Testany DocsDocs

Import Existing Documents

Scenario: You have meeting notes, PRDs, or other documents and want to convert them into a formal SRS Time required: 10-15 minutes

Important: Supported File Formats

SRS Writer can only read file formats that VSCode can read natively (without additional extensions).

βœ… Supported Formats (Text-Based)

Out-of-the-box, SRS Writer works with plain text files:

  • Markdown: .md, .markdown
  • Plain text: .txt
  • Code files: .js, .ts, .py, .java, .yaml, .json, etc.
  • HTML: .html
  • XML: .xml
  • CSV: .csv
  • Any text-based format that VSCode can open in its editor

❌ Unsupported Formats (Binary)

These formats cannot be read directly:

  • Microsoft Word: .doc, .docx
  • PDF: .pdf
  • Microsoft Excel: .xls, .xlsx
  • PowerPoint: .ppt, .pptx
  • Images: .png, .jpg, .gif (unless you have VSCode extensions that extract text)

πŸ”„ Solution: Convert Binary Files to Text

If your documents are in unsupported formats, you must convert them first.

The easiest way to convert Office documents is using Testany's Office to Markdown Converter extension.

What it does:

  • Converts Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx, .xls), and PowerPoint (.pptx) to clean Markdown
  • One-click conversion via right-click in VSCode Explorer
  • AI-powered image handling: Automatically extracts images and generates alt text
  • Preserves formatting: Tables, lists, headings, hyperlinks
  • Converts equations to LaTeX format
  • Batch processing: Convert multiple files at once

Installation:

  1. Open VSCode Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X)
  2. Search: Office to Markdown Converter Converter install
  3. Click Install
  4. Publisher: Testany

Marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Testany.office-to-markdown β†—

How to use:

  1. Place your Office files in your workspace
  2. Right-click the file (.docx, .xlsx, or .pptx) in VSCode Explorer
  3. Select "Convert to Markdown"
  4. The extension generates a .md file with the same name
  5. Now you can use this Markdown file with SRS Writer!

Example:

MyProject/
β”œβ”€β”€ docs/
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ requirements.docx           ← Original Word file
β”‚   └── requirements.md             ← Auto-generated after conversion βœ…

Requirements:

  • VSCode 1.102.0 or higher
  • GitHub Copilot installed (for AI-powered image descriptions)

Alternative Methods (Manual)

If you prefer not to install the extension, you can convert manually:

Word/PDF β†’ Text:

  • Export from Word: File β†’ Save As β†’ Plain Text (.txt)
  • PDF: Use online converters (e.g., pdf2md.com) or copy-paste text content
  • Google Docs: File β†’ Download β†’ Plain Text (.txt) or Markdown

Excel β†’ CSV:

  • Excel: File β†’ Save As β†’ CSV (.csv)
  • Then you can paste CSV content into chat

PowerPoint β†’ Text:

  • Copy slide content to a text file
  • Or export notes/outline view

Best practice: Use the Office to Markdown Converter extension for the best results. It preserves formatting, handles images automatically, and produces clean Markdown that works seamlessly with SRS Writer.

The Problem

You're not starting from scratch. You have:

  • Meeting notes from stakeholder discussions
  • Product briefs or PRDs
  • User research findings
  • Existing documentation in Word/PDF
  • Email threads with requirements

But: These are unstructured and inconsistent.

You need: A formal, standardized SRS document.

Solution: Let SRS Writer Process Your Content

SRS Writer can analyze existing documents and extract structured requirements.

Important: Ensure your documents are in a supported text format first (see above).

Method 1: Copy and Paste (Fastest)

When to Use

  • Short documents (< 5 pages)
  • Text is readily available
  • Quick one-time import

Steps

Step 1: Copy your content

From any source:

  • Word documents
  • Google Docs
  • Confluence pages
  • Email threads
  • Meeting notes apps (Notion, Obsidian, etc.)

Step 2: Open SRS Writer Chat

Press Cmd+Shift+I / Ctrl+Shift+I srs in CLI

Step 3: Paste with instructions

@srs-writer I have meeting notes from our project kickoff.
Please generate a formal SRS document based on this content.

[Paste your notes here]

Example:

@srs-writer I have meeting notes from our project kickoff.
Please generate a formal SRS document based on this content.

