PPTX creation, editing, and analysis Overview A user may ask you to create, edit, or analyze the contents of a .pptx file. A .pptx file is essentially a ZIP archive containing XML files and other resources that you can read or edit. You have different tools and workflows available for different tasks. Reading and analyzing content Text extraction If you just need to read the text contents of a presentation, you should convert the document to markdown:

Convert document to markdown

python

-m

markitdown path-to-file.pptx

Raw XML access

You need raw XML access for: comments, speaker notes, slide layouts, animations, design elements, and complex formatting. For any of these features, you'll need to unpack a presentation and read its raw XML contents.

Unpacking a file

python ooxml/scripts/unpack.py

Note

The unpack.py script is located at

skills/presentation-builder/ooxml/scripts/unpack.py

relative to the project root. If the script doesn't exist at this path, use

find . -name "unpack.py"

to locate it.

Key file structures

ppt/presentation.xml

- Main presentation metadata and slide references

ppt/slides/slide{N}.xml

- Individual slide contents (slide1.xml, slide2.xml, etc.)

ppt/notesSlides/notesSlide{N}.xml

- Speaker notes for each slide

ppt/comments/modernComment_*.xml

- Comments for specific slides

ppt/slideLayouts/

- Layout templates for slides

ppt/slideMasters/

- Master slide templates

ppt/theme/

- Theme and styling information

ppt/media/

- Images and other media files

Typography and color extraction

When given an example design to emulate

Always analyze the presentation's typography and colors first using the methods below:

Read theme file

Check

ppt/theme/theme1.xml

for colors (

) and fonts (

)

Sample slide content

Examine

ppt/slides/slide1.xml

for actual font usage (

) and colors

Search for patterns

Use grep to find color (

,

) and font references across all XML files

Creating a new PowerPoint presentation

without a template

When creating a new PowerPoint presentation from scratch, use the

html2pptx

workflow to convert HTML slides to PowerPoint with accurate positioning.

Design Principles

CRITICAL

Before creating any presentation, analyze the content and choose appropriate design elements:

Consider the subject matter

What is this presentation about? What tone, industry, or mood does it suggest?

Check for branding

If the user mentions a company/organization, consider their brand colors and identity

Match palette to content

Select colors that reflect the subject

State your approach

Explain your design choices before writing code

Requirements

:

✅ State your content-informed design approach BEFORE writing code

✅ Use web-safe fonts only: Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Georgia, Courier New, Verdana, Tahoma, Trebuchet MS, Impact

✅ Create clear visual hierarchy through size, weight, and color

✅ Ensure readability: strong contrast, appropriately sized text, clean alignment

✅ Be consistent: repeat patterns, spacing, and visual language across slides

Color Palette Selection

Choosing colors creatively

:

Think beyond defaults

What colors genuinely match this specific topic? Avoid autopilot choices.

Consider multiple angles

Topic, industry, mood, energy level, target audience, brand identity (if mentioned)

Be adventurous

Try unexpected combinations - a healthcare presentation doesn't have to be green, finance doesn't have to be navy

Build your palette

Pick 3-5 colors that work together (dominant colors + supporting tones + accent)

Ensure contrast

Text must be clearly readable on backgrounds

Example color palettes

(use these to spark creativity - choose one, adapt it, or create your own):

Classic Blue

Deep navy (#1C2833), slate gray (#2E4053), silver (#AAB7B8), off-white (#F4F6F6)

Teal & Coral

Teal (#5EA8A7), deep teal (#277884), coral (#FE4447), white (#FFFFFF)

Bold Red

Red (#C0392B), bright red (#E74C3C), orange (#F39C12), yellow (#F1C40F), green (#2ECC71)

Warm Blush

Mauve (#A49393), blush (#EED6D3), rose (#E8B4B8), cream (#FAF7F2)

Burgundy Luxury

Burgundy (#5D1D2E), crimson (#951233), rust (#C15937), gold (#997929)

Deep Purple & Emerald

Purple (#B165FB), dark blue (#181B24), emerald (#40695B), white (#FFFFFF)

Cream & Forest Green

Cream (#FFE1C7), forest green (#40695B), white (#FCFCFC)

