hands-on-deck

# hands-on-deck — agent-native PPTX manipulation One tool does everything: `scripts/deck.py`. You write a JSON *patch* describing your edits; deck.py validates and executes it atomically, then lints the result. You never need to open slide XML for routine work. **Golden rules** (the tool enforces and repeats these): - ALL slide indices are 0-based, everywhere. Shapes are addressed by stable native ids (`s12`) or unique shape name. - Positions and sizes are inches from the slide's top-left. - Patches are atomic: every op is pre-validated (all errors reported at once, with the slide's real shape listing), then applied all-or-nothing. **Full reference**: `python scripts/deck.py docs` — prints every op with semantics and recipes; needs no file. Read it before writing your first patch. ## The edit loop ```bash # 1. READ — cheap orientation first, full JSON only when about to write a patch python scripts/deck.py deck.pptx inspect --slide 3 --brief # one line per shape python scripts/deck.py deck.pptx inspect --slide 3 # full JSON: text+formatting, image rIds, geometry, issues python scripts/deck.py deck.pptx inspect --issues # only shapes with geometric problems # 2. WRITE — one patch, many ops, atomic; chain repair + render of touched slides python scripts/deck.py deck.pptx apply patch.json -o out.pptx --fix --render img/ # 3. VERIFY — look at what you changed # (render names files slide-<0-based-index>.jpg to match inspect) python scripts/deck.py deck.pptx diff out.pptx # structural changelog, no rendering ``` `--fix` runs deterministic geometry repair on the slides you touched (grows/shrinks/nudges overflowing text; never auto-moves pictures). Its *residue* report lists what still needs judgment, with a suggested op. Always look at the rendered image before declaring success. ## Patch ops at a glance ```json {"ops": [ {"op":"set-text", "slide":3, "shape":"s12", "text":["Title", "Subtitle"]}, {"op":"swap-image", "slide":3, "shape":"s9", "image":"/abs/new.png"}, {"op":"swap-image", "media":"image13.png", "image":"/abs/logo.png"}, {"op":"replace-text","scope":"deck", "from":"Old Name", "to":"New Name"}, {"op":"replace-color","scope":"deck", "from":"E8A33D", "to":"F8DE6E"}, {"op":"set-theme", "colors":{"accent1":"BB7B19"}, "fonts":{"major":"Georgia"}}, {"op":"set-props", "title":"Q3 Review", "author":"Acme"}, {"op":"set-slide", "slide":3, "hidden":true, "background":"0F5258"}, {"op":"set-slide", "slide":3, "transition":{"type":"fade","speed":"med"}}, {"op":"set-notes", "slide":3, "notes":"speaker notes"}, {"op":"move", "slide":3, "shape":"s12", "to":[1.0,2.5]}, {"op":"resize", "slide":3, "shape":"s12", "size":[4.0,1.5]}, {"op":"set-style", "slide":3, "shape":"s12", "font_size":18, "fill":"0B3D3A", "rotation":6, "anchor":"MIDDLE"}, {"op":"delete", "slide":3, "shape":"s12"}, {"op":"duplicate", "slide":3, "shape":"s12", "offset":[0,1.2], "text":["Fourth pillar"]}, {"op":"copy-shape", "from_slide":8, "shape":"s12", "slide":3, "at":[1.0,2.0]}, {"op":"reorder", "slide":3, "shape":"s12", "z":"back"}, {"op":"add-shape", "slide":3, "kind":"textbox", "at":[1,2], "size":[4,1.5], "text":["…"], "name":"card"}, {"op":"add-picture", "slide":3, "image":"/abs/img.png", "at":[1,2], "width":4}, {"op":"add-table", "slide":3, "at":[1,2], "size":[8,3], "rows":[["A","B"],["1","2"]]}, {"op":"add-slide", "layout":"Blank", "at":5}, {"op":"add-row", "slide":3, "shape":"s12", "cells":["a","b"]}, {"op":"delete-col", "slide":3, "shape":"s12", "col":1} ]} ``` Key semantics (details in `docs`): - **Vertical centering is `anchor`, not `alignment`**: `alignment` (set-text) is HORIZONTAL; to center text in a box taller than the text, set `"anchor":"MIDDLE"` (TOP|MIDDLE|BOTTOM) on set-style or set-text. `inspect` reports it when it's not the default top. html2patch sets it automatically from the slide's CSS (flex/grid centering). - **set-text inherits formatting**: new paragraph *i* inherits ALL formatting of old paragraph *i* — pass plain strings for routine replacement. Pass objects to override (`{"text":"Big","font_size":28}`), or `"runs"` for mixed in-paragraph formatting. Table cells: add `"cell":[row,col]`. - **Prefer duplicate/copy-shape over add-shape** when