---
Meeting: E-commerce Platform Kickoff
Date: 2025-11-01
Attendees: Product Team, Engineering, Design

Goals:
- Build online store for small businesses
- Easy product listing and management
- Secure payment processing
- Mobile-friendly

Key Features Discussed:
1. Seller Dashboard
   - Add/edit products with photos
   - Inventory tracking
   - Sales analytics

2. Customer Experience
   - Browse products by category
   - Search with filters
   - Shopping cart
   - Checkout with Stripe

3. Admin Panel
   - User management
   - Order management
   - Report generation

Technical Constraints:
- Must support 1000 concurrent users
- Page load < 2 seconds
- Mobile-first design

Security:
- HTTPS everywhere
- PCI DSS compliance for payments
- Data encryption

Timeline: 3 months MVP
---

Step 4: Review and refine

SRS Writer will:

  1. Extract key requirements
  2. Organize into standard SRS structure
  3. Add missing details (with assumptions noted)
  4. Generate functional and non-functional requirements

Step 5: Iterate

After reviewing the generated SRS:

@srs-writer Good start! A few additions:

1. Add requirement for email notifications when orders are placed
2. Sellers should be able to offer discount codes
3. Include inventory alerts when stock is low (< 10 units)

Method 2: Reference Files (For Larger Documents)

When to Use

  • Large documents (> 5 pages)
  • Multiple files
  • Files in your workspace

Steps

Step 1: Convert and place files in your workspace

First, convert binary files to text format (see "Supported File Formats" section above).

Then put your documents in a folder VSCode can access:

MyProject/
β”œβ”€β”€ docs/
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ meeting-notes-2025-11-01.md          ← Markdown (supported)
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ product-brief.txt                    ← Converted from PDF/Word
β”‚   └── user-research.md                     ← Converted from Word

Step 2: Ask SRS Writer to read them

@srs-writer Please read the following files and generate an SRS:
- docs/meeting-notes-2025-11-01.md
- docs/product-brief.txt
- docs/user-research.md

Focus on extracting functional requirements and user needs.

⚠️ Important: SRS Writer can only read plain text files that VSCode can open natively. If you have .pdf, .docx, or other binary formats, you must convert them to .txt or .md first. ℹ️ In the brownfield flow, project_initializer copies referenced files into the project folder as source_draft.md so the source stays traceable.

Alternative - Reference specific content:

@srs-writer I have a product brief in docs/product-brief.md.
The key sections are:

- Target Audience: Small business owners
- Core Value Proposition: Easy online store setup in under 1 hour
- Key Features: [list from document]

Please incorporate this into a formal SRS.

Method 3: Incremental Import

When to Use

  • Very large or complex documentation
  • Multiple sources with overlapping information
  • Phased approach preferred

Steps

Step 1: Start with overview

@srs-writer Create a new SRS for "E-commerce Platform".

I'll provide requirements in phases. Start with this overview:

Purpose: Enable small businesses to sell online
Target Users: 500 small business owners
Scale: 1000 concurrent customers, 5000 products per seller

Step 2: Add functional requirements

@srs-writer Add functional requirements from this section:

[Paste seller dashboard requirements]

Step 3: Add non-functional requirements

@srs-writer Add non-functional requirements:

[Paste performance, security, scalability requirements]

Step 4: Add UI/UX requirements

@srs-writer Add UI requirements based on our wireframes:

[Describe or paste wireframe annotations]

Benefit: You maintain control and can review at each step.

Tips for Better Imports

Tip 1: Provide Context

Bad ❌:

@srs-writer Generate SRS from this:
[Paste 20 pages of mixed content]

Good βœ…:

@srs-writer I have meeting notes covering 3 stakeholder sessions.
They discuss requirements for a customer support ticketing system.

Background:
- Current system: Email (hard to track)
- Team size: 10 support agents
- Customer base: 500 B2B companies

Please extract requirements focusing on:
1. Ticket management workflow
2. Agent productivity features
3. Reporting for managers

[Paste notes]

Tip 2: Highlight Priorities

Mark what's critical:

@srs-writer From these notes, prioritize:

MUST-HAVE for MVP:
- User authentication
- Product listing
- Shopping cart
- Stripe payment

NICE-TO-HAVE for v2:
- Social sharing
- Wishlist
- Product reviews

Tip 3: Clarify Ambiguities

If your notes have conflicting information:

@srs-writer Note: The meeting notes mention both "email login" and
"social login". We decided to start with email only for MVP,
social login in v2. Please reflect this in the SRS.

Tip 4: Specify Audience

@srs-writer This SRS is for a client proposal, so make it
professional and business-focused. Include compliance sections
(GDPR, PCI DSS) and executive summary.

Or:

@srs-writer This is internal documentation for our dev team.
Use technical language and include API specifications.

Handling Different Document Types

Meeting Notes

Characteristics: Informal, conversational, may have action items

Best approach:

@srs-writer These are meeting notes from stakeholder discussions.
They contain decisions, concerns, and feature requests.
Please extract formal requirements, noting any open questions.

[Paste notes]

SRS Writer will:

  • Extract decisions as requirements
  • Flag concerns as risks or constraints
  • Identify open questions for follow-up

Product Requirements Documents (PRDs)

Characteristics: More structured, but often mixes business and technical

Best approach:

@srs-writer This PRD describes the business goals and high-level features.
Please create a technical SRS that developers can implement from.
Focus on functional specifications and acceptance criteria.

[Paste PRD]

User Research / Interview Transcripts

Characteristics: User stories, pain points, desired workflows

Best approach:

@srs-writer These are user interview transcripts showing pain points
with the current system and desired improvements.

