DOCX document & sections

Reference for the two container components at the top of every Word document tree: the docx root and its section children. For everything that goes inside a section, see the component reference.

Node shape

Every component in a document is an object with this shape:

Field	Type	Required	Description
`name`	`string`	yes	Component name (`"docx"`, `"section"`, `"paragraph"`, ...)
`renderer`	`"docxjs" \| "office-open"`	root only, no	Backend compatibility profile. Omitted means `docxjs`. Generation options override this field.
`props`	`object`	per component	Component properties
`children`	`array`	container components	Child components
`id`	`string`	no	Author-assigned node identifier
`enabled`	`boolean`	no	`false` removes the component (and its subtree) from the render without deleting it from the JSON

The root docx node additionally accepts a $schema field, so editors can wire up autocompletion against the published JSON Schemas. The schema uses renderer to select its backend-specific branch. All schemas reject unknown props (additionalProperties: false) unless you opt into allowUnknownFields at generation time — see Validation.

renderer is not only a compatibility profile: some props exist on one backend and not the other, and the schema branch decides which are offered. Threaded comments (comment.replies, comment.resolved) are docxjs only; a natively drawn visual (renderMode: "native") is office-open only, and using it under any other backend is a validation error at the component's own props/renderMode.

`docx` (root)

The document root. Its only allowed children are section components.

props itself is optional: a root written without it generates exactly as one written with "props": {}, and the exported JSON Schema marks it optional too, so schema-driven editors agree with the generator. An explicit props must still be an object — null, false or a string is rejected by validation rather than quietly treated as empty.

Prop	Type	Default	Description
`theme`	`string`	`'minimal'`	Theme name — built-ins are `minimal`, `corporate`, `modern`; custom themes are matched case-insensitively from the `customThemes` generation option. An unknown name silently falls back to `minimal`. See Themes & styling.
`componentDefaults`	`object`	—	Per-component default props (e.g. default `spacing` for every `paragraph`). Overrides the theme's own `componentDefaults`; component-level props override both. Supported keys: `heading`, `paragraph`, `image`, `statistic`, `table`, `section`, `columns`, `list`. The `revision` prop cannot be defaulted.
`language`	`string` (BCP-47)	—	Word's default proofing language, e.g. `"en-US"`, `"it-IT"`. Pattern: 2–3 letter language code plus optional subtags.
`noProofWords`	`string[]`	—	Allowlist of known words: whole-word, case-insensitive occurrences are emitted as no-proof runs (no spell-check squiggles). Merged on top of the theme's own list.
`trackRevisions`	`boolean`	—	Open the document in track-changes mode. Set automatically on redline documents produced by `diffDocuments` / `jto docx diff`.
`qualityProfile`	`string`	—	The quality profile validation judges this document by when the caller names none; a blueprint scaffold writes its archetype's profile here. Built-ins: `client-report`, `technical-report`, `executive-report`, `legal-appendix` and `general`, the format default. An unknown name falls back to `general`.
`metadata`	`object`	—	Document metadata (see below). Written into the `.docx` package's document properties (`docProps/core.xml`, plus `docProps/custom.xml` for `company` and `version`), and also exposed to plugin components via the render context. `metadata.date` additionally drives placeholder resolution and the render cache key.

`metadata` fields

All fields are optional strings unless noted. The Document property column names the OOXML property the field is written to; Word surfaces those under File → Info → Properties. A dash means the field is not written into the package at all.

Field	Type	Document property	Description
`title`	`string`	`dc:title`	Document title
`subtitle`	`string`	`dc:subject`	Document subtitle — Word calls this slot "Subject"
`description`	`string`	`dc:description`	Description / abstract
`author`	`string`	`dc:creator` and `cp:lastModifiedBy`	Author name — written to both; it is the only person the document knows
`company`	`string`	custom property `Company`	Company name (see the note below)
`version`	`string`	custom property `Version`	Document version, e.g. `"1.0"`, `"2024.3"`
`date`	`string`	—	Display date; also resolves `{DATE}` / `{DATETIME}`
`tags`	`string[]`	`cp:keywords`	Keyword tags, joined with `,`

OOXML core properties have no slot for a company or a version string, so both are written as custom document properties (Company, Version) in docProps/custom.xml — Word surfaces them under Advanced Properties → Custom. The part is always present in the package; set neither field and it is simply an empty <Properties/> element.

One field is deliberately not written into document properties: date is a display/placeholder value. It fixes the generation date used by {DATE} and {DATETIME} (and by the render cache key), not a package timestamp.

No created / modified here

The metadata object has no created or modified field, and supplying one fails validation (additionalProperties: false) unless you enable allowUnknownFields, which ignores it for validation. Do not rely on that option as a sanitization step.

Package timestamps are not authored per document: dcterms:created and dcterms:modified come from the generatedAt generation option, which the deterministic packaging step writes over whatever the docx library stamped. Set generatedAt to control them; leave it unset and every build gets the same fixed epoch, which is what keeps output byte-identical. With deterministic: false that rewrite is skipped entirely and the timestamps are the docx library's wall clock — generatedAt has no effect on them. See Reproducible output.

