When multiple TXT text files contain lines with years, numbers, keywords, or fixed-format content that need to be uniformly replaced with new content, manually opening and modifying them one by one is not only time-consuming but also prone to missing changes. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to demonstrate how to use the "find and replace entire lines in text files based on keywords" feature, using wildcard regular expressions to match entire lines containing four-digit numbers and batch replace them with newly specified lines, making it suitable for processing large numbers of TXT logs, configuration files, manifest documents, and data text files.
In everyday office work, data organization, system operation and maintenance, and data cleaning, you often encounter this need: many TXT text files contain certain keywords, such as year, number, version number, customer name, contract number, status field, etc. We don't just want to replace the keyword itself, but wish to replace the "entire line containing that keyword" with a new line of content.
If there are only one or two files, it's acceptable to manually open and modify them with Notepad, Notepad++, or another text editor; but if there are dozens or hundreds of txt files, opening them one by one, finding, selecting the whole line, deleting, and entering a new line is very inefficient and prone to missed changes, mis-modifications, and format inconsistencies. This article aims to solve this typical batch text processing problem: using wildcard regular expressions to batch replace all lines containing a keyword across multiple text files with a new line.
Using the " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool " in the screenshot as an example, we will demonstrate how to use the batch processing capabilities of office software to perform a whole-line replacement operation on multiple text files at once. The example includes multiple text files like 1.txt, 2.txt, 3.txt, 4.txt, 5.txt, where a certain line contains a four-digit year like "2020". We will use a regex-like wildcard expression \d{4} to match four digits and replace the complete line containing the match result with Annex A - Q&A.
Applicable Scenarios: When do you need to batch replace entire lines containing a keyword
"Finding a keyword and replacing the complete line" is not exactly the same as the common "find and replace text". Standard replacement usually only replaces a few matched characters, for example, changing "2020" to "2026"; whereas whole-line replacement means that if a line contains the target keyword, that entire line's content is replaced with a new line. This function is more suitable for structured text, semi-structured text, or office materials with a fixed format.
Common applicable scenarios include:
- Batch modifying specified entries in TXT lists: For example, multiple list files all have lines containing a certain product number, chapter number, or year, which need to be uniformly changed to a new title.
- Batch processing log files: Logs contain certain status codes, error codes, or time formats, and the related lines need to be replaced with a unified description for subsequent archiving or desensitization.
- Batch updating configuration files: Multiple configuration texts contain old server addresses, version numbers, switches, or path information, requiring whole-line replacement to avoid incomplete configurations caused by only partial modifications.
- Batch cleaning of material texts: Texts exported from web pages, PDF, Word, docx, doc, or systems often contain lines with dates, numbers, and copyright information that need unified replacement or standardization.
- Batch standardizing document directory lines: For instance, some document directories have old titles like "Annex A - Food and drink standards - revised 2020", and you want to change them directly to "Annex A - Q&A".
For office personnel, such tasks are highly repetitive. Manual processing isn't technically difficult but is very time-consuming. Using office software like HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can hand over repetitive operations to a batch processing workflow, where the user only needs to set up the files, matching rules, and replacement content.
Effect Preview: Multiple TXT files containing lines needing replacement before processing
From the file list before processing, it can be seen that there are multiple text files in the current folder, named 1.txt, 2.txt, 3.txt, 4.txt, 5.txt respectively. These files may all contain the target content that needs processing.
Open one of the example files, 1.txt, you can see the text content includes a table of contents and appendix information. The third line is:
Annex A - Food and drink standards - revised 2020
The end of this line contains the four-digit number "2020". If our processing goal is "if a line contains four digits, replace the entire line with new specified content," then this line is one that needs to be replaced.
It's important to note that the example in this article is not simply replacing "2020" with a new year, but rather replacing the entire line containing "2020" with a new line. That is to say, the original "Annex A - Food and drink standards - revised 2020" will become "Annex A - Q&A" entirely. This is the core value of the "Find by keyword and replace complete lines in text files" function.
