python-docx

name	python-docx
description	Manipulate Word documents (.docx) using Python, including placeholder replacement and conditional section handling.

python-docx Skill

python-docx is a Python library for creating and updating Microsoft Word (.docx) files.

Installation

pip install python-docx

Basic Usage

Loading and Saving

from docx import Document

doc = Document('template.docx')
# ... modify doc ...
doc.save('output.docx')

Placeholder Replacement

To replace placeholders like {{NAME}} while preserving formatting, iterate through paragraphs and their runs.

def replace_placeholders(doc, data):
    for p in doc.paragraphs:
        for run in p.runs:
            for key, value in data.items():
                placeholder = f'{{{{{key}}}}}'
                if placeholder in run.text:
                    run.text = run.text.replace(placeholder, str(value))

Conditional Sections

For sections like {{IF_CONDITION}}...{{END_IF_CONDITION}}, you can identify the start and end points and remove the content or just the markers.

def handle_conditionals(doc, condition_key, keep_content):
    start_marker = f'{{{{IF_{condition_key}}}}}'
    end_marker = f'{{{{END_IF_{condition_key}}}}}'
    
    # This is a simplified approach for text-based conditionals within paragraphs
    for p in doc.paragraphs:
        if start_marker in p.text and end_marker in p.text:
            if keep_content:
                p.text = p.text.replace(start_marker, "").replace(end_marker, "")
            else:
                # Remove content between markers (regex or string find)
                import re
                p.text = re.sub(f'{re.escape(start_marker)}.*?{re.escape(end_marker)}', '', p.text)

Note: Complex conditionals spanning multiple paragraphs require more advanced logic iterating through the document element tree.