docx

# DOCX creation, editing, and analysis

## Overview

A user may ask you to create, edit, or analyze the contents of a .docx file. A .docx file is essentially a ZIP archive containing XML files and other resources that you can read or edit. You have different tools and workflows available for different tasks.

## Workflow Decision Tree

### Reading/Analyzing Content

Use "Text extraction" or "Raw XML access" sections below

### Creating New Document

Use "Creating a new Word document" workflow

### Editing Existing Document

- **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)

## Reading and analyzing content

### Text extraction

If you just need to read the text contents of a document, you should convert the document to markdown using pandoc. Pandoc provides excellent support for preserving document structure and can show tracked changes:

```bash
# 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

You need raw XML access for: comments, complex formatting, document structure, embedded media, and metadata. For any of these features, you'll need to unpack a document and read its raw XML contents.

#### Unpacking a file

`python ooxml/scripts/unpack.py <office_file> <output_directory>`

#### Key file structures

- `word/document.xml` - Main document contents
- `word/comments.xml` - Comments referenced in document.xml
- `word/media/` - Embedded images and media files
- Tracked changes use `<w:ins>` (insertions) and `<w:del>` (deletions) tags

## Creating a new Word document

When creating a new Word document from scratch, use **docx-js**, which allows you to create Word documents using JavaScript/TypeScript.

### Workflow

1. **MANDATORY - RE