docx-manipulation

SKILL.md

DOCX Manipulation Skill

Overview

This skill enables programmatic creation, editing, and manipulation of Microsoft Word (.docx) documents using the python-docx library. Create professional documents with proper formatting, styles, tables, and images without manual editing.

How to Use

Describe what you want to create or modify in a Word document

Provide any source content (text, data, images)

I'll generate python-docx code and execute it

Example prompts:

"Create a professional report with title, headings, and a table"

"Add a header and footer to this document"

"Generate a contract document with placeholders"

"Convert this markdown content to a styled Word document"

Domain Knowledge
python-docx Fundamentals

from docx import Document
from docx.shared import Inches, Pt, Cm
from docx.enum.text import WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH
from docx.enum.style import WD_STYLE_TYPE

# Create new document
doc = Document()

# Or open existing
doc = Document('existing.docx')

Document Structure

Document
├── sections (margins, orientation, size)
├── paragraphs (text with formatting)
├── tables (rows, cells, merged cells)
├── pictures (inline images)
└── styles (predefined formatting)

Adding Content

Paragraphs & Headings

# Add heading (level 0-9)
doc.add_heading('Main Title', level=0)
doc.add_heading('Section Title', level=1)

# Add paragraph
para = doc.add_paragraph('Normal text here')

# Add styled paragraph
doc.add_paragraph('Note: Important!', style='Intense Quote')

# Add with inline formatting
para = doc.add_paragraph()
para.add_run('Bold text').bold = True
para.add_run(' and ')
para.add_run('italic text').italic = True

Tables

# Create table
table = doc.add_table(rows=3, cols=3)
table.style = 'Table Grid'

# Add content
table.cell(0, 0).text = 'Header 1'
table.rows[0].cells[1].text = 'Header 2'

# Add row dynamically
row = table.add_row()
row.cells[0].text = 'New data'

# Merge cells
a = table.cell(0, 0)
b = table.cell(0, 2)
a.merge(b)

Images

# Add image with size
doc.add_picture('image.png', width=Inches(4))

# Add to specific paragraph
para = doc.add_paragraph()
run = para.add_run()
run.add_picture('logo.png', width=Inches(1.5))

Formatting

Paragraph Formatting

from docx.enum.text import WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH
from docx.shared import Pt, Inches

para = doc.add_paragraph('Formatted text')
para.alignment = WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH.CENTER
para.paragraph_format.line_spacing = 1.5
para.paragraph_format.space_after = Pt(12)
para.paragraph_format.first_line_indent = Inches(0.5)

Character Formatting

run = para.add_run('Styled text')
run.bold = True
run.italic = True
run.underline = True
run.font.name = 'Arial'
run.font.size = Pt(14)
run.font.color.rgb = RGBColor(0x00, 0x00, 0xFF)  # Blue

Page Setup

from docx.enum.section import WD_ORIENT
from docx.shared import Inches

section = doc.sections[0]
section.page_width = Inches(11)
section.page_height = Inches(8.5)
section.orientation = WD_ORIENT.LANDSCAPE
section.left_margin = Inches(1)
section.right_margin = Inches(1)

Headers & Footers

section = doc.sections[0]

# Header
header = section.header
header.paragraphs[0].text = "Company Name"
header.paragraphs[0].alignment = WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH.CENTER

# Footer with page numbers
footer = section.footer
para = footer.paragraphs[0]
para.text = "Page "
# Add page number field
run = para.add_run()
fldChar1 = OxmlElement('w:fldChar')
fldChar1.set(qn('w:fldCharType'), 'begin')
run._r.append(fldChar1)
# ... (field code for page number)

Styles

# Use built-in styles
doc.add_paragraph('Heading', style='Heading 1')
doc.add_paragraph('Quote', style='Quote')
doc.add_paragraph('List item', style='List Bullet')

# Common styles:
# - 'Normal', 'Heading 1-9', 'Title', 'Subtitle'
# - 'Quote', 'Intense Quote', 'List Bullet', 'List Number'
# - 'Table Grid', 'Light Shading', 'Medium Grid 1'

