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officer R package

Make corporate reporting with minimum hassle

The officer package lets R users manipulate Word (.docx) and PowerPoint (*.pptx) documents. In short, one can add images, tables and text into documents from R. An initial document can be provided; contents, styles and properties of the original document will then be available. It also supports the writing of ‘RTF’ documents.

Ressources

The help pages are in a bookdown located at:

https://ardata-fr.github.io/officeverse/

Manuals are available at:

https://davidgohel.github.io/officer/.

Word documents

The read_docx() function will read an initial Word document (an empty one by default) and lets you modify its content later.

The package provides functions to add R outputs into a Word document:

  • images: produce your plot in png or emf files and add them into the document, as a whole paragraph or inside a paragraph.
  • tables: add data.frames as tables, format is defined by the associated Word table style.
  • text: add text as paragraphs or inside an existing paragraph, format is defined by the associated Word paragraph and text styles.
  • field codes: add Word field codes inside paragraphs. Field codes is an old feature of MS Word to create calculated elements such as tables of contents, automatic numbering and hyperlinks.

File generation is performed with the print function.

import Word document in a data.frame

The function docx_summary() reads and imports content of a Word document into a data.frame. The function handles paragraphs, tables and section breaks. The function docx_comments() reads comments of a Word document and organise the results into a data.frame.

PowerPoint documents

The function read_pptx() will read an initial PowerPoint document (an empty one by default) and let you modify its content later.

The package provides functions to add R outputs into existing or new PowerPoint slides:

  • images: produce your plot in png or emf files and add them in a slide.
  • tables: add data.frames as tables, format is defined by the associated PowerPoint table style.
  • text: add text as paragraphs or inside an existing paragraph, format is defined in the corresponding layout of the slide.

In a PowerPoint document, one can set a slide as selected and reach a particular shape (and remove it or add text).

File generation is performed with the print() function.

import PowerPoint document in a data.frame

The pptx_summary() function reads and imports content of a PowerPoint document into a data.frame. The function handles paragraphs, tables and images.

Extensions

Tables and package flextable

The package flextable brings a full API to produce nice tables and use them with packages officer and rmarkdown.

Vector graphics with package rvg

The package rvg brings an API to produce nice vector graphics that can be embedded in PowerPoint documents or Excel workbooks with officer.

Native office charts with package mschart

The package mschart combined with officer can produce native office charts in PowerPoint and Word documents.

Advance Word documents with R Markdown with package officedown

The package officedown facilitates the formatting of Microsoft Word documents produced by R Markdown documents.

Installation

You can get the development version from GitHub:

devtools::install_github("davidgohel/officer")

Or the latest version on CRAN:

install.packages("officer")

Getting help

If you have questions about how to use the package, visit Stack Overflow’s officer tag and post your question there. I usually read them and answer when possible.

Contributing to the package

Code of Conduct

Anyone getting involved in this package agrees to our Code of Conduct.

Bug reports

When you file a bug report, please spend some time making it easy for me to follow and reproduce. The more time you spend on making the bug report coherent, the more time I can dedicate to investigate the bug as opposed to the bug report.

Contributing to the package development

A great way to start is to contribute an example or improve the documentation.

If you want to submit a Pull Request to integrate functions of yours, please provide:

  • the new function(s) with code and roxygen tags (with examples)
  • a new section in the appropriate vignette that describes how to use the new function
  • add corresponding tests in directory tests/testthat.

By using rhub (run rhub::check_for_cran()), you will see if everything is ok. When submitted, the PR will be evaluated automatically on travis and appveyor and you will be able to see if something broke.

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Version

Install

install.packages('officer')

Monthly Downloads

74,982

Version

0.7.0

License

MIT + file LICENSE

Maintainer

David Gohel

Last Published

September 3rd, 2025

Functions in officer (0.7.0)

