Using Multiple Text File Edit and
Replace
The main screen of Multiple Text File Edit and Replace displays
controls that allow you to select which files to edit, what Text to
replace, and what string of characters to replace it with.
The first step is to select the files you want
to edit. First, select the drive where the files are located from the
drive box in the upper left corner of the Multiple Text File Edit and
Replace screen. Then select the folder from the folder list box below
the drive box. You can click on any folder that is visible to select
it. You can double-click on a folder to open that folder and see the
folder under it. The process of selecting a folder is similar to most
other programs, such as word processors, that allow you to move through
the folder tree to select a folder. The currently selected path (drive
plus folder) is displayed in the text box below the folder list box.
You can also input the path directly by typing in the folder text box.
You might do that, for example, if you wanted to select a path over the
Internet, instead of one on your drive.
The file list box will show the files in the
current path shown in the text box. It will only display the files that
match the mask in the box above the file list. The default mask is *.*,
which means all files. You can change this to something like *.htm*,
which would be any files that have an extension starting in htm, such
as htm or html. Another example of a mask would be something like
house*.txt, which would be any files with the name starting with house
and the extension txt.
The files in the file list are the files that
will be edited. You can select a file by clicking on it. The selected
file will be marked in blue. You can select multiple files by holding
down the Ctrl key while you click on additional files. You can also
click on one file to select it, then hold down the Shift key and click
on another file to select those two files plus all the files between
them. If you select files in this way, the selected file(s) will be
edited. If no file is selected from the list, then ALL the files in the
list will be edited.
Once you have selected the path and the files
to be edited, you can select the text you want to replace. You can type
the text you want to replace in the text box marked "Text to replace."
You can also find the text you want to replace in one of the files you
want to edit. To do this, click on the "Find" button. Multiple Text
File Edit and Replace will open one of the files selected in the file
box. If you have not selected any files, it will open the top file in
the list. It will then show the text contents of that file. Highlight
any portion of the text and then click on the OK button. The screen
showing the text will then disappear and the main Multiple Text File
Edit and Replace screen will reappear, with the text you selected in
the "Text to replace" text box. This makes it very easy to make sure
you have correctly quoted the text you want to replace.
Next, you must input the text you what to
replace the old text with. Type this text in the text input box labeled
"Replacement text." You can actually leave this text box empty if you
want to simply delete the text, rather than replace it. That is, you
can replace the old text with nothing.
If the box labeled "Back up files before
replacing text" is checked, Multiple Text File Edit and Replace will
create a backup folder in the folder containing the original files.
Normally, this will be called Backup1. If a folder named Backup1
already exists, the new folder will be called Backup2, and so on.
Backing up the files is the default choice, is highly recommended that
you allow Multiple Text File Edit and Replace to back up the old files
in case you make any mistakes in the process. Note: Only files that
were actually changed will be backed up. Any files that did not contain
the text to be replaced will not be copied to the backup folder.
You can also choose whether the search for old
text is case sensitive. If the "Case sensitive search" box is checked,
Multiple Text File Edit and Replace will only replace text that has the
same capitalization as the text you input in the "Text to replace" text
box. For example, if you input "Tom" as the text to replace, it will
not replace "tom" in the text files. This can be useful, for example,
to replace the name "Tom" without altering "Tom" in the word
"tomorrow." If this box is not checked, Multiple Text File Edit and
Replace would replace all instances of "Tom," "TOM," or "tom," for
example.
When you have finished setting up all these
choices, click on the "Replace" button and Multiple Text File Edit and
Replace will open each of the selected files, replace the text if it is
found in that file, and save the modified files. After the changes are
complete, Multiple Text File Edit and Replace will display a screen
listing the files that were changed.
Uninstalling Multiple Text File Edit and Replace
You can uninstall Multiple Text File Edit and
Replace using the standard Windows Add/Remove Programs in the control.
Exiting Multiple Text File Edit and Replace
You can exit the Multiple Text File Edit and
Replace either by clicking on the small X in the upper right corner of
the main Multiple Text File Edit and Replace screen or by clicking on
the File menu and then on Exit.
Minimizing and resizing Multiple Text File Edit and Replace
Multiple Text File Edit and Replace will
normally run filling about 80% of the screen. You can minimize Multiple
Text File Edit and Replace by clicking on the minimize button in the
upper right corner of the main screen to drop Multiple Text File Edit
and Replace to the task bar. You can resize it by moving the mouse
cursor to the edge of the Multiple Text File Edit and Replace screen
and holding down the mouse button while you move the mouse.
What files will Multiple Text File Edit and Replace work with?
Multiple Text File Edit and Replace will work
with any files saved in text format. This includes HTML files, XML
files (used both for spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel and
Internet applications), and word processor files saved in text formats
such as Rich Text Format (RTF). Note that this program will not work on
encoded file formats, such as Microsoft Word files. If you want
Multiple Text File Edit and Replace to work with these word processor
files, you need to save them in Rich Text Format (RTF). You can do this
easily with the Save As function of your word processor. If you want
Multiple Text File Edit and Replace to be able to make changes in
spreadsheets, you can save them in XML format.
Bug reports, help requests, suggestions
If you need help with this program, have found
a bug, or have a request for additional feature, please contact
Leithauser Research. The best way is to send an email to
[email protected]. You can also call Leithauser Research at
386-410-6769 .
If you are suggesting an additional feature or
other improvement, we will make these changes and release a new version
soon if we believe these improvements would have broad appeal. You will
be notified when the new version is released. If we feel that the
changes you suggest are not commercially viable, we can still create a
custom version of Multiple Text File Edit and Replace for you for a
fee. Contact Leithauser Research if you are interested in this.