docx
Use this skill whenever the user wants to create, read, edit, or manipulate Word documents (.docx files). Triggers include: any mention of "Word doc", "word document", ".docx", or requests to produce professional documents with formatting like tables of contents, headings, page numbers, or letterheads. Also use when extracting or reorganizing content from .docx files, inserting or replacing images in documents, performing find-and-replace in Word files, working with tracked changes or comments, or converting content into a polished Word document. If the user asks for a "report", "memo", "letter", "template", or similar deliverable as a Word or .docx file, use this skill. Do NOT use for PDFs, spreadsheets, Google Docs, or general coding tasks unrelated to document generation.
What this skill does
# DOCX creation, editing, and analysis
## Overview
A .docx file is a ZIP archive containing XML files.
## Quick Reference
| Task | Approach |
|------|----------|
| Read/analyze content | `pandoc` or unpack for raw XML |
| Create new document | Use `docx-js` - see Creating New Documents below |
| Edit existing document | Unpack → edit XML → repack - see Editing Existing Documents below |
### Converting .doc to .docx
Legacy `.doc` files must be converted before editing:
```bash
python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to docx document.doc
```
### Reading Content
```bash
# Text extraction with tracked changes
pandoc --track-changes=all document.docx -o output.md
# Raw XML access
python scripts/office/unpack.py document.docx unpacked/
```
### Converting to Images
```bash
python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to pdf document.docx
pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 document.pdf page
```
### Accepting Tracked Changes
To produce a clean document with all tracked changes accepted (requires LibreOffice):
```bash
python scripts/accept_changes.py input.docx output.docx
```
---
## Creating New Documents
Generate .docx files with JavaScript, then validate. Install: `npm install -g docx`
### Setup
```javascript
const { Document, Packer, Paragraph, TextRun, Table, TableRow, TableCell, ImageRun,
Header, Footer, AlignmentType, PageOrientation, LevelFormat, ExternalHyperlink,
TableOfContents, HeadingLevel, BorderStyle, WidthType, ShadingType,
VerticalAlign, PageNumber, PageBreak } = require('docx');
const doc = new Document({ sections: [{ children: [/* content */] }] });
Packer.toBuffer(doc).then(buffer => fs.writeFileSync("doc.docx", buffer));
```
### Validation
After creating the file, validate it. If validation fails, unpack, fix the XML, and repack.
```bash
python scripts/office/validate.py doc.docx
```
### Page Size
```javascript
// CRITICAL: docx-js defaults to A4, not US Letter
// Always set page size explicitly for consistent results
sections: [{
properties: {
page: {
size: {
width: 12240, // 8.5 inches in DXA
height: 15840 // 11 inches in DXA
},
margin: { top: 1440, right: 1440, bottom: 1440, left: 1440 } // 1 inch margins
}
},
children: [/* content */]
}]
```
**Common page sizes (DXA units, 1440 DXA = 1 inch):**
| Paper | Width | Height | Content Width (1" margins) |
|-------|-------|--------|---------------------------|
| US Letter | 12,240 | 15,840 | 9,360 |
| A4 (default) | 11,906 | 16,838 | 9,026 |
**Landscape orientation:** docx-js swaps width/height internally, so pass portrait dimensions and let it handle the swap:
```javascript
size: {
width: 12240, // Pass SHORT edge as width
height: 15840, // Pass LONG edge as height
orientation: PageOrientation.LANDSCAPE // docx-js swaps them in the XML
},
// Content width = 15840 - left margin - right margin (uses the long edge)
```
### Styles (Override Built-in Headings)
Use Arial as the default font (universally supported). Keep titles black for readability.
