This article focuses on batch replacing entire lines by keywords in TXT files, with actual screenshots to illustrate the effects before and after processing, as well as the specific operation process in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . Users can learn how to import multiple txt files, set precise search texts, fill in keyword lists and replacement lines, so as to quickly complete unified updates of text content across multiple files.
During office file processing, although TXT files have a simple format, maintaining them becomes difficult when the quantity increases. For example, the same batch of text files might all contain attachment directories, chapter titles, or fixed description lines that now need to be uniformly replaced according to a new version specification. If done manually, you would need to open each file, search for the keyword, select the entire line, input the new content, and then save and close. After repeating this process dozens of times, it is not only inefficient but also prone to missing certain files due to fatigue.
A more efficient method is to use batch processing office software, setting up the rules once and letting the software automatically complete the multi-file modifications. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to explain how to replace entire lines containing keywords in multiple TXT files with new lines. In the example, we will replace lines containing Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, and Annex D with new standard descriptions, respectively.
Applicable Scenarios: When You Need to Unify and Update Content Across Multiple TXT Documents
Batch replacing entire lines in TXT files based on keywords is suitable for many common scenarios. The first category is catalog and title updates, such as when attachment names or chapter titles in a document catalog need a unified revision. The second category is configuration or list maintenance, such as when certain parameter lines or field lines need to be located by keywords and replaced with new configuration descriptions. The third category is standardization cleanup before document delivery, such as when old descriptions exist in multiple files and need to be changed to new wording all at once.
The advantage of this processing method is that it does not require the old content of the entire line to be completely identical. As long as the target line contains the keyword you set, the software can identify that line and replace it with the specified new line. This is more convenient than character-by-character matching for situations where the latter part of the old text is long and inconsistent.
Effect Preview: Files Before Batch Processing and Target Content
The example folder contains five text files to be processed, named from 1.txt to 5.txt. They are all ordinary txt files, suitable for batch processing using text tools. If these files were opened and modified one by one, it would involve a lot of repetitive actions.
Below is the content seen when opening 1.txt before processing. The red boxes mark the lines containing the four keywords: Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, and Annex D. These lines currently contain long old descriptions; for example, Annex A is followed by a paragraph about standards. Our goal is: not to retain the old descriptions, but to directly replace each hit line with a new, complete line.
This is very important. If you only replace "Annex A" with "Annex A - Q&A", the original old description following it might still remain; this tutorial uses full-line replacement, so the entire old content of the line can be thoroughly replaced with new standard content.
Effect Preview: Replacement Results After Batch Processing
After processing is complete, open the file to check, and you can see that the four lines within the red boxes have all been updated. The line containing Annex A has become "Annex A - Q&A", the line containing Annex B has become "Annex B - Safety Attentions", the line containing Annex C has become "Annex C - Important Notes", and the line containing Annex D has become "Annex D - Other Remarks".
At the same time, other content in the file has not been changed, for example, the catalog numbers under "Contents" are still present. This shows that the rules for batch processing only act on the hit keyword lines, ensuring efficiency while minimizing the impact on non-target content.
Operation Step 1: Open the Software and Enter the Text Tool Category
After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "Text Tools" from the left navigation bar. The interface will display multiple text-related functions, including text conversion and text processing. According to the current objective, you should select "Find and replace complete lines in text files based on keywords". In the screenshot, this function is located as the 2nd item in the text tool list.
When selecting the function, confirm the "complete lines" part of the name. Because the requirement of this article is not to replace a single word, but to change the entire line containing the keyword to new content. Choosing the wrong function might lead to processing results that do not meet expectations.
Operation Step 2: Add Files or Import Files from a Folder
After entering the function, the first step is to select the records that need processing. The top of the interface provides "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder". If you already know which files to process, you can add files directly; if all the txt files are in the same directory, importing from a folder will be more efficient.
In the example, 5 files have been imported, and the list shows each file's name, path, and extension. It is recommended to carefully check the file scope to confirm there are no omissions and no files that should not be processed are included. The value of a batch processing tool lies in processing multiple files at once, but the prerequisite is that the input file list is accurate. After confirming everything is correct, click "Next" at the bottom.
Operation Step 3: Select Exact Search and Fill in Keyword Correspondence
On the "Set Processing Options" page, first set the search method. The screenshot shows "Exact text search" selected, which is suitable for scenarios with a fixed keyword format. Then, in the "List of keywords to find" on the left, fill in the keywords to be located line by line: Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, Annex D.
Next, in the "List of keywords after replacement" on the right, fill in the corresponding new lines: Annex A - Q&A, Annex B - Safety Attentions, Annex C - Important Notes, Annex D - Other Remarks. After filling in, the software will process them based on line number correspondence.
For example, the 3rd line on the left is Annex C, and the 3rd line on the right is Annex C - Important Notes. When the software finds a complete line containing Annex C in a certain file, it will replace that line with the content from the 3rd line on the right. This correspondence is critical; it is recommended to review it from top to bottom after setting it up.
The interface also shows additional options such as "Ignore letter case" and "Match complete word, not part of a word". They can be used or not depending on the actual text characteristics. For highly standardized text, exact search is usually more intuitive; for text with inconsistent capitalization, you need to evaluate before processing whether to ignore case.
Operation Step 4: Save Output Results and Start Processing
After setting up the keywords and replacement content, click "Next". According to the process at the top of the page, the subsequent steps will enter "Set Save Location" and "Start Processing". In the save location step, it is recommended to save the results in a new directory for easy comparison with the original txt files. If the files being processed are important, backing up the original files first is very necessary.
After starting processing, the software will execute batch find and full-line replacement on the multiple text files in the list according to the previously set rules. Once processing is complete, you can randomly open a few output files to check, confirming that the lines containing the target keywords have been updated and other lines have no abnormal changes.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. Must the number of items in the left and right lists be equal?
If the purpose is to replace with new lines, it is recommended to fill in the corresponding replacement content for each keyword and keep the order consistent. The interface prompts that "leaving blank means deletion", so a blank might represent deleting the corresponding line and should not be left empty by mistake.
2. Should the keywords be written as the whole line or just the key part?
Keywords are used to identify the target line and do not necessarily need to match the complete old line. As shown in the example, filling in just the key parts like Annex A, Annex B can locate the lines containing them. The more accurate the keyword, the lower the risk of false matches.
3. Do I need to close the text editor before processing?
The screenshot does not show related restrictions, but from a cautionary perspective, it is recommended to close the target files being edited before processing to avoid file occupation or chaotic save states.
4. Can this be used to delete lines containing keywords?
From the interface description and the "leaving blank means deletion" prompt, it can be seen that this function can also be used for scenarios involving the deletion of lines containing keywords. However, the focus of this article is replacement with new complete lines, so new content has been filled in on the right side in the example.
Summary: Improving TXT Text Maintenance Efficiency with Batch Processing Tools
Batch replacing entire lines in TXT files based on keywords is a very practical method for office automation. It can turn the work that originally required searching file by file, manually selecting lines, and copying and pasting, into a process of importing once, setting up once, and completing in batches. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool uses a clear wizard-like process that allows users to quickly complete multi-file text content updates. It is recommended that during actual use, you first organize the correspondence table of keywords and replacement lines before importing files for processing; for important documents, back them up first or output to a new folder. This not only improves efficiency but also ensures that the results of batch modifications are more controllable.