When a folder contains a large number of txt notepad files, opening them one by one to check the path, size, creation time, modification time, text encoding, number of lines, and character count is very time-consuming and prone to missing statistics. This article explains how to use the file information statistics feature in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to import multiple txt files at once, select detailed text file information, and summarize the statistical results into an Excel spreadsheet, which is suitable for data organization, text archiving, project delivery checklists, and data verification scenarios.
In daily office work and document management, many teams store a large number of txt notepad files, such as study notes, log records, script descriptions, course materials, meeting minutes, exported texts, configuration instructions, etc. When the number of files is small, it is acceptable to manually open each txt to view the content. However, once the number of files reaches dozens, hundreds, or even more, a very real problem arises: how to quickly count the full path, file name, extension, size, creation time, modification time, text encoding, number of text lines, and character count of these txt files, and organize the results into an Excel spreadsheet?
If you rely on manually copying file paths and then opening each notepad one by one to check the encoding and line count, it is not only inefficient but also prone to omissions, inconsistent statistical standards, and results that cannot be reviewed. Especially when it comes to material verification, text archiving, batch proofreading, or data delivery, a clearly structured Excel summary table is more convenient for filtering, sorting, and filing than scattered files.
This article takes HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to introduce how to use the file information statistics function in this office software to batch count a large number of txt files and generate an Excel result table containing information such as text encoding, line count, and character count. The core value of the software is to batch process files and reduce repetitive labor, turning tasks that originally required repeatedly opening files, copying and pasting, and manual recording into a single process of import, unified settings, and centralized output.
Applicable Scenarios: Which situations are suitable for batch counting txt file information
Batch counting txt file paths, line counts, character counts, and text encoding is not simply for viewing a few file properties; it is more suitable for office scenarios where text materials need to be organized, verified, and summarized.
First, it is suitable for document archiving scenarios. For example, after a project ends, the folder contains many txt description documents, log documents, and note documents, and a file inventory needs to be generated, recording the location, size, time, and basic text information of each file for future search and auditing.
Second, it suits text data delivery scenarios. Certain business systems, collection tools, or export programs generate a large number of txt files. Before delivery, it is necessary to confirm whether each file is empty, if the line count meets expectations, if the character count is abnormal, and if the encoding is uniform. Through batch counting, files with too few lines, abnormal character counts, or inconsistent encoding can be quickly identified.
Third, it is suitable for study material and content management scenarios. The file names in the screenshot include ReadingJournalNotes, VocabularyPracticeText, GrammarReviewLines, StudyPlanningNotes, etc., similar to study notes, course summaries, and practice texts. When there are many files, summarizing them into Excel allows for sorting by file name, modification time, or character count to quickly understand the scale and update status of the materials.
Fourth, it is suitable for technical documentation and log verification scenarios. Development, testing, and operations personnel often deal with a large number of txt, log, and csv text files. Although this article mainly discusses txt notepad files, the management approach for similar text materials is similar: first count the file information, then use Excel for filtering and checking.
Effect Preview: Before processing, a batch of scattered txt notepad files
Before processing, multiple txt files can be seen in the folder, displayed only as a normal file list. Users can see the file names and some time information, but cannot directly view the text encoding, line count, or character count of each file, nor is it convenient to copy all full paths at once.
From the before processing screenshot, it can be seen that the number of these txt files is large and the file names are quite similar. If counted manually, each file would need to be opened, its name and path recorded, and other methods used to calculate the line and character counts. This might already be troublesome for 20 files, and if expanded to 200 or 2000 files, manual counting would be almost unfeasible.
Effect Preview: After processing, an Excel summary table containing detailed text information is generated
After processing is complete, the software organizes the statistical results into an Excel table. In the after processing screenshot, you can see the table columns contain fields such as Path, Name, Name without extension, Extension, Size in bytes, Size, Containing folder name, Containing folder path, Creation time, Modification time, Text encoding, Text line count, and Text character count.
This type of result table is highly practical. For example, you can sort by text line count from largest to smallest to quickly find the txt file with the most content; you can filter the text encoding column to see if different encodings like utf-8, gb18030, windows-1252, utf-16, us-ascii exist simultaneously; you can locate the original file based on the path column; and you can check recently updated text materials based on the modification time. Compared to manual recording, an Excel summary table is more suitable for subsequent statistics, filtering, archiving, and sharing.
Operation Step 1: Enter the file information statistics function in File Organization
After opening HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select File Organization from the tool categories on the left. Under this category, you can see multiple functions related to batch file processing, such as classifying by file name, classifying by extension, folder information statistics, etc. For this article, the required function is the file information statistics function, whose description is: batch count the name, path, size, time, and metadata information of various files.
The purpose of this step is to enter the correct batch processing module from the office software's tool list. Since our need is not to modify txt content or rename files, but to count file attributes and text information, File Information Statistics should be chosen. After entering, the software will guide the user through a wizard-style process to import files, set processing options, set the save location, and start processing.
It should be noted here that file information statistics is not only suitable for txt files but can also be used for information summarization of other office files. However, the focus this time is txt notepad files, so the detailed information options related to text files should be checked later.
Operation Step 2: Add or import txt files to be counted from a folder
After entering the file information statistics page, the first step is to select the records to be processed. At the top of the page, buttons such as Add Files, Import Files from Folder, Clear, and More can be seen. For a smaller number of files, you can use Add Files to select specific txt files; if all txt files are concentrated in one folder, it is more suitable to use Import Files from Folder to add the target files to the list at once.
