Best Tools to Transform Word 2007 Documents into XAMLConverting Word 2007 (.docx) documents into XAML can be necessary when you want to reuse existing content inside WPF, Silverlight (legacy), UWP, or other XAML-based applications. The conversion involves mapping Word concepts — paragraphs, runs, fonts, images, tables, and styles — to XAML structures such as FlowDocument, Paragraph, Run, InlineUIContainer, Image, and Table. This article surveys the best tools and approaches available, explains strengths and limitations, and gives practical tips for getting accurate, maintainable XAML output.
Why convert Word 2007 to XAML?
- Reuse editorial content in desktop or Windows app UI without manual retyping.
- Preserve layout and styling for readable, editable in-app documents (FlowDocument).
- Integrate Word content into templated UIs, help viewers, or printing pipelines.
- Automate conversions in build processes or document management systems.
Key challenges in conversion
- Word’s document model is rich and sometimes proprietary: complex tables, nested lists, floating images, and WordArt don’t map directly to XAML.
- Styling differences: Word styles, numbering, and direct formatting need mapping to XAML styles.
- Images and embedded objects must be extracted and referenced correctly.
- Preserving pagination and exact layout is hard; XAML is flow-based and will reflow content.
Categories of tools
- Native Microsoft options and libraries
- Third-party commercial converters and SDKs
- Open-source libraries and community tools
- DIY approach: using .docx XML and custom XAML generation
Native Microsoft options
1) Open XML SDK + custom XAML writer
- What it is: Microsoft’s Open XML SDK reads and manipulates .docx (Word 2007) package contents (document.xml, styles.xml, media). You write code to translate those parts into XAML.
- Strengths: Full control, no licensing cost, reliable parsing of the .docx package. Good for server-side automation.
- Limitations: Significant engineering effort to map Word constructs to FlowDocument/XAML. Images and complex layouts require extra handling.
- Best when: You need custom behavior, tight control over style mapping, or want zero-dependency solutions.
Example workflow:
- Use Open XML SDK to open document.xml and styles.
- Convert paragraphs, runs, and styles into FlowDocument elements.
- Extract images from /word/media into a folder and reference them as Image elements in XAML.
2) Word Interop (Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word)
- What it is: Automates MS Word to open and save or export documents. Word itself can produce other formats (e.g., HTML), which you then convert to XAML.
- Strengths: Uses Word’s rendering and layout; handles complicated content better.
- Limitations: Requires Word installed (not suitable for server environments), COM interop complexity, licensing and scalability concerns.
- Best when: Desktop tools where Word is available and you need high-fidelity rendering for complex documents.
Third-party commercial converters and SDKs
3) Telerik Document Processing (RadWordsProcessing)
- Strengths: Converts DOCX to XAML/FlowDocument, good fidelity, integrates with other Telerik UI stacks. Server-friendly and well-documented.
- Limitations: Commercial license required.
- Best when: You already use Telerik or need a supported library with minimal development.
4) Aspose.Words
- Strengths: Mature library for .NET/Java with wide format support. Aspose can save documents into XAML (FlowDocument) and provides granular control.
- Limitations: Commercial, can be heavy/expensive for some projects.
- Best when: Enterprise-grade needs, complex Word features support, reliable vendor support.
5) Syncfusion DocIO
- Strengths: Another commercial SDK that supports DOCX reading and exporting to XAML formats. Provides good performance and support.
- Limitations: Licensing cost.
- Best when: Using Syncfusion controls suite or needing a supported conversion SDK.
Open-source and community tools
6) docx2xaml (community projects)
- What it is: Various small projects and scripts that parse .docx (Open XML) and emit XAML (often FlowDocument).
- Strengths: Free, customizable, quick starting points.
- Limitations: Often incomplete (limited feature coverage), may be unmaintained.
- Best when: Prototyping or as a starting reference for custom converters.
7) Pandoc + HTML -> XAML pipeline
- What it is: Pandoc converts DOCX to HTML reasonably well. Then use an HTML-to-XAML converter/library to turn that HTML into XAML.
