Editing/Writing Word-Files from Python

[Daniel Cloutier]

Hi,

is it possible to edit or write Word-files out of a Python-Program?

thx in advance
daniel

[Peter Hansen]

Daniel Cloutier wrote:

is it possible to edit or write Word-files out of a Python-Program?

Word uses a proprietary binary format, so you don't really
have as an option the simple "open file, make some changes,
write file" approach you might be picturing.

On the other hand, this *is* Python, so you have alternatives:

1. Use ActiveX and control Word from Python. This is described
well in Mark Hammond's book on Win32 programming with Python,
web pages (use Google), and posts in the comp.lang.pytho n archives.

2. Write HTML or RTF files, which are not proprietary binary
formats. These can be edited in Python and then written back
again. Not sure if there's an RTF library, but "it's just text".

3. Define in more detail what you are actually looking for
("edit" is ill-defined) including the context, and you'll
probably get another three or four ways of doing it.

-Peter

[Alan Kennedy]

[Daniel Cloutier]

is it possible to edit or write Word-files out of a Python-Program?
If you have access to Office 2003, are feeling brave, and have a lot
of time on your hands, you could create and manipulate the XML
structures that Word 2003 uses.

It thought the group members might find it interesting to see such a
file, so I have exported a "Hello World!" document as XML, and posted
the result below. I had to tidy it up a little, the original came out
all on one line. And I had to add an encoding declaration :-)

In terms of generating such structures, well, everybody has their own
favourite *ML templating language. I'd use TAL or XSLT in "Literal
Result Element as Stylesheet" mode ...

http://www.w3.org/TR/xslt#result-element-stylesheet

#--------- helloworld.xml --- cut here ------------------------
<?xml version="1.0" encoding='utf-8'?>
<?mso-application progid="Word.Do cument"?>
<w:wordDocume nt
w:embeddedObjPr esent="no"
w:macrosPresent ="no"
w:ocxPresent="n o"
xml:space="pres erve"
xmlns:aml="http ://schemas.microso ft.com/aml/2001/core"
xmlns:dt="uuid: C2F41010-65B3-11d1-A29F-00AA00C14882"
xmlns:o="urn:sc hemas-microsoft-com:office:offi ce"
xmlns:sl="http://schemas.microso ft.com/schemaLibrary/2003/core"
xmlns:v="urn:sc hemas-microsoft-com:vml"
xmlns:w="http://schemas.microso ft.com/office/word/2003/wordml"
xmlns:w10="urn: schemas-microsoft-com:office:word "
xmlns:wx="http://schemas.microso ft.com/office/word/2003/auxHint" <o:DocumentProp erties>
<o:Title>Hell o World</o:Title>
<o:Author>Ala n</o:Author>
<o:LastAuthor>A lan</o:LastAuthor>
<o:Revision>1 </o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime> 1</o:TotalTime>
<o:Created>20 04-04-20T15:38:00Z</o:Created>
<o:LastSaved>20 04-04-20T15:39:00Z</o:LastSaved>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>1</o:Words>
<o:Characters>1 2</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Alan </o:Company>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1 </o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWi thSpaces>12</o:CharactersWit hSpaces>
<o:Version>11.6 113</o:Version>
</o:DocumentPrope rties>
<w:fonts>
<w:defaultFon ts
w:ascii="Times New Roman"
w:cs="Times New Roman"
w:fareast="Time s New Roman"
w:h-ansi="Times New Roman"
/>
</w:fonts>
<w:styles>
<w:versionOfBui ltInStylenames w:val="4"/>
<w:latentStyl es
w:defLockedStat e="off"
w:latentStyleCo unt="156"
/>
<w:style
w:default="on"
w:styleId="Norm al"
w:type="paragra ph" <w:name w:val="Normal"/>
<w:rPr>
<wx:font wx:val="Times New Roman"/>
<w:lang
w:bidi="AR-SA"
w:fareast="EN-GB"
w:val="EN-GB"
/>
</w:rPr>
</w:style>
<w:style
w:default="on"
w:styleId="Defa ultParagraphFon t"
w:type="charact er" <w:name w:val="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:semiHidden/>
</w:style>
<w:style
w:default="on"
w:styleId="Tabl eNormal"
w:type="table"

