DOCX Format Replicator
Overview
Extract formatting information from existing Word documents (.docx) and use it to generate new documents with identical formatting but different content. This skill enables creating document templates, maintaining consistent formatting across multiple documents, and replicating complex Word document structures.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when the user:
- Wants to extract formatting from an existing Word document
- Needs to create multiple documents with the same format
- Has a template document and wants to generate similar documents with new content
- Asks to "replicate", "copy format", "use the same style", or "create a document like"
- Mentions document templates, corporate standards, or format consistency
Workflow
Step 1: Extract Format from Template
Extract formatting information from an existing Word document to create a reusable format configuration.
python scripts/extract_format.py <template.docx> <output.json>
Example:
python scripts/extract_format.py "HYη εΆδ»»ε‘δΉ¦.docx" format_template.json
What Gets Extracted:
- Style definitions (fonts, sizes, colors, alignment)
- Paragraph and character styles
- Numbering schemes (1, 1.1, 1.1.1, etc.)
- Table structures and styles
- Header and footer configurations
Output: JSON file containing all format information (see references/format_config_schema.md for details)
Step 2: Prepare Content Data
Create a JSON file with the actual content for the new document. The content must follow the structure defined in references/content_data_schema.md.
Content Structure:
{
"metadata": {
"title": "Document Title",
"author": "Author Name",
"version": "1.0",
"date": "2025-01-15"
},
"sections": [
{
"type": "heading",
"content": "Section Title",
"level": 1,
"number": "1"
},
{
"type": "paragraph",
"content": "Paragraph text content."
},
{
"type": "table",
"rows": 3,
"cells": [
["Header 1", "Header 2"],
["Data 1", "Data 2"]
]
}
]
}
Supported Section Types:
heading - Headings with optional numberingparagraph - Text paragraphstable - Tables with configurable rows and columnspage_break - Page breaks
See assets/example_content.json for a complete example.
Step 3: Generate New Document
Generate a new Word document using the extracted format and prepared content.
python scripts/generate_document.py <format.json> <content.json> <output.docx>
Example:
python scripts/generate_document.py format_template.json new_content.json output_document.docx
Result: A new .docx file with the format from the template applied to the new content.
Complete Example Workflow
User asks: "I have a research task document. I need to create 5 more documents with the same format but different content."
- Extract the format:
python scripts/extract_format.py research_task_template.docx template_format.json
-
Create content files for each new document (content1.json, content2.json, etc.)
-
Generate documents:
python scripts/generate_document.py template_format.json content1.json document1.docx
python scripts/generate_document.py template_format.json content2.json document2.docx
Common Use Cases
Corporate Document Templates
Extract format from a company template and generate reports, proposals, or specifications with consistent branding.
python scripts/extract_format.py "Company Template.docx" company_format.json
python scripts/generate_document.py company_format.json new_report.json "Monthly Report.docx"
Technical Documentation Series
Create multiple technical documents (specifications, test plans, manuals) with identical formatting.
python scripts/extract_format.py spec_template.docx spec_format.json
python scripts/generate_document.py spec_format.json product_a_spec.json "Product A Spec.docx"
python scripts/generate_document.py spec_format.json product_b_spec.json "Product B Spec.docx"
Research Task Documents
The included example template (assets/hy_template_format.json) demonstrates a complete research task document format with:
- Approval/review table in header
- Multi-level numbering (1, 1.1, 1.1.1)
- Technical specification tables
- Structured sections
Use this as a starting point for similar technical documents.
Advanced Usage
Customizing Extraction
Modify scripts/extract_format.py to extract additional properties not covered by default:
- Custom XML elements
- Advanced table features (merged cells, borders)
- Embedded objects
- Custom properties
Extending Content Types
Add new section types in scripts/generate_document.py:
- Images with captions
- Bulleted or numbered lists
- Footnotes and endnotes
- Custom content blocks
See references/content_data_schema.md for extension guidelines.
Batch Processing
Create a wrapper script to generate multiple documents:
import json
import subprocess
format_file = "template_format.json"
content_files = ["content1.json", "content2.json", "content3.json"]
for i, content_file in enumerate(content_files, 1):
output = f"document_{i}.docx"
subprocess.run([
"python", "scripts/generate_document.py",
format_file, content_file, output
])
Dependencies
The scripts require:
- Python 3.7+
python-docx library: pip install python-docx
No additional dependencies are needed for the core functionality.
Resources
scripts/
- extract_format.py - Extract formatting from Word documents
- generate_document.py - Generate new documents from format + content
Both scripts include built-in help:
python scripts/extract_format.py --help
python scripts/generate_document.py --help
references/
- format_config_schema.md - Complete schema for format configuration files
- content_data_schema.md - Complete schema for content data files
Read these for detailed information on file structures and available options.
assets/
- hy_template_format.json - Example extracted format from a technical research task document
- example_content.json - Example content data showing all section types
Use these as references when creating your own format and content files.
Troubleshooting
Missing styles in output: Ensure style IDs in content data match those in format config. Check format.json for available style IDs.
Table formatting issues: Verify table dimensions (rows/columns) match between content data and format config. See format_config_schema.md for table structure.
Font not displaying correctly: Some fonts may not be available on all systems. Check that referenced fonts are installed.
Dependencies missing: Install required Python packages:
pip install python-docx
Tips
-
Test with examples first: Use the included hy_template_format.json and example_content.json to understand the workflow before extracting your own formats.
-
Start simple: Begin with basic headings and paragraphs, then add tables and complex formatting.
-
Validate JSON: Use a JSON validator to check content data files before generating documents.
-
Keep format configs: Store extracted format configurations for reuse across multiple projects.
-
Version control: Track both format configs and content data in version control for reproducible document generation.
