| name | pptx-slides |
| description | Used when the user asks to "create a PowerPoint", "generate PPTX slides", "make a PowerPoint presentation", "build a .pptx deck", "create editable slides", "PptxGenJS", "editable presentation", "corporate deck", "slide deck for sharing", or when the output format is PPTX for any presentation task. Also triggers on "export to PowerPoint", "pitch deck PPTX", "offline presentation", or when the context implies an editable/corporate format. Generates OOXML-compliant .pptx files with PptxGenJS, precise layout, text measurement, and overlap validation. |
| version | 0.4.0 |
PPTX Slides — Programmatic PowerPoint Generation
Generate professional, editable PowerPoint presentations using PptxGenJS (Node.js). Produces OOXML-compliant .pptx files with precise layout, text measurement, and overlap validation.
Bundled Helpers
Every PPTX generation script imports the bundled TypeScript helper modules via bun:
import pptxgen from 'pptxgenjs';
import * as h from '${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/pptx-slides/scripts/main.ts';
const pptx = new pptxgen();
pptx.layout = 'LAYOUT_16x9';
Run generation scripts with bun (no build step needed):
npx -y bun ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/pptx-slides/scripts/main.ts theme list
Dependencies (skia-canvas, fontkit, linebreak, prismjs) are auto-installed by bun on first run — no manual install step needed.
Module Summary
| Module | Key Exports | Purpose |
|---|
| text | autoFontSize(), calcTextBoxHeightSimple(), scale() | Font-aware text measurement via skia-canvas, adaptive sizing |
| theme | createTheme(), PRESETS, sectionBackground() | Design token system with 12 curated presets |
| layout | warnIfSlideHasOverlaps(), alignSlideElements(), distributeSlideElements() | Overlap detection, bounds checking, positioning |
| layout_builders | addFeatureGrid(), addCardRow(), addTimeline(), addMetricsRow(), addComparisonTable() | High-level component builders |
| decorative | addStaircase(), addSectionBadge(), addProgressBar(), addSlideNumber() | Visual personality elements |
| validation | validateDeck() | Consolidated pre-save quality validation |
| code | codeToRuns() | Prism.js syntax highlighting to PptxGenJS text runs |
| image | getImageDimensions(), imageSizingCrop(), imageSizingContain() | Binary dimension detection and aspect-ratio sizing |
| svg | svgToDataUri() | SVG sanitization and base64 data URI encoding |
| util | safeOuterShadow(), normalizeColor(), inchesToEmu() | Shadow effects, color/unit conversion |
Theme Selection
Pick a curated preset or create a custom theme:
const theme = h.createTheme(h.PRESETS.darkMonospace);
const theme = h.createTheme({
accent: 'ff6b35',
font: { heading: 'Poppins', body: 'Inter' },
});
Available presets: darkMonospace, swissModern, boldSignal, darkBotanical, cleanCorporate, neonCyber, warmMinimal, vintageEditorial, terminalGreen, gradientWave, midnightBlue, paperInk.
For mixed-background decks, define a section map:
const sectionMap = { '0': 'brand', '1-3': 'light', '4-8': 'default' };
const colors = { brand: theme.accent, light: theme.bg.secondary, default: theme.bg.primary };
slide.background = { color: h.sectionBackground(slideIndex, sectionMap, colors) };
Adaptive Font Sizing
Use scale() instead of hardcoded font sizes — the PPTX equivalent of CSS clamp():
const titleSize = h.scale(theme.size.title.min, theme.size.title.max, { bullets: 0, textLength: title.length });
const bodySize = h.scale(theme.size.body.min, theme.size.body.max, { bullets: 5, textLength: 800 });
For precise text box fitting, use autoFontSize() with skia-canvas measurement:
const opts = h.autoFontSize('Long paragraph text...', 'Arial', { w: 8, h: 3, minFontSize: 14, maxFontSize: 28 });
slide.addText(text, { x: 1, y: 1.5, ...opts });
Generation Workflow
- Plan layout — Map content outline to slide types from
references/slide-patterns.md
- Select theme — Pick preset or define custom theme tokens
- Generate slides — Build with helpers:
addFeatureGrid(), addCardRow(), etc.