- Strengths: Leverages powerful, maintained converter for semantic conversion; flexible intermediate HTML stage.
- Limitations: Two-stage pipeline can introduce mapping errors; HTML-to-XAML conversion quality varies.
- Best when: You need a quick, scriptable pipeline and can tolerate some manual style mapping.
DIY: Parsing .docx XML and mapping to XAML
For full control and minimal dependencies, build a converter that:
- Reads /word/document.xml using an XML parser or Open XML SDK.
- Maps paragraph properties (w:pPr) to Paragraph/Paragraph.FontFamily/FontSize/TextAlignment, etc.
- Maps runs (w:r) and text (w:t) to Run and Inline elements, applying Bold/Italic/Underline.
- Extracts images from /word/media and writes them to disk or embeds as base64 in XAML.
- Converts lists/numbering by interpreting numbering.xml and styles.xml and emitting appropriate List and ListItem elements.
- Handles tables by mapping w:tbl to Table, TableRow, TableCell (note: table widths and merged cells require extra handling).
This approach takes time but yields tailor-made output and precise control over styling conventions.
Practical tips for accurate conversion
- Decide target XAML type early: FlowDocument, FixedDocument, or custom XAML affects mapping choices. FlowDocument is most natural for reflowable text; FixedDocument approximates pages.
- Normalize and simplify Word documents before conversion: use consistent styles, avoid WordArt/complex floating layouts.
- Extract styles.xml to create a style-mapping table between Word styles and XAML styles. Map only necessary properties (font family, size, color, weight).
- Handle images by extracting them from the DOCX package and referencing them via relative URIs — avoid inlining very large base64 images.
- Test with edge cases: nested lists, merged table cells, colored borders, footnotes, and headers/footers.
- Provide a post-processing step on generated XAML to compact, format, and possibly apply application-level resources (styles, templates).
Example conversion pathways (recommended)
- Best control and no-cost: Open XML SDK -> custom XAML writer.
- Best enterprise support and fidelity: Aspose.Words or Telerik RadWordsProcessing.
- Quick and scriptable: Pandoc DOCX -> HTML -> HTML-to-XAML converter + cleanup.
Comparison table
| Tool/Approach | Fidelity | Ease of Use | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open XML SDK + custom writer | Medium–High (depends on effort) | Medium–High (developer time) | Low | Custom, server-side control |
| Word Interop | High (Word-rendered) | Low (requires Word, COM) | Medium (Word license) | Desktop tools needing high fidelity |
| Aspose.Words | High | High | High (commercial) | Enterprise projects |
| Telerik RadWordsProcessing | High | High | High (commercial) | Teams using Telerik ecosystem |
| Syncfusion DocIO | High | High | High (commercial) | Commercial apps needing library support |
| docx2xaml (community) | Low–Medium | Medium | Free | Prototyping, learning |
| Pandoc -> HTML -> XAML | Medium | Medium | Free | Scriptable pipelines, quick hacks |
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Lost numbering/nested lists: parse numbering.xml and map abstract numbering IDs to List levels.
- Incorrect fonts: embed or map font families; fallback fonts may change layout.
- Floating images and anchored objects: convert to InlineUIContainer or separate Image elements and accept reflow differences.
- Complex WordArt or SmartArt: often impossible to reproduce; consider exporting as images.
Final recommendations
- For production applications where budget allows, use a commercial SDK (Aspose, Telerik, Syncfusion) for reliability and support.
- For full control without cost, invest in Open XML SDK plus a well-designed mapping layer to produce FlowDocument XAML.
- For fast prototypes or batch conversions with acceptable fidelity, try Pandoc to HTML then HTML-to-XAML with post-processing.
If you want, I can:
- Outline a concrete mapping specification (Word elements -> XAML elements).
- Provide a small example script (C#) using Open XML SDK that converts basic paragraphs, runs, and images into a FlowDocument XAML file.
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