Many office document directories are named using numbers, serial numbers, or temporary codes. During later organization, these numbers often need to be uniformly replaced with new suffixes. This article uses a practical case to explain how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , selecting the find and replace function in folder names, and using formulas to fuzzily search for text matching three-digit numbers, to batch rename multiple folders with the suffix -TEST, reducing repetitive renaming work.
In an office environment with an increasing amount of documents, folder naming conventions directly affect subsequent search, archiving, and delivery efficiency. Many teams temporarily use numbers, such as order numbers, test numbers, customer numbers, or serial numbers, when creating document directories. When the project enters the next stage, these numbers need to be uniformly changed to new identifiers. For example, the last three digits in a batch of folder names need to be uniformly replaced with -TEST. If it's only 3 folders, manual modification is acceptable; but if it's 30, 300, or even more, manual renaming becomes a highly repetitive, low-value, and error-prone task.
The problem this article aims to solve is clear: when the numbers in multiple folder names are different but the format is similar, how to use wildcards or regular expressions for batch fuzzy modification. We will use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to demonstrate how to batch find three-digit numbers in folder names and replace them with a uniform suffix. This tool belongs to office software, and its core value is helping users batch process files and folders, reducing a large amount of repetitive clicking and typing.
Applicable Scenario: Preserve the Name Body, Only Replace Part of the Number
Many batch renaming needs do not involve changing the entire folder name, but rather retaining the meaningful part and only processing a segment within it. For example, in the folder name ORD7A293, ORD7A might represent an order or project code, while 293 is just a temporary sequence number. If the entire name were changed to TEST during organization, the original business information would be lost; but if only 293 is changed to -TEST, the result would be ORD7A-TEST, which retains the original name body while completing the uniform identification.
This need is very suitable for using the "Find and replace keywords in folder names" feature, combined with "Formula fuzzy text search." Unlike exact search, fuzzy search does not require the exact same string to appear in each folder, but rather matches a class of text through rules. For example, \d{3} can match three consecutive digits, so 812, 293, 376, 194, 705 can all be identified.
In practical work, similar needs include:
- Replacing three-digit serial numbers in folder names with a unified version identifier.
- Changing numeric codes in test directories to -TEST, -DEMO, or other fixed suffixes.
- Batch standardizing project folder, customer folder, contract folder, and sample folder names.
- Cleaning up temporary numbers while preserving project codes before delivering materials.
- Standardizing the naming of downloaded or exported batch directories.
It should be noted that this article discusses the batch processing of folder names, not the content processing of Word documents (doc, docx), Excel spreadsheets (xls, xlsx), PPT presentations, or PDF files. Although the software interface also has categories like Word tools, Excel tools, PDF tools, etc., this operation should enter the module related to folder names.
Effect Preview: Folder Numbers Are Different Before Processing
The folder list before processing is shown in the following image, containing 5 folders with different names. Their commonality is that they all have three consecutive digits at the end of the name; the difference is that the specific content of the three digits is not the same. The red markings indicate the positions of the numbers to be replaced this time.
From the screenshot, the folder names are seen as INV4X812, ORD7A293, PO9C376, REQ8F194, SO2D705. If using a normal exact search, you would need to search for 812, 293, 376, 194, 705 individually and then set the replacement content one by one, which does not truly reduce the workload. A more suitable method is to find their common naming pattern, i.e., "three consecutive digits," and replace them all at once.
Effect Preview: Numbers Uniformly Replaced with -TEST After Processing
After completing the batch processing, the folder names become a uniform format, with the trailing digits replaced by -TEST. The effect after processing is shown in the following image.
Comparing before and after processing, it can be seen that the software did not destroy the main body part before the folder name. For example, INV4X812 became INV4X-TEST, with the preceding INV4X preserved; SO2D705 became SO2D-TEST, with the preceding SO2D also preserved. This indicates that this batch renaming only acts on the number positions matched by the rule.
Operation Step 1: Open Find and Replace in the Folder Name Category
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , first find Folder Name in the left navigation. As seen in the screenshot, the software divides multiple entries by office processing objects, including File Name, Folder Name, File Organization, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, Text Tools, Image Tools, etc. Since the object to be modified this time is the folder name itself, do not enter the file name or document type tools; instead, choose Folder Name.
After entering the Folder Name page, select the first function, "Find and replace keywords in folder names". The description of this function card is to batch find and replace keywords in folder names, perfectly suiting the need to replace numbers with a uniform suffix this time.
The purpose of this step is to determine the batch processing method. The interface also provides functions like "Insert text into folder names," "Add prefix and suffix to folder names," "Folder name case conversion," "Delete text in folder names," etc. If your goal is just to add a suffix to all folders, you could choose to add a prefix and suffix; but this example requires deleting the original number and replacing it with -TEST, so Find and Replace should be used.
Operation Step 2: Add Folders to Be Processed, Confirm Record Count
After selecting the function, enter the processing page. The top of the page shows the process flow, the first step being Select records to be processed. Click the Add Folder button in the upper right corner to add the folders that need renaming to the list. The red arrow in the screenshot points to the Add Folder button.
