How to Replace an Entire Line by Keyword in Multiple Text Files? TXT Batch Processing Tutorial

If a large number of TXT files contain the same title line, configuration line, or description line that needs to be uniformly replaced with new content, manual editing would be highly inefficient. This article explains how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to replace the entire line containing a specified keyword in multiple text files at once, and describes the effects before and after processing, detailed operation steps, and common precautions.

Many office workers encounter a seemingly simple but time-consuming task when organizing materials: multiple TXT text files share the same few lines, and now these lines need to be uniformly replaced with new wording. For example, a batch of reference files contain appendix lines like "Annex A," "Annex B," "Annex C," and "Annex D," but the descriptions following these lines are outdated and require a complete replacement with new appendix names. If you open each file individually, searching, modifying, and saving them in Notepad or an editor, the greater the number of files, the higher the chance of errors.

The solution demonstrated in this article uses the text tool feature in the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool " to perform batch find and whole-line replacement across multiple text files. This method suits scenarios with clear keywords and uniform replacement rules, turning repetitive manual editing into a one-time configuration and batch execution process.

Applicable Scenarios: Why You Need to Replace Entire Lines in Text Files by Keyword

Replacing entire lines by keyword is suitable for tasks where "if a line contains a certain word, that entire line needs to be changed." Unlike simple word replacement, it is better suited for uniformly correcting document titles, table of contents entries, appendix descriptions, configuration items, fixed prompts, and similar content.

Batch Revision of Titles or Table of Contents in Reference Files

For example, multiple TXT documents generated in a project share the same table of contents structure at the beginning. When the template is adjusted later, the old directory lines need to be uniformly replaced with new ones. There is no need to locate each file individually; you can complete the task in batches by preparing the old keywords and new line content.

Batch Standardization of Logs, Lists, and Configuration Texts

In technical, operational, and administrative scenarios, plain text files like .txt, .log, .ini, and .csv are often used for storing records. If certain field lines require uniform modification, replacing entire lines by keyword is more reliable than manual searching. Although the screenshots in this article feature .txt files as examples, the concept also applies to organizing many other types of plain text files.

Reducing Repetitive Work and Enhancing Batch Office Efficiency

HeSoft Doc Batch Tool is a document batch processing office software. Its value lies not in editing a single file once, but in centrally handling a large volume of repetitive file operations. For tasks with "clear rules and numerous files," batch tools often save more time than manual editing.

Effect Preview: From Old Appendix Lines to New Appendix Lines

Before Processing: Multiple txt Files Await Modification

Before processing, there are five text files in the folder: 1.txt, 2.txt, 3.txt, 4.txt, and 5.txt. This screenshot illustrates that the task targets multiple files, not a single text file.

Opening 1.txt reveals an "Annexes" section, with several lines below containing content like "Annex A," "Annex B," "Annex C," "Annex D," etc. The screenshot uses red boxes and arrows to indicate the area to be processed. These keyword-containing lines are the targets of this batch replacement.

After Processing: Entire Line Content Updated to New Descriptions

After processing, checking the file content shows that the old appendix lines have been replaced with new complete lines: Annex A - Q&A, Annex B - Safety Attentions, Annex C - Important Notes, Annex D - Other Remarks. The rest of the main body table of contents remains visibly unchanged.

This result indicates that the software does more than simply replace the keyword characters; it finds the corresponding line based on the keyword, then replaces that entire line with the new text set in the right column. This is extremely useful for batch cleanup of old descriptions and titles.

Operation Steps: Batch Replace Keyword-Containing Lines with New Lines

Step 1: Find the Corresponding Function in the Text Tools

After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "Text Tools" in the left navigation bar. The tool list displays various text processing-related functions, such as finding and replacing keywords in text, deleting whitespace from text, converting text to Word, converting text to PDF, etc. The function to use in this article is "Find and replace complete lines in text files based on keywords."

After selecting this function, the software enters a step-by-step processing workflow. This flow starts with file selection, then moves to setting processing options, setting the save location, and finally starting the process, making it suitable for office users unfamiliar with scripts or command lines.

Step 2: Import the Text Files to be Modified in Batch

Once on the function page, you first need to select the records to be processed. The top right corner of the interface provides two common entry points: "Add Files" and "Import Files from Folder." If your target .txt files are already gathered in one folder, using "Import Files from Folder" is more convenient; if you only want to process a few specific files, you can click "Add Files" to select them one by one.

