grep-docx

A command-line tool for searching through Microsoft Word (*.docx) files using grep-like pattern matching.

Note: This tool will not work on:

• Old .doc (pre-Office 2007) binary files
• .dotx template files
• .docm macro-enabled files

The basic "line" to search in the Word file is 1 paragraph. Word files are broken into paragraphs and then searched. Bulleted lists, etc., are composed of multiple paragraphs. If you want complex search patterns, plan accordingly.

Features

• Search single files or recursively through directories
• Regular expression pattern matching
• Case-sensitive and case-insensitive search options
• Colored output highlighting matches
• Output formatting options including hanging indents
• Count-only and filename-only output modes
• Hyperlinked file paths (in supported terminals)
• Progress bar for large searches
• Debug logging support
• Read paths from stdin

Installation

See Executables or Native Script below.

Usage

grep-docx [options] PATTERN PATH

Arguments

• PATTERN: Regular expression pattern to search for (a Python-style regex)
• PATH: File or directory to search (use - to read paths from stdin)

Options

• -C, --color, --colour: Color the prefix and highlight matches
• -c, --count: Only print a count of matching lines
• -H, --hyperlink: Print filenames as clickable hyperlinks
• -I, --hanging-indent: Line output after the 1st line starts with a tab
• -i, --ignore-case: Ignore case distinctions
• -l, --files-with-matches: Only print names of files with matches
• -L, --files-without-matches: Only print names of files without matches
• -P, --no-progress-bar: Disable the progress bar
• -q, --quiet, --silent: Suppress all normal output
• -r, --recursive: Recursively search subdirectories
• -s, --no-messages: Suppress error messages
• -T, --initial-tab: Line output starts with a tab character
• -V, --version: Show program version
• --debug: Enable debug logging
• --logfile FILE: Write logs to FILE

Examples

Search a single file for the text 'config':

grep-docx config document.docx

Search folders/directories recursively with case insensitive matching:

grep-docx -ri config ./documents/

Count the number of times in a directory the partial-word 'construc' (e.g., construct, misconstruction, constructible, etc.) is found in *.docx files:

grep-docx -c construc ./documents/

List files where the words 'sake' and 'clarification' occur within the same paragraph:

grep-docx -l '\bsake\b.*clarification\b|\bclarification\b.*sake\b' ./documents/

Write output to a file (via STDOUT redirection):

grep-docx -ri config ./documents/ > output.txt

Executables

Compiled executables may be found in the executables branch of this repository.

Executables were made for:

Windows

• grep-docx.exe - Windows 64-bit Intel executable

macOS

• grep-docx - Apple Silicon (M1+) binary

Linux

• grep-docx - Linux 64-bit Intel (x86) binary
• grep-docx - Linux 64-bit ARM binary

Requirements

• No Python installation required - standalone executables
• Operating system: Windows 7+, macOS 10.15+, or Linux with glibc 2.17+

Installation

1. Download
2. For Linux or MacOS, chmod +x grep-docx
3. MacOS, as the binary is not signed with a Developer account, it will require special permissions. MacOS will walk you through this if you read the dialog box instructions.
4. Run

Native Script

A simple Python script, ready to run.

Requirements

• Python 3.x
• python-docx library
• tqdm library
• (optional & Windows only) colorama library

Installation

1. Ensure Python 3.x is installed
2. Install required dependencies:

pip install python-docx tqdm

or

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the script.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.