View source for Handling Microsoft Word file format

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[[Category:Developing_with_Qt]]


= Handling Microsoft Word (file format) =

This page discusses various available options for working with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Word#File_formats Microsoft Word] documents in your Qt application. Please also read the general considerations outlined on the [[Handling_Document_Formats | Handling Document Formats]] page.


<pre style="background-color: #E6E6FA">Note that this information is collaboratively collected by the community, with no promise
of completeness or correctness. In particular, use your own research and judgment
when evaluating third-party libraries or tools!</pre>

One needs to distinguish between two different formats (this page deals with both of them):


{| class="wikitable"
|
! Legacy "Word Document" format
! "Office Open XML Document" format
|-
| ''classification:''
| binary
| XML-based
|-
| ''main filename extension:''
| .doc
| .docx
|-
| ''main internet media type:'' 
| application/vnd.ms-word
| application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
|-
| ''default format of Word:'' 
| until Word 2003
| since Word 2007
|}

== Reading / Writing ==

=== Using Word itself ===

If you are exclusively targeting the Windows platform and Microsoft Word will be installed on all target machines, then you can use [http://doc.qt.io/qt-4.8/activeqt.html Qt’s ActiveX framework] to access Word’s .doc and .docx processing functionality through OLE automation. For an introductory code example (and a way to list the API provided by Word's COM object), consult [http://wiki.qt.io/Using_ActiveX_Object_in_QT this how to] (focuses on Microsoft Excel, but it works the same way for Word).

{| class="wikitable"
|
| DLL file name
| COM object name
| platforms
| license 
|-
| [http://office.microsoft.com/word/ '''Microsoft Word'''] 
| ? 
| Word.Application
| Windows
| <span style="color:Navy">commercial</span>
|}

=== Using independent parser/writer libraries ===


{| class="wikitable"
|
! API 
! .doc
! .docx
! reading
! writing
! platforms
! license
|-
| [http://… '''…''']
| … 
| … 
| … 
| … 
| … 
| … 
| … 
|-
| [http://www.abisource.com/projects/ '''wv'''] 
| C 
| <span style="color:Green">yes </span>
| <span style="color:DarkRed"> no </span>
| <span style="color:Green">yes </span>
| <span style="color:DarkRed">no </span>
| Win, Mac, Linux 
| GPL <span style="color:Navy">[strong copyleft] </span>
|}

=== Using manual XML processing ===
Files using the XML-based (.docx) format could be processed using Qt's XML handling classes (see [[Handling_Document_Formats | Handling Document Formats]]).

<pre style="background-color: moccasin"> TODO: Expand this section.</pre>

=== Using batch conversion tools ===
If all else fails, there is always the option of using an existing tool to automatically convert between Microsoft Word files and a more manageable format, and let your Qt application deal with that format instead. The conversion tool could be bundled with your application or specified as a prerequisite, and controlled via [[Doc:QProcess]]. Some possibilities are:


{| class="wikitable"
|
| .doc to
| .docx to 
| … to .doc 
| … to .docx
| platforms 
|-
| [http://www.abisource.com '''AbiWord'''] 
| .txt .rtf .html .dbk .odt .docx … 
| .txt .rtf .html .dbk .odt … 
| - 
| .txt .rtf .html .dbk .odt .doc …
| Win, Mac, Linux, … 
|-
| [http://www.abisource.com/projects '''wvWare'''] 
| .txt .rtf .html .dbk … 
| -
| - 
| - 
| Win, Mac, Linux, … 
|-
| …
| … 
| … 
| … 
| … 
| … 
|}

''Notes:''
AbiWord can be used like this for batch conversion: <code>abiword —to=outputfile.rtf inputfile.doc</code>

== Displaying / User-Interacting ==

=== Using Word itself ===

<pre style="background-color: moccasin">TODO: If you know whether Word provides a "viewer" ActiveX control that can be embedded in a Qt application through ActiveQT, please fill out
this section (include links to relevant resources!) </pre>

=== Manual solution ===
<pre style="background-color: moccasin">TODO: Tips for implementing a custom Microsoft Word viewer widget, using Qt and the Microsoft Word parsing libraries mentioned above </pre>



== See Also ==

* [[Handling_Document_Formats | Handling Document Formats]]
** ''other Microsoft Office formats:''
*** [[Handling_Microsoft_Powerpoint_(file_format) | Microsoft Powerpoint]]
*** [[Handling_Microsoft_Excel_(file_format) | Microsoft Excel]]
** ''other "Text Document" formats:''
*** [[Handling_HTML | HTML]]
*** [[Handling_PDF | PDF]]
*** [[Handling_OpenDocument_Text | OpenDocument Text]]
*** [[Handling_RTF | RTF]]