Effect Preview: The target line replaced by the new line after processing
After processing is complete, open 1.txt again to check, and you can see that the whole line originally containing "2020" has been replaced with:
Annex A - Q&A
From the screenshot after processing, it's clear that the replacement result didn't just change the year, nor did it append content to the original line; instead, the matched complete line was replaced with the new text line. Other lines not matching the rule, such as "Annex B," "Annex C," "Contents," and the following directory entries, remain unchanged. This processing method is very suitable for office scenarios like "batch replacing entire lines containing a keyword," ensuring target lines are updated uniformly while avoiding affects on irrelevant content.
Operation Steps: Using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to Batch Replace Entire Text Lines
Step 1: Enter Text Tools, select "Find and replace complete lines in text files based on keywords"
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "Text Tools" from the tool categories on the left. In the function list, find and click "Find and replace complete lines in text files based on keywords". The description of this function in the screenshot is "Batch delete or replace entire lines containing a certain keyword in text files with new text," which perfectly corresponds to the task this article aims to accomplish.
The goal of this step is to first enter the correct batch processing function. Since the software also has other tools like Text to Word, Text to PDF, HTML to TXT, Markdown to Word, if you only need plain text format conversion, you can choose other functions; but if the goal is "find keywords and replace whole lines," you should enter this current function.
After entering the function, the software guides the user through the process using a wizard-style workflow. The interface shows the sequence of steps includes: Select records to process, Set processing options, Set save location, Start processing. This process is suitable for batch file processing and helps prevent users from missing critical settings.
Step 2: Add the TXT files that need batch processing
After entering the function page, the first step is to select the records that need processing. In the screenshot, 5 txt files have been imported: 1.txt, 2.txt, 3.txt, 4.txt, 5.txt, all located in the D:\test\ directory. The table also displays extension, creation time, modification time, and other information, helping users confirm whether the correct files have been imported.
At the top right of this interface, you can see operation entries like "Add Files," "Import Files from Folder," "Clear," and "More." In practice, if you only need to process a few specific files, you can import them via "Add Files"; if a folder contains a large number of txt texts that need uniform processing, "Import Files from Folder" is more suitable. After importing, it's recommended to check the file count, names, and paths to ensure no unrelated files have been added to the task.
The expected result of this step is that all text files requiring whole-line replacement appear in the list. The screenshot shows the record count is 5 at the bottom, indicating the current batch task will process 5 text files. After confirming there are no errors, click the "Next" button at the bottom of the page to proceed to the processing options settings.
Step 3: Set the search method, enable wildcard regular expression matching
On the "Set processing options" page, you need to set the search method first. The screenshot shows two options under "Search Method": "Exact text search" and "Fuzzy text search using formula." This example selects "Fuzzy text search using formula." This option is suitable for matching using wildcards, formulas, or regex-like expressions.
Why not choose "Exact text search" here? Because the example needs to match four-digit numbers, and the actual file might contain 2020, 2021, 2026, or other years. Using exact search would require entering each specific year one by one; whereas using an expression like \d{4} can match any consecutive four digits, which is more suitable for batch processing unfixed content across multiple files.
Enter in the "Keyword list to search":
\d{4}
The meaning of this expression can be understood as: match 4 consecutive digits. The "2020" in the example file fits this rule, so the entire line containing "2020" will be identified as the target line.
If your actual business is not searching for years, you can modify it to other keywords or expressions as needed. For example, search for fixed text like "ERROR", search for a specific contract number prefix, or search for lines containing a version number, etc. The key point is: the content entered here is used to determine which line needs to be replaced, not just to replace the matched characters themselves.
Step 4: Enter the content of the new replacement line
Enter the replacement full-line text in the "Replaced keyword list" on the right. The example fills in:
Annex A - Q&A
Since the current function is "Find and replace complete lines," when a line contains a match result from the left-side keyword list, the software will replace that entire line with the new text set on the right. That is to say, the original:
Annex A - Food and drink standards - revised 2020
will be replaced with:
Annex A - Q&A
The area on the right in the screenshot also prompts "Leave blank to delete." This means if the replacement content on the right is left empty, the entire line hitting the keyword might be deleted; whereas the goal of this article is to replace it with a new line, so the new line content needs to be filled in. For office document cleaning, this point is especially important: if you want to delete lines containing a keyword, you can leave it blank; if you want to update them to standard text, you should fill in the replacement content.