Pink & Purple

Pink (#F8275B), coral (#FF574A), rose (#FF737D), purple (#3D2F68)

Lime & Plum

Lime (#C5DE82), plum (#7C3A5F), coral (#FD8C6E), blue-gray (#98ACB5)

Black & Gold

Gold (#BF9A4A), black (#000000), cream (#F4F6F6)

Sage & Terracotta

Sage (#87A96B), terracotta (#E07A5F), cream (#F4F1DE), charcoal (#2C2C2C)

Charcoal & Red

Charcoal (#292929), red (#E33737), light gray (#CCCBCB)

Vibrant Orange

Orange (#F96D00), light gray (#F2F2F2), charcoal (#222831)

Forest Green

Black (#191A19), green (#4E9F3D), dark green (#1E5128), white (#FFFFFF)

Retro Rainbow

Purple (#722880), pink (#D72D51), orange (#EB5C18), amber (#F08800), gold (#DEB600)

Vintage Earthy

Mustard (#E3B448), sage (#CBD18F), forest green (#3A6B35), cream (#F4F1DE)

Coastal Rose

Old rose (#AD7670), beaver (#B49886), eggshell (#F3ECDC), ash gray (#BFD5BE)

Orange & Turquoise

Light orange (#FC993E), grayish turquoise (#667C6F), white (#FCFCFC)

Visual Details Options

Geometric Patterns

:

Diagonal section dividers instead of horizontal

Asymmetric column widths (30/70, 40/60, 25/75)

Rotated text headers at 90° or 270°

Circular/hexagonal frames for images

Triangular accent shapes in corners

Overlapping shapes for depth

Border & Frame Treatments

:

Thick single-color borders (10-20pt) on one side only

Double-line borders with contrasting colors

Corner brackets instead of full frames

L-shaped borders (top+left or bottom+right)

Underline accents beneath headers (3-5pt thick)

Typography Treatments

:

Extreme size contrast (72pt headlines vs 11pt body)

All-caps headers with wide letter spacing

Numbered sections in oversized display type

Monospace (Courier New) for data/stats/technical content

Condensed fonts (Arial Narrow) for dense information

Outlined text for emphasis

Chart & Data Styling

:

Monochrome charts with single accent color for key data

Horizontal bar charts instead of vertical

Dot plots instead of bar charts

Minimal gridlines or none at all

Data labels directly on elements (no legends)

Oversized numbers for key metrics

Layout Innovations

:

Full-bleed images with text overlays

Sidebar column (20-30% width) for navigation/context

Modular grid systems (3×3, 4×4 blocks)

Z-pattern or F-pattern content flow

Floating text boxes over colored shapes

Magazine-style multi-column layouts

Background Treatments

:

Solid color blocks occupying 40-60% of slide

Gradient fills (vertical or diagonal only)

Split backgrounds (two colors, diagonal or vertical)

Edge-to-edge color bands

Negative space as a design element

Layout Tips

When creating slides with charts or tables:

Two-column layout (PREFERRED)

Use a header spanning the full width, then two columns below - text/bullets in one column and the featured content in the other. This provides better balance and makes charts/tables more readable. Use flexbox with unequal column widths (e.g., 40%/60% split) to optimize space for each content type.

Full-slide layout

Let the featured content (chart/table) take up the entire slide for maximum impact and readability

NEVER vertically stack

Do not place charts/tables below text in a single column - this causes poor readability and layout issues

Workflow

MANDATORY - READ ENTIRE FILE

Read html2pptx.md completely from start to finish. NEVER set any range limits when reading this file. Read the full file content for detailed syntax, critical formatting rules, and best practices before proceeding with presentation creation. Create an HTML file for each slide with proper dimensions (e.g., 720pt × 405pt for 16:9) Use

