Folder names often contain fixed keywords and subsequent remarks. If you want to uniformly truncate the name to a certain keyword position, such as deleting all content to the right of "END," you can use batch processing office software to accomplish this. This article explains in detail, through before-and-after screenshots and operation interface descriptions, how to use the folder name feature in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to add directories for processing, set the rule "all content to the right of certain text," and achieve batch standardization of folder names.
In actual office work, many folder names are not finalized in one go but are continuously appended with information as the project progresses. Initially, it might be Backup_START_tempFiles_END, and later, to mark status, it becomes Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final; another directory might become Build_START_debugInfo_END_Release. When it comes time to organize the data, users often want to keep only up to END and delete all suffixes on the right.
This requirement can be understood as batch truncating folder names to a specific keyword position. The content to the left of the keyword and the keyword itself are retained, while content to the right of the keyword is deleted. Using END as an example, this article explains how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to perform batch deletion of content to the right of a keyword. This tool is office software with a key capability for batch processing files and folders, suitable for reducing repetitive work and improving data organization efficiency.
Applicable Scenario: Need to Truncate Folder Names by Keyword
Truncating folder names by keyword is suitable for scenarios where there is a clear dividing point in the naming. For example, the core name to keep is between START and END, and everything after END is just a temporary status; or the folder name contains a project number, and the description after the number is no longer needed; or the folder name includes dates, batches, or version numbers, and the notes on the right need to be uniformly cleared.
This requirement is very common in office environments. R&D project directories might need to delete test statuses after END; finance directories might need to delete payment statuses after a number; personnel file directories might need to delete temporary notes after a name; design asset directories might need to delete review statuses after a version marker. As long as multiple folders follow a similar structure, batch processing can complete the task in one go.
Compared to manual renaming, batch processing is more suitable for a large number of folders. Especially when the suffix on the right side of each folder is different, manual operation requires selecting, locating, and deleting one by one, whereas a rule-based tool only needs the keyword set once to execute the same logic for a whole batch of directories.
Effect Preview: Names Contain END Suffix Descriptions Before Processing
In the pre-processing screenshot, you can see that although the folder names all contain END, different descriptions are appended to the right of END. The red annotations highlight the parts that need to be deleted, including Final, Release, Archive, Clean, Approved, Paid, etc.
These suffixes share a common characteristic: they are all located to the right of END. Therefore, instead of setting up separate deletion words for Final, Release, Archive, etc., you just need to set END as the anchor text and delete all content to the right of END. This is key to the method's high efficiency.
Effect Preview: Names Uniformly Truncated to END After Processing
The post-processing screenshot shows that all folder names have been uniformly truncated to END. The different suffixes that were previously to the right of END no longer appear, making the directory list tidier and easier for subsequent management.
For example, Client_START_2024Draft_END_Archive becomes Client_START_2024Draft_END after processing, and Data_START_sampleChunk_END_Clean becomes Data_START_sampleChunk_END. As you can see, the keyword END is retained, and the content on the right is cleared. This is the typical effect of "deleting all content to the right of a specific text."
Operation Step 1: Select the Folder Name Function in the Software
Open HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . The left side of the software is the functional category navigation, including Home, Task Flow, All Tools, File Name, Folder Name, File Organization, and tool categories for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, Text, Image, Video, Audio, etc. Since we need to process folder names this time, we should enter the Folder Name category.
Under the Folder Name category, select "Delete text in folder names". In the screenshot, this function card is highlighted, indicating it can batch delete text content from folder names.
The purpose of this step is to enter the correct tool that can modify folder names. Don't confuse folder names with file names: file names are generally for doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pdf, jpg and other files; folder names are for processing the directories themselves.
Operation Step 2: Add Folders Needing Name Truncation
After entering the "Delete text in folder names" interface, you are first at the "Select records to process" step. Click the Add Folder button in the upper right corner to add the target directories to the task list. The screenshot shows that 10 folders have been added, with the list displaying name and path information.
