When repeatedly creating folders for projects, clients, or annual materials using the same directory structure, manually copying and renaming is not only time-consuming but also prone to missing subdirectories. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to introduce how to batch-create multiple new folders based on an existing template folder, while preserving the original multi-level directory structure in the output results, making it suitable for scenarios such as project archiving, annual materials, and departmental ledgers.
In daily office work, many data organization tasks are not complex but repetitive. For example, each project requires the creation of directories like "Contracts," "Quotations," "Acceptance," and "Invoices"; each fiscal year needs the same set of folder categories; each customer requires a data pack with an identical structure. If you only need to create one or two directories, manually copying them is acceptable; but when you need to batch-create dozens or even hundreds of new folders based on a template folder, copying, pasting, and renaming one by one becomes highly inefficient. It also easily leads to issues like inconsistent directory levels, missing subfolders, and name errors.
This article addresses exactly this problem: using a pre-organized template folder as a basis to batch-generate multiple new folder names while preserving the original template's directory structure. Using screenshots, the following demonstrates how to use the "Batch create new folders based on existing folders" function in the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ". This function is a batch processing tool for file organization, suitable for reducing the workload of repetitive directory creation, making folder structure creation more stable and standardized.
Application Scenarios: When is it suitable to batch-create folders from a template
If your work frequently involves the need to "copy the same directory structure multiple times," the method in this article is very suitable. Common scenarios include:
1. Project data archiving: Each project needs the same subdirectories, such as project initiation data, contract documents, process data, and acceptance materials.
2. Yearly or monthly data organization: Creating folders with the same structure for each year and month to store reports, vouchers, ledgers, or work records.
3. Customer data pack creation: Batch-creating a unified directory for multiple customers, facilitating standardized data storage by departments like sales, finance, and customer service.
4. Departmental file standardization: Departments like administration, HR, finance, and engineering need to create folder templates according to uniform rules to avoid confusion caused by individual naming habits.
5. Preparing directories before file migration: Batch-generating the target directory structure before officially copying Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF files, images, or other materials.
The key value of using this method is that you don't need to manually create new folders layer by layer, nor do you need to repetitively copy the template and rename them one by one. The software can batch-generate multiple directories based on a list of new names you provide, retaining the subfolder structure from the template.
Effect Preview: Template Folder Structure Before Processing
Before processing, we can see the root directory in the example is 'test', containing three folders: A, B, and C. Each folder has its own internal subdirectory structure: Folder A contains A-001, A-002, A-003; Folder B contains B1, B2, B3; Folder C contains C1, C2, C3. These existing folders can be understood as the template directory to be reused.
If handled manually, suppose you need to create five sets of directories named 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 under A, B, and C respectively, with each set retaining the original subfolder structure. This would require a large number of repetitive operations. For instance, creating 2001 under A and copying A-001, A-002, A-003; then creating 2002 and repeating the process again. The greater the quantity, the higher the probability of errors.
Effect Preview: Batched New Directories After Processing
After processing is complete, a new folder structure has been generated in the output directory. In the example, the output location is hesoft-output. You can see the three directories A, B, and C are preserved, and under each directory, new folders like 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 have been created in batch. Taking A as an example, the folders 2001, 2002, 2003, etc., under A continue to retain the subdirectories A-001, A-002, A-003 internally.
This is precisely the core effect of "batch-creating many new folders based on a template folder and retaining the directory structure": the new folder names are user-defined, while the directory hierarchy inherits the original folder structure. For teams needing long-term maintenance of standardized directories, this batch generation method can significantly reduce manual organization time.
Operation Steps: Using Office Software to Batch Create and Retain Folder Structure
Step 1: Enter the file organization function and select the corresponding tool
After opening " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ", you can see multiple office processing categories in the left function bar, such as File Organization, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, Text Tools, Image Tools, etc. This article utilizes the batch folder directory processing capability, so first click "File Organization" on the left.
In the File Organization function area, select "3. Batch create new folders based on existing folders." The description for this function in the screenshot reads "Batch copy existing folders many times and support customizing the names of new folders," which aligns with the requirements of this article.
The purpose of this step is to enter the correct batch processing module. After selecting this function, the software will enter a step-by-step wizard page. From here, you just need to follow the process to add template folders, set processing options, set a save location, and start processing.
