pptx-official — quality + safety report

---
name: pptx-official
description: "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."
risk: unknown
source: community
date_added: "2026-02-27"
---

# 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:

```bash
# 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 <office_file> <output_dir>`

**Note**: The unpack.py script is located at `skills/pptx/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:
1. **Read theme file**: Check `ppt/theme/theme1.xml` for colors (`<a:clrScheme>`) and fonts (`<a:fontScheme>`)
2. **Sample slide content**: Examine `ppt/slides/slide1.xml` for actual font usage (`<a:rPr>`) and colors
3. **Search for patterns**: Use grep to find color (`<a:solidFill>`, `<a:srgbClr>`) 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:
1. **Consider the subject matter**: What is this presentation about? What tone, industry, or mood does it suggest?
2. **Check for branding**: If the user mentions a company/organization, consider their brand colors and identity
3. **Match palette to content**: Select colors that reflect the subject
4. **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):

1. **Classic Blue**: Deep navy (#1C2833), slate gray (#2E4053), silver (#AAB7B8), off-white (#F4F6F6)
2. **Teal & Coral**: Teal (#5EA8A7), deep teal (#277884), coral (#FE4447), white (#FFFFFF)
3. **Bold Red**: Red (#C0392B), bright red (#E74C3C), orange (#F39C12), yellow (#F1C40F), green (#2ECC71)
4. **Warm Blush**: Mauve (#A49393), blush (#EED6D3), rose (#E8B4B8), cream (#FAF7F2)
5. **Burgundy Luxury**: Burgundy (#5D1D2E), crimson (#951233), rust (#C15937), gold (#997929)
6. **Deep Purple & Emerald**: Purple (#B165FB), dark blue (#181B24), emerald (#40695B), white (#FFFFFF)
7. **Cream & Forest Green**: Cream (#FFE1C7), forest green (#40695B), white (#FCFCFC)
8. **Pink & Purple**: Pink (#F8275B), coral (#FF574A), rose (#FF737D), purple (#3D2F68)
9. **Lime & Plum**: Lime (#C5DE82), plum (#7C3A5F), coral (#FD8C6E), blue-gray (#98ACB5)
10. **Black & Gold**: Gold (#BF9A4A), black (#000000), cream (#F4F6F6)
11. **Sage & Terracotta**: Sage (#87A96B), terracotta (#E07A5F), cream (#F4F1DE), charcoal (#2C2C2C)
12. **Charcoal & Red**: Charcoal (#292929), red (#E33737), light gray (#CCCBCB)
13. **Vibrant Orange**: Orange (#F96D00), light gray (#F2F2F2), charcoal (#222831)
14. **Forest Green**: Black (#191A19), green (#4E9F3D), dark green (#1E5128), white (#FFFFFF)
15. **Retro Rainbow**: Purple (#722880), pink (#D72D51), orange (#EB5C18), amber (#F08800), gold (#DEB600)
16. **Vintage Earthy**: Mustard (#E3B448), sage (#CBD18F), forest green (#3A6B35), cream (#F4F1DE)
17. **Coastal Rose**: Old rose (#AD7670), beaver (#B49886), eggshell (#F3ECDC), ash gray (#BFD5BE)
18. **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
1. **MANDATORY - READ ENTIRE FILE**: Read [`html2pptx.md`](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.
2. Create an HTML file for each slide with proper dimensions (e.g., 720pt × 405pt for 16:9)
   - Use `<p>`, `<h1>`-`<h6>`, `<ul>`, `<ol>` 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
3. Create and run a JavaScript file using the [`html2pptx.js`](scripts/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()`
4. **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
1. **MANDATORY - READ ENTIRE FILE**: Read [`ooxml.md`](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.
2. Unpack the presentation: `python ooxml/scripts/unpack.py <office_file> <output_dir>`
3. Edit the XML files (primarily `ppt/slides/slide{N}.xml` and related files)
4. **CRITICAL**: Validate immediately after each edit and fix any validation errors before proceeding: `python ooxml/scripts/validate.py <dir> --original <file>`
5. Pack the final presentation: `python ooxml/scripts/pack.py <input_directory> <office_file>`

## 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
1. **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](#creating-thumbnail-grids) section for more details

2. **Analyze template and save inventory to a file**:
   * **Visual Analysis**: Review th

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