Convert Word Document

The Convert Word Document action converts a Word document (.doc, .docx) to another format and returns the resulting file content.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
Document	File content	Yes	Word document content (e.g. output of a Get file content action from SharePoint).
Output Format	String	Yes	Desired target format. One of: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .html, .html Fixed, .svg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .gif, .tiff.
Mail merge first data source	Boolean	No	Process Word mail merge fields using the data from the first data source (list or item).
Data source – Name	String	No	Identifier for referencing this data in the template.
Data source – Data	Object / List	No	Item or list of items provided by another action.
Data source – Format	Enum / String	No	Format of the supplied data. One of: CSV, JSON, XML.

Optional Parameters per Output Format

Doc

Parameter	Type	Description	Options
Use Anti‑aliasing	Boolean	Apply anti‑aliasing	Yes, No
Use High Quality Rendering	Boolean	Use high‑quality rendering	Yes, No

Docx

Parameter	Type	Description	Options
Use Anti‑aliasing	Boolean	Apply anti‑aliasing	Yes, No
Use High Quality Rendering	Boolean	Use high‑quality rendering	Yes, No

HTML

Parameter	Type	Description	Options
Allow Negative Indent	Boolean	Permit negative indentation values	Yes, No
Export Headers Footers Mode	Enum	Header/footer export strategy	FirstPageHeaderFooterPerSection, FirstSectionHeaderLastSectionFooter, none, PerSection
Export Page Margins	Boolean	Include page margin settings in the export	Yes, No
Export Page Setup	Boolean	Include page setup details (size, orientation)	Yes, No
Export Relative Font Size	Boolean	Scale fonts relative to the original document settings	Yes, No
Document Split Heading Level	Integer	Maximum heading level at which to split the document (default: 2)	Any integer
Image Resolution	Integer	Output resolution for embedded images	Any integer (dpi)
Use Anti‑aliasing	Boolean	Apply anti‑aliasing	Yes, No
Use High Quality Rendering	Boolean	Use high‑quality rendering	Yes, No

PDF

Parameter	Type	Description	Options
Page Mode	Enum	Initial PDF display mode	useOutlines, FullScreen, useAttachments, UseNone, UseOC, UseThumbs
Image Compression	Enum	Compression algorithm for images	Auth, Jpeg
Compliance	Enum	PDF standard conformance level	Pdf17, Pdf20, PdfA1a, PdfA1b, PdfA2a, PdfA2u, PdfA4, PdfA4Ua2, PdfUa1, PdfUa2
Use Anti‑aliasing	Boolean	Apply anti‑aliasing	Yes, No
Use High Quality Rendering	Boolean	Use high‑quality rendering	Yes, No

Returns

Name	Type	Description
File content	String (base64‑encoded)	Base64‑encoded bytes of the converted file, suitable for downstream actions.

Examples

Template

Name: <<[Person.FirstName]>> <<[Person.LastName]>>
Address:
<<[Person.Address.Number]>>, <<[Person.Address.Street]>>
<<[Person.Address.City]>>
<<[Person.Address.Postcode]>>

Data source

{
  "Person": {
    "Title": "Mr",
    "FirstName": "John",
    "LastName": "Smith",
    "Address": {
      "Number": "5",
      "Street": "Saffron Road",
      "City": "Leicester",
      "Postcode": "LE18"
    }
  }
}

Output

Name: John Smith
Address:
5, Saffron Road
Leicester
LE18

Troubleshooting

Click to expand common errors and fixes

Document Missing, Truncated or Invalid

Cause:
Document input is empty, corrupted, or not valid Word bytes.

Fix:

• Ensure the Document payload contains the complete .doc / .docx binary.
• Verify the file opens locally to confirm it is not corrupted.

---

Unsupported or Misspelt Output Format

Cause:
Output Format value is incorrect (typo or unsupported).

Fix:

• Confirm the format exactly matches a supported value (case-sensitive).
• Correct any typos.

---

Password-Protected or Restricted Document

Cause:
The Word file is encrypted or protected for editing.

Fix:

• Provide an unprotected copy or remove restrictions before conversion.

---

Mail Merge / Data Binding Failures

Cause:
Mail merge enabled but no data provided, or data source name/structure does not match template placeholders.

Fix:

• Ensure Mail merge first data source is set only when a valid first data source exists.
• Verify data source names exactly match template identifiers and data structure aligns with placeholders.

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Template Placeholders Unresolved or Blank Output

Cause:
Template expressions reference missing or incorrectly named data keys, or data format mismatch (CSV vs JSON vs XML).

Fix:

• Confirm data source keys and paths match template placeholders (case-sensitive).
• Verify the declared Data source - Format matches the actual payload and the payload is well-formed.

---

Layout, Pagination or Formatting Differences in Output

Cause:
Target format handles layout differently (reflow, CSS/HTML differences, image scaling).

Fix:

• Use format-specific options (e.g., html Fixed, anti-aliasing, high-quality rendering) to control output fidelity.
• Test with representative samples and adjust page/margin/options to tune results.

---

Images or Embedded Objects Missing or Low Quality

Cause:
Embedded items not preserved or resolution/compression options too low.

Fix:

• Enable higher image resolution or high-quality rendering options.
• Verify embedded objects are supported by the chosen output format.

---

Headers/Footers, Tracked Changes or Fields Not Preserved

Cause:
Export options or target format do not preserve certain Word features (tracked changes, dynamic fields).

Fix:

• Choose an output format that preserves the required features (e.g., PDF with appropriate settings).
• Enable relevant options if available.
• If tracked changes must be visible, ensure they are present in the source and that revision metadata is retained.

---

Invalid Format-Specific Option Values

Cause:
Numeric ranges exceeded, invalid enum values, or conflicting options.

Fix:

• Validate option names, enum values and numeric ranges against the documented set for the selected format.
• Remove or correct invalid/conflicting options.

---

Output Corrupted, Truncated or Fails to Open

Cause:
Returned payload truncated, incorrectly encoded, or mismatched to expected type.

Fix:

• Verify the returned base64 string is complete and decodes successfully.
• Reproduce with a minimal Word file to check for consistent truncation.

---

Performance, Timeouts or Resource Limits on Large Documents

Cause:
Very large documents, many high-resolution images, or complex templates exceed processing limits.

Fix:

• Reduce file size (compress/resize images).
• Break the document into sections.
• Lower image resolution for conversion.
• Test with representative samples.

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Character Encoding or Special Character Corruption

Cause:
Encoding mismatches or unsupported characters in data sources or document.

Fix:

• Ensure inputs use UTF-8.
• Confirm template and data sources include correct encoding.
• Test with special characters.

---

Generic Runtime or Transient Failure

Cause:
Malformed inputs, intermittent conversion engine error, or unexpected internal state.

Fix:

• Reproduce the issue with a minimal document and minimal option set.
• Validate all inputs and retry to rule out transient failures.

Quick Checklist

• Document is the complete .doc / .docx binary/base64 (not a path/URL).
• Output Format is exactly one of the supported values and spelt correctly.
• If using mail merge, ensure Mail merge first data source is appropriate and the data source is present.
• Data source Name values match template identifiers exactly (case-sensitive) and Data structure matches placeholders.
• Data source - Format correctly reflects the payload type (CSV / JSON / XML).
• Tune format-specific options (anti-aliasing, high quality, page mode, image resolution) to meet fidelity requirements.
• Test conversion with a small representative document before full-scale runs.
• If output is invalid, reproduce with a minimal redacted document plus the exact Output Format, mail merge flag, data source names/formats, and format options - that input set is required to isolate the cause.