# 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/
After creating the file, validate it. If validation fails, unpack, fix the XML, and repack.
python scripts/office/validate.py doc.docx
Page Size
// 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:
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.
CRITICAL: Tables need dual widths - set both columnWidths on the table AND width on each cell. Without both, tables render incorrectly on some platforms.
// 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.
// 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
// 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
// CRITICAL: PageBreak must be inside a Paragraph
new Paragraph({ children: [new PageBreak()] })
// Or use pageBreakBefore
new Paragraph({ pageBreakBefore: true, children: [new TextRun("New page")] })
Hyperlinks
// External link
new Paragraph({
children: [new ExternalHyperlink({
children: [new TextRun({ text: "Click here", style: "Hyperlink" })],
link: "https://example.com",
})]
})
// Internal link (bookmark + reference)
// 1. Create bookmark at destination
new Paragraph({ heading: HeadingLevel.HEADING_1, children: [
new Bookmark({ id: "chapter1", children: [new TextRun("Chapter 1")] }),
]})
// 2. Link to it
new Paragraph({ children: [new InternalHyperlink({
children: [new TextRun({ text: "See Chapter 1", style: "Hyperlink" })],
anchor: "chapter1",
})]})
Footnotes
const doc = new Document({
footnotes: {
1: { children: [new Paragraph("Source: Annual Report 2024")] },
2: { children: [new Paragraph("See appendix for methodology")] },
},
sections: [{
children: [new Paragraph({
children: [
new TextRun("Revenue grew 15%"),
new FootnoteReferenceRun(1),
new TextRun(" using adjusted metrics"),
new FootnoteReferenceRun(2),
],
})]
}]
});
Tab Stops
// Right-align text on same line (e.g., date opposite a title)
new Paragraph({
children: [
new TextRun("Company Name"),
new TextRun("\tJanuary 2025"),
],
tabStops: [{ type: TabStopType.RIGHT, position: TabStopPosition.MAX }],
})
// Dot leader (e.g., TOC-style)
new Paragraph({
children: [
new TextRun("Introduction"),
new TextRun({ children: [
new PositionalTab({
alignment: PositionalTabAlignment.RIGHT,
relativeTo: PositionalTabRelativeTo.MARGIN,
leader: PositionalTabLeader.DOT,
}),
"3",
]}),
],
})
Multi-Column Layouts
// Equal-width columns
sections: [{
properties: {
column: {
count: 2, // number of columns
space: 720, // gap between columns in DXA (720 = 0.5 inch)
equalWidth: true,
separate: true, // vertical line between columns
},
},
children: [/* content flows naturally across columns */]
}]
// Custom-width columns (equalWidth must be false)
sections: [{
properties: {
column: {
equalWidth: false,
children: [
new Column({ width: 5400, space: 720 }),
new Column({ width: 3240 }),
],
},
},
children: [/* content */]
}]
Force a column break with a new section using type: SectionType.NEXT_COLUMN.
Table of Contents
// CRITICAL: Headings must use HeadingLevel ONLY - no custom styles
new TableOfContents("Table of Contents", { hyperlink: true, headingStyleRange: "1-3" })
Set page size explicitly - docx-js defaults to A4; use US Letter (12240 x 15840 DXA) for US documents
Landscape: pass portrait dimensions - docx-js swaps width/height internally; pass short edge as width, long edge as height, and set orientation: PageOrientation.LANDSCAPE
Never use \n - use separate Paragraph elements
Never use unicode bullets - use LevelFormat.BULLET with numbering config
PageBreak must be in Paragraph - standalone creates invalid XML
ImageRun requires type - always specify png/jpg/etc
Always set table width with DXA - never use WidthType.PERCENTAGE (breaks in Google Docs)
Tables need dual widths - columnWidths array AND cell width, both must match
Table width = sum of columnWidths - for DXA, ensure they add up exactly
Always add cell margins - use margins: { top: 80, bottom: 80, left: 120, right: 120 } for readable padding
Use ShadingType.CLEAR - never SOLID for table shading
Never use tables as dividers/rules - cells have minimum height and render as empty boxes (including in headers/footers); use border: { bottom: { style: BorderStyle.SINGLE, size: 6, color: "2E75B6", space: 1 } } on a Paragraph instead. For two-column footers, use tab stops (see Tab Stops section), not tables
TOC requires HeadingLevel only - no custom styles on heading paragraphs
Override built-in styles - use exact IDs: "Heading1", "Heading2", etc.
