word-documentslisted

# Word documents Two paths produce a DOCX, and picking the wrong one destroys work. Choose first, then follow that path's section, and finish with the validation section — it applies to both. ## Which path - **An existing `.docx` is in play** — a template, a document the user uploaded, a prior version of this deliverable, a downloaded starting point — **edit it in place** with the XML pipeline below. Always. - **Nothing exists yet and there is no template** — build the document from scratch with **python-docx**. **Never rebuild an existing document with python-docx to apply a change.** `Document()` starts from the library's default template, and it cannot reproduce a firm's: the style definitions, numbering, headers and footers, theme fonts, and page setup all come back as generic defaults, so regenerating silently strips the design the user is attached to. A one-line text fix is a one-line XML edit, not a rewrite. Equally, never recreate from scratch what a template already provides — if the user handed you a template, its design *is* the requirement. ## When DOCX is the right format Reach for DOCX when the user will edit, print, or share the document in Word — a report, letter, proposal, or anything with real formatting. When the user just needs readable text they will consume in the chat or a plain file, a markdown output serves them better than a DOCX: say so and offer the simpler format instead of defaulting to Word. ## New documents: python-docx Install th