Word Template Filler

Fill and edit Word .docx templates on Windows using Microsoft Word automation to preserve all formatting, images, and layout accurately.

Word Template Filler Skill

Fill/edit Word .docx templates on Windows via win32com COM automation — preserves ALL formatting, images, underlines, page breaks, and table layout.

Why win32com instead of python-docx

Approach	Format/Image Preservation	Requires Word
win32com (this skill)	✅ 100% — Word does the work	✅ Yes
python-docx	❌ Drops images, corrupts complex formatting	❌ No
docxtpl (Jinja)	⚠️ Better than python-docx, still risks layout drift	❌ No

Requirements

• Windows with Microsoft Word installed
• pywin32 (pip install pywin32)

Quick Start

bash

# Fill cover fields, append answers, add page breaks — all in one command
python {scripts}/word_template_filler.py template.docx report.docx ^
  --cover-field "所在学院:铁道工程学院" ^
  --cover-field "专业年级:车辆工程 2023级" ^
  --page-break-before "C2.转向架" ^
  --find-replace "。？:。"

Commands

All operations use the bundled scripts/word_template_filler.py CLI tool.

--cover-field / -c

Fill a cover page field (preserves underline lines).

text

--cover-field "label:value"

The label must exactly match the text before the colon (including spaces). The value is inserted before the underlined spaces, so the fill-in line remains.

--append-answer / -a

Append answer text after a question in a table cell.

text

--append-answer "TableIdx:Row:Col:question text||answer text"

Example: --append-answer "2:3:1:1、转向架的作用是什么？||1. 可相对车体回转..."

--insert-blank-para / -p

Insert text into a blank paragraph within a table cell (for sub-tables).

text

--insert-blank-para "TableIdx:Row:Col:Para1B:text"

Para1B = 1-based paragraph index within the cell. Use debug mode to find indices.

--page-break-before / -b

Insert a page break before a heading.

text

--page-break-before "C2.转向架"

--find-replace / -r

Find and replace text across the entire document (preserves formatting).

text

--find-replace "find:replace"

--set-time-score / -t

Set 实训时间 and 得分 fields in a section table row.

text

--set-time-score "TableIdx:time|score"

Example: --set-time-score "2:2026年6月|95"

--visible

Show the Word window during processing (for debugging).

Debug Mode

bash

# First, kill any hanging Word processes
taskkill /f /im WINWORD.EXE

# Show Word window to watch the process
python {scripts}/word_template_filler.py template.docx debug.docx --visible

To find paragraph indices within a table cell, use this diagnostic snippet:

python

import win32com.client as win32
word = win32.gencache.EnsureDispatch('Word.Application')
word.Visible = False
doc = word.Documents.Open(r'path\to\template.docx')
cell = doc.Tables(2).Cell(4, 1)  # Table 2, Row 4, Col 1
paras = cell.Range.Paragraphs
for i in range(paras.Count):
    txt = repr(paras(i+1).Range.Text)[:80]
    print(f"  Para {i}: {txt}")
doc.Close(False)
word.Quit()

Verification Checklist

1. Cover: underlined spaces preserved
2. Page breaks: sections start on correct pages
3. Punctuation: no 。？ or ！？ double-patterns
4. Content: tables have data, text is readable

Known Pitfalls

Don't Do	Why
doc.Range().Text = ...	Destroys ALL formatting, images, tables
Replace paragraph containing \f	Loses page break
Use python-docx to save modified template	Loses images, complex formatting
\n in Find patterns	Word uses \r (chr 13) for paragraph marks
Replace cover paragraph text blindly	Destroys underlined spaces
Forget cleanup after --append-answer	May leave extra ？ characters