docx-generator

DOCX Generator

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Creating Word documents programmatically from data or specifications
• Populating branded templates with dynamic content while preserving corporate styling
• Extracting text, tables, and structure from existing DOCX files for analysis
• Finding and replacing placeholder text like {{TITLE}} or ${author}
• Automating document generation workflows (reports, contracts, letters)

Do NOT use this skill when:

• User wants to open/view documents (use native Word or viewer)
• Complex mail merge with data sources (use native Word mail merge)
• Working with older .doc format (DOCX only)
• PDF output is needed (use pdf-generator skill instead)

Prerequisites

• Deno installed (https://deno.land/)
• Input DOCX files for template-based operations
• JSON specification for scratch generation

Quick Start

Two Modes of Operation

1. Template Mode: Modify existing branded templates

   • Analyze template to find placeholders
   • Replace {{PLACEHOLDERS}} with actual content

2. Scratch Mode: Create documents from nothing using JSON specifications

Instructions

Mode 1: Template-Based Generation

Step 1a: Analyze the Template

Extract text inventory to understand what can be replaced:

deno run --allow-read scripts/analyze-template.ts corporate-template.docx > inventory.json

Output (inventory.json):

{
  "filename": "corporate-template.docx",
  "paragraphCount": 25,
  "tableCount": 2,
  "imageCount": 1,
  "paragraphs": [
    {
      "index": 0,
      "style": "Title",
      "fullText": "{{DOCUMENT_TITLE}}",
      "runs": [
        { "text": "{{DOCUMENT_TITLE}}", "bold": true, "fontSize": 28 }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "placeholders": [
    { "tag": "{{DOCUMENT_TITLE}}", "location": "paragraph", "paragraphIndex": 0 },
    { "tag": "{{AUTHOR}}", "location": "footer-default", "paragraphIndex": 0 },
    { "tag": "${date}", "location": "table", "tableIndex": 0, "cellLocation": "R1C2" }
  ]
}

Step 1b: Create Replacement Specification

Create replacements.json:

{
  "textReplacements": [
    { "tag": "{{DOCUMENT_TITLE}}", "value": "Q4 2024 Financial Report" },
    { "tag": "{{AUTHOR}}", "value": "Finance Department" },
    { "tag": "${date}", "value": "December 15, 2024" },
    { "tag": "{{COMPANY}}", "value": "Acme Corporation" }
  ],
  "includeHeaders": true,
  "includeFooters": true
}

Step 1c: Generate Output

deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-from-template.ts \
  corporate-template.docx replacements.json output.docx

Mode 2: From-Scratch Generation

Step 2a: Create Specification

Create spec.json:

{
  "title": "Quarterly Report",
  "creator": "Finance Team",
  "styles": {
    "defaultFont": "Calibri",
    "defaultFontSize": 11
  },
  "sections": [
    {
      "header": {
        "paragraphs": [
          { "text": "Acme Corporation", "alignment": "right" }
        ]
      },
      "footer": {
        "paragraphs": [
          { "text": "Confidential", "alignment": "center" }
        ]
      },
      "content": [
        {
          "text": "Q4 2024 Financial Report",
          "heading": 1,
          "alignment": "center"
        },
        {
          "runs": [
            { "text": "Executive Summary: ", "bold": true },
            { "text": "This report provides an overview of our financial performance for Q4 2024." }
          ]
        },
        { "pageBreak": true },
        {
          "text": "Revenue Breakdown",
          "heading": 2
        },
        {
          "rows": [
            {
              "cells": [
                { "content": [{ "text": "Category" }], "shading": "DDDDDD" },
                { "content": [{ "text": "Amount" }], "shading": "DDDDDD" },
                { "content": [{ "text": "Change" }], "shading": "DDDDDD" }
              ],
              "isHeader": true
            },
            {
              "cells": [
                { "content": [{ "text": "Product Sales" }] },
                { "content": [{ "text": "$1,250,000" }] },
                { "content": [{ "text": "+15%" }] }
              ]
            },
            {
              "cells": [
                { "content": [{ "text": "Services" }] },
                { "content": [{ "text": "$750,000" }] },
                { "content": [{ "text": "+8%" }] }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "width": 100,
          "borders": true
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Step 2b: Generate Document

deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-scratch.ts spec.json output.docx

Examples

Example 1: Contract Generation

Scenario: Generate contracts from a branded template.

