w:rPr (Run Properties)

Description

w:rPr is the run properties container, grouping all character-level formatting for a w:r element. It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §17.3.2.28.

w:rPr can also appear inside w:pPr to set the properties of the paragraph mark (the non-printing character that ends a paragraph and carries its formatting). Additionally, w:rPr appears inside w:style to define character formatting for that style, or in w:lvl to define formatting for list item numbers.

Run properties are the primary mechanism for inline character formatting such as bold, italic, font, size, color, highlighting, and effects. Unlike block-level properties, run properties apply only to the specific run and do not carry forward to the next run unless explicitly reapplied.

Attributes

Child Elements by Category

Style & Fonts

| Element | Purpose | Example | |———|———|———-| | w:rStyle | Named character style | <w:rStyle w:val="Emphasis"/> | | w:rFonts | Font family selection | <w:rFonts w:ascii="Calibri"/> |

Text Effects (Toggle)

| Element | Purpose | Example | |———|———|———-| | w:b | Bold text | <w:b/> | | w:i | Italic text | <w:i/> | | w:strike | Strikethrough | <w:strike/> | | w:dStrike | Double strikethrough | <w:dStrike/> | | w:caps | All capitals display | <w:caps/> | | w:smallCaps | Small capitals display | <w:smallCaps/> | | w:vanish | Hidden text | <w:vanish/> |

Underline & Borders

| Element | Purpose | Example | |———|———|———-| | w:u | Underline style | <w:u w:val="single"/> | | w:outline | Outline text effect | <w:outline/> | | w:shadow | Shadow text effect | <w:shadow/> |

Color & Highlight

| Element | Purpose | Example | |———|———|———-| | w:color | Font color (RGB or theme) | <w:color w:val="FF0000"/> | | w:highlight | Text highlight color | <w:highlight w:val="yellow"/> | | w:shd | Character background/fill | <w:shd w:fill="FFFF00"/> |

Size & Spacing

| Element | Purpose | Example | |———|———|———-| | w:sz | Font size in half-points | <w:sz w:val="24"/> (12 pt) | | w:spacing | Character spacing | <w:spacing w:val="20"/> | | w:kern | Pair kerning threshold | <w:kern w:val="24"/> |

Position & Alignment

| Element | Purpose | Example | |———|———|———-| | w:vertAlign | Subscript/superscript | <w:vertAlign w:val="superscript"/> | | w:position | Vertical baseline shift | <w:position w:val="6"/> |

Language & Proofing

| Element | Purpose | Example | |———|———|———-| | w:lang | Language code | <w:lang w:val="en-US"/> | | w:noProof | Skip spell-check | <w:noProof/> |

Examples

Simple bold and italic run

<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:b/>
    <w:i/>
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>Bold italic text</w:t>
</w:r>

var run = new Run(
  new RunProperties(
    new Bold(),
    new Italic()),
  new Text("Bold italic text"));

Complex formatting: font, size, color, highlight, underline

<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:rFonts w:ascii="Georgia" w:hAnsi="Georgia"/>
    <w:b/>
    <w:sz w:val="32"/>
    <w:szCs w:val="32"/>
    <w:color w:val="0070C0"/>
    <w:highlight w:val="yellow"/>
    <w:u w:val="double"/>
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>Highlighted, underlined, colored text</w:t>
</w:r>

var run = new Run(
  new RunProperties(
    new RunFonts { Ascii = "Georgia", HighAnsi = "Georgia" },
    new Bold(),
    new FontSize { Val = "32" },
    new FontSizeComplexScript { Val = "32" },
    new Color { Val = "0070C0" },
    new Highlight { Val = HighlightColorValues.Yellow },
    new Underline { Val = UnderlineValues.Double }),
  new Text("Highlighted, underlined, colored text"));

Superscript and character spacing

<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:vertAlign w:val="superscript"/>
    <w:sz w:val="20"/>
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>E</w:t>
</w:r>
<w:r><w:t>=mc</w:t></w:r>
<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:vertAlign w:val="superscript"/>
    <w:sz w:val="20"/>
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>2</w:t>
</w:r>

var runE = new Run(
  new RunProperties(
    new VerticalTextAlignment { Val = VerticalAlignmentRunValues.Superscript },
    new FontSize { Val = "20" }),
  new Text("E"));
var runEquals = new Run(new Text("=mc"));
var runSquared = new Run(
  new RunProperties(
    new VerticalTextAlignment { Val = VerticalAlignmentRunValues.Superscript },
    new FontSize { Val = "20" }),
  new Text("2"));

Font Size Reference

Notes

• Child element order: Like w:pPr, child elements must appear in the ECMA-376-specified order; the SDK enforces this automatically.
• Complex scripts: Use w:szCs for complex scripts (Arabic, Hebrew); use w:bCs, w:iCs for complex-script bold/italic.
• Paragraph mark formatting: When w:rPr appears in w:pPr, it formats the paragraph mark, affecting line spacing and some paragraph behaviors.
• Style inheritance: Character styles (applied via w:rStyle) provide a base that is overridden by direct properties in the same w:rPr.
• Measurement units: Font sizes use half-points (so 24 = 12 pt); color uses hex RGB or theme color references.
• Toggle properties: w:b, w:i, w:strike, w:dStrike, w:caps, w:smallCaps, w:vanish are on/off; presence = true, absence = false.
• Color precedence: Shading (background) via w:shd takes precedence over highlight when both are present.

<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:b/>
    <w:color w:val="FF0000"/>
    <w:sz w:val="28"/>
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>Styled text</w:t>
</w:r>

new Run(
  new RunProperties(
    new Bold(),
    new Color { Val = "FF0000" },
    new FontSize { Val = "28" }),
  new Text("Styled text"));