When a file name starts with a city code, project code, or department abbreviation, these leading characters can be used as a basis for classification, automatically organizing a large number of files into corresponding folders. This article, with screenshots, explains how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to complete batch file organization: first select to categorize files by file name in the file organization tool, then import the files to be processed, select to categorize by the initial characters and specify the number, and finally set the save location and start processing. After processing, prefixes such as LON, NYC, PAR, SYD, and TYO will become folders, and the files will be automatically stored together.
Many office file naming conventions carry business meaning. For example, LON, NYC, PAR, SYD, TYO at the start of filenames may represent different cities; A01, B02 may represent different projects; HR, FIN, OPS may represent different departments. Naming rules are already in place, but if all these files remain in the same folder, it's still not convenient enough for practical use. Finding files for a specific city, packaging project materials, or counting documents for a department requires repeated filtering.
Manually organizing such files seems simple but is actually very time-consuming. Assuming 20 files, manual processing can be managed with some effort; for 200 or 2000 files, it becomes repetitive labor. More troublesome is that the human eye identifies prefixes and drags files, making it easy to misplace files with similar names. This article introduces using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to automatically group a large number of files based on the first few characters of the filename. It is a batch-processing software designed for office scenarios, suitable for file organization, batch archiving, and reducing repetitive operations.
Applicable Scenarios: City codes, project codes, and customer abbreviations can all serve as classification criteria
As long as the characters at the beginning of the filename can represent a category, the method of classifying by starting characters is suitable. City code files can be archived by LON, NYC, PAR; project materials by P01, P02, P03; customer files by customer abbreviation or customer ID; departmental files by HR, IT, FIN, MKT. This method is universal for common office files like TXT, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, images, and compressed archives.
For example, log files exported by a system might be LON10125384.txt, NYC10212343.txt; contract files might be C001Contract.pdf, C002Addendum.docx; report files might be FIN202606.xlsx, HR202606.xlsx. Regardless of whether the extension is txt, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, or pdf, as long as the starting characters are fixed, they can be batch categorized. Compared to classifying by extension, classifying by filename prefix is more aligned with business logic, as it organizes files according to the city, customer, project, or department they represent.
Result Preview: Comparison of directory structure before and after processing
Before Processing: Filenames have patterns, but directories are not grouped
In the screenshot before processing, all files are in the same directory. Filenames start with LON, NYC, PAR, SYD, TYO, followed by a numeric ID, with a txt extension. Red markings emphasize the very first characters of the filenames, which serve as the basis for subsequent classification. At this point, although the filenames allow category identification, the files are not actually separated.
After Processing: Classification folders generated based on the first three characters
In the screenshot after processing, the directory has been transformed into multiple classification folders: LON, NYC, PAR, SYD, TYO. This means the software automatically read the first three characters of the filenames and placed files with the same prefix into the same folder. Such a structure is more suitable for archiving, backing up, sending to colleagues, or uploading to shared drives.
Steps: Complete workflow from importing files to automatic classification
Step 1: Open the file organization module, enter filename-based classification
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "File Organization" from the left navigation. In the screenshot, the file organization module displays several function cards, the first being "Classify files by filename." The goal of this task is to archive based on the starting characters of the filename, not by extension or modification time, so this function needs to be accessed.
The purpose of this step is to switch the task from general file management to a batch file organization workflow. After entering this function, the software guides the user through selecting records, setting processing options, setting the save location, and starting processing, ensuring no critical steps are missed.
Step 2: Add the files to be organized to the processing list
After entering the "Classify files by filename" page, the first stage is "Select records to process." The upper right area of the interface offers "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder." If all files are stored in one folder, such as D:\test in the example, you can use "Import Files from Folder" to add all files from the directory to the list at once; if files are scattered across multiple locations, you can add them in batches.
Once import is complete, the table displays fields like file name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time. In the example, records like LON10125384.txt, LON10181954.txt, NYC1010149.txt, PAR10254549.txt are visible, with the bottom showing a record count of 20. It is advisable to quickly browse by name to confirm that all files follow the same prefix rule. Any files you do not wish to process should be removed from the list first to prevent incorrect classification.
