When data files are named starting with a name, client name, or project name, archiving by the first letter or the first Chinese character is a very practical organization method. This article explains how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to batch organize files through before-and-after processing effects and actual operation steps: after importing PDF, Word, Excel, PPT, CSV, TXT, ZIP, and other files, select "Classify by the first English letter or Chinese character," and corresponding directories will be automatically generated and the categorization completed.
File naming conventions don't necessarily equate to a tidy folder. Many times, we've already named files with clear names or client names, such as DanielAnderson.zip, SophiaMartin.pdf, EmilyJohnson.xlsx, 陈静.pdf, 刘洋.docx, 黄杰.zip, but these files are still mixed in the same directory. To truly achieve efficient searching, they further need to be filed by the beginning of their names.
The trouble with manual filing is the overly repetitive steps: first look at the first character of the filename, then judge if it's English or Chinese, then create the corresponding folder, and finally drag the file in. The more files there are, the more obvious the repetitive labor becomes. This article introduces a batch processing method more suitable for office scenarios: using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to sort many files into groups based on the first English letter or Chinese character in their filenames. Whether they are Word documents (docx), Excel spreadsheets (xlsx), PPT presentations (pptx), PDF files, CSV data sheets, or TXT, MD, ZIP files, they can all be processed in the same batch task.
Applicable Scenarios: Filing Files Starting with Names, Client Names, or Project Names
If your file naming convention is in the form of "Name + File Type", "Client Name + Date", "Project Name + Description", or similar patterns, then sorting by the beginning of the filename is very useful. For example, in HR materials, the filename might be the employee's name; in sales materials, it might be the client's name or company contact; in teaching materials, it might be the student's name; in project materials, it might be the project's English abbreviation.
For English filenames, sorting by the first letter yields directories like A, B, C, D, etc.; for Chinese filenames, sorting by the first Chinese character yields directories like "陈", "李", "王", "张", etc. This sorting method is independent of file format, so you can simultaneously organize files like pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, csv, txt, zip, etc.
Compared to sorting by file extension, sorting by the beginning of the filename is more suitable for "object"-centric filing. For instance, when looking for a specific client's materials, you might not care if it's a PDF or Excel file, but rather what the client's name starts with. Using first-letter and first-character directories can help narrow down the search scope more quickly.
Preview of Results: Changes in File Structure Before and After Organization
In the before screenshot, all files are located in the same directory. You can see that this directory contains files starting with English, files starting with Chinese, and includes multiple formats. The filenames include SophiaMartin.pdf, 陈静.pdf, 李娜.pdf, 吴昊.pdf, 杨磊.pdf, 张伟.md, MichaelBrown.csv, 赵敏.csv, 周婷.csv, EmilyJohnson.xlsx, JamesSmith.xlsx, OliviaTaylor.xlsx, DavidWilson.pptx, GraceMoore.pptx, SarahDavis.pptx, 刘洋.docx, 王芳.docx, WilliamThomas.txt, DanielAnderson.zip, 黄杰.zip.
Such a folder might seem usable in the short term, but as the number of files increases, search efficiency becomes lower and lower. Especially when file type icons differ and names mix Chinese and English, users constantly have to browse the list to locate the target file.
After processing, the directory was transformed into multiple folders divided by the first character. English files went into folders like D, E, G, J, M, O, S, W, while Chinese files went into folders like 陈, 黄, 李, 刘, 王, 吴, 杨, 张, 赵, 周. This result indicates that the files have been sorted according to the first English letter or Chinese character in their filenames.
The benefits after filing are very direct: files with the same beginning are stored together, the number of directories is manageable, and file search paths are shorter. Especially in multi-person collaboration scenarios, this structure is easier to understand and maintain than a single large folder.
Operation Steps: From Importing Files to Completing Automatic Sorting
The following explains how to complete this batch organization task based on the actual interface in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . This software is a batch processing tool for office files, and its core value is to streamline repetitive file operations, helping users reduce manual organization costs.
Step 1: Open "File Organization" and Select Filename Sorting
After launching the software, find "File Organization" in the left navigation bar. Once in this category, the right side will display multiple tool cards. According to the screenshot, the one you need to click now is "Sort Files by Filename".
This step determines the basis for subsequent sorting. Because we want to sort by the first English letter or Chinese character in the filename, we should enter "Sort Files by Filename". If "Sort Files by Extension" is chosen, the result will be sorted into formats like zip, pptx, xlsx, csv, pdf, which does not meet the requirement for filing by the beginning of a name in this article.
Step 2: Add Files or Import Files from a Folder
After entering the task page, you first need to select the records to process. You can see "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder" in the upper right corner of the interface. For a prepared directory to be organized, using "Import Files from Folder" is usually more efficient; if you only want to process some files, you can use "Add Files".
After importing, the files will appear in the list. The list displays not only the filename but also the path, extension, creation time, and modification time. Through these fields, users can check if the files were imported correctly. For example, the screenshot shows extensions like zip, pptx, xlsx, csv, pdf, txt, indicating that files of different formats have entered the same batch processing task.