,

-

,

,
for all text content Use class="placeholder" for areas where charts/tables will be added (render with gray background for visibility) CRITICAL : Rasterize gradients and icons as PNG images FIRST using Sharp, then reference in HTML LAYOUT : For slides with charts/tables/images, use either full-slide layout or two-column layout for better readability Create and run a JavaScript file using the html2pptx.js library to convert HTML slides to PowerPoint and save the presentation Use the html2pptx() function to process each HTML file Add charts and tables to placeholder areas using PptxGenJS API Save the presentation using pptx.writeFile() Visual validation : Generate thumbnails and inspect for layout issues Create thumbnail grid: python scripts/thumbnail.py output.pptx workspace/thumbnails --cols 4 Read and carefully examine the thumbnail image for: Text cutoff : Text being cut off by header bars, shapes, or slide edges Text overlap : Text overlapping with other text or shapes Positioning issues : Content too close to slide boundaries or other elements Contrast issues : Insufficient contrast between text and backgrounds If issues found, adjust HTML margins/spacing/colors and regenerate the presentation Repeat until all slides are visually correct Editing an existing PowerPoint presentation When edit slides in an existing PowerPoint presentation, you need to work with the raw Office Open XML (OOXML) format. This involves unpacking the .pptx file, editing the XML content, and repacking it. Workflow MANDATORY - READ ENTIRE FILE : Read ooxml.md (~500 lines) completely from start to finish. NEVER set any range limits when reading this file. Read the full file content for detailed guidance on OOXML structure and editing workflows before any presentation editing. Unpack the presentation: python ooxml/scripts/unpack.py Edit the XML files (primarily ppt/slides/slide{N}.xml and related files) CRITICAL : Validate immediately after each edit and fix any validation errors before proceeding: python ooxml/scripts/validate.py --original Pack the final presentation: python ooxml/scripts/pack.py Creating a new PowerPoint presentation using a template When you need to create a presentation that follows an existing template's design, you'll need to duplicate and re-arrange template slides before then replacing placeholder context. Workflow Extract template text AND create visual thumbnail grid : Extract text: python -m markitdown template.pptx > template-content.md Read template-content.md : Read the entire file to understand the contents of the template presentation. NEVER set any range limits when reading this file. Create thumbnail grids: python scripts/thumbnail.py template.pptx See Creating Thumbnail Grids section for more details Analyze template and save inventory to a file : Visual Analysis : Review thumbnail grid(s) to understand slide layouts, design patterns, and visual structure Create and save a template inventory file at template-inventory.md containing: # Template Inventory Analysis ** Total Slides: [count] ** ** IMPORTANT: Slides are 0-indexed (first slide = 0, last slide = count-1) ** ## [Category Name] - Slide 0: [Layout code if available] - Description/purpose - Slide 1: [Layout code] - Description/purpose - Slide 2: [Layout code] - Description/purpose [... EVERY slide must be listed individually with its index ...] Using the thumbnail grid : Reference the visual thumbnails to identify: Layout patterns (title slides, content layouts, section dividers) Image placeholder locations and counts Design consistency across slide groups Visual hierarchy and structure This inventory file is REQUIRED for selecting appropriate templates in the next step Create presentation outline based on template inventory : Review available templates from step 2. Choose an intro or title template for the first slide. This should be one of the first templates. Choose safe, text-based layouts for the other slides. CRITICAL: Match layout structure to actual content : Single-column layouts: Use for unified narrative or single topic Two-column layouts: Use ONLY when you have exactly 2 distinct items/concepts Three-column layouts: Use ONLY when you have exactly 3 distinct items/concepts Image + text layouts: Use ONLY when you have actual images to insert Quote layouts: Use ONLY for actual quotes from people (with attribution), never for emphasis Never use layouts with more placeholders than you have content If you have 2 items, don't force them into a 3-column layout If you have 4+ items, consider breaking into multiple slides or using a list format Count your actual content pieces BEFORE selecting the layout Verify each placeholder in the chosen layout will be filled with meaningful content Select one option representing the best layout for each content section. Save outline.md with