After the files are imported, they will be displayed in a list showing information like name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time. The screenshot shows five imported records, from 1.txt to 5.txt. It is recommended here to carefully check the file paths to ensure no wrong files were imported and no files that need processing are missing. After confirming, click "Next" at the bottom.

Step 3: Choose Exact Text Search

On entering "Set Processing Options," first set the search mode. What is selected in the screenshot is "Exact Text Search." When the keywords are very clear, such as "Annex A" or "Annex B," using exact text search is easier to understand and more suitable for general office users.

The interface also shows the option "Use formula for fuzzy text search," which is not used in the example for this article. To avoid going beyond the workflow shown in the screenshots, this article only covers the exact search method actually selected in the current images.

Step 4: Fill in the Keywords to Search For

Enter the keywords line by line in the "List of Keywords to Search For." The left column in the screenshot lists four keywords: Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, Annex D. The software will check the imported batch text files based on these keywords; if any line contains a corresponding keyword, that line will be treated as a pending replacement line.

Here, it's recommended that keywords not be too short. For instance, entering just "Annex" might match all appendix-related lines, making separate replacement difficult. Using "Annex A" or "Annex B" is more precise, allowing different new line content for each match.

Step 5: Fill in the Replacement Keyword List

On the right is the "List of Keywords After Replacement," meaning the new line content corresponding to each keyword. The screenshot shows four lines of new text set: Annex A - Q&A, Annex B - Safety Attentions, Annex C - Important Notes, Annex D - Other Remarks.

Please note that a line-by-line correspondence between the left and right sides must be maintained here. The keyword on line 1 of the left side corresponds to the new text on line 1 of the right side, left line 2 to right line 2, and so on. If the correspondence is incorrect, all files affected by the batch process will be modified according to the wrong rules, so be sure to double-check before formally executing the task.

Step 6: Set the Save Location and Start Processing

After setting the keywords and replacement text, click "Next" to proceed to "Set Save Location." Although the screenshot does not expand the save location page, the flow at the top clearly shows this is the third step. For batch replacement tasks, saving to a new location is recommended so you can compare and check against the original files.

After confirming the save location, enter "Start Processing." The software will process the imported multiple text files one by one based on the previously set rules. Once finished, open the output files to inspect them, and you will see that the lines containing the keywords have been replaced with the new content.

Frequently Asked Questions and Notes

1. Will replacing the entire line affect other content?

The goal of this function is to process the complete line containing the specified keyword. Looking at the example effect, after the appendix lines were replaced, the "Contents" directory below remained intact. Therefore, as long as keywords are set accurately, other lines not containing those keywords are typically unaffected.

2. What should I do if the number of lines in the left and right lists doesn't match?

It is recommended not to let the number of lines in the left and right lists be inconsistent. Batch replacement requires a clear correspondence, so keywords and replacement content should ideally be matched one-to-one. You can organize the correspondence table in Excel or a text editor before copying it into the software for setup.

3. Can I just delete the entire line containing the keyword?

The prompt "Leaving blank means deletion" next to the "List of Keywords After Replacement" in the interface indicates that this function can also be used to delete entire lines containing keywords. In practice, if your goal is deletion rather than replacement, you need to carefully confirm which keyword corresponds to the blank content to avoid accidentally deleting important lines.

4. Why is it recommended to back up before batch processing?

The advantage of batch processing is speed, but if rules are set incorrectly, it can also quickly affect multiple files. Therefore, before processing official material, it is advisable to make a copy of the original folder, or to test on a small sample of files first. Once you confirm the outcome meets expectations, you can proceed to process all files.

5. Can Word, .docx, .doc files be processed this way?

This article demonstrates the text file processing workflow under Text Tools; the file extensions in the screenshots are .txt. Word documents like .doc and .docx belong to a different format category and cannot be treated simply as plain text files. If you need batch processing for Word content, you should select the corresponding Word tool or a feature designed for Word documents within the software.

Summary: Replacing Repeated Opening and Manual Editing with Batch Tools

Replacing entire lines in multiple text files by keyword is a typical batch office requirement. Through HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , you can link file import, keyword setup, replacement content setup, and batch execution into a clear workflow. For tasks like batch modification of TXT titles, tables of contents, appendices, configuration lines, description lines, etc., this method is more efficient than manual individual editing and makes it easier to maintain consistency in the modification results.

If you have a batch of .txt files that need unified line content updates, you can first extract a few typical files to confirm keywords, then follow the steps in this article to import files, fill in the corresponding replacement content, and execute the process. This can save a significant amount of time and make batch text file modifications more controllable.