- Validate — Run
h.validateDeck(pptx) before saving
- Fix issues — Adjust based on validation report, re-validate
- Deliver — Provide
.pptx file with speaker notes on every content slide
Core Design Rules
Typography
- Minimum body text: 18pt (24-28pt preferred). Use
scale() for adaptive sizing.
- Title text: 36-44pt
- Caption/footnote: 14-16pt minimum (absolute floor: 14pt)
- Font families: Use
h.resolveFont(theme, 'heading') for proper fallback chains
Layout
- Slide dimensions: 10" × 5.625" (widescreen 16:9)
- Safe margins: 0.5" from all edges (
theme.spacing.margin)
- White space: Target 40-50% empty space per slide
- Alignment: Use
h.alignSlideElements() and h.distributeSlideElements() for precision
Color & Accessibility
- Contrast ratio: WCAG AA minimum (4.5:1 body, 3:1 large text)
- Color-blind safe: Wong or IBM palettes for data visualization
- Theme tokens: Always use
theme.text.primary, theme.accent — never hardcode colors
Validation Workflow
Run h.validateDeck(pptx) before saving every deck. It checks:
- Element overlaps on every slide
- Elements within slide boundaries
- Font sizes above 14pt minimum
- Bullet count per slide (max 6)
- Speaker notes presence
Anti-Patterns
- Text smaller than 14pt anywhere
- More than 6 bullets per slide
- Elements extending beyond slide boundaries
- Hardcoded colors instead of theme tokens
- Hardcoded font sizes instead of
scale() or autoFontSize()
- Skipping
validateDeck() before saving
- Missing speaker notes on content slides
- Using PptxGenJS
fit or autoFit instead of h.autoFontSize()
Editability Guidance
Design for editability — recipients must be able to modify the deck:
- Native text boxes — Click and edit directly. Never flatten text into images.
- Group related elements — Card layouts move as a unit.
- Native shapes — Use rounded rectangles, circles, lines instead of embedded SVG where possible.
- Speaker notes — Add talking points via
slide.addNotes('...') on every content slide.
- Master layouts — For template decks, define slide layouts for consistent new slides.
Architecture Diagrams with Shapes
Build architecture diagrams using PptxGenJS native shapes rather than images:
- Rectangles for services/components:
slide.addShape('rect', { ... })
- Lines and arrows for connections:
slide.addShape('line', { ... })
- Color coding: Use
theme.accent for active components, theme.text.secondary for inactive
- Progressive revelation: Build the same diagram across 2-3 slides, adding complexity
Reference Files
references/pptxgenjs-helpers.md — Full API reference for bundled helper modules
references/slide-patterns.md — Detailed slide type patterns with dimensions and positioning
Script Files
scripts/main.ts — TypeScript CLI entry point and library re-exports (run via npx -y bun)
scripts/types.ts — Shared TypeScript interfaces for all helper modules
scripts/theme.ts — 12 curated theme presets with createTheme() and resolveFont()
scripts/text.ts — Font-aware text measurement via skia-canvas, autoFontSize(), scale()
scripts/layout.ts — Overlap detection, element alignment, bounds checking
scripts/layout_builders.ts — addFeatureGrid(), addCardRow(), addTimeline(), etc.
scripts/decorative.ts — addStaircase(), addSectionBadge(), addProgressBar()
scripts/validation.ts — validateDeck() pre-save quality validation
scripts/code.ts — Prism.js syntax highlighting to PptxGenJS text runs
scripts/image.ts — Binary dimension detection and aspect-ratio sizing
scripts/svg.ts — SVG sanitization and base64 data URI encoding
scripts/util.ts — Shadow effects, color normalization, unit conversion