content AND template mapping that leverages available designs Example template mapping: # Template slides to use (0-based indexing) # WARNING: Verify indices are within range! Template with 73 slides has indices 0-72 # Mapping: slide numbers from outline -> template slide indices template_mapping = [ 0, # Use slide 0 (Title/Cover) 34, # Use slide 34 (B1: Title and body) 34, # Use slide 34 again (duplicate for second B1) 50, # Use slide 50 (E1: Quote) 54, # Use slide 54 (F2: Closing + Text) ] Duplicate, reorder, and delete slides using rearrange.py : Use the scripts/rearrange.py script to create a new presentation with slides in the desired order: python scripts/rearrange.py template.pptx working.pptx 0,34 ,34,50,52 The script handles duplicating repeated slides, deleting unused slides, and reordering automatically Slide indices are 0-based (first slide is 0, second is 1, etc.) The same slide index can appear multiple times to duplicate that slide Extract ALL text using the inventory.py script : Run inventory extraction : python scripts/inventory.py working.pptx text-inventory.json Read text-inventory.json : Read the entire text-inventory.json file to understand all shapes and their properties. NEVER set any range limits when reading this file. The inventory JSON structure: { "slide-0" : { "shape-0" : { "placeholder_type" : "TITLE" , // or null for non-placeholders "left" : 1.5 , // position in inches "top" : 2.0 , "width" : 7.5 , "height" : 1.2 , "paragraphs" : [ { "text" : "Paragraph text" , // Optional properties (only included when non-default): "bullet" : true , // explicit bullet detected "level" : 0 , // only included when bullet is true "alignment" : "CENTER" , // CENTER, RIGHT (not LEFT) "space_before" : 10.0 , // space before paragraph in points "space_after" : 6.0 , // space after paragraph in points "line_spacing" : 22.4 , // line spacing in points "font_name" : "Arial" , // from first run "font_size" : 14.0 , // in points "bold" : true , "italic" : false , "underline" : false , "color" : "FF0000" // RGB color } ] } } } Key features: Slides : Named as "slide-0", "slide-1", etc. Shapes : Ordered by visual position (top-to-bottom, left-to-right) as "shape-0", "shape-1", etc. Placeholder types : TITLE, CENTER_TITLE, SUBTITLE, BODY, OBJECT, or null Default font size : default_font_size in points extracted from layout placeholders (when available) Slide numbers are filtered : Shapes with SLIDE_NUMBER placeholder type are automatically excluded from inventory Bullets : When bullet: true , level is always included (even if 0) Spacing : space_before , space_after , and line_spacing in points (only included when set) Colors : color for RGB (e.g., "FF0000"), theme_color for theme colors (e.g., "DARK_1") Properties : Only non-default values are included in the output Generate replacement text and save the data to a JSON file Based on the text inventory from the previous step: CRITICAL : First verify which shapes exist in the inventory - only reference shapes that are actually present VALIDATION : The replace.py script will validate that all shapes in your replacement JSON exist in the inventory If you reference a non-existent shape, you'll get an error showing available shapes If you reference a non-existent slide, you'll get an error indicating the slide doesn't exist All validation errors are shown at once before the script exits IMPORTANT : The replace.py script uses inventory.py internally to identify ALL text shapes AUTOMATIC CLEARING : ALL text shapes from the inventory will be cleared unless you provide "paragraphs" for them Add a "paragraphs" field to shapes that need content (not "replacement_paragraphs") Shapes without "paragraphs" in the replacement JSON will have their text cleared automatically Paragraphs with bullets will be automatically left aligned. Don't set the alignment property on when "bullet": true Generate appropriate replacement content for placeholder text Use shape size to determine appropriate content length CRITICAL : Include paragraph properties from the original inventory - don't just provide text IMPORTANT : When bullet: true, do NOT include bullet symbols (•, -, *) in text - they're added automatically ESSENTIAL FORMATTING RULES : Headers/titles should typically have "bold": true List items should have "bullet": true, "level": 0 (level is required when bullet is true) Preserve any alignment properties (e.g., "alignment": "CENTER" for centered text) Include font properties when different from default (e.g., "font_size": 14.0 , "font_name": "Lora" ) Colors: Use "color": "FF0000" for RGB or "theme_color": "DARK_1" for theme colors The replacement script expects properly formatted paragraphs , not just text strings Overlapping shapes : Prefer shapes with larger default_font_size or more appropriate placeholder_type Save the updated