After adding, the table will list the name, path, creation time, and modification time of each folder. The screenshot shows that 5 records have been added, all under the path D:\test\. Using this list, the user can confirm before batch processing whether the correct directories have been selected. If a row is found to be a folder not intended for processing, it can be handled according to the operation column to avoid incorrect changes.
There are two key points to check in this step. First, check if the folder names match the rule, i.e., whether they all contain the three-digit numbers to be replaced. Second, check if the record count is correct. The bottom of the screenshot shows the record count is 5, consistent with the 5 folders seen in File Explorer, indicating no deviation in the processing scope. For large-volume tasks, this confirmation step can effectively reduce subsequent rework.
Operation Step 3: Set Up Wildcard Regular Expression to Match Three Digits
After confirming the list, click Next at the bottom to enter Set processing options. In the "Find method" area, the interface provides two options: Exact text search and Use formula for fuzzy text search. This example needs to match different numeric codes, so select Use formula for fuzzy text search.
Enter \d{3} in the Keyword list to find on the left. This can be understood as a wildcard regular expression representing "three consecutive digits." Thus, when processing folder names, the software will find the part in each name that matches this rule.
Enter -TEST in the Keyword list after replacement on the right. This means that the found three-digit numbers will be replaced with -TEST. Since the left rule and the right replacement content are in a corresponding relationship, all matched three-digit numbers in this example will be replaced with the same text.
For example:
- INV4X812: Matches 812, becomes INV4X-TEST after replacement.
- ORD7A293: Matches 293, becomes ORD7A-TEST after replacement.
- PO9C376: Matches 376, becomes PO9C-TEST after replacement.
- REQ8F194: Matches 194, becomes REQ8F-TEST after replacement.
- SO2D705: Matches 705, becomes SO2D-TEST after replacement.
This is the advantage of fuzzy search: you don't need to know the specific numbers in each folder; as long as they comply with a common rule, they can be uniformly replaced.
Operation Step 4: Continue Settings via the Wizard and Execute Processing
After completing the processing options, continue by clicking Next. Based on the process at the top of the page, the subsequent steps are Set save location and Start processing. Before final processing, it is recommended to double-check the expression and the replacement text, especially to confirm whether the hyphen in the replacement text needs to be kept. In this example, -TEST was entered, so the resulting names will contain a short dash.
If you want the result to be INV4XTEST, the replacement content should be TEST; if you want the result to be INV4X_TEST, the replacement content should be _TEST. The final effect shown in the screenshot uses -TEST, so this article explains based on that rule.
After executing the processing, open the original folder location to see the processed names. As long as the rules are set correctly, the software will batch complete the renaming for all records without requiring the user to open, delete, type, and confirm each one individually.
Frequently Asked Questions and Notes
1. What is the difference between Exact Text Search and Formula Fuzzy Search?
Exact search is suitable for replacing completely identical text, such as changing the word "Old Version" in all folders to "New Version." Formula fuzzy search is suitable for replacing text that follows a pattern but has different content, like different three-digit numbers, different dates, or different codes. The 812, 293, 376 in this example are not identical, so choosing formula fuzzy search is more appropriate.
2. What happens if the Keyword List After Replacement is empty?
From the interface prompt, there is a note next to the replacement keyword list saying "Leave blank to indicate deletion." Therefore, if nothing is entered on the right, the matched text might be deleted. This example requires replacement with -TEST, so the replacement content must be filled in to avoid results inconsistent with expectations.
3. Can a large number of folders be processed simultaneously?
This function is used for batch processing folder names. The example in the screenshot is 5 folders, but in actual work, more folders can be added as needed. The greater the processing quantity, the more obvious the efficiency gains brought by the batch tool. However, before processing a large amount of official data, it is still recommended to verify the expression with a small number of samples first.
4. Will the path change after renaming?
After the folder name changes, the folder path will also change accordingly. For example, D:\test\INV4X812\ will become a path similar to D:\test\INV4X-TEST\. If there are scripts, shortcuts, Excel references, Word links, or other systems referencing the old path, the impact needs to be evaluated in advance.
5. Is it suitable for processing file names?
This article demonstrates folder names. If you want to process file names, such as batch modifying docx, doc, xlsx, pdf, pptx, etc., filenames, you should select file name-related functions according to the software's left-side classification, not the folder name function. The entry point should correspond to the different processing objects.
Summary: Batch Process Folder Names Using Rules to Reduce Repetitive Work
Through this tutorial, it can be seen that when facing a batch of folders containing different numbers, using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool can quickly complete batch renaming. The key steps are: enter the Folder Name category, select Find and replace keywords in folder names, add the folders to be processed, choose Use formula for fuzzy text search, enter \d{3} to match three-digit numbers, and then enter -TEST as the replacement content.
This method is highly suitable for office material organization, project delivery, test directory standardization, and batch archiving. Compared to renaming one by one, the batch tool can save a significant amount of time and reduce human input errors. If your folder names also have similar numbers, dates, or version numbers that need unified replacement, it is recommended to first sort out the naming patterns, then test with a small number of samples, confirm the effect, and then execute in batch.