Step 5: Continue setting the save location and start batch processing
After setting the search rules and replacement content, continue clicking "Next". According to the process prompt at the top of the page, the subsequent steps require setting the save location and then starting the process. Although the screenshots provided in this article mainly show the key settings of the first two steps, it's clear from the wizard flow that the software will allow the user to confirm the output location before formal execution.
When batch modifying text files, it is recommended to preferably choose a new output directory to save the processing results, rather than directly overwriting the original files. The advantage of doing this is: if the expression is written incorrectly or the replacement content does not meet expectations, you can still go back to the original files and reprocess them. Especially when processing large volumes of txt, log, csv files, or text materials converted from Word/docx/doc, keeping the original files is a safer practice.
After completing the save location settings, enter the "Start Processing" step and execute the task. Once processing is complete, open the output txt file to check, and you will see that the target lines containing four digits have been replaced with the new line content.
Wildcard Regex Setting Strategy: How to Avoid Incorrect Matches
The efficiency of batch whole-line replacement is high, but rule settings also require caution. Because once the expression scope is too broad, it might match lines you don't wish to replace. Taking \d{4} in this article as an example, it will match any consecutive four digits. If the text contains numbers, page numbers, amounts, codes, etc., that are also four digits besides the year, these lines could also be identified as target lines.
If your text structure is more complex, you can consider making the rules more specific. For instance, if you only want to match lines containing content like "revised 2020", don't just write the year, but write a keyword closer to the business text; if you only want to match the year in a specific fixed chapter title, you can combine "Annex A" with the digit rules. This reduces the risk of false matches.
Before formally processing a large number of files, it is recommended to copy a few sample files for testing first. After confirming the replacement results meet expectations, import the complete folder for batch execution. This is a recommended operating habit for all batch processing tools.
FAQ and Notes
1. Does this function replace the keyword, or the entire line?
Judging from the function name and processing effect, it replaces the "complete line containing the keyword". In the example, it hit "2020", but what was ultimately replaced was the entire line "Annex A - Food and drink standards - revised 2020", not just the "2020" part.
2. Why choose "Fuzzy text search using formula"?
If you want to match fixed text, you can use exact search; if you want to match unfixed content, such as any four digits, different years, different numbers, you should use "Fuzzy text search using formula". The \d{4} in the example is a more flexible expression matching method.
3. Can the replacement content on the right be left empty?
The screenshot prompts "Leave blank to delete." If your goal is to delete entire lines containing a keyword, you can leave the replacement content blank; if your goal is to replace the target lines with new lines like in this article, you must fill in the replacement text.
4. Will it affect lines that do not hit the keyword?
Looking at the post-processing effect, lines that do not hit the rule remain unchanged. Therefore, as long as the search rules are set accurately, the software will only process lines containing the target keyword or matching expression.
5. Can it only process TXT files?
This article demonstrates batch whole-line replacement for txt text files. For office documents like Word, docx, doc, PDF, if similar processing is needed, you usually need to convert them to a processable text format based on the actual situation, or use the corresponding Word tools, PDF tools, or text tool functions within the software. This article does not expand on operations for other formats, taking the TXT batch processing flow shown in the screenshots as the standard.
Summary: Leave Repetitive Text Whole-Line Replacement to Batch Processing Tools
Batch replacing entire lines containing a keyword across multiple text files with new lines is a very typical office automation need. Manual processing is not only slow but also prone to missing some files or lines; using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can import multiple txt files, set wildcard regular expressions, fill in the new replacement line, and complete saving and processing by following the wizard, achieving one-time configuration and batch execution.
The example in this article uses \d{4} to match lines containing four digits and replaces the entire line with Annex A - Q&A. After processing, you can see that the target line is accurately replaced, while other content remains unchanged. For users who need to batch modify text, clean data, update configurations, organize directories, or process a large number of TXT files, this type of office software can significantly reduce repetitive work and improve file processing efficiency.
If you also have multiple text files that need to uniformly replace entire lines containing a certain keyword, it's recommended to prepare a small number of sample files to test the expression first. After confirming the results are correct, import the complete folder for batch processing. This ensures both efficiency and reduces the risk of misoperation.