Office Documents Skill#

This skill provides comprehensive tools and workflows for working with Microsoft Word (.docx) and WPS Office documents. It covers creation, editing, conversion, analysis, and troubleshooting of professional documents.

Quick Start#

Basic Operations#

Read document content:

python

# Use python-docx for .docx files
from docx import Document
doc = Document('document.docx')
text = '\n'.join([paragraph.text for paragraph in doc.paragraphs])

Create new document:

python

from docx import Document
from docx.shared import Inches

doc = Document()
doc.add_heading('Document Title', 0)
doc.add_paragraph('This is a new paragraph.')
doc.save('new_document.docx')

Common Tasks#

1. Text extraction - See TEXT_EXTRACTION.md
2. Format conversion - See CONVERSION.md
3. Document analysis - See ANALYSIS.md
4. Troubleshooting - See TROUBLESHOOTING.md

Core Tools and Libraries#

Python Libraries#

For .docx files:

• python-docx - Primary library for reading/writing .docx
• docx2txt - Simple text extraction
• docxcompose - Advanced document composition
• docx-mailmerge - Mail merge functionality

For WPS files:

• pywps - WPS file manipulation (when available)
• Conversion to .docx first recommended

For format conversion:

• pandoc - Universal document converter
• libreoffice - Office suite for conversion
• unoconv - Universal office converter

Command Line Tools#

Document conversion:

bash

# Convert .docx to PDF
libreoffice --headless --convert-to pdf document.docx

# Convert .docx to text
pandoc document.docx -o document.txt

# Batch convert WPS to .docx
for file in *.wps; do libreoffice --headless --convert-to docx "$file"; done

Document analysis:

bash

# Extract metadata
exiftool document.docx

# Check file integrity
file document.docx

Workflows#

1. Document Creation Workflow#

When creating new documents:

1. Choose template - Start from template or create from scratch
2. Add structure - Headings, paragraphs, lists
3. Apply formatting - Styles, fonts, spacing
4. Add elements - Tables, images, hyperlinks
5. Finalize - Page setup, headers/footers, save

See CREATION.md for detailed patterns.

2. Document Editing Workflow#

When modifying existing documents:

1. Backup original - Always create backup first
2. Analyze structure - Understand document layout
3. Make changes - Edit content, update formatting
4. Preserve formatting - Maintain original styles
5. Validate - Check for corruption, save new version

See EDITING.md for detailed patterns.

3. Conversion Workflow#

When converting between formats:

1. Identify source format - .docx, .wps, .doc, .rtf, etc.
2. Choose conversion tool - Based on format and requirements
3. Convert - With appropriate options
4. Verify - Check content preservation
5. Clean up - Remove temporary files

See CONVERSION.md for detailed patterns.

Common Issues and Solutions#

1. Corrupted Documents#

Symptoms: Won't open, error messages, missing content

Solutions:

• Try opening in different application
• Use recovery mode in Word/WPS
• Extract content with python-docx ignoring errors
• Convert to different format and back

See TROUBLESHOOTING.md for detailed recovery procedures.

2. Formatting Issues#

Symptoms: Wrong fonts, broken layout, missing styles

Solutions:

• Check style definitions
• Verify font availability
• Use template-based approach
• Simplify complex formatting

3. Compatibility Problems#

Symptoms: Different appearance in Word vs WPS, missing features

Solutions:

• Stick to common features
• Test in both applications
• Use standard formats
• Provide alternative versions

Advanced Features#

Document Automation#

Batch processing:

python

import os
from docx import Document

def process_documents(folder_path):
    for filename in os.listdir(folder_path):
        if filename.endswith('.docx'):
            doc_path = os.path.join(folder_path, filename)
            process_single_document(doc_path)

Template-based generation:

python

from docx import Document

def generate_from_template(template_path, data):
    doc = Document(template_path)
    # Replace placeholders with data
    for paragraph in doc.paragraphs:
        for key, value in data.items():
            if f'{{{{ {key} }}}}' in paragraph.text:
                paragraph.text = paragraph.text.replace(f'{{{{ {key} }}}}', value)
    return doc

Document Analysis#

Extract statistics:

python

def analyze_document(doc_path):
    doc = Document(doc_path)
    stats = {
        'paragraphs': len(doc.paragraphs),
        'tables': len(doc.tables),
        'images': len(doc.inline_shapes),
        'sections': len(doc.sections),
        'styles': len(doc.styles)
    }
    return stats

Check formatting consistency:

python

def check_formatting(doc):
    issues = []
    for i, para in enumerate(doc.paragraphs):
        if para.style.name == 'Normal' and para.text.strip():
            # Check for inconsistent formatting
            if len(para.runs) > 1:
                issues.append(f"Paragraph {i}: Multiple runs in Normal style")
    return issues

Best Practices#

1. Always Backup#

python

import shutil
import os

def backup_document(filepath):
    backup_path = filepath + '.backup'
    shutil.copy2(filepath, backup_path)
    return backup_path

2. Use Version Control#

• Save incremental versions
• Use descriptive filenames
• Document changes made

3. Test Thoroughly#

• Test in target application
• Verify all content preserved
• Check formatting integrity

4. Handle Errors Gracefully#

python

try:
    doc = Document(filepath)
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error opening {filepath}: {e}")
    # Try alternative methods
    return extract_text_fallback(filepath)

Reference Files#

For detailed information on specific topics, consult these reference files:

• TEXT_EXTRACTION.md - Text extraction methods and patterns
• CONVERSION.md - Format conversion guides
• ANALYSIS.md - Document analysis techniques
• TROUBLESHOOTING.md - Common issues and solutions
• CREATION.md - Document creation patterns
• EDITING.md - Document editing workflows
• AUTOMATION.md - Automation scripts and templates

Scripts#

Available scripts in the scripts/ directory:

• extract_text.py - Extract text from .docx files
• convert_format.py - Convert between document formats
• batch_process.py - Process multiple documents
• document_stats.py - Generate document statistics
• repair_document.py - Attempt to repair corrupted documents

Run scripts with appropriate parameters:

bash

python scripts/extract_text.py input.docx output.txt

Getting Help#

If you encounter issues not covered in this skill:

1. Check the relevant reference file
2. Search for specific error messages
3. Try alternative approaches
4. Consider converting to simpler format

Remember: When in doubt, create a backup and work on a copy.