/pptx

name: pptx
description: Presentation toolkit (.pptx). Create/edit slides, layouts, content, speaker notes, comments, for programmatic presentation creation and modification.
license: Proprietary. LICENSE.txt has complete terms

PPTX creation, editing, and analysis

Overview

A .pptx file is a ZIP archive containing XML files and resources. Create, edit, or analyze PowerPoint presentations using text extraction, raw XML access, or html2pptx workflows. Apply this skill for programmatic presentation creation and modification.

Visual Enhancement with Scientific Schematics

**When creating documents with this skill, always consider adding scientific diagrams and schematics to enhance visual communication.**

If your document does not already contain schematics or diagrams:

• Use the **scientific-schematics** skill to generate AI-powered publication-quality diagrams
• Simply describe your desired diagram in natural language
• Nano Banana Pro will automatically generate, review, and refine the schematic

**For new documents:** Scientific schematics should be generated by default to visually represent key concepts, workflows, architectures, or relationships described in the text.

**How to generate schematics:**

python scripts/generate_schematic.py "your diagram description" -o figures/output.png

The AI will automatically:

• Create publication-quality images with proper formatting
• Review and refine through multiple iterations
• Ensure accessibility (colorblind-friendly, high contrast)
• Save outputs in the figures/ directory

**When to add schematics:**

• Presentation workflow diagrams for slides
• Slide design process flowcharts
• Content organization diagrams
• System architecture illustrations
• Process flow visualizations
• Any complex concept that benefits from visualization

For detailed guidance on creating schematics, refer to the scientific-schematics skill documentation.

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Reading and analyzing content

Text extraction

To read the text contents of a presentation, convert the document to markdown:

# Convert document to markdown
python -m markitdown path-to-file.pptx

Raw XML access

Raw XML access is required for: comments, speaker notes, slide layouts, animations, design elements, and complex formatting. For any of these features, 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 (