At this point, the page is still on step 1, "Select records to process". It is recommended to check the record count and file paths carefully. The summary at the bottom of the screenshot shows a record count of 20, representing a total of 20 files waiting to be sorted in this batch. If the imported files are incomplete, you can continue to add them; if unwanted files were imported, you can remove the corresponding records before proceeding to the next step.
Step 3: Select the Mixed English-Chinese First Character Rule in the Sorting Method
After confirming the file list, click "Next" to enter "Set Processing Options". The most important part on this page is the "Sorting Method". The software provides multiple rules, including by first character, by first Chinese character, by first English letter, by first English letter or Chinese character, etc.
If the filenames are only in English, you can choose to sort by the first English letter; if only in Chinese, you can choose to sort by the first Chinese character. However, in this article's example, the filenames include English ones like DanielAnderson and SophiaMartin, as well as Chinese ones like 陈静, 李娜, and 刘洋. Therefore, you should choose "Sort by First English Letter or Chinese Character".
After selection, the software will sort files starting with English into corresponding directories by the first letter, and files starting with Chinese into corresponding directories by the first character. For example, DavidWilson.pptx goes into D, GraceMoore.pptx into G, SarahDavis.pptx into S; 陈静.pdf goes into "陈", 杨磊.pdf into "杨", 周婷.csv into "周".
At the bottom of the page, there is also a "Letter Case Conversion" area where you can choose default, convert to uppercase, or convert to lowercase. The example kept the default. For most Chinese office environments, the default setting is sufficient; if a company has a uniform standard for the case of English directory names, then adjust according to the rule.
Step 4: Set the Save Location and Start Batch Processing
After configuring the sorting rule, click "Next". Following the flow at the top of the interface, the next steps are "Set Save Location" and then "Start Processing". The choice of save location affects where you view the sorting results after completion, so it is recommended to choose an easily identifiable output directory.
If these files are important, it's recommended to output them to a new folder first, and only use them for official filing after confirming the sorting is correct. This preserves the original directory structure and makes it easy to compare differences before and after processing. Finally, execute the task in the "Start Processing" stage, and the software will automatically create the sorting directories and complete the file categorization.
After the task ends, open the output directory to check the results. If you can see directories like D, E, G, J, M, O, S, W, and 陈, 黄, 李, 刘, 王, 吴, 杨, 张, 赵, 周, and the files are located in the corresponding folders, it means the batch sorting has been completed.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. Do files with mixed Chinese and English names need to be processed separately?
No. As long as you choose "Sort by First English Letter or Chinese Character" when setting processing options, files starting with English and Chinese can be processed in the same batch task. This saves time compared to filtering English files first and then Chinese files.
2. Will different file extensions affect the sorting?
It will not affect sorting by the beginning of the filename. The example simultaneously contains files like pdf, md, csv, xlsx, pptx, docx, txt, zip, and they can all be placed into the corresponding folders based on the beginning of the filename. The extension is just file type information and is not the basis for this sorting.
3. Why are the Chinese directories in the results "陈" or "李" instead of pinyin letters?
Because the "Chinese Character" sorting rule was selected. The software takes the first Chinese character in the filename as the directory name, so 陈静.pdf corresponds to "陈", 李娜.pdf to "李", 王芳.docx to "王". This method is suitable for filing by Chinese surname or the first character of a Chinese name.
4. Do filenames need to be standardized before sorting?
Standardization is highly recommended. This function relies on the beginning of the filename to determine the sorting directory. If there are dates, numbers, spaces, or symbols at the beginning of the filename, the actual sorting basis might no longer be the name or client name. For ideal results, it's best to ensure the first valid character of the filename is the English letter or Chinese character you want to use for sorting.
5. How to avoid operational errors when processing a large number of files?
You can test with a small number of files first. Once you confirm that the output directory and sorting rules meet expectations, you can then import the complete folder for batch processing. Also, it is recommended to save the processing results to a new directory for easy verification of differences before and after processing. For important data, keeping a backup before processing is also a good office habit.
Summary: Turning Name-Based Filing into a Repeatable Batch Process
Organizing files by the beginning of a name, client name, or project name is foundational work encountered in many roles. The problem isn't the difficulty of the operation, but the excessive number of repetitions that easily consume time. Through its "Sort Files by Filename" function, HeSoft Doc Batch Tool turns this type of repetitive organization into a configurable, batch-executable process.
For a mixed Chinese-English folder like the one in this article, you only need to import the files, select "Sort by First English Letter or Chinese Character", set the save location, and start processing to obtain clear first-letter and first-Chinese-character directories. Next time you encounter a large number of PDF, Word docx, Excel xlsx, PPT pptx, CSV, TXT, ZIP files that need to be filed, you can directly use this method to make office file organization faster, more stable, and easier to maintain.