Dynamic Word DOCX File Creation via Free C++ API

Getting Started with MiniDocx

The recommend way to install MiniDocx is via GitHub. Please use the following command for a smooth installation.

git clone git@github.com:totravel/minidocx.git 
cd minidocx  

Creating Word Docx Document via C++

The open source MiniDocx library makes it easy for software developers to create and manipulate Word Docx documents inside C++ applications. The library has included support for apply formatting, adding text, tables and images inside Word documents. The simplest way to understand MiniDocx is through a practical example. Creating a basic Word document with formatted text demonstrates the library's intuitive API design and straightforward workflow.

#include "minidocx/minidocx.hpp"
#include 

int main()
{
  using namespace md;
  try {
    Document doc;
    SectionPointer sect = doc.addSection();

    ParagraphPointer para = sect->addParagraph();
    para->prop_.align_ = Alignment::Centered;

    RichTextPointer rich = para->addRichText("Happy Chinese New Year!");
    rich->prop_.fontSize_ = 32;
    rich->prop_.color_ = "FF0000";

    doc.saveAs("a.docx");
  }
  catch (const Exception& ex) {
    std::cerr << ex.what() << std::endl;
  }
  return 0;
}

Add Tables to Documents via C++ Library

Tables are essential for presenting structured data in Word documents, and MiniDocx provides comprehensive table creation and formatting capabilities. Tables consist of rows and cells, with each cell able to contain text, formatting, and even nested content. Creating a table involves several steps: defining the table structure, adding rows, populating cells with content, and applying formatting. Here's a detailed example showing how software developers can create a formatted table inside C++ apps.

#include "minidocx/minidocx.hpp"

int main()
{
  using namespace md;
  try {
    Document doc;
    SectionPointer sect = doc.addSection();

    // Create a table with 3 rows and 2 columns
    TablePointer table = sect->addTable(3, 2);

    // Access and populate cells
    // First row - header
    auto cell00 = table->cell(0, 0);
    auto para00 = cell00->addParagraph();
    auto text00 = para00->addRichText("Name");
    text00->prop_.bold_ = true;

    auto cell01 = table->cell(0, 1);
    auto para01 = cell01->addParagraph();
    auto text01 = para01->addRichText("Age");
    text01->prop_.bold_ = true;

    // Second row
    auto cell10 = table->cell(1, 0);
    auto para10 = cell10->addParagraph();
    para10->addRichText("Alice");

    auto cell11 = table->cell(1, 1);
    auto para11 = cell11->addParagraph();
    para11->addRichText("25");

    // Third row
    auto cell20 = table->cell(2, 0);
    auto para20 = cell20->addParagraph();
    para20->addRichText("Bob");

    auto cell21 = table->cell(2, 1);
    auto para21 = cell21->addParagraph();
    para21->addRichText("30");

    doc.saveAs("table_document.docx");
  }
  catch (const Exception& ex) {
    std::cerr << ex.what() << std::endl;
  }
  return 0;
}

Insert Images and Pictures to Word DOCX File

Visual content enhances document readability and engagement, making image support a critical feature for any document generation library. MiniDocx enables software developers to insert images into documents with control over sizing and positioning. Adding images to a document requires specifying the image file path and optionally setting dimensions. Here's an example showing how to insert an image into a Word document via C++ library.

#include "minidocx/minidocx.hpp"

int main()
{
  using namespace md;
  try {
    Document doc;
    SectionPointer sect = doc.addSection();

    // Add a paragraph before the image
    ParagraphPointer para1 = sect->addParagraph();
    para1->addRichText("Below is an important diagram:");

    // Add a paragraph containing the image
    ParagraphPointer para2 = sect->addParagraph();
    para2->prop_.align_ = Alignment::Centered;

    // Insert the picture
    PicturePointer pic = para2->addPicture("path/to/image.png");
    pic->prop_.width_ = 400;
    pic->prop_.height_ = 300;

    // Add a paragraph after the image
    ParagraphPointer para3 = sect->addParagraph();
    para3->addRichText("Figure 1: Important visualization");

    doc.saveAs("document_with_image.docx");
  }
  catch (const Exception& ex) {
    std::cerr << ex.what() << std::endl;
  }
  return 0;
}

Document Sections and Page Layout

Sections provide the framework for controlling page layout properties within Word documents. Each section can have different page settings, including page size, orientation, margins, headers, and footers. This section-based architecture allows for complex document layouts with varying page configurations. A typical use case for multiple sections is creating documents with both portrait and landscape pages, such as reports that include wide tables or charts requiring landscape orientation. Here's an example showing how to work with multiple sections of Word documents inside C++ applications.

#include "minidocx/minidocx.hpp"

int main()
{
  using namespace md;
  try {
    Document doc;

    // First section with portrait orientation
    SectionPointer sect1 = doc.addSection();
    sect1->prop_.orientation_ = Orientation::Portrait;
    sect1->prop_.pageWidth_ = 8.5 * 1440; // Letter size in twips
    sect1->prop_.pageHeight_ = 11 * 1440;

    ParagraphPointer para1 = sect1->addParagraph();
    para1->addRichText("This is content in portrait orientation.");

    // Second section with landscape orientation
    SectionPointer sect2 = doc.addSection();
    sect2->prop_.orientation_ = Orientation::Landscape;
    sect2->prop_.pageWidth_ = 11 * 1440;
    sect2->prop_.pageHeight_ = 8.5 * 1440;

    ParagraphPointer para2 = sect2->addParagraph();
    para2->addRichText("This content appears in landscape orientation.");

    doc.saveAs("multi_section_document.docx");
  }
  catch (const Exception& ex) {
    std::cerr << ex.what() << std::endl;
  }
  return 0;
}