PPTX

PPTX Creation, Editing, and Analysis

Overview

This skill enables Cline to create, edit, and analyze PowerPoint presentations (.pptx files). A .pptx file is a ZIP archive containing XML — different tools and workflows are available depending on the task.

When to Use This Skill

• Creating new presentations from scratch
• Modifying or editing existing presentation content
• Working with slide layouts, masters, and themes
• Adding speaker notes or comments
• Designing professional slides with visual hierarchy
• Analyzing presentation structure and content

Workflow Decision Tree

Reading/Analyzing Content

Use pandoc for text extraction or python-pptx for detailed structure analysis.

Creating New Presentation

Use python-pptx for full control over layouts, formatting, and content.

Editing Existing Presentation

Use python-pptx to load, modify, and save while preserving structure, or edit OOXML directly for advanced changes.

Reading and Analyzing Content

Text Extraction with pandoc

pandoc path-to-file.pptx -o output.md

Detailed Analysis with python-pptx

from pptx import Presentation

prs = Presentation('presentation.pptx')

for i, slide in enumerate(prs.slides):
    print(f"\nSlide {i+1}:")
    for shape in slide.shapes:
        if shape.has_text_frame:
            for paragraph in shape.text_frame.paragraphs:
                print(f"  {paragraph.text}")
        if shape.has_table:
            table = shape.table
            for row in table.rows:
                print("  | " + " | ".join(cell.text for cell in row.cells) + " |")
        if hasattr(shape, "image"):
            print(f"  [Image: {shape.image.content_type}]")

Raw XML Access (Advanced)

For comments, animations, slide layouts, and complex formatting, unpack the .pptx:

import zipfile

with zipfile.ZipFile('presentation.pptx') as z:
    z.extractall('unpacked/')

Key file structures:

• ppt/presentation.xml — Main presentation metadata
• ppt/slides/slide{N}.xml — Individual slide contents
• ppt/notesSlides/notesSlide{N}.xml — Speaker notes
• ppt/slideLayouts/ — Layout templates
• ppt/theme/theme1.xml — Theme colors and fonts
• ppt/media/ — Images and media

Creating New Presentations

Basic Presentation

from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.util import Inches, Pt, Emu
from pptx.dml.color import RGBColor
from pptx.enum.text import PP_ALIGN

prs = Presentation()
prs.slide_width = Inches(13.333)  # 16:9 widescreen
prs.slide_height = Inches(7.5)

# Title slide
slide_layout = prs.slide_layouts[0]  # Title Slide layout
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(slide_layout)
slide.shapes.title.text = "Quarterly Report"
slide.placeholders[1].text = "Q4 2026 Results"

prs.save('report.pptx')

Custom Slide from Scratch

from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.util import Inches, Pt
from pptx.dml.color import RGBColor
from pptx.enum.text import PP_ALIGN

prs = Presentation()
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[6])  # Blank layout

# Add background
background = slide.background
fill = background.fill
fill.solid()
fill.fore_color.rgb = RGBColor(0x1C, 0x28, 0x33)

# Add text box
left = Inches(1)
top = Inches(2)
width = Inches(8)
height = Inches(2)

txBox = slide.shapes.add_textbox(left, top, width, height)
tf = txBox.text_frame
tf.word_wrap = True

p = tf.paragraphs[0]
p.text = "Key Insight"
p.font.size = Pt(44)
p.font.bold = True
p.font.color.rgb = RGBColor(0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF)
p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT

prs.save('custom_slide.pptx')

Adding Shapes and Images

from pptx.enum.shapes import MSO_SHAPE

# Add shape
shape = slide.shapes.add_shape(
    MSO_SHAPE.ROUNDED_RECTANGLE,
    Inches(1), Inches(4), Inches(3), Inches(1.5)
)
shape.fill.solid()
shape.fill.fore_color.rgb = RGBColor(0x00, 0x70, 0xC0)
shape.line.fill.background()

# Add text in shape
tf = shape.text_frame
tf.text = "Call to Action"
tf.paragraphs[0].font.color.rgb = RGBColor(0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF)
tf.paragraphs[0].font.size = Pt(18)
tf.paragraphs[0].alignment = PP_ALIGN.CENTER