Best Practices

Structure First: Plan document hierarchy before coding

Use Styles: Consistent formatting via styles, not manual formatting

Save Often: Call doc.save() periodically for large documents

Handle Errors: Check file existence before opening

Clean Up: Remove template placeholders after filling

Common Patterns

Report Template

def create_report(title, sections):
    doc = Document()
    doc.add_heading(title, 0)
    doc.add_paragraph(f'Generated: {datetime.now()}')
    
    for section_title, content in sections.items():
        doc.add_heading(section_title, 1)
        doc.add_paragraph(content)
    
    return doc

Table from Data

def add_data_table(doc, headers, rows):
    table = doc.add_table(rows=1, cols=len(headers))
    table.style = 'Table Grid'
    
    # Headers
    for i, header in enumerate(headers):
        table.rows[0].cells[i].text = header
        table.rows[0].cells[i].paragraphs[0].runs[0].bold = True
    
    # Data rows
    for row_data in rows:
        row = table.add_row()
        for i, value in enumerate(row_data):
            row.cells[i].text = str(value)
    
    return table

Mail Merge Pattern

def fill_template(template_path, replacements):
    doc = Document(template_path)
    
    for para in doc.paragraphs:
        for key, value in replacements.items():
            if f'{{{key}}}' in para.text:
                para.text = para.text.replace(f'{{{key}}}', value)
    
    return doc

Examples

Example 1: Create a Business Letter

from docx import Document
from docx.shared import Inches, Pt
from docx.enum.text import WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH
from datetime import datetime

doc = Document()

# Letterhead
doc.add_paragraph('ACME Corporation')
doc.add_paragraph('123 Business Ave, Suite 100')
doc.add_paragraph('New York, NY 10001')
doc.add_paragraph()

# Date
doc.add_paragraph(datetime.now().strftime('%B %d, %Y'))
doc.add_paragraph()

# Recipient
doc.add_paragraph('Mr. John Smith')
doc.add_paragraph('XYZ Company')
doc.add_paragraph('456 Industry Blvd')
doc.add_paragraph('Chicago, IL 60601')
doc.add_paragraph()

# Salutation
doc.add_paragraph('Dear Mr. Smith,')
doc.add_paragraph()

# Body
body = """We are pleased to inform you that your proposal has been accepted...

[Letter body continues...]

Thank you for your continued partnership."""

for para_text in body.split('\n\n'):
    doc.add_paragraph(para_text)

doc.add_paragraph()
doc.add_paragraph('Sincerely,')
doc.add_paragraph()
doc.add_paragraph()
doc.add_paragraph('Jane Doe')
doc.add_paragraph('CEO, ACME Corporation')

doc.save('business_letter.docx')

Example 2: Create a Report with Table

from docx import Document
from docx.shared import Inches

doc = Document()
doc.add_heading('Q4 Sales Report', 0)

# Executive Summary
doc.add_heading('Executive Summary', 1)
doc.add_paragraph('Q4 2024 showed strong growth across all regions...')

# Sales Table
doc.add_heading('Regional Performance', 1)

table = doc.add_table(rows=1, cols=4)
table.style = 'Medium Grid 1 Accent 1'

headers = ['Region', 'Q3 Sales', 'Q4 Sales', 'Growth']
for i, header in enumerate(headers):
    table.rows[0].cells[i].text = header

data = [
    ['North America', '$1.2M', '$1.5M', '+25%'],
    ['Europe', '$800K', '$950K', '+18%'],
    ['Asia Pacific', '$600K', '$750K', '+25%'],
]

for row_data in data:
    row = table.add_row()
    for i, value in enumerate(row_data):
        row.cells[i].text = value

doc.save('sales_report.docx')

Limitations

Cannot execute macros or VBA code

Complex templates may lose some formatting

Limited support for advanced features (SmartArt, Charts)

No direct PDF conversion (use separate tool)

Track changes reading is limited

Installation

pip install python-docx

Resources

python-docx Documentation

GitHub Repository

Office Open XML Spec