<w:name w:val="Normal Table"/>
<wx:uiName wx:val="Table Normal"/>
<w:semiHidden/>
<w:rPr>
<wx:font wx:val="Times New Roman"/>
</w:rPr>
<w:tblPr>
<w:tblInd w:type="dxa" w:w="0"/>
<w:tblCellMar >
<w:top w:type="dxa" w:w="0"/>
<w:left w:type="dxa" w:w="108"/>
<w:bottom w:type="dxa" w:w="0"/>
<w:right w:type="dxa" w:w="108"/>
</w:tblCellMar>
</w:tblPr>
</w:style>
<w:style w:default="on" w:styleId="NoLi st" w:type="list">
<w:name w:val="No List"/>
<w:semiHidden/>
</w:style>
</w:styles>
<w:docPr>
<w:view w:val="print"/>
<w:zoom w:percent="100"/>
<w:doNotEmbedSy stemFonts/>
<w:proofState w:grammar="clea n" w:spelling="cle an"/>
<w:attachedTemp late w:val=""/>
<w:defaultTabSt op w:val="720"/>
<w:displayHoriz ontalDrawingGri dEvery w:val="0"/>
<w:displayVerti calDrawingGridE very w:val="0"/>
<w:useMarginsFo rDrawingGridOri gin/>
<w:characterSpa cingControl w:val="DontComp ress"/>
<w:optimizeForB rowser/>
<w:validateAgai nstSchema/>
<w:saveInvalidX ML w:val="off"/>
<w:ignoreMixedC ontent w:val="off"/>
<w:alwaysShowPl aceholderText w:val="off"/>
<w:compat>
<w:footnoteLayo utLikeWW8/>
<w:shapeLayoutL ikeWW8/>
<w:alignTablesR owByRow/>
<w:forgetLastTa bAlignment/>
<w:doNotUseHTML ParagraphAutoSp acing/>
<w:layoutRawTab leWidth/>
<w:layoutTableR owsApart/>
<w:useWord97Lin eBreakingRules/>
<w:dontAllowFie ldEndSelect/>
<w:useWord2002T ableStyleRules/>
</w:compat>
</w:docPr>
<w:body>
<wx:sect>
<w:p>
<w:pPr>
<w:jc w:val="center"/>
<w:rPr>
<w:sz w:val="40"/>
<w:sz-cs w:val="40"/>
</w:rPr>
</w:pPr>
<w:r>
<w:rPr>
<w:sz w:val="40"/>
<w:sz-cs w:val="40"/>
</w:rPr>
<w:t>Hello World!</w:t>
</w:r>
</w:p>
<w:sectPr>
<w:pgSz w:h="16838" w:w="11906"/>
<w:pgMar
w:bottom="1440"
w:footer="720"
w:gutter="0"
w:header="720"
w:left="1800"
w:right="1800"
w:top="1440"
/>
<w:cols w:space="720"/>
</w:sectPr>
</wx:sect>
</w:body>
</w:wordDocument>
#--------- helloworld.xml --- cut here ------------------------

--
alan kennedy
------------------------------------------------------
check http headers here: http://xhaus.com/headers
email alan: http://xhaus.com/contact/alan

[Hung Jung Lu]

Daniel Cloutier <da************ @yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<c6******* *****@ID-47444.news.uni-berlin.de>...

is it possible to edit or write Word-files out of a Python-Program?

Yes.

(a) You need the win32all modules from Mark Hammond.

(b) To try out the object model of MS Word, press ALT+F11 to bring up
the VBA environment, then F2 to view the object browser. It's a
complicated subject.

-------------------------------------------
import pythoncom
from win32com.client import Dispatch

app = Dispatch('Word. Application')
app.Visible = 1
doc = app.Documents.A dd()
s = doc.Sentences(1 )
s.Text = 'This is a test.'
doc.SaveAs('C:\ \mydoc2.doc')
app.Quit()

app = None
pythoncom.CoUni nitialize()
--------------------------------------------

You may want to add better exception handling, otherwise, you may
often have danggling processes when exceptions happen. (You'll then
have to manually kill them from the task manager.)

regards,

Hung Jung

[Daniel Cloutier]

Hung Jung Lu wrote:

Daniel Cloutier <da************ @yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<c6******* *****@ID-47444.news.uni-berlin.de>...

is it possible to edit or write Word-files out of a Python-Program?

Yes.

(a) You need the win32all modules from Mark Hammond.

(b) To try out the object model of MS Word, press ALT+F11 to bring up
the VBA environment, then F2 to view the object browser. It's a
complicated subject.

-------------------------------------------
import pythoncom
from win32com.client import Dispatch

app = Dispatch('Word. Application')
app.Visible = 1
doc = app.Documents.A dd()
s = doc.Sentences(1 )
s.Text = 'This is a test.'
doc.SaveAs('C:\ \mydoc2.doc')
app.Quit()

app = None
pythoncom.CoUni nitialize()
--------------------------------------------

You may want to add better exception handling, otherwise, you may
often have danggling processes when exceptions happen. (You'll then
have to manually kill them from the task manager.)

regards,

Hung Jung

thanks a lot, yesterday i found out myself that i have to use the
win32com package, but i didn't know how to add some text

greetings
daniel