Missing TableBorders within TableProperties when parsing Word docx

[maestro957]

Describe the bug
When opening a Word document using the Open-XML-SDK, the TableBorders element within the TableProperties (<w:tblPr>) is missing from the parsed document structure.

Screenshots
If applicable, add screenshots to help explain your problem.

To Reproduce

1. Create a Word document (.docx) with a table that includes TableBorders defined within the TableProperties.
2. Open the document using the Open-XML-SDK with the following code:

using (WordprocessingDocument wordDoc = WordprocessingDocument.Open(stream, false))
{
        Body body = wordDoc.MainDocumentPart.Document.Body;
        Console.WriteLine(body.OuterXml);
}

3. Inspect the OuterXml of the Body element.

Observed behavior
The TableBorders element is missing from the TableProperties in the parsed document structure. The TableProperties appear as follows:

<w:tblPr>
    <w:tblStyle w:val="TableGrid"/>
    <w:tblW w:w="0" w:type="auto"/>
    <w:tblLook w:val="04A0" w:firstRow="1" w:lastRow="0" w:firstColumn="1" w:lastColumn="0" w:noHBand="0" w:noVBand="1"/>
</w:tblPr>

Expected behavior
The TableBorders element should be present within the TableProperties (<w:tblPr>) in the parsed document structure.

Document Example

<w:tblPr>
    <w:tblStyle w:val="TableGrid"/>
    <w:tblW w:w="0" w:type="auto"/>
    <w:tblBorders>
        <w:top w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="auto"/>
        <w:left w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="auto"/>
        <w:bottom w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="auto"/>
        <w:right w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="auto"/>
        <w:insideH w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="auto"/>
        <w:insideV w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="auto"/>
    </w:tblBorders>
    <w:tblLook w:val="04A0" w:firstRow="1" w:lastRow="0" w:firstColumn="1" w:lastColumn="0" w:noHBand="0" w:noVBand="1"/>
</w:tblPr>

Desktop (please complete the following information):

• OS: Windows 10/11
• .NET Target: .NET Core 9
• DocumentFormat.OpenXml Version: 3.3.0

[mikeebowen]

Hi @maestro957 ,

the <w:tblBorders> element is defined in ISO/IEC 29500-2016 section 17.4.38 tblBorders (Table Borders), where it states, in part:

If this element is omitted, then this table shall have the borders specified by the associated table style.

So, the SDK's OuterXml property is correct here.

In order to see the <w:tblBorders> element in the xml, first create a table with borders, then change the table's style, so that it differs from the table style, e.g. change the border width or color.

[maestro957]

I will provide the source Word document. Here is a screenshot of what the document looks like:

I have modified the table, per your suggestion, to have a red border and changed the thickness (thinThickThinSmallGap). The document.xml shows that it contains the tblBorders element:

<w:tblPr>
	<w:tblStyle w:val="TableGrid"/>
	<w:tblW w:w="0" w:type="auto"/>
	<w:tblBorders>
		<w:top w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="C00000"/>
		<w:left w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="C00000"/>
		<w:bottom w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="C00000"/>
		<w:right w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="C00000"/>
		<w:insideH w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="C00000"/>
		<w:insideV w:val="thinThickThinSmallGap" w:sz="24" w:space="0" w:color="C00000"/>
	</w:tblBorders>
	<w:tblLook w:val="04A0" w:firstRow="1" w:lastRow="0" w:firstColumn="1" w:lastColumn="0" w:noHBand="0" w:noVBand="1"/>
</w:tblPr>

When I use the SDK to open this document, it is missing the tblBorders element:

<w:tblPr>
	<w:tblStyle w:val="TableGrid"/>
	<w:tblW w:w="0" w:type="auto"/>
	<w:tblLook w:val="04A0" w:firstRow="1" w:lastRow="0" w:firstColumn="1" w:lastColumn="0" w:noHBand="0" w:noVBand="1"/>
</w:tblPr>

It is clearly not parsing in the tblBorder element. I am using the following code snippet to open the Word document stream:

stream.Position = 0;
using WordprocessingDocument source = WordprocessingDocument.Open(stream, false);
Body? body = source.MainDocumentPart!.Document.Body!.CloneNode(true) as Body;

Console.WriteLine(body!.OuterXml);

I am inspecting the body.OuterXml to see that tblBorders is not present.

SE_AMP_Consistent File Upload 1.2.1.docx

[mikeebowen]

Hi @maestro957 ,

Using the following code I see the <w:tblBorders> element in the Body's OuterXml property for the Word document you attached:

Stream stream = new FileStream(path, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read);
stream.Position = 0;
using WordprocessingDocument source = WordprocessingDocument.Open(stream, false);
Body? body = source.MainDocumentPart!.Document.Body!.CloneNode(true) as Body;

Console.WriteLine(body!.OuterXml);

[maestro957]

Thank you @mikeebowen. I found the issue, my stream was pointed at an older version of the file that did not contain the table modifications. I was looking at the document.xml, but the app was not pointing to it. So, if I'm understanding correctly,

1. Table Style Defaults: If the <w:tblBorders> element is omitted, the table will use the borders specified by the associated table style.
2. SDK Behavior: The SDK's OuterXml property is correct in not showing the <w:tblBorders> element if it is not explicitly defined in the document.
3. Modifying Table Borders: To see the <w:tblBorders> element in the XML, you need to create a table with borders and then change the table's style to differ from the default table style.

[mikeebowen]

1. Table Style Defaults: If the <w:tblBorders> element is omitted, the table will use the borders specified by the associated table style.
2. SDK Behavior: The SDK's OuterXml property is correct in not showing the <w:tblBorders> element if it is not explicitly defined in the document.
3. Modifying Table Borders: To see the <w:tblBorders> element in the XML, you need to create a table with borders and then change the table's style to differ from the default table style.

Yes, that's correct 👍