When working with word documents, it is often necessary to add page numbers for easy navigation and reference. In Python, there are several ways to achieve this. In this article, we will explore three different approaches to adding page numbers to a word document using Python.

Option 1: Using the python-docx library

The python-docx library is a powerful tool for working with Word documents in Python. It provides a simple and intuitive API for creating, modifying, and extracting information from Word documents. To add page numbers to a document using this library, follow these steps:

from docx import Document

# Open the document
doc = Document('path/to/document.docx')

# Iterate over each section in the document
for section in doc.sections:
    # Enable page numbering
    section.footer.is_linked_to_previous = False
    section.footer.page_number = True

# Save the modified document
doc.save('path/to/modified_document.docx')

This code snippet opens the specified Word document, iterates over each section, and enables page numbering in the footer. Finally, it saves the modified document with the page numbers added.

Option 2: Using the python-docx-template library

The python-docx-template library is an extension of the python-docx library that allows for more advanced document manipulation, including the use of templates. To add page numbers using this library, follow these steps:

from docxtpl import DocxTemplate

# Load the template document
doc = DocxTemplate('path/to/template.docx')

# Render the template with the page number variable
context = {'page_number': 'Page {PAGE}'}
doc.render(context)

# Save the modified document
doc.save('path/to/modified_document.docx')

This code snippet loads a template document, renders it with the page number variable, and saves the modified document with the page numbers added. The {PAGE} variable will be replaced with the actual page number when the document is rendered.

Option 3: Using the python-docx2pdf library

If you need to convert the Word document to PDF with page numbers, you can use the python-docx2pdf library. This library provides a simple way to convert Word documents to PDF format while preserving the page numbers. Here’s how you can do it:

from docx2pdf import convert

# Convert the Word document to PDF
convert('path/to/document.docx', 'path/to/converted_document.pdf')

This code snippet converts the specified Word document to PDF format, preserving the page numbers in the process. The resulting PDF document will have the same content as the original Word document, but with page numbers added.

After exploring these three options, it is clear that the best approach depends on the specific requirements of your project. If you simply need to add page numbers to an existing Word document, Option 1 using the python-docx library is the most straightforward and efficient solution. However, if you are working with templates or need to convert the document to PDF, Options 2 and 3 using the python-docx-template and python-docx2pdf libraries respectively provide the necessary functionality.