Include outlineLevel - required for TOC (0 for H1, 1 for H2, etc.)
Extracts XML, pretty-prints, merges adjacent runs, and converts smart quotes to XML entities (“ etc.) so they survive editing. Use --merge-runs false to skip run merging.
Step 2: Edit XML
Edit files in unpacked/word/. See XML Reference below for patterns.
Use "Claude" as the author for tracked changes and comments, unless the user explicitly requests use of a different name.
Use the Edit tool directly for string replacement. Do not write Python scripts. Scripts introduce unnecessary complexity. The Edit tool shows exactly what is being replaced.
CRITICAL: Use smart quotes for new content. When adding text with apostrophes or quotes, use XML entities to produce smart quotes:
<!-- Use these entities for professional typography -->
<w:t>Here’s a quote: “Hello”</w:t>
Entity
Character
‘
‘ (left single)
’
’ (right single / apostrophe)
“
“ (left double)
”
” (right double)
Adding comments: Use comment.py to handle boilerplate across multiple XML files (text must be pre-escaped XML):
python scripts/comment.py unpacked/ 0 "Comment text with & and ’"
python scripts/comment.py unpacked/ 1 "Reply text" --parent 0 # reply to comment 0
python scripts/comment.py unpacked/ 0 "Text" --author "Custom Author" # custom author name
Then add markers to document.xml (see Comments in XML Reference).
Validates with auto-repair, condenses XML, and creates DOCX. Use --validate false to skip.
Auto-repair will fix:
durableId >= 0x7FFFFFFF (regenerates valid ID)
Missing xml:space="preserve" on <w:t> with whitespace
Auto-repair won't fix:
Malformed XML, invalid element nesting, missing relationships, schema violations
Common Pitfalls
Replace entire <w:r> elements: When adding tracked changes, replace the whole <w:r>...</w:r> block with <w:del>...<w:ins>... as siblings. Don't inject tracked change tags inside a run.
Preserve <w:rPr> formatting: Copy the original run's <w:rPr> block into your tracked change runs to maintain bold, font size, etc.
XML Reference
Schema Compliance
Element order in <w:pPr>: <w:pStyle>, <w:numPr>, <w:spacing>, <w:ind>, <w:jc>, <w:rPr> last
Whitespace: Add xml:space="preserve" to <w:t> with leading/trailing spaces
Inside <w:del>: Use <w:delText> instead of <w:t>, and <w:delInstrText> instead of <w:instrText>.
Minimal edits - only mark what changes:
<!-- Change "30 days" to "60 days" -->
<w:r><w:t>The term is </w:t></w:r>
<w:del w:id="1" w:author="Claude" w:date="...">
<w:r><w:delText>30</w:delText></w:r>
</w:del>
<w:ins w:id="2" w:author="Claude" w:date="...">
<w:r><w:t>60</w:t></w:r>
</w:ins>
<w:r><w:t> days.</w:t></w:r>
Deleting entire paragraphs/list items - when removing ALL content from a paragraph, also mark the paragraph mark as deleted so it merges with the next paragraph. Add <w:del/> inside <w:pPr><w:rPr>:
<w:p>
<w:pPr>
<w:numPr>...</w:numPr> <!-- list numbering if present -->
<w:rPr>
<w:del w:id="1" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z"/>
</w:rPr>
</w:pPr>
<w:del w:id="2" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z">
<w:r><w:delText>Entire paragraph content being deleted...</w:delText></w:r>
</w:del>
</w:p>
Without the <w:del/> in <w:pPr><w:rPr>, accepting changes leaves an empty paragraph/list item.
Rejecting another author's insertion - nest deletion inside their insertion:
