The original 1.pdf will become 10026877.pdf, and 2.pdf will become the corresponding contract number.pdf.
The interface also provides "On the left side of the file name" and "On the right side of the file name" options. If you wish to keep the original file name, you can choose to add the number to the left or right side. However, for contract archiving, using the contract number directly as the file name is more concise and better for retrieval and sorting.
After completing the settings, click "Next" at the bottom of the page to enter the subsequent process.
Step 6: Set Save Location and Start Processing
From the progress bar at the top of the page, you can see that "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing" are next. Before formally executing batch processing, it is recommended to choose a clear output location, such as creating a new folder named "Renamed by Contract Number" to save the processed PDFs.
The benefit of this is preserving the original files for easy comparison and checking. After processing is complete, decide whether to replace the original folder based on the results. For important files like contracts, agreements, and legal documents, keeping the originals is a more prudent operational habit.
After confirming the save location, proceed to the start processing step. Once processing is finished, open the output folder to check if the file names match expectations. According to the example results, the 4 PDFs will each become the corresponding 8-digit number file name.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. What if the regular expression matches the wrong number?
If the PDF contains other 8-digit numbers besides the contract number, \d{8} might match incorrect content. The solution is to make the rule more specific, for example, by matching text near "Contract No." or first confirming if the PDF contains only one 8-digit number. Testing a few files before batch processing can effectively avoid large-scale errors.
2. Must the number in the PDF be selectable?
Generally speaking, if the number in the PDF body can be selected and copied with the mouse, it is more likely to be read by the content matching function. If the PDF is a pure image scan and the number is just part of the picture, it might not be directly extractable by text rules. If recognition fails, you should first check the PDF's text layer.
3. Will the PDF content be changed after processing?
The goal of this operation is to rename files, meaning changing the file name, not editing the PDF body content. Judging by the interface function name "Rename PDF Files Using File Content," it's clear that it uses the text from the content as the file name, not modifying the contract body.
4. Can many PDFs be processed at once?
This function is designed for batch file processing and is suitable for importing multiple PDFs at once. The actual processing quantity depends on file size, PDF content complexity, and computer performance. For particularly important or very large folders, it's recommended to test with a small batch first before processing all files.
5. How to verify the results after renaming?
It is recommended to sort by file name after processing and spot-check several PDFs by opening them to confirm the file name number matches the number in the body. If an Excel contract ledger exists, compare the file name list against the ledger numbers. Batch processing improves efficiency, but necessary checks are still recommended before final archiving.
Summary: Using Batch Processing Tools to Improve Contract PDF Archiving Efficiency
Naming contract PDFs by their contract number is a fundamental but important step in file management. Although manual renaming is simple, it consumes significant time as the number of files increases. With HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can use the "Rename PDF Files Using File Content" function to automatically extract the Contract No. from the PDF body and generate standardized file names in batch.
The example in this article uses \d{8} to match an 8-digit contract number and selects "Overwrite entire file name," ultimately changing meaningless file names like 1.pdf, 2.pdf to numbered names like 10026877.pdf. For office workers needing to organize large volumes of PDFs for contracts, agreements, orders, and reports, this method reduces repetitive work and improves archiving accuracy. It is recommended that you prepare a small batch of sample files to test the rules first, and after confirming they are correct, process the complete folder in batch.