inventory with replacements to replacement-text.json WARNING : Different template layouts have different shape counts - always check the actual inventory before creating replacements Example paragraphs field showing proper formatting: "paragraphs" : [ { "text" : "New presentation title text" , "alignment" : "CENTER" , "bold" : true } , { "text" : "Section Header" , "bold" : true } , { "text" : "First bullet point without bullet symbol" , "bullet" : true , "level" : 0 } , { "text" : "Red colored text" , "color" : "FF0000" } , { "text" : "Theme colored text" , "theme_color" : "DARK_1" } , { "text" : "Regular paragraph text without special formatting" } ] Shapes not listed in the replacement JSON are automatically cleared : { "slide-0" : { "shape-0" : { "paragraphs" : [ ... ] // This shape gets new text } // shape-1 and shape-2 from inventory will be cleared automatically } } Common formatting patterns for presentations : Title slides: Bold text, sometimes centered Section headers within slides: Bold text Bullet lists: Each item needs "bullet": true, "level": 0 Body text: Usually no special properties needed Quotes: May have special alignment or font properties Apply replacements using the replace.py script python scripts/replace.py working.pptx replacement-text.json output.pptx The script will: First extract the inventory of ALL text shapes using functions from inventory.py Validate that all shapes in the replacement JSON exist in the inventory Clear text from ALL shapes identified in the inventory Apply new text only to shapes with "paragraphs" defined in the replacement JSON Preserve formatting by applying paragraph properties from the JSON Handle bullets, alignment, font properties, and colors automatically Save the updated presentation Example validation errors: ERROR: Invalid shapes in replacement JSON: - Shape 'shape-99' not found on 'slide-0'. Available shapes: shape-0, shape-1, shape-4 - Slide 'slide-999' not found in inventory ERROR: Replacement text made overflow worse in these shapes: - slide-0/shape-2: overflow worsened by 1.25" (was 0.00", now 1.25") Creating Thumbnail Grids To create visual thumbnail grids of PowerPoint slides for quick analysis and reference: python scripts/thumbnail.py template.pptx [ output_prefix ] Features : Creates: thumbnails.jpg (or thumbnails-1.jpg , thumbnails-2.jpg , etc. for large decks) Default: 5 columns, max 30 slides per grid (5×6) Custom prefix: python scripts/thumbnail.py template.pptx my-grid Note: The output prefix should include the path if you want output in a specific directory (e.g., workspace/my-grid ) Adjust columns: --cols 4 (range: 3-6, affects slides per grid) Grid limits: 3 cols = 12 slides/grid, 4 cols = 20, 5 cols = 30, 6 cols = 42 Slides are zero-indexed (Slide 0, Slide 1, etc.) Use cases : Template analysis: Quickly understand slide layouts and design patterns Content review: Visual overview of entire presentation Navigation reference: Find specific slides by their visual appearance Quality check: Verify all slides are properly formatted Examples : # Basic usage python scripts/thumbnail.py presentation.pptx # Combine options: custom name, columns python scripts/thumbnail.py template.pptx analysis --cols 4 Converting Slides to Images To visually analyze PowerPoint slides, convert them to images using a two-step process: Convert PPTX to PDF : soffice --headless --convert-to pdf template.pptx Convert PDF pages to JPEG images : pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 template.pdf slide This creates files like slide-1.jpg , slide-2.jpg , etc. Options: -r 150 : Sets resolution to 150 DPI (adjust for quality/size balance) -jpeg : Output JPEG format (use -png for PNG if preferred) -f N : First page to convert (e.g., -f 2 starts from page 2) -l N : Last page to convert (e.g., -l 5 stops at page 5) slide : Prefix for output files Example for specific range: pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 -f 2 -l 5 template.pdf slide # Converts only pages 2-5 Code Style Guidelines IMPORTANT : When generating code for PPTX operations: Write concise code Avoid verbose variable names and redundant operations Avoid unnecessary print statements Dependencies Required dependencies (should already be installed): markitdown : pip install "markitdown[pptx]" (for text extraction from presentations) pptxgenjs : npm install -g pptxgenjs (for creating presentations via html2pptx) playwright : npm install -g playwright (for HTML rendering in html2pptx) react-icons : npm install -g react-icons react react-dom (for icons) sharp : npm install -g sharp (for SVG rasterization and image processing) LibreOffice : sudo apt-get install libreoffice (for PDF conversion) Poppler : sudo apt-get install poppler-utils (for pdftoppm to convert PDF to images) defusedxml : pip install defusedxml (for secure XML parsing)