body_bookmark

Add bookmark in a 'Word' document
body_comment

Add comment in a 'Word' document
body_add_table

Add table in a 'Word' document
body_add_plot

Add plot in a 'Word' document
body_append_start_context

Fast Append context to a Word document
body_add_toc

Add table of content in a 'Word' document
body_add_blocks

Add a list of blocks into a 'Word' document
body_end_section_columns

Add multi columns section
body_end_section_columns_landscape

Add a landscape multi columns section
body_add_xml

Add an xml string as document element
body_end_block_section

Add any section
body_end_section_portrait

Add portrait section
body_import_docx

Import an external docx in a 'Word' document
body_set_default_section

Define Default Section
docx_dim

'Word' page layout
body_end_section_landscape

Add landscape section
body_end_section_continuous

Add continuous section
docx_body_xml

Body xml document
change_styles

Replace styles in a 'Word' Document
body_replace_gg_at_bkm

Add plots at bookmark location in a 'Word' document
color_scheme

Color scheme of a PowerPoint file
doc_properties

Read document properties
body_replace_all_text

Replace text anywhere in the document
body_replace_text_at_bkm

Replace text at a bookmark location
empty_content

Empty block for 'PowerPoint'
docx_show_chunk

Show underlying text tag structure
docx_summary

Get Word content in a data.frame
docx_set_settings

Set 'Microsoft Word' Document Settings
body_remove

Remove an element in a 'Word' document
cursor_begin

Set cursor in a 'Word' document
docx_reference_img

add images into an rdocx object
docx_comments

Get comments in a Word document as a data.frame
docx_bookmarks

List Word bookmarks
fortify_location

Eval a location on the current slide
docx_set_paragraph_style

Add or replace paragraph style in a Word document
docx_set_character_style

Add character style in a Word document
docx_body_relationship

Body xml document
docx_current_block_xml

xml element on which cursor is
fpar

Formatted paragraph
fp_cell

Cell formatting properties
fp_border

Border properties object
hyperlink_ftext

Formatted chunk of text with hyperlink
ftext

Formatted chunk of text
fp_tab

Tabulation mark properties object
fp_text

Text formatting properties
external_img

External image
fp_tabs

Tabs properties object
get_reference_value

Get the document being used as a template
image_to_base64

Images to base64
get_layout

Layout selection helper
layout_properties

Slide layout properties
notes_location_label

Location of a named placeholder for notes
fp_par

Paragraph formatting properties
move_slide

Move a slide
length.rpptx

Number of slides
layout_rename_ph_labels

Change ph labels in a layout
layout_dedupe_ph_labels

Detect and handle duplicate placeholder labels
pack_folder

compress a folder
media_extract

Extract media from a document object
length.rdocx

Number of blocks inside an rdocx object
officer-defunct

Defunct Functions in Package officer
layout_default

Default layout for new slides
layout_summary

Presentation layouts summary
open_file

Opens a file locally
on_slide

Change current slide
page_size

Page size object
officer_url_encode

officer url encoder
ph_location_fullsize

Location of a full size element
officer

Manipulate Microsoft Word and PowerPoint Documents with 'officer'
notes_location_type

Location of a placeholder for notes
ph_location_template

Location for a placeholder based on a template
ph_location_right

Location of a right body element
opts_current_table

Table options in a 'knitr' context
page_mar

Page margins object
ph_hyperlink

Hyperlink a placeholder
ph_location

Location for a placeholder from scratch
ph_location_id

Location of a placeholder based on its id
ph_location_left

Location of a left body element
ph_location_label

Location of a named placeholder
ph_slidelink

Slide link to a placeholder
plot_layout_properties

Slide layout properties plot
print.rtf

Write an 'RTF' document to a file
phs_with

Fill multiple placeholders using key value syntax
ph_location_type

Location of a placeholder based on a type
prop_section

Section properties
pptx_summary

PowerPoint content in a data.frame
print.rpptx

Write a 'PowerPoint' file.
ph_remove

Remove a shape
ph_with

Add objects on the current slide
prop_table

Table properties
plot_instr

Wrap plot instructions for png plotting in Powerpoint or Word
remove_slide

Remove a slide
run_bookmark

Bookmark for 'Word'
read_docx

Create a 'Word' document object
resolve_location

Resolve short form location
read_xlsx

Create an 'Excel' document object
rtf_add

Add content into an RTF document
run_columnbreak

Column break for 'Word'
read_pptx

Create a 'PowerPoint' document object
run_wordtext

Word chunk of text with a style
run_reference

Cross reference
run_pagebreak

Page break for 'Word'
run_comment

Comment for 'Word'
run_footnote

Footnote for 'Word'
sanitize_images

Remove unused media from a document
set_autonum_bookmark

Update bookmark of an autonumber run
slide_size

Slides width and height
section_columns

Section columns
run_footnoteref

Word footnote reference
run_linebreak

Page break for 'Word'
shortcuts

shortcuts for formatting properties
slide_summary

Slide content in a data.frame
slide_visible<-

Get or set slide visibility
shape_properties_tags

pptx tags for visual and non visual properties
sheet_select

Select sheet
run_word_field

'Word' computed field
run_autonum

Auto number
set_doc_properties

Set document properties
rtf_doc

Create an RTF document object
table_layout

Algorithm for table layout
run_tab

Tab for 'Word'
str_encode_to_rtf

Encode UTF8 string to RTF
set_notes

Set notes for current slide
table_colwidths

Column widths of a table
table_width

Preferred width for a table
table_conditional_formatting

Table conditional formatting
sp_line

Line properties
to_pml

Convert officer objects to PresentationML
sp_lineend

Line end properties
table_stylenames

Paragraph styles for columns
unordered_list

Unordered list
styles_info

Read 'Word' styles
stop_if_not_in_slide_range

Ensure valid slide indexes
to_html

Convert officer objects to HTML
to_rtf

Convert officer objects to RTF
uuid_generate

generates unique identifiers
unpack_folder

Extract files from a zip file
wml_link_images

transform an xml string with images references
to_wml

Convert officer objects to WordprocessingML
block_gg

'ggplot' block
block_table

Table block
block_pour_docx

External Word document placeholder
add_slide

Add a slide
annotate_base

Placeholder parameters annotation
as.matrix.rpptx

PowerPoint table to matrix
add_sheet

Add a sheet
block_list

List of blocks
block_caption

Caption block
block_section

Section for 'Word'
body_add

Add content into a Word document
body_add_gg

Add a 'ggplot' in a 'Word' document
body_add_docx

Add an external docx in a 'Word' document
body_add_break

Add a page break in a 'Word' document
body_add_img

Add an image in a 'Word' document
body_add_par

Add paragraphs of text in a 'Word' document
body_add_caption

Add Word caption in a 'Word' document
block_toc

Table of content for 'Word'
body_add_fpar

Add fpar in a 'Word' document