The DataSurgeon

When you want to find certain expressions within your file without too much of a headache, it is best to turn to dedicated applications.

Such a tool is The DataSurgeon, and it specializes in searching for text strings and replacing them in multiple documents at the same time.

Once you have added CSV and TXT files, you can specify the text string you are interested in. You can also set up a pattern for replacing all occurrences with a custom expression.

Unlike other apps dealing with search and replace operations, The DataSurgeon aims to simplify the entire process by relying on a few special characters.

Basically, these placeholders can be combined to generate very complex expressions, depending on the pattern you are looking for. They can include letters, numbers, an alphanumeric character or any delimiter you define.

The main window of this application comes with a somewhat outdated design that might not appeal to those looking for eye candy. Nonetheless, it is intuitive, and even novices can make out its main functions with no effort.

To enjoy its features, you need to choose the source files you want to process. The only way to add documents is to browse to their location and select them manually since drag and drop actions are not supported.

After you are done defining the previously mentioned pattern, you can proceed to the final step, that of selecting the type of information to be included in the target TXT document.

You can include only the data that matches your searching criteria. Alternatively, you can mix and match the various types of results to your liking.

The DataSurgeon might not seem like much at first sight, mainly because of its UI, but its functionality makes up for that. This is due to the approach it brings to searching and replacing text strings in multiple documents simultaneously.