Everything that is written comes straight from the input JSON, so metadata never makes output non-deterministic: two renders of the same document — custom properties included — are byte-identical.

Example

json

{
  "name": "docx",
  "props": {
    "theme": "corporate",
    "language": "en-US",
    "noProofWords": ["Wiseair", "json-to-office"],
    "componentDefaults": {
      "paragraph": { "spacing": { "after": 6 } },
      "table": { "cellDefaults": { "padding": 4 } }
    },
    "metadata": {
      "title": "Master Services Agreement",
      "author": "Legal",
      "company": "Acme Corp",
      "version": "2.1",
      "tags": ["contract", "legal"]
    }
  },
  "children": [{ "name": "section", "children": [] }]
}

Naming note

Internally the root props type is called ReportProps, but the JSON component name is always "docx".

`section`

A Word section: a run of pages sharing one header, footer, and page setup. Sections are the only valid children of docx, and they hold all content components — see the component catalog for what is allowed inside.

Prop	Type	Default	Description
`meta`	`{ title? }`	—	Authoring metadata; never rendered. `meta.title` labels the section in editors and outlines (e.g. the playground sidebar). For a visible title, add a `heading` child.
`header`	`Component[]` \| `'linkToPrevious'`	—	Header content: an array of components (paragraphs, images, tables, ...), or the literal string `'linkToPrevious'` to reuse the previous section's header.
`footer`	`Component[]` \| `'linkToPrevious'`	—	Same as `header`, for the footer.
`pageBreak`	`boolean`	`true` (schema) / `false` (built-in themes)	Start the section on a new page. The schema default is `true`, but every built-in theme overrides it to `false` via `componentDefaults.section`, so sections flow continuously unless you set `pageBreak: true`. Defaults apply whether or not the node declares `props`: a section written with no `props` key at all behaves exactly like one with `"props": {}`.
`spacing`	`{ before?, after? }` (points, ≥ 0)	—	Vertical spacing around the section content.
`page`	`object`	theme's page setup	Per-section page geometry override (see below).

WARNING

A section without a props key still resolves componentDefaults, so it does not break to a new page on its own. Set "pageBreak": true explicitly when you want one.

A section takes no title/level props. Name a section with meta.title (not rendered) and add an explicit heading child for a visible title.

`page` override

Field	Type	Description
`size`	`'A4'` \| `'A3'` \| `'LETTER'` \| `'LEGAL'` \| `{ width, height }`	Page size preset or explicit dimensions. A preset also emits the OOXML paper code (`w:pgSz/@w:code`) that printer drivers use to pick a tray; explicit dimensions carry no code.
`margins`	`{ top?, bottom?, left?, right?, header?, footer?, gutter? }`	Margins in twips (1440 twips = 1 inch), each ≥ 0. `header`/`footer` set the distance of header/footer from the page edge.

When page is omitted, the section inherits the theme's page block (the minimal theme uses A4 with 1440-twip top/bottom and 1080-twip left/right margins). See the theme schema.

Placeholders in headers and footers

Header and footer text supports the same inline syntax as body text, including the dynamic placeholders {PAGE}, {TOTAL_PAGES}, {DATE}, {DATETIME}, and {YEAR} — {PAGE} and {TOTAL_PAGES} render as live Word page-number fields.

Example

json

{
  "name": "section",
  "props": {
    "meta": { "title": "Financial Results" },
    "pageBreak": true,
    "header": [
      {
        "name": "paragraph",
        "props": {
          "text": "Acme Corp — **Confidential**",
          "alignment": "right"
        }
      }
    ],
    "footer": [
      {
        "name": "paragraph",
        "props": {
          "text": "Page {PAGE} of {TOTAL_PAGES}",
          "alignment": "center"
        }
      }
    ],
    "page": {
      "size": "A4",
      "margins": {
        "top": 1440,
        "bottom": 1440,
        "left": 1080,
        "right": 1080,
        "header": 720,
        "footer": 720
      }
    }
  },
  "children": [
    { "name": "heading", "props": { "text": "Financial Results", "level": 1 } },
    { "name": "paragraph", "props": { "text": "Revenue for the quarter..." } }
  ]
}

A follow-up section that keeps the same chrome:

json

{
  "name": "section",
  "props": {
    "header": "linkToPrevious",
    "footer": "linkToPrevious",
    "pageBreak": true
  },
  "children": [
    { "name": "heading", "props": { "text": "Appendix", "level": 1 } }
  ]
}

TIP

'linkToPrevious' is resolved at render time: the section reuses the previous section's header/footer objects, exactly like Word's "Link to Previous" toggle.

DOCX document & sections ​

Node shape ​

docx (root) ​

metadata fields ​

Example ​

section ​

page override ​

Placeholders in headers and footers ​

Example ​

DOCX document & sections

Node shape

`docx` (root)

`metadata` fields

Example

`section`

`page` override

Placeholders in headers and footers

Example