Creating word documents file from templates.

[Rahul Ba]

Hi, I have req. to create word documents files using templates. Please let me know which API or third party tool to use.
Thanks in advance.

Rahul

[Lester Burnham]

Does it have to be Word? RTF would be so much easier, since it's all text that you can work with using search/replace. If you really need Word, the Apache POI library may be the way to go: http://faq.javaranch.com/java/CreateWordDocument

[Peter Taucher]

Apache POI: http://poi.apache.org/
OpenOffice UNO: http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Documentation/DevGuide/OpenOffice.org_Developers_Guide

[Rahul Ba]

ya, I just have concern regarding Apachee POI..wheneter we can generate reports from template in POI? I did not find any example hence writing.

And how's experience with OpenOffice?

[Peter Taucher]

I never used the Open Office API, and POI only related to XLS documents. In that case there's a Workbook constructor that takes a 'template workbook' as parameter ... I think that's pretty simple. So maybe for other types of documents the handling could be similar.
-> http://stackoverflow.com/questions/714172/poi-using-excel-templates
-> http://www.coderanch.com/t/436727/open-source/create-MS-Word-Doc-HWPF

[Rahul Ba]

Hi, I think I should go with Apache POI...but just want to check I have template and want to create word document only.
In template I have something $date$ where I have to put current date. Any Idea how to proceed with it.

I wrote a sample code, but it's not working

 HWPFDocument doc = new HWPFDocument(new FileInputStream("C:\\temp\\pages.dot"));
    Range range = doc.getRange();

    int i = range.numSections();
    System.out.println("i:"+i);
    
    for (int j = 0; j < args.length; j++) {
		String string = args[j];
	    org.apache.poi.hwpf.usermodel.Section s = range.getSection(j);
	    s.replaceText("date", "Hi Hello");
	}
    OutputStream out = new FileOutputStream("C:\\temp\\sample1.doc");
    doc.write(out);
    out.flush();
    out.close();

pages.dot template contains $date$, but in resultant text it's not filling the expected data.

and another thing is that In Template only I have table, I have to put the dynamicly generated data in front of Main System and File Name which I will get it from db.

so, below format is in Template file:

--------------------------------------------------------------
Main System :
--------------------------------------------------------------
File Name :
---------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks in advance as usual.

[Martijn Verburg]

I'm not a POI user but does the s.replaceText("date", "Hi Hello"); method truly reference the $date$ variable?