Steps:

# 1. Analyze template for replaceable content
deno run --allow-read scripts/analyze-template.ts contract-template.docx --pretty

# 2. Create replacements.json with client data
# 3. Generate contract
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-from-template.ts \
  contract-template.docx replacements.json acme-contract.docx

Example 2: Report with Tables

Scenario: Generate a data report with tables and formatting.

spec.json:

{
  "title": "Sales Report",
  "sections": [{
    "content": [
      { "text": "Monthly Sales Report", "heading": 1 },
      { "text": "January 2025", "heading": 2 },
      {
        "runs": [
          { "text": "Total Sales: ", "bold": true },
          { "text": "$125,000", "color": "2E7D32" }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }]
}

Example 3: Letter with Headers/Footers

Scenario: Create a formal letter with letterhead.

spec.json:

{
  "sections": [{
    "header": {
      "paragraphs": [
        { "text": "ACME CORPORATION", "alignment": "center", "runs": [{"text": "ACME CORPORATION", "bold": true, "fontSize": 16}] },
        { "text": "123 Business Ave, City, ST 12345", "alignment": "center" }
      ]
    },
    "content": [
      { "text": "December 15, 2024", "alignment": "right" },
      { "text": "" },
      { "text": "Dear Valued Customer," },
      { "text": "" },
      { "text": "Thank you for your continued business..." },
      { "text": "" },
      { "text": "Sincerely," },
      { "text": "John Smith" },
      { "runs": [{ "text": "CEO", "italic": true }] }
    ],
    "footer": {
      "paragraphs": [
        { "text": "www.acme.com | [email protected]", "alignment": "center" }
      ]
    }
  }]
}

Script Reference

Script	Purpose	Permissions
analyze-template.ts	Extract text, tables, placeholders from DOCX	--allow-read
generate-from-template.ts	Replace placeholders in templates	--allow-read --allow-write
generate-scratch.ts	Create DOCX from JSON specification	--allow-read --allow-write

Specification Reference

Paragraph Options

Property	Type	Description
text	string	Simple text content
runs	array	Formatted text runs (for mixed formatting)
heading	1-6	Heading level
alignment	string	left, center, right, justify
bullet	boolean	Bulleted list item
numbering	boolean	Numbered list item
spacing	object	before, after, line spacing
indent	object	left, right, firstLine indentation
pageBreakBefore	boolean	Insert page break before paragraph

Text Run Options

Property	Type	Description
text	string	Text content
bold	boolean	Bold formatting
italic	boolean	Italic formatting
underline	boolean	Underline formatting
strike	boolean	Strikethrough
fontSize	number	Font size in points
font	string	Font family name
color	string	Text color (hex, no #)
highlight	string	Highlight color
superScript	boolean	Superscript
subScript	boolean	Subscript

Table Options

Property	Type	Description
rows	array	Array of row specifications
width	number	Table width as percentage
borders	boolean	Show table borders

Hyperlink Options

Property	Type	Description
text	string	Link text
url	string	Target URL
bold	boolean	Bold formatting
italic	boolean	Italic formatting

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: Placeholders not being replaced

Symptoms: Output DOCX still contains {{PLACEHOLDER}} tags.

Solution:

1. Run analyze-template.ts to verify exact tag text
2. Tags may be split across XML runs - the script consolidates these automatically
3. Ensure includeHeaders and includeFooters are true if placeholders are there

Issue: Formatting lost after replacement

Symptoms: Replaced text doesn't match original formatting.

Solution:

• Text replacement preserves the formatting of the original placeholder
• Ensure placeholder is formatted the way you want the final text to appear

Issue: Images not appearing

Symptoms: Image elements are blank in output.

Solution:

1. Use paths relative to the spec.json file location
2. Verify image file exists and is readable
3. Check supported formats: PNG, JPEG, GIF

Issue: Table cell content incorrect

Symptoms: Table cells have wrong content or formatting.

Solution:

• Each cell's content must be an array of paragraph specifications
• Use shading for background color, verticalAlign for alignment

Limitations

• DOCX only: Does not support legacy .doc format
• No track changes: Cannot add or process track changes
• No comments: Cannot add document comments
• No macros: Cannot include VBA macros
• Basic numbering: Limited support for complex numbering schemes
• Text run splitting: Word may split text across XML elements; script handles common cases

Related Skills

• pptx-generator: For creating PowerPoint presentations
• xlsx-generator: For creating Excel spreadsheets
• pdf-generator: For creating PDF documents