Step 2: Add existing folders to be used as templates
After entering the function page, the first step is "Select records for processing." There is an "Add Folder" button in the upper right corner of the page for adding existing template folders to the processing list. In the example, three folders A, B, and C have been added. The list displays information like Name, Path, Creation Time, and Modification Time, with paths located at D:\test\A\, D:\test\B\, D:\test\C\.
It is important to note that what you add are not individual files like Word, docx, doc, Excel, or PDF, but existing folders. Since the goal this time is to copy the directory structure and batch-generate new folder names, the template source should be well-organized folders. If you have multiple template directories, you can add multiple records at once, as shown in the screenshot. After confirming the list is correct, click "Next" at the bottom of the page.
Step 3: Set processing options and input the list of new folder names
Upon entering the second step, "Set Processing Options," you will see an option: "Ignore all files, keep folder structure only." This option is very critical. If the template directory contains files like docx, doc, xlsx, pdf, or images, and you only want to create an empty directory structure, you can enable this option. When enabled, the software will ignore the file content in the template during processing and keep only the folder hierarchy.
In the "New Name List" below, input one new folder name to be batch-created per line. The screenshot shows the input 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, indicating that the software will generate five sets of directories based on these names.
The expected result of this step is: the template folders A, B, and C will generate corresponding new directories based on the new name list. For example, under A, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 will be generated, and these directories will retain A's original subdirectory structure; B and C will also be generated following the same logic. The name list can be filled in according to actual business needs, such as project numbers, customer names, months, fiscal years, department names, etc.
Step 4: Set the save location and start processing
After completing the processing options, continue by clicking "Next" to enter "Set Save Location." According to the page flow, the third step is used to specify where the batch-created folders should be saved. It is recommended to choose a new output directory to avoid mixing with the original template directory. This makes it easier to check the processing results and reduces the risk of operational errors.
After setting the save location, enter the "Start Processing" step. Confirm that the added template folders, name list, and save location are all correct before executing the process. Once processing is complete, check the results in the output directory. You should see a structure similar to the example's hesoft-output: multiple new-named folders generated under each template directory, retaining the original subdirectory hierarchy.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. Why use "Ignore all files, keep folder structure only"?
If your goal is only to batch-create directories without copying the files from the template, you should use this option. This avoids carrying over Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF files, or image materials from old projects into the new directories, making it suitable for creating empty data frameworks. If you indeed need to copy the files along with them, you should configure settings carefully based on the actual interface options; the focus of the screenshots in this article is on retaining only the folder structure.
2. How should the new name list be written?
Generally, it is recommended to have one name per line, keeping names concise and compliant with Windows folder naming rules. You can use project numbers, customer names, years and months, etc., such as 2026-01, 2026-02, or KH001, KH002. Avoid using special characters not allowed by the system to prevent creation failures.
3. What happens during generation when multiple template folders are added?
Judging by the screenshot results, all three template folders A, B, and C participate in the processing. The software will retain these top-level folders in the output directory and batch-create directories under them according to the new name list, further retaining their original subdirectory structures. Therefore, multi-template processing is suitable for creating the same batch of new directories for multiple categories at once.
4. Is a backup needed before processing?
Although this process typically outputs to a designated save location, it is still recommended to keep the original template directory before batch processing folders, especially if the templates contain important data. The advantage of batch office tools is high efficiency, but it also means that once settings are confirmed, a large number of directories will be generated at once. Therefore, checking the list before processing is very important.
Summary: Replacing Repetitive Directory Creation with Batch Processing Tools
Batch-creating new folders based on a template folder essentially delegates the repetitive task of directory building to office software. Through the file organization function of " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ", you can first add existing template folders, then input a list of new folder names, select to keep only the folder structure, and ultimately quickly generate multiple sets of standardized directories.
Compared with manual copying, pasting, and renaming, this method is more suitable for office scenarios with many projects, many customers, and abundant periodic data. It not only saves time but also reduces problems like missing subfolders and inconsistent directory levels. If you are currently doing repetitive work for creating a large number of folders, it is recommended to first organize a standard template and then use the method in this article to batch-generate new directories.