Checking the list is very important before batch processing. It is recommended to review the name column row by row to confirm that these folders should indeed all execute the same rule: use END as the anchor text and delete content to the right of END. The path column also needs attention to avoid mistakenly adding directories with the same or similar names from other locations to the task.
If there are records in the list that do not need processing, you can use the delete operation on the corresponding row to remove them. After confirming the number of records matches the target directories, click Next at the bottom to enter rule settings.
Operation Step 3: Set the Keyword END and Right-Side Deletion Rule
After entering "Set processing options", the interface displays multiple operation types. For the requirement of truncating names by keyword, you should select "All content to the right of a specific text". This option uses the text you input as a boundary and deletes characters to its right.
Enter END in the "Text" input box below. The screenshot shows END has been filled in and "All content to the right of a specific text" is selected. This means the software will search for END in each folder name and then delete the content to the right of END.
The screenshot also shows the "Include this text" switch is in the off position. Combined with the processed result, we can see that this setting retains END and only deletes the content after it. If your naming rules require the retention of the separating keyword, you should keep this setting. For the example in this article, the ultimate goal is to have all folders end with END.
After setting, click Next. Follow the interface flow subsequently to complete the save location setting and start processing. Since different tasks might involve different save confirmation methods, it's suggested to proceed step by step according to the software page prompts and not skip checks.
Operation Step 4: Verify Folder Names After Processing
After batch processing is complete, go back to the folder's location for verification. The correct result should be: each folder name retains END and the content to its left, while the underscores and status words to the right of END are all deleted. The post-processing list in the screenshot shows that all 10 folders have been uniformly ended with END.
When checking, you can focus on a few representative directories, such as END_Paid with a shorter suffix, END_Approved with a longer suffix, and Client_START_2024Draft_END_Archive which contains numbers. As long as these different structures meet expectations, it indicates the rule was executed correctly.
If there are other batches of directories to process later, the same idea can be reused. Simply replace the keyword based on the actual name structure, for example, changing END to FINISH, DONE, _V1, a project number, or other separating text.
Common Issues and Notes
1. Must the keyword be unique? It is best if it has a clear dividing meaning within each folder name. If a folder name contains the same keyword multiple times, the processing result might need to be tested and confirmed first. For important directories, it is not recommended to execute a large batch directly without testing.
2. Why not delete words like Final, Release, etc. directly? Because the right-side suffix varies for each folder, setting up individual deletion words would increase operational complexity. Since these suffixes are all to the right of END, uniformly truncating by END is simpler and more stable.
3. Will END be deleted? In the example in this article, it will not. The "Include this text" switch in the screenshot is off, and END is retained after processing. Therefore, the current setup is suitable for retaining the keyword and only deleting the content to its right.
4. Can this be used for batch processing file names? The concept can be similar, but the operation entry point in this article is Folder Name. If you need to process file names for Word docs (docx, doc), Excel spreadsheets (xlsx, xls), PDFs, or image files, you should select the corresponding File Name processing function.
5. What preparations should be made before batch renaming? It is recommended to back up important directories first, or copy a small number of folders for testing. Confirm that settings like the keyword, deletion direction, and whether to include the keyword are correct before processing the full directory.
Summary: Batch Truncate Folder Names by Keyword to Make Directories More Standardized
When many folder names contain the same keyword, and the content to the right of the keyword needs to be deleted, using a batch processing tool is more efficient than manual renaming. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , through the "Delete text in folder names" function, breaks down this type of task into clear steps: select folders, set processing options, confirm save location, and start processing.
In the example in this article, you just need to select "All content to the right of a specific text", enter END, and keep the setting that does not include this text, to batch organize names like Backup_START_tempFiles_END_Final into Backup_START_tempFiles_END. For those who frequently organize project directories, archive data, client folders, or batch office files, this kind of rule-based operation can significantly reduce repetitive work. It is recommended that you follow the steps in this article to process a small sample batch first, confirm the effect, and then apply it to more folders.