Please convert user needs into formal requirements, maintaining
traceability back to user quotes.

[Paste transcripts]

Email Threads

Characteristics: Fragmented, decisions mixed with discussion

Best approach:

  1. First, summarize the thread yourself:

    Subject: Payment processing requirements

Decisions made:
- Use Stripe for credit cards
- Support Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Store no card data (PCI compliance)
- Allow save payment methods for returning customers

Open questions:
- Support for international currencies?
- Refund workflow?

  2. Then ask SRS Writer:

    @srs-writer Based on this email discussion summary,
create payment processing requirements.

[Paste your summary]

Existing Technical Specs

Characteristics: May be overly detailed or outdated

Best approach:

@srs-writer I have an old technical spec from 2020.
Extract still-relevant requirements, updating terminology
to current standards. Flag anything that seems outdated.

Focus on:
- Core business logic (still relevant)
- Integration points
- Data models

Ignore:
- Specific technology choices (outdated)
- Infrastructure details (will redesign)

[Paste spec]

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue 1: Too Much Information

Problem: SRS Writer generates an overly long document

Solution: Be selective

@srs-writer From these 50 pages of notes, focus only on:
- Core features for MVP
- Critical non-functional requirements (security, performance)
- Must-have integrations

Skip:
- Future roadmap items
- Alternative approaches that were rejected
- Background research

Issue 2: Missing Context

Problem: Imported content lacks background

Solution: Add context first

@srs-writer Before I paste the meeting notes, here's the context:

Project: Customer Support Portal
Current Situation: Using email, tickets get lost, no metrics
Users: 10 support agents, 500 customers
Goal: Reduce response time from 24h to 4h
Budget: $80k
Timeline: 4 months

Now here are the meeting notes:
[Paste notes]

Issue 3: Conflicting Information

Problem: Different documents contradict each other

Solution: Clarify explicitly

@srs-writer I have two documents with conflicting info:

Document A (older): Says we need mobile apps for iOS and Android
Document B (newer): Says we'll start web-only, mobile later

Please use Document B as the source of truth. Generate requirements
for responsive web app, and note mobile apps as future enhancement.

Issue 4: Unstructured Content

Problem: Notes are all over the place

Solution: Let SRS Writer organize

@srs-writer These notes are unstructured - mix of features,
technical concerns, and random ideas. Please:

1. Extract clear requirements
2. Categorize into functional vs non-functional
3. Identify and group related requirements
4. Flag anything unclear as "needs clarification"

[Paste messy notes]

Quality Check After Import

After importing and generating, always check quality:

@srs-writer Run quality check on the imported requirements

Common issues with imported content:

  • ⚠️ Low clarity: Vague language from informal notes
  • ⚠️ Low testability: Missing acceptance criteria
  • ⚠️ Low completeness: Gaps in requirements

Fix iteratively:

@srs-writer The quality report shows clarity issues in FR-003, FR-007, FR-012.
Please make these more specific with measurable criteria.

Real Example: Complete Import Workflow

Let's walk through a real scenario:

Starting Point: Meeting notes from project kickoff

Step 1: Initial import

@srs-writer Create SRS for "Expense Reporting System"

Background from meeting:
- Company: 200 employees
- Current: Excel spreadsheets (error-prone, no audit trail)
- Users: Employees submit, Finance approves, CFO reviews reports
- Volume: ~500 expense claims per month

Key features discussed:
- Mobile app for expense submission with photo of receipts
- Manager approval workflow
- Integration with accounting system (QuickBooks)
- Monthly reports for CFO

Requirements:
- Employees must be able to submit within 2 minutes
- Managers review within 24 hours
- Automatic policy violations flagged (e.g., over limits)

Generate initial SRS focusing on core workflow.

Step 2: Review generated SRS

(SRS Writer creates functional requirements for submission, approval, reporting)

Step 3: Add missing details

@srs-writer Good start. Add these details:

Approval workflow:
- Direct manager approves < $500
- Department head approves $500-$5000
- CFO approves > $5000
- Auto-approve < $50 if within policy

Policy rules:
- Meals: $50/day limit
- Hotel: $200/night limit
- Mileage: $0.58/mile (IRS rate)
- Per diem varies by city (integrate city rate database)

Step 4: Clarify non-functionals

@srs-writer Add specific non-functional requirements:

Performance:
- Mobile app: Submit expense in < 2 minutes
- Web dashboard: Load in < 1 second
- Report generation: < 5 seconds for monthly report

Security:
- Receipt images: Stored encrypted, auto-delete after 7 years
- Audit log: All approvals and changes tracked
- Access: Role-based (employee, manager, finance, admin)

Step 5: Final quality check

@srs-writer Check quality and fix any issues

Result: Professional SRS ready for development, created in 15 minutes.

Next Steps

You've successfully imported existing content!

Continue refining: πŸ‘‰ Update Requirements πŸ‘‰ Improve Quality

Learn more: πŸ‘‰ Conversation Tips

Have questions? Visit our FAQ or ask the community β†—.