Introduction

DOCX is a widely used file format for word processing documents. Although originally developed for Microsoft Word, DOCX is supported by many word processors, collaborative editing tools, and publishing workflows.

Stencila provides bi-directional conversion to and from DOCX, making it possible to collaborate with colleagues using word processors and to integrate with DOCX-based workflows.

Usage

Info

Converting to/from DOCX requires Pandoc to be installed.

Use the .docx file extension, or the --to docx or --from docx options, when converting to/from DOCX e.g.

stencila convert doc.smd doc.docx

When encoding to DOCX, you can use the --reproducible flag to embed a JSON cache inside the DOCX file, enabling higher-fidelity round-trips when the document is later imported back into Stencila:

stencila convert doc.smd doc.docx --reproducible

Warning

Stencila's DOCX support is in beta status. If you find bugs or unexpected results please file an issue.

Implementation

Stencila provides bi-directional conversion to DOCX. The core document structure conversion is powered by Pandoc via the Pandoc JSON intermediate format. On top of this, Stencila applies its own post-processing to the generated DOCX file, including custom theming, font embedding, page layout, and headers/footers.

When the --reproducible flag is used, Stencila embeds a JSON representation of the document inside the DOCX file. On re-import, this cache is used to reconstitute Stencila-specific node types that Pandoc cannot represent, improving round-trip fidelity.

Limitations

Pandoc must be installed separately; it is not bundled with Stencila.

Conversion is lossy for Stencila node types that have no DOCX/Pandoc equivalent (e.g. executable code chunks, parameters, styled blocks).

Complex Word-specific features such as tracked changes, comments, and form fields are not preserved during import.

Custom DOCX templates from other tools may not be fully compatible with Stencila's post-processing.