Package or program to convert Msword .doc files

[PapaParrot]

Besides "libre Office", does any one know if there are other packages /software for OpenBsd that can read, and convert MSword documents/files to a normal readable text format ? EG:
my_example_file.DOC, convert to normal .txt
Thank you

[victorvas]

On OpenBSD - packages:
catdoc
docx2txt

On FreeBSD and Linux the best program to do it is:
pandoc

[IdOp]

Thank you both, it's a question I looked at before without much success. It looks like docx2txt could be helpful for my occasional usage.

[CiotBSD]

Since LibreOffice installed on my station, i use too convert into console:

$ libreoffice --headless --convert-to odt *.docx

or:

$ libreoffice --headless --convert-to pdf file

and for text:

$ libreoffice --headless --convert-to text file

;-)

@victorvas: thanks for your tips!

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by PapaParrot

convert MSword documents/files to a normal readable text format

The one, the only textproc/antiword, of course.

[PapaParrot]

Thank you very much, "catdoc" works perfectly for my needs, this is very very rare I even need to view/read this type of document. Just tried catdoc, and it is perfect. Thank you alos for the other responses as well,..
====edit====
Thanks, I will look at those as well, but like I said the"catdoc" seems to be fine.

[IdOp]

Originally Posted by PapaParrot

... "catdoc" seems to be fine.

I was able to compile and run catdoc, but it would not work on the .docx file I tried it on because the file was of a 2007+ docx version. I suspect this means it could fail on many real-world .docx files these days? So that is a limitation to have in the back of one's mind at least if you should run into it. The docx2txt script did work on my example file.

[PapaParrot]

Yea I ran into that myself, so I tried the "docx2txt", and it was able to convert some, but still there were a couple that failed, so I tried the "antiword", it was able to convert a few more. There was still 2 or 3 , that none of these could convert, "antiword" said they were not "Word" files, in any event I found some online converter site that was able to convert the remaining files. Fortunately this is something I do not need to do often. It does not make sense to me that MSwindows can not produce files that are universal and can be read, edited ,etc...with a general text editor. There is no reason any one should be forced to use MS windows, and Word, if and when some secretary sends them documents, but that would be a whole other topic,... any way,I did convert all of them and now have them in text format, I mean .txt.

I suspect this means it could fail on many real-world .docx files these days?

,
These files were pretty old, about 5 years, don't know if that is " these days" or not. What seems strange to me is Why some docx files were convertible, and others no,seems like there is a consistancy problem with the mal-ware used to produce these type of files. Another topic as well

[IdOp]

Well 5 years old is still well past 2007, so it seems likely they would be unconvertible by catdoc. But it is also possible that files today could sometimes/often(?) be produced to the pre-2007 standard. Don't know how common that would be.

I'm lucky I don't run into them often. There is one friend of the family that once a year sends a letter about what they did in the past year. It always comes in .docx format. I always politely ask if they could send a .pdf, and they send that and I can read it. Next year, same thing again. I think for typical Windows users there just isn't much mindspace for anything outside their ecosystem, understandably. So we must adapt, and if we can avoid being absorbed it's a victory.

[Beastie]

Don't forget that .docx files are just "Open XML" files, in other words zipped XML files. So, if all else fails, you can always $ tar xf file.docx and parse the XML files. The main contents are stored in a file called document.xml IIRC. Of course, XML is an abomination, but I did say "if all else fails".

[jggimi]

Just an FYI, Beastie, but tar(1) won't unzip. The archivers/unzip package is needed.

[Beastie]

Ah my bad. It supports zip files on FreeBSD and I assumed it did on OpenBSD too.

[jggimi]

Nope, nor does GNU Tar (archivers/gtar).

[PapaParrot]

Thanks jggimi , I do have

The archivers/unzip package is needed.

the archivers /unzip package. Thanks Beastie , as well, I see what you mean , using the archive/unzip,...pretty hard to read it though, but "if all else fails", well there you go,..

[IdOp]

You might be able to get GNU tar to support zip using the -I (capital 'eye', or --use-compress-program) option to call a shell script designed to call zip or unzip as necessary, but I'm not sure I'd really want to go there, lol.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by PapaParrot

pretty hard to read it though, but "if all else fails", well there you go,..

Okay, how do you like Python?

#!/usr/local/bin/python

import os, re

with open('document.xml') as f1:
  text = re.sub('<[^<]+w:p ?>', '\n', f1.read())
  text = re.sub('<[^<]+>', '', text)
  with open('output.txt', 'w') as f2:
    f2.write(text)

I know it's ugly. Don't sue me.