Document toolkit (.docx). Create/edit documents, tracked changes, comments, formatting preservation, text extraction, for professional document processing.
npxskills add davila7/claude-code-templates--skill docxLoading…
A .docx file is a ZIP archive containing XML files and resources. Create, edit, or analyze Word documents using text extraction, raw XML access, or redlining workflows. Apply this skill for professional document processing, tracked changes, and content manipulation.
When creating documents with this skill, always consider adding scientific diagrams and schematics to enhance visual communication.
If your document does not already contain schematics or diagrams:
For new documents: Scientific schematics should be generated by default to visually represent key concepts, workflows, architectures, or relationships described in the text.
How to generate schematics:
python scripts/generate_schematic.py "your diagram description" -o figures/output.png
The AI will automatically:
When to add schematics:
For detailed guidance on creating schematics, refer to the scientific-schematics skill documentation.
Use "Text extraction" or "Raw XML access" sections below
Use "Creating a new Word document" workflow
Your own document + simple changes Use "Basic OOXML editing" workflow
Someone else's document Use "Redlining workflow" (recommended default)
Legal, academic, business, or government docs Use "Redlining workflow" (required)
To read the text contents of a document, convert the document to markdown using pandoc. Pandoc provides excellent support for preserving document structure and can show tracked changes:
# Convert document to markdown with tracked changes
pandoc --track-changes=all path-to-file.docx -o output.md
# Options: --track-changes=accept/reject/all
Raw XML access is required for: comments, complex formatting, document structure, embedded media, and metadata. For any of these features, unpack a document and read its raw XML contents.
python ooxml/scripts/unpack.py <office_file> <output_directory>
word/document.xml - Main document contentsword/comments.xml - Comments referenced in document.xmlword/media/ - Embedded images and media files<w:ins> (insertions) and <w:del> (deletions) tagsWhen creating a new Word document from scratch, use docx-js, which allows you to create Word documents using JavaScript/TypeScript.
docx-js.md (~500 lines) completely from start to finish. NEVER set any range limits when reading this file. Read the full file content for detailed syntax, critical formatting rules, and best practices before proceeding with document creation.When editing an existing Word document, use the Document library (a Python library for OOXML manipulation). The library automatically handles infrastructure setup and provides methods for document manipulation. For complex scenarios, you can access the underlying DOM directly through the library.
ooxml.md (~600 lines) completely from start to finish. NEVER set any range limits when reading this file. Read the full file content for the Document library API and XML patterns for directly editing document files.python ooxml/scripts/unpack.py <office_file> <output_directory>python ooxml/scripts/pack.py <input_directory> <office_file>The Document library provides both high-level methods for common operations and direct DOM access for complex scenarios.
This workflow allows planning comprehensive tracked changes using markdown before implementing them in OOXML. CRITICAL: For complete tracked changes, implement ALL changes systematically.
Batching Strategy: Group related changes into batches of 3-10 changes. This makes debugging manageable while maintaining efficiency. Test each batch before moving to the next.
Principle: Minimal, Precise Edits
When implementing tracked changes, only mark text that actually changes. Repeating unchanged text makes edits harder to review and appears unprofessional. Break replacements into: [unchanged text] + [deletion] + [insertion] + [unchanged text]. Preserve the original run's RSID for unchanged text by extracting the <w:r> element from the original and reusing it.
Example - Changing "30 days" to "60 days" in a sentence:
# BAD - Replaces entire sentence
'<w:del><w:r><w:delText>The term is 30 days.</w:delText></w:r></w:del><w:ins><w:r><w:t>The term is 60 days.</w:t></w:r></w:ins>'
# GOOD - Only marks what changed, preserves original <w:r> for unchanged text
'<w:r w:rsidR="00AB12CD"><w:t>The term is </w:t></w:r><w:del><w:r><w:delText>30</w:delText></w:r></w:del><w:ins><w:r><w:t>60</w:t></w:r></w:ins><w:r w:rsidR="00AB12CD"><w:t> days.</w:t></w:r>'
Get markdown representation: Convert document to markdown with tracked changes preserved:
pandoc --track-changes=all path-to-file.docx -o current.md
Identify and group changes: Review the document and identify ALL changes needed, organizing them into logical batches:
Location methods (for finding changes in XML):
Batch organization (group 3-10 related changes per batch):
Read documentation and unpack:
ooxml.md (~600 lines) completely from start to finish. NEVER set any range limits when reading this file. Pay special attention to the "Document Library" and "Tracked Change Patterns" sections.To visually analyze Word documents, convert them to images using a two-step process:
Convert DOCX to PDF:
soffice --headless --convert-to pdf document.docx
Convert PDF pages to JPEG images:
pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 document.pdf page
This creates files like page-1.jpg, page-2.jpg, etc.
Options:
-r 150: Sets resolution to 150 DPI (adjust for quality/size balance)-jpeg: Output JPEG format (use -png for PNG if preferred)-f N: First page to convert (e.g., -f 2 starts from page 2)-l N: Last page to convert (e.g., -l 5 stops at page 5)page: Prefix for output filesExample for specific range:
pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 -f 2 -l 5 document.pdf page # Converts only pages 2-5
IMPORTANT: When generating code for DOCX operations:
Required dependencies (install if not available):
sudo apt-get install pandoc (for text extraction)npm install -g docx (for creating new documents)sudo apt-get install libreoffice (for PDF conversion)sudo apt-get install poppler-utils (for pdftoppm to convert PDF to images)pip install defusedxml (for secure XML parsing)python ooxml/scripts/unpack.py <file.docx> <dir>Implement changes in batches: Group changes logically (by section, by type, or by proximity) and implement them together in a single script. This approach:
Suggested batch groupings:
For each batch of related changes:
a. Map text to XML: Grep for text in word/document.xml to verify how text is split across <w:r> elements.
b. Create and run script: Use get_node to find nodes, implement changes, then doc.save(). See "Document Library" section in ooxml.md for patterns.
Note: Always grep word/document.xml immediately before writing a script to get current line numbers and verify text content. Line numbers change after each script run.
Pack the document: After all batches are complete, convert the unpacked directory back to .docx:
python ooxml/scripts/pack.py unpacked reviewed-document.docx
Final verification: Do a comprehensive check of the complete document:
pandoc --track-changes=all reviewed-document.docx -o verification.md
grep "original phrase" verification.md # Should NOT find it
grep "replacement phrase" verification.md # Should find it
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