docx-tables#

Create Word documents with tables that work everywhere - Word, Google Docs, etc.

⚠️ THE 5 CRITICAL RULES#

1. Dual-Width Sizing (MOST CRITICAL)#

Set widths in TWO places - on table AND on each cell:

javascript

// Table level
new Table({
  width: { size: 9360, type: WidthType.DXA },
  columnWidths: [1872, 7488],
  rows: [...]
})

// Cell level - EVERY cell needs width!
new TableCell({
  width: { size: 1872, type: WidthType.DXA },
  children: [...]
})

2. Use DXA Only, Never Percentages#

Percentages break in Google Docs. Use DXA:

• 1 inch = 1440 DXA
• US Letter with 1" margins = 9360 DXA

javascript

// ❌ WRONG
width: { size: 100, type: WidthType.PERCENTAGE }

// ✅ CORRECT
width: { size: 9360, type: WidthType.DXA }

3. Use ShadingType.CLEAR#

javascript

const { ShadingType } = require('docx');

// ❌ WRONG - black background!
shading: { type: ShadingType.SOLID, fill: "E0F2F1" }

// ✅ CORRECT
shading: { type: ShadingType.CLEAR, fill: "E0F2F1" }

4. Add Cell Padding#

javascript

const cellMargins = { top: 80, bottom: 80, left: 120, right: 120 };

new TableCell({
  margins: cellMargins,
  children: [...]
})

5. Column Widths Must Sum Exactly#

For 1" margins: 9360 DXA

javascript

columnWidths: [1872, 7488]  // = 9360 ✓
columnWidths: [3120, 3120, 3120]  // = 9360 ✓

Complete Working Example#

javascript

const { Document, Packer, Paragraph, TextRun, Table, TableRow, TableCell,
         WidthType, AlignmentType, BorderStyle, TableLayoutType, ShadingType } = require('docx');
const fs = require('fs');

const TOTAL_WIDTH = 9360;
const COL1 = 1872;
const COL2 = 7488;

const cellBorders = {
  top: { style: BorderStyle.SINGLE, size: 1, color: "CCCCCC" },
  bottom: { style: BorderStyle.SINGLE, size: 1, color: "CCCCCC" },
  left: { style: BorderStyle.SINGLE, size: 1, color: "CCCCCC" },
  right: { style: BorderStyle.SINGLE, size: 1, color: "CCCCCC" }
};

const cellMargins = { top: 80, bottom: 80, left: 120, right: 120 };

const doc = new Document({
  sections: [{
    properties: {
      page: { margin: { top: 1440, right: 1440, bottom: 1440, left: 1440 } }
    },
    children: [
      new Table({
        layout: TableLayoutType.FIXED,
        width: { size: TOTAL_WIDTH, type: WidthType.DXA },
        columnWidths: [COL1, COL2],
        rows: [
          new TableRow({
            children: [
              new TableCell({
                children: [new Paragraph({
                  children: [new TextRun({ text: "Header", bold: true, color: "FFFFFF" })],
                  alignment: AlignmentType.CENTER
                })],
                width: { size: TOTAL_WIDTH, type: WidthType.DXA },
                columnSpan: 2,
                shading: { type: ShadingType.CLEAR, fill: "1565C0" },
                borders: cellBorders,
                margins: cellMargins
              })
            ]
          }),
          new TableRow({
            children: [
              new TableCell({
                children: [new Paragraph("Col 1")],
                width: { size: COL1, type: WidthType.DXA },
                borders: cellBorders,
                margins: cellMargins
              }),
              new TableCell({
                children: [new Paragraph("Col 2")],
                width: { size: COL2, type: WidthType.DXA },
                borders: cellBorders,
                margins: cellMargins
              })
            ]
          })
        ]
      })
    ]
  }]
});

Packer.toBuffer(doc).then(buffer => {
  fs.writeFileSync('output.docx', buffer);
});

Column Width Cheat Sheet#

For US Letter with 1" margins = 9360 DXA:

LayoutColumn Widths2 cols (20/80)[1872, 7488]2 cols (25/75)[2340, 7020]2 cols (equal)[4680, 4680]3 cols (equal)[3120, 3120, 3120]3 cols (25/25/50)[2340, 2340, 4680]

Troubleshooting#

Tables narrow in Google Docs?

• Use WidthType.DXA, not PERCENTAGE
• Add width to EVERY TableCell

Cell backgrounds black?

• Use ShadingType.CLEAR, not SOLID

Text touching borders?

• Add margins: { top: 80, bottom: 80, left: 120, right: 120 }

Columns uneven?

• Verify column widths sum to exactly 9360