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I have learned that .docx files are basically binary files. But I'm unaware of the structure that lies beneath.
What is the essential structure of a .docx file? Like, how long is the header? From what point does the actual document content start? Does it have any signature at the end?
Basically, what's the anatomy of a .docx file?
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A Docx file comprises of a collection of XML files that are contained inside a ZIP archive. The contents of a new Word document can be viewed by unzipping its contents. The collection contains a list of XML files that are categorized as: MetaData Files - contains information about other files available in the archive.
THL divides the Word document for essays into three general parts: front, body, and back. These sections are briefly described, immediately below, with instructions on how to apply Word styles for the structural elements of each section.
DOCX is a zipped, XML-based file format. Microsoft Word 2007 and later uses DOCX as the default file format when creating a new document. Support for loading and saving legacy DOC files is also included. DOC is the default format used with Office 97-2003.
For example, the doc extension tells your computer that the file is a Microsoft Word file.
Docx is basically a zip archive with a lot of xml files in it. It is an open format and the documentation is available online. The wikipedia article has a general description and the links you will need.
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I am going to answer this question: "What's the Anatomy of a DocX File?"
Please see the official OOXML article, "Anatomy of OOXML," for an example DocX directory structure :
http://officeopenxml.com/anatomyofOOXML.php
For an example DocX XML document :
http://officeopenxml.com/WPsampleDoc.php
HOWEVER, after following these meticulously, and guessing where the details got foggy, I was unable to make the .docx file.
I chose this short cut : Make a Docx file in Libre Office (supports .docx extensions), make a generic template in the format of the docx files you expect to be generating, save the file as .docx, copy and save as .zip.
Open this .zip directory, and what you'll see I found to be much better at explaining the spec than the above, official links.
For example, if you're making articles in .docx, you'd have [[Title]] at the top in title-casing/formatting, By: [[Author]], for author, etc., etc.. Then with your code, use that template, and just swap out the [[field]] for whatever $data you're ready to put into it.
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