# Add image
slide.shapes.add_picture('logo.png', Inches(10), Inches(0.5), Inches(2), Inches(1))

Adding Tables

rows, cols = 4, 3
left = Inches(1)
top = Inches(2)
width = Inches(8)
height = Inches(3)

table_shape = slide.shapes.add_table(rows, cols, left, top, width, height)
table = table_shape.table

# Set headers
headers = ['Metric', 'Current', 'Previous']
for i, header in enumerate(headers):
    cell = table.cell(0, i)
    cell.text = header
    cell.fill.solid()
    cell.fill.fore_color.rgb = RGBColor(0x00, 0x70, 0xC0)

# Add data
data = [
    ['Revenue', '$1.2M', '$980K'],
    ['Users', '15,000', '12,000'],
    ['Growth', '22%', '18%'],
]
for row_idx, row_data in enumerate(data, 1):
    for col_idx, value in enumerate(row_data):
        table.cell(row_idx, col_idx).text = value

Adding Charts

from pptx.chart.data import CategoryChartData
from pptx.enum.chart import XL_CHART_TYPE

chart_data = CategoryChartData()
chart_data.categories = ['Q1', 'Q2', 'Q3', 'Q4']
chart_data.add_series('Revenue', (100, 120, 130, 150))
chart_data.add_series('Expenses', (80, 85, 90, 95))

chart_shape = slide.shapes.add_chart(
    XL_CHART_TYPE.COLUMN_CLUSTERED,
    Inches(1), Inches(2), Inches(8), Inches(5),
    chart_data
)

Editing Existing Presentations

Modify Content

from pptx import Presentation

prs = Presentation('existing.pptx')

for slide in prs.slides:
    for shape in slide.shapes:
        if shape.has_text_frame:
            for paragraph in shape.text_frame.paragraphs:
                # Modify specific text
                if "Old Company Name" in paragraph.text:
                    for run in paragraph.runs:
                        run.text = run.text.replace("Old Company Name", "New Company Name")

prs.save('modified.pptx')

Add Speaker Notes

from pptx import Presentation

prs = Presentation('existing.pptx')

for slide in prs.slides:
    notes_slide = slide.notes_slide
    notes_slide.notes_text_frame.text = "Remember to discuss Q3 metrics in detail."

prs.save('with_notes.pptx')

Design Principles

Color Palette Selection

Choose colors that match the content's subject, industry, and mood. Some starting palettes:

Layout Best Practices

• Two-column layout (preferred): Header spanning full width, then text and chart side-by-side
• Full-slide layout: Let charts/tables take the entire slide for maximum impact
• Never vertically stack: Don't place charts/tables below text in a single column
• 16:9 widescreen: Use Inches(13.333) × Inches(7.5) for modern presentations
• Consistent margins: Keep at least 0.5" padding on all sides

Typography

• Use web-safe fonts: Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, Verdana, Trebuchet MS
• Create hierarchy through size, weight, and color
• Extreme size contrast: 44pt headlines vs 14pt body
• Ensure strong text-background contrast for readability
• All-caps headers with wide letter spacing for section titles

Converting to Images (Verification)

To visually verify presentation output:

soffice --headless --convert-to pdf presentation.pptx
pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 presentation.pdf slide

Cline Workflow Notes

1. Install location: Copy this skill directory to .cline/skills/pptx/ (project-level) or ~/.cline/skills/pptx/ (global)
2. State your design approach: Before creating a presentation, explain your color and layout choices
3. Use python-pptx by default: It provides full control over content, formatting, and structure
4. Verify output: Convert to images and inspect for layout issues before delivering
5. Preserve existing work: When editing, match the existing template's conventions and styles
6. Blank layout for custom slides: Use layout index 6 for full design control
7. Always use widescreen (16:9): Modern presentations default to widescreen

Code Style

• Write concise Python code
• Avoid verbose variable names and redundant operations
• Avoid unnecessary print statements
• Use context managers where appropriate

Dependencies

pip install python-pptx
# For text extraction:
pip install pandoc  # or: sudo apt-get install pandoc
# For PDF conversion:
# sudo apt-get install libreoffice poppler-utils