Step 3: Set the classification method to classify by the first few characters
Click "Next" to enter "Set Processing Options." In the classification method area, multiple radio options are visible. For this task, which classifies based on starting characters like city codes or project codes, select "Classify by the first few characters." This is the most critical step in the entire operation, determining from which position in the filename the software extracts the classification name.
Then, enter the number of characters in the "Quantity" input box. In the example, filename prefixes are three uppercase English letters: LON, NYC, PAR, SYD, TYO, so the quantity is filled in as 3. Subsequently, the software will place LON10125384.txt into LON, SYD10344546.txt into SYD, and TYO10378182.txt into TYO. If your classification prefix is two characters, like HR or IT, fill in 2; if it is four characters, like PROJ, fill in 4.
Step 4: Check the letter case option to avoid duplicate classifications
At the bottom of the Set Processing Options page, you can also see "Letter Case Conversion." By default, the software processes based on the characters in the original filename. If all your filename prefixes are uppercase, like LON, NYC, PAR in the screenshot, keeping the default setting is fine. If files from different sources have mixed cases, such as lon001.txt, LON002.txt, Lon003.txt, you can choose to convert to uppercase or lowercase as needed, so that the same business category goes into the same folder.
This is particularly important in team collaboration. Files exported by different colleagues may have different naming habits, and inconsistent case can lead to less organized classification results. Unifying the case beforehand in the processing options reduces the need for manual folder merging later.
Step 5: Set the save location and start processing
After completing the processing options, continue by clicking "Next" to enter "Set Save Location." From the interface flow, it's clear that setting the save location is a necessary step before starting processing. It is recommended to choose a new output folder, such as "Classified by Prefix Result" or "Organized Files," to clearly distinguish original files from processing results.
Once the save location is set, proceed to "Start Processing." The software will automatically execute batch archiving based on the imported files and classification rules: read the specified number of characters from the beginning of each filename, create a folder with that name, and then place files with the same prefix into the same directory. After processing is complete, check the output directory to see the classification folders corresponding to the prefixes.
Common Issues and Notes
What is the impact of entering the wrong character count?
The count determines the classification folder name. If three-letter city codes are supposed to be used for classification, but 2 is entered, it might generate folders like LO, NY, PA, SY, TY; if 4 is entered, it might generate folders like LON1, NYC1, PAR1. Therefore, it's crucial to clarify the filename pattern before processing and confirm the character length used for classification.
Can files with Chinese characters in the name be processed?
The screenshot shows that classification methods include options like "Classify by the first Chinese character," indicating the function is not limited to English letters. The scenario in this article uses English letter prefixes, but if your filenames start with Chinese region names, Chinese customer names, or Chinese department names, you can also choose the appropriate rule based on the options provided in the interface. To classify by multiple starting characters, you can still use "Classify by the first few characters."
Can files with different extensions be processed together?
Filename-based classification primarily relies on the file name, not the extension. In practice, docx documents, xlsx spreadsheets, pdf contracts, and jpg images might all exist under the same project. If all these files begin with the same project code, they can be imported and processed together, letting them enter the same folder by project code. Before processing, just confirm that these different file types truly belong to the same classification rule set.
What preparations are needed before processing a large number of files?
It is advisable to do three things first: confirm that the filename rules are consistent; check the pending processing list to avoid importing irrelevant files; and back up important data or choose a new save location. Batch processing is very efficient, but it also means one operation can affect many files; early checks can reduce the risk of rework.
Summary: Classifying by filename prefix makes organizing large numbers of files more efficient
When filenames already contain city codes, project codes, customer abbreviations, or department numbers, the most effective way to organize is to let the software directly utilize this information for classification. The "Classify files by filename" function provided by HeSoft Doc Batch Tool can batch complete the work of manual judgment, dragging, and archiving. By selecting to classify by the first few characters and filling in the correct count, the software can automatically generate classification folders and place corresponding files inside.
If you are facing the task of organizing a large number of TXT, Word, Excel, PDF, or image files, first observe whether there are stable rules at the beginning of the filenames. Once the rules are clear, you can follow the steps in this article to import files, set the classification method, specify a save location, and start processing. This not only saves time but also makes the file structure clearer, laying a solid foundation for subsequent searching, sharing, backup, and project delivery.