Python Programming On Win32

Let’s start with the simplest possible example:

from win32com.client import Dispatch
MYDIR = 'c:\\data\\project\\oreilly\\examples\\ch12_print'

def simple():
    myWord = Dispatch('Word.Application')
    myWord.Visible = 1  # comment out for production
    
    myDoc = myWord.Documents.Add()
    myRange = myDoc.Range(0,0)
    myRange.InsertBefore('Hello from Python!')
    
    # uncomment these for a full script
    #myDoc.SaveAs(MYDIR + '\\python01.doc')
    #myDoc.PrintOut()
    #myDoc.Close()

When you execute this function, Word starts, and your message is displayed. We’ve commented out the lines at the bottom, but you can choose to print, save, or close the document. It’s fun to arrange the Python console and Word side-by-side and watch your text appearing, and a great way to learn the Word object model.