BetterDoc - AI-Powered Word Document Enhancement Tool

BetterDoc is a Microsoft Office Word add-in that leverages AI/LLM technology to intelligently reimagine and improve your document content while preserving formatting, hyperlinks, and document structure.

Features

Core Functionality

• Paragraph-by-Paragraph Processing: Navigate through your document paragraph by paragraph with intelligent skipping of short paragraphs, questions, and empty content
• AI Content Enhancement: Use Azure OpenAI or local LLM models to rewrite content with customizable prompts
• Formatting Preservation: Automatically detects and preserves text formatting (bold, italic, underline, font sizes)
• Hyperlink Protection: Detects hyperlinks and ensures they remain intact during content processing
• Leading Format Detection: Preserves special formatting at the beginning of paragraphs

Smart Processing

• Selective Processing: Only processes paragraphs with 7+ words, skips questions and empty paragraphs
• Word Count Control: Prevents LLM from increasing word count beyond original content
• Retry Logic: Automatically retries if hyperlink text is lost during processing
• Batch Operations: Select and process multiple paragraphs simultaneously

User Interface

• Visual Navigation: Up/Down arrow buttons to move through paragraphs
• Real-time Preview: View original and modified text side-by-side
• Document Highlighting: Current paragraph is selected in the document for easy reference
• Progress Tracking: Visual list of selected paragraphs with click-to-jump functionality

Architecture

The project consists of two main components:

1. Office Add-in (betterdoc-office-addin/)

• Frontend: HTML/CSS/JavaScript task pane interface
• Backend Integration: Communicates with Azure OpenAI via proxy service
• Office.js Integration: Uses Microsoft Office JavaScript API for document manipulation

2. Azure Proxy Service (ollama-service/)

• Azure OpenAI Integration: Secure connection to Azure OpenAI using managed identity
• CORS Handling: Enables cross-origin requests from the Office add-in
• Request Processing: Handles prompt formatting and response parsing

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Microsoft Word (Office 365 or Office 2019+)
• Azure OpenAI service access
• Node.js (18+)
• Azure subscription for hosting the proxy service

1. Azure OpenAI Setup

1. Create an Azure OpenAI resource in your Azure subscription
2. Deploy a GPT model (e.g., GPT-4)
3. Note your endpoint URL and deployment name
4. Configure managed identity for authentication

2. Deploy Proxy Service

1. Navigate to ollama-service/ directory
2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set environment variables:

   AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT=https://your-openai-resource.openai.azure.com/
   AZURE_OPENAI_DEPLOYMENT=your-deployment-name

4. Deploy to Azure App Service or run locally:

   npm start

3. Install Office Add-in

1. Navigate to betterdoc-office-addin/BetterdocAddin/ directory
2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Build the add-in:

   npm run build

4. Sideload the add-in in Word:
   • Open Word
   • Go to Insert > My Add-ins > Upload My Add-in
   • Select the manifest.xml file

Usage Guide

Basic Workflow

1. Open the Add-in: In Word, find "Betterdoc" in your add-ins and open the task pane

2. Navigate Document: Use the ↑/↓ buttons to move through paragraphs

   • The tool automatically skips short paragraphs (<7 words), questions, and empty content
   • Current paragraph is highlighted in the document

3. Select Content: Check the "Reimagine" checkbox for paragraphs you want to process

   • Use "Select All" to mark all valid paragraphs
   • Use "Unselect All" to clear selections

4. Configure Settings:

   • Prompt Selection: Choose from predefined prompts or create custom ones
     • "Make More Professional": Enhances formal tone
     • "Reduce Word Count": Makes content more concise
     • "Custom Prompt": Write your own instructions
   • Model Selection: Choose from available AI models
   • Server Address: Configure proxy service endpoint

5. Process Content: Click "Reimagine Now" to send selected paragraphs to the AI

   • The tool processes each paragraph individually
   • Original formatting and hyperlinks are preserved
   • Progress is shown in the debug log

6. Review and Apply:

   • Review AI-generated content in the "Modified/LLM Text" area
   • Edit the content if needed
   • Click "Apply" for current paragraph or "Apply All" for batch processing

Advanced Features

Custom Prompts

Create specific instructions for the AI:

Rewrite this content for a technical audience. Use precise terminology and include specific details. Maintain all hyperlinks and formatting.

Formatting Preservation

The tool automatically:

• Detects and preserves bold, italic, underline formatting
• Maintains font sizes and special formatting
• Handles complex formatting patterns within paragraphs

Hyperlink Protection

• Automatically detects hyperlinks in paragraphs
• Instructs AI to preserve exact link text
• Retries up to 3 times if link text is modified
• Reverts to original if preservation fails

Batch Processing

• Select multiple paragraphs using checkboxes
• Process all selected content with one click
• Apply changes to all processed paragraphs simultaneously

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

• Ensure the Azure proxy service is running and accessible
• Check CORS configuration if seeing network errors
• Verify Azure OpenAI endpoint and deployment settings

Formatting Problems

• Use "Refresh Source" button to reload document content
• Check debug log for formatting detection issues
• Ensure document doesn't have complex nested formatting

Processing Errors

• Check debug log for detailed error messages
• Verify AI model is available and responding
• Try reducing paragraph length if processing fails

Configuration

Available Models

Edit the window.availableModels array in taskpane.html to add/remove AI models:

window.availableModels = [
  "gemma3:12b",
  "gemma3:27b", 
  "qwq:latest",        
  "deepseek-r1:14b",
  "deepseek-r1:32b"
];

Prompt Customization

Modify the PROMPTS object in taskpane.js to add predefined prompts:

const PROMPTS = {
  professional: "Rewrite this and make it sound more professional...",
  concise: "Reduce the word count as much as possible...",
  custom: ""
};

Development

Project Structure

betterdoc2/
├── betterdoc-office-addin/
│   └── BetterdocAddin/
│       ├── manifest.xml          # Office add-in manifest
│       ├── src/
│       │   └── taskpane/
│       │       ├── taskpane.html # Main UI
│       │       ├── taskpane.js   # Core logic
│       │       └── styles.css    # Styling
│       └── package.json
├── ollama-service/
│   ├── server.js                 # Azure proxy server
│   └── package.json
└── readme.md

Key Files

• taskpane.js: Main application logic, Office.js integration
• server.js: Azure OpenAI proxy service
• manifest.xml: Office add-in configuration
• taskpane.html: User interface definition

API Integration

The add-in uses Office.js APIs for:

• Document paragraph access and manipulation
• Text formatting detection and application
• Hyperlink detection and preservation
• Document selection and highlighting

Security & Privacy

• Uses Azure managed identity for secure API authentication
• No user credentials stored locally
• Document content processed through secure Azure endpoints
• All communication encrypted via HTTPS

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Support

For issues and feature requests, please check the debug log in the add-in for detailed error messages and consult the troubleshooting section above.