[FIXED] Remove the margins in the header using Apache POI in Java

Issue

I am using Apache POI version 4.1.2. When, I try to create a document with an image in the header, there is some default margins allocated for the header on the 4 sides of the image.

How can I remove the default margins in the header portion and place the image fully occupied in the header portion?

XWPFDocument document = new XWPFDocument();
CTSectPr sectPr = document.getDocument().getBody().addNewSectPr();
XWPFHeaderFooterPolicy headerFooterPolicy = new XWPFHeaderFooterPolicy(document, sectPr);
XWPFHeader header = document.createHeader(HeaderFooterType.FIRST);
XWPFParagraph paragraph = header.createParagraph();
XWPFRun run = paragraph.createRun();

//Adding the image using run.addPicture() method.

The output document is looking like below,

I would like to remove the margins and make that image fully occupied in the header.

Edit on 27th July, 2022:

I have specific header for the first page and no headers for all other pages. For creating that Header in my document, I use

XWPFHeader header = document.createHeader(HeaderFooterType.FIRST);

Also, I have some image in footer which should be applied for all the pages, including the first page. For that, I use

XWPFFooter footer = document.createFooter(HeaderFooterType.DEFAULT);

But, the footer is not getting applied to the first page alone and gets applied to all the other pages. I have gone through the Apache documentation of the constant HeaderFooterType.DEFAULT and it says,

This is the default header or footer, It is displayed on every page where a more specific header or footer is not specified. 

So, I created two footers like below, one is for First page and rest is for all the other pages to add the same footer content in all the pages.

XWPFFooter footer = document.createFooter(HeaderFooterType.FIRST);
XWPFFooter footer1 = document.createFooter(HeaderFooterType.DEFAULT);

Is there any workaround for this? Or am I missing something to make it work with single footer instance with HeaderFooterType.DEFAULT. Please advise. Thanks.

Solution

Using XWPFRun.addPicture the image is inline with text so the paragraph settings matters. Word paragraphs have spacing after it per default. Using XWPFParagraph.setSpacingAfter it can be set 0. Also Word paragraphs have spacing between lines in paragraph per default. Using XWPFParagraph.setSpacingBetween it can be set to single, so there is no spacing between the lines in paragraph.

To make the picture in the header appear at absolute top of the page, the top page margin needs to be 0. Also the distance between header and page margin needs to be 0. Unfortunately setting the page size and page margins is not yet implemented in XWPF. So we need using the org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.* classes.

The gaps at left and right of the picture are the distances between the picture's left edge and the left page margin respective the picture's right edge and the right page margin. It depends on the picture's width. But I cannot see how this gaps shall be removed without violating the picture's aspect ratio and so distort the picture. If that is the wanted, then set the picture's width appropriate.

To make the picture full width, one need to know the needed width in points (pt). That would be the inner width of the page between the page margins. In my example 8.5" page width - 0.5" left margin - 0.5" right margin = 7.5".

Of course, there is a left page margin and a right page margin too, which never should be set 0. That would make the document not printable on most of the printers as printers have non printable ranges at left. There are non printable ranges at top, right and bottom as well, but this is easier to handle as the non printable range at left. To shift content to rigth from left page margin, each single content row would must be shifted.

Because of set the top margin 0, that affects all pages. So one would need to put something in the headers of the other pages to shift the body content down. That could be some content or an empty paragraph having a spacing after.

Complete example:

import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.io.IOException;

import org.apache.poi.util.Units;

import org.apache.poi.xwpf.usermodel.*;

import org.apache.poi.xwpf.model.XWPFHeaderFooterPolicy;
import org.apache.poi.wp.usermodel.HeaderFooterType;

import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTSectPr;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTPageSz;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTPageMar;

import java.math.BigInteger;

public class CreateWordHeaderFooter {

 public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {

  XWPFDocument document = new XWPFDocument();

  // the body content - two pages
  XWPFParagraph paragraph = document.createParagraph();
  XWPFRun run=paragraph.createRun();  
  run.setText("The Body:");

  paragraph = document.createParagraph();
  run=paragraph.createRun();  
  run.setText("First Page....");
  
  paragraph = document.createParagraph();
  run=paragraph.createRun();  
  run.addBreak(BreakType.PAGE);

  paragraph = document.createParagraph();
  run=paragraph.createRun();  
  run.setText("Second Page....");
    
  
  // first page header
  XWPFHeader header = document.createHeader(HeaderFooterType.FIRST);

  paragraph = header.getParagraphArray(0);
  if (paragraph == null) paragraph = header.createParagraph();
  paragraph.setAlignment(ParagraphAlignment.CENTER);
  
  // set spacing after paragraph 0
  paragraph.setSpacingAfter(0);
  // set spacing between lines in paragraph to 1 (single)
  paragraph.setSpacingBetween(1d, LineSpacingRule.AUTO);

  // the image is inline with text so the paragraph settings matters
  run = paragraph.createRun();  
  String imgFile="./laptop.jpg";

  // calculate page inner width to set the picture's width the same
  long pageInnerWidthPt = Math.round(7.5 * 72d); //8.5" page width - 0.5" left margin - 0.5" right margin = 7.5"
  run.addPicture(new FileInputStream(imgFile), XWPFDocument.PICTURE_TYPE_JPEG, imgFile, Units.toEMU(pageInnerWidthPt), Units.toEMU(200));
  
  // default page header
  header = document.createHeader(HeaderFooterType.DEFAULT);
  paragraph = header.getParagraphArray(0);
  if (paragraph == null) paragraph = header.createParagraph();
  // set spacing after to 24 pt to shift the body down in default pages
  paragraph.setSpacingAfter(24*20);

  // create footer start
  XWPFFooter footer = document.createFooter(HeaderFooterType.DEFAULT);

  paragraph = footer.createParagraph();
  paragraph.setAlignment(ParagraphAlignment.CENTER);

  run = paragraph.createRun();  
  run.setText("The Footer:");
  
  // create page margins
  CTSectPr sectPr = document.getDocument().getBody().getSectPr();
  if (sectPr == null) sectPr = document.getDocument().getBody().addNewSectPr();
  CTPageSz pageSz = sectPr.addNewPgSz(); // paper format letter
  pageSz.setW(BigInteger.valueOf(12240)); //12240 Twips = 12240/20 = 612 pt = 612/72 = 8.5"
  pageSz.setH(BigInteger.valueOf(15840)); //15840 Twips = 15840/20 = 792 pt = 792/72 = 11"
  CTPageMar pageMar = sectPr.getPgMar();
  if (pageMar == null) pageMar = sectPr.addNewPgMar();
  pageMar.setLeft(BigInteger.valueOf(720)); //720 TWentieths of an Inch Point (Twips) = 720/20 = 36 pt = 36/72 = 0.5"
  pageMar.setRight(BigInteger.valueOf(720));
  // set top page margin 0, so header can be at absolute top
  pageMar.setTop(BigInteger.valueOf(0));
  //pageMar.setBottom(BigInteger.valueOf(0));
  //pageMar.setFooter(BigInteger.valueOf(0));
  // set distance between header and page margin 0, so header starts at absolute top
  pageMar.setHeader(BigInteger.valueOf(0));
  //pageMar.setGutter(BigInteger.valueOf(0));

  FileOutputStream out = new FileOutputStream("./test.docx");
  document.write(out);
  out.close();
  document.close();

 }
}

Result:

Only left gap is the left page margin, which should not be touched. And only right gap is the right page margin, which also should not be touched.

Answered By - Axel Richter
Answer Checked By - Mildred Charles (JavaFixing Admin)