| name | pptx |
| description | Use this skill any time a PowerPoint file (.pptx or .potx) is involved — creating presentations, reading content, editing slides, or working with templates. Trigger when the user mentions slides, decks, presentations, PowerPoint, or references a .pptx/.potx file. Requires Windows with Microsoft PowerPoint installed. |
PowerPoint Skill (COM Automation)
Uses PowerPoint COM automation for native-quality rendering, template support, and zero external dependencies.
Quick Reference
| Task | Guide |
|---|
| List available layouts (compact) | Run scripts/Get-PresentationInfo.ps1 -LayoutsOnly |
| Analyze specific slides | Run scripts/Get-PresentationInfo.ps1 -SlideRange "25,41-45" |
| Full analysis of a presentation | Run scripts/Get-PresentationInfo.ps1 |
| Visual preview of slides | Run scripts/Export-SlideThumbnails.ps1 |
| Accessibility audit | Run scripts/Test-Accessibility.ps1 |
| Design quality audit | Run scripts/Test-DesignQuality.ps1 |
| Accessibility patterns | Read accessibility.md |
| Create from a template (.potx/.pptx) | Read template-workflow.md |
| Create from scratch | Read from-scratch.md |
| COM API reference | Read com-reference.md |
Reading Content
# Quick layout inventory (compact, deduplicated)
.\scripts\Get-PresentationInfo.ps1 -Path "presentation.pptx" -LayoutsOnly
# Shape details for specific slides only
.\scripts\Get-PresentationInfo.ps1 -Path "presentation.pptx" -SlideRange "1,3,5-8"
# Full structured report: dimensions, layouts, per-slide shapes and text
.\scripts\Get-PresentationInfo.ps1 -Path "presentation.pptx"
# Visual thumbnail grid (outputs to thumbs/ next to the input file)
.\scripts\Export-SlideThumbnails.ps1 -Path "output/My-Deck/My-Deck.pptx"
Output Location
All generated files go under output/ in the workspace root, grouped by presentation:
output/
My-Deck/
My-Deck.pptx # The presentation
thumbs/ # Slide thumbnails and grid image
Another-Deck/
Another-Deck.pptx
thumbs/
Export-SlideThumbnails.ps1 defaults to a thumbs/ subdirectory next to the input file, so grouping happens automatically.
Templates Directory
Place .potx and .pptx templates in the templates/ directory. Scripts resolve template names from this directory automatically — users can pass just a filename instead of a full path.
Creating from Template
Read template-workflow.md for full details.
- Analyze template with
Get-PresentationInfo.ps1 -LayoutsOnly and Export-SlideThumbnails.ps1
- Plan slides: map content to layouts, plan speaker notes alongside slide content
- Create new presentation with
New-PresentationFromTemplate.ps1 (auto-emits shape names)
- Edit content and speaker notes via inline COM PowerShell using the emitted shape names — set alt text on images during this step
- Visual QA with
Export-SlideThumbnails.ps1
- Design quality check with
Test-DesignQuality.ps1
- Accessibility check with
Test-Accessibility.ps1
Creating from Scratch
Read from-scratch.md for full details.
Use when no template is available. Build slides programmatically via COM automation.
- Create a new blank presentation via COM
- Add slides with desired layouts
- Populate content, speaker notes, and alt text during creation
- Visual QA with
Export-SlideThumbnails.ps1
- Accessibility check with
Test-Accessibility.ps1
Requirements
- Windows with Microsoft PowerPoint installed
- PowerShell 5.1+ (Windows PowerShell) or PowerShell 7+ (pwsh)