```javascript
const doc = new Document({
styles: {
default: { document: { run: { font: "Arial", size: 24 } } }, // 12pt default
paragraphStyles: [
// IMPORTANT: Use exact IDs to override built-in styles
{ id: "Heading1", name: "Heading 1", basedOn: "Normal", next: "Normal", quickFormat: true,
run: { size: 32, bold: true, font: "Arial" },
paragraph: { spacing: { before: 240, after: 240 }, outlineLevel: 0 } }, // outlineLevel required for TOC
{ id: "Heading2", name: "Heading 2", basedOn: "Normal", next: "Normal", quickFormat: true,
run: { size: 28, bold: true, font: "Arial" },
paragraph: { spacing: { before: 180, after: 180 }, outlineLevel: 1 } },
]
},
sections: [{
children: [
new Paragraph({ heading: HeadingLevel.HEADING_1, children: [new TextRun("Title")] }),
]
}]
});
```
### Lists (NEVER use unicode bullets)
```javascript
// ❌ WRONG - never manually insert bullet characters
new Paragraph({ children: [new TextRun("• Item")] }) // BAD
new Paragraph({ children: [new TextRun("\u2022 Item")] }) // BAD
// ✅ CORRECT - use numbering config with LevelFormat.BULLET
const doc = new Document({
numbering: {
config: [
{ reference: "bullets",
levels: [{ level: 0, format: LevelFormat.BULLET, text: "•", alignment: AlignmentType.LEFT,
style: { paragraph: { indent: { left: 720, hanging: 360 } } } }] },
{ reference: "numbers",
levels: [{ level: 0, format: LevelFormat.DECIMAL, text: "%1.", alignment: AlignmentType.LEFT,
style: { paragraph: { indent: { left: 720, hanging: 360 } } } }] },
]
},
sections: [{
children: [
new Paragraph({ numbering: { reference: "bullets", level: 0 },
children: [new TextRun("Bullet item")] }),
new Paragraph({ numbering: { reference: "numbers", level: 0 },
children: [new TextRun("Numbered item")] }),
]
}]
});
// ⚠️ Each reference creates INDEPENDENT numbering
// Same reference = continues (1,2,3 then 4,5,6)
// Different reference = restarts (1,2,3 then 1,2,3)
```
### Tables
**CRITICAL: Tables need dual widths** - set both `columnWidths` on the table AND `width` on each cell. Without both, tables render incorrectly on some platforms.
```javascript
// CRITICAL: Always set table width for consistent rendering
// CRITICAL: Use ShadingType.CLEAR (not SOLID) to prevent black backgrounds
const border = { style: BorderStyle.SINGLE, size: 1, color: "CCCCCC" };
const borders = { top: border, bottom: border, left: border, right: border };
new Table({
width: { size: 9360, type: WidthType.DXA }, // Always use DXA (percentages break in Google Docs)
columnWidths: [4680, 4680], // Must sum to table width (DXA: 1440 = 1 inch)
rows: [
new TableRow({
children: [
new TableCell({
borders,
width: { size: 4680, type: WidthType.DXA }, // Also set on each cell
shading: { fill: "D5E8F0", type: ShadingType.CLEAR }, // CLEAR not SOLID
margins: { top: 80, bottom: 80, left: 120, right: 120 }, // Cell padding (internal, not added to width)
children: [new Paragraph({ children: [new TextRun("Cell")] })]
})
]
})
]
})
```
**Table width calculation:**
Always use `WidthType.DXA` — `WidthType.PERCENTAGE` breaks in Google Docs.
```javascript
// Table width = sum of columnWidths = content width
// US Letter with 1" margins: 12240 - 2880 = 9360 DXA
width: { size: 9360, type: WidthType.DXA },
columnWidths: [7000, 2360] // Must sum to table width
```
**Width rules:**
- **Always use `WidthType.DXA`** — never `WidthType.PERCENTAGE` (incompatible with Google Docs)
- Table width must equal the sum of `columnWidths`
- Cell `width` must match corresponding `columnWidth`
- Cell `margins` are internal padding - they reduce content area, not add to cell width
- For full-width tables: use content width (page width minus left and right margins)
### Images
```javascript
// CRITICAL: type parameter is REQUIRED
new Paragraph({
children: [new ImageRun({
type: "png", // Required: png, jpg, jpeg, gif, bmp, svg
data: fs.readFileSync("image.png"),
transformation: { width: 200, height: 150 },
altText: { title: "Title", description: "Desc", name: "Name" } // All three required
})]
})
```
### Page Breaks
```javascript
// CRITICAL: PageBreak must be inside a Paragraph
new Paragraph({ children: [new PageBreak()] })
// Or use pageBreakBefore
new Paragraph({ pageBreakBefore: true, children: [new TextRun("New page")] })
```
### Table of Contents
```javascript
// CRITICAL: Headings must use HeadingLevel ONLY - no custom styles
new TableOfContents("Table of Contents", { hyperlink: true, headingStyleRange: "1-3" })
```
### Headers/Footers
```javascript
sections: [{
properties: {
page: { margin: { top: 1440, right: 1440, bottom: 1440, left: 1440 } } // 1440 = 1 inch
},
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