After import, the software displays basic information such as file number, name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time in the list. In the screenshot, 20 records have been imported, all with the txt extension and located in the same folder. At this point, the user can first check the list to confirm that the correct files have been imported.
If files that do not need to be counted are found to have been mistakenly imported, the corresponding records can be removed according to the operation column on the page; if the import is incorrect, the list can be cleared and re-imported. After import is complete and confirmed to be correct, click Next to enter the processing options settings page. The expected result of this step is: all txt files to be counted appear in the software list, with the number basically consistent with the actual files, preparing for the subsequent generation of the Excel summary table.
Operation Step 3: Check text file detailed information to count encoding, line count, and character count
The second step is to set processing options. In the screenshot, the Additional Information area can be seen, containing options like Word file detailed information, Excel file detailed information, PPT file detailed information, PDF file detailed information, Text file detailed information, and Image file detailed information. Since we need to count txt notepad files this time, the Text file detailed information option needs to be checked.
This step is very key. When only counting regular file attributes, you typically only get basic fields like path, file name, extension, size, creation time, and modification time; but after checking Text file detailed information, the software will further count specific information for text files, such as text encoding, text line count, and text character count. The Text - Text Encoding, Text - Line Count, Text - Character Count that appear in the processed Excel are precisely brought by this option.
If there are files mixed in your folder like doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pdf, or images, you can also check the corresponding detailed information options according to actual needs. However, if you only care about txt text this time, it is recommended to only check Text file detailed information, so the result is more focused and easier to view later.
After setting, click Next. The expected result is that the software now knows to not only count basic file information this time but also to additionally read text-related metrics for txt files.
Operation Step 4: Set the save location and start processing
According to the process prompt at the top of the page, the file information statistics function is divided into four stages: Select records to process, Set processing options, Set save location, and Start processing. After completing the check for Text file detailed information, continue to click Next, set the result save location following the software page prompts, and then enter the Start processing stage.
The purpose of the save location is to specify where the generated Excel summary table should be placed. It is recommended to choose a location that is easy to find, such as the current project folder, a desktop temp directory, or a dedicated statistical results folder. This way, after processing is complete, the result table can be quickly opened for inspection, filtering, and archiving.
After starting processing, the software will batch read the information of the imported txt files and write the statistical results into the Excel table. Throughout the entire process, the user does not need to open each file individually or manually calculate line counts and character counts. For directories with a large number of files, this step can significantly reduce repetitive work.
How to read the exported Excel statistical results
The exported Excel table can generally be used on three levels. The first level is basic file information, including path, name, extension, size, containing folder, creation time, and modification time. These fields are suitable for creating file inventories, archive directories, and delivery details.
The second level is text content scale information, including text line count and text character count. The line count can help determine if a file is empty, lacks content, or exceeds expectations; the character count can help assess the text volume and identify files that are abnormally large or small.
The third level is text encoding information. In the after processing screenshot, it can be seen that different files may have encodings like utf-8, gb18030, windows-1252, utf-16, us-ascii. Inconsistent encoding may lead to garbled characters during subsequent system imports, script reading, or cross-platform opening. Therefore, it is more prudent to first summarize the encoding status in Excel before deciding whether to uniformly convert the encoding.
Common Questions and Precautions
1. Why must Text file detailed information be checked? Because path, name, size, and time are basic file information, while text encoding, line count, and character count are additional statistical content for text files. Only by checking Text file detailed information in the processing options will these text-specific fields appear in the result table.
2. Can I only count txt files under a specific folder? Yes. When operating, use Import Files from Folder to import the files from the target folder into the list. After importing, first check the extensions and quantity to confirm they are all txt files that need processing before proceeding to the next step.
3. What should I do if the time column in Excel is displayed as hash marks? In the after processing screenshot, some time columns are displayed as hash marks due to insufficient column width, which is usually a display issue in Excel. After opening the result table, appropriately widen the column width to view the complete time.
4. Is inconsistent text encoding necessarily a problem? Not necessarily. Txt files from different sources may use different encodings. Whether unification is needed depends on the subsequent use. If these files will be read by the same system, it is recommended to check the encoding column carefully to avoid the risk of garbled characters.
5. Can the statistical results be used for subsequent filtering and sorting? Yes. The exported Excel table is naturally suitable for filtering, sorting, and secondary analysis. For example, sorting by text line count, filtering by extension, filtering by encoding, or sorting by modification time can all be done quickly.
Summary: Using batch counting to replace manual opening and item-by-item recording
Batch counting the path, line count, character count, and text encoding of many txt notepad files is essentially a typical office automation requirement. When done manually, one needs to open each file individually, copy its path, record its attributes, and calculate its content scale, which is slow and error-prone; using the file information statistics function of HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can quickly summarize a large number of txt files into an Excel table by importing files, checking Text file detailed information, setting the save location, and starting processing.
If you are organizing study notes, project texts, log files, data delivery packages, or historical document directories, it is recommended to use this batch counting method directly. First, generate a complete Excel file inventory, and then perform filtering, inspection, and archiving based on the table. This will be more efficient and accurate than manual individual review, and more suitable for team collaboration and long-term preservation.