a styled donor exists — new shapes start from PowerPoint defaults, not the deck's design language. - **add-shape `"name"`** lets later ops in the same patch target the shape it creates. - **Transitions only on request**: never add slide transitions unless the user explicitly asks — applied uninvited or inconsistently they're annoying, not polish. When asked, default to one subtle type (fade) across the whole deck. - **Alignment is linted, advisory**: `inspect`/`apply` report a `misaligned` issue when a shape's load-bearing edge sits a hair (0.03"–0.15") off a gridline ≥3 other shapes share — the near-miss that reads as sloppy. Act on it (move/resize the edge to the named coordinate) or ignore it: intentional asymmetry is real, so it never fails the build, and apply reports only a *newly introduced* near-miss. - Keep new text comparable in length to the old, or let `fix` repair the overflow. ## Creating slides from HTML (html2patch) When a slide should be DESIGNED from scratch — free-form layout, no styled donor to duplicate — write it as HTML/CSS and compile it into a patch. The browser is used as a measuring engine; the output is ordinary deck.py ops. **Before writing any slide HTML, read [designing-slides.md](designing-slides.md)** — how to design for this medium: subject-derived palettes, refusing the default AI-deck looks, the token plan, projection type sizes, and what survives compilation. The pipeline below is mechanical; that file is taste. ```bash python scripts/html2patch.py slide.html --deck deck.pptx --layout Blank -o patch.json python scripts/deck.py deck.pptx apply patch.json -o out.pptx --render img/ ``` - The `<body>` is the slide at 96px/inch: 16:9 → `width:1280px; height:720px`. Content overflowing the body is a compile error. - Text lives in `<p>`, `<h1>`–`<h6>`, `<ul>`/`<ol>` (numbered), `<table>`, or any element with inline-only content (figcaption, blockquote…). Divs with background / border / border-radius / linear-gradient become styled rects; `<img>` becomes a picture (local files only; `object-fit: cover` becomes a real crop); `<table>` becomes a real table with per-cell fills and measured column widths. - Inline `<b>`/`<i>`/`<u>`/`<span style>` become formatted runs; `<a href>` becomes a real hyperlink. CSS padding maps to text insets; `text-transform`, `transform:rotate`, and vertical `writing-mode` are honored. Use installed fonts (Arial, Georgia, …). - By default each HTML file appends a new slide (`add-slide`, `--layout` picks the template layout); `--slide N` targets an existing slide instead. Multiple files compile into ONE atomic patch. - Apply compiled patches WITHOUT `--fix` first — geometry is browser-measured, so look at the render before repairing; run `fix` only if the render shows a real problem. - NEVER dismiss an overflow or `covered_by` flag on display-size text without zooming that exact shape: `render --slide N --crop l,t,w,h --scale 2`. Serif faces wrap differently in PowerPoint than in the browser — a clipped last line is invisible at thumbnail size, especially when it falls behind a picture. - Extra dependency: `pip install playwright && playwright install chromium`. ## Deck structure (subcommands, not patch ops) ```bash python scripts/deck.py deck.pptx slides 0,3,3,5 -o out.pptx # keep these, in this order; repeat = duplicate python scripts/deck.py deck.pptx merge module.pptx --slides 0,2 --at 12 -o out.pptx python scripts/deck.py deck.pptx merge --list-layouts # choose a layout for imported slides ``` ## Building a deck from a template (the human workflow) 1. `slides` the template down to the target slide sequence (duplicating repeated layouts). 2. `merge` in any reusable modules. 3. One `replace-text` patch for global renames (scope `master` catches footers). 4. Per-slide patches: `inspect --slide N` for shape ids, then `set-text` / `swap-image` only what you name — nothing else is touched. 5. `apply --fix --render img/` and look at every touched slide. ## Verification - `render -o img/ --slide 3,7` — JPGs named `slide-<index>.jpg`; `--crop l,t,w,h --scale 2` zooms a region (inches, same coordinates as inspect). Hidden slides render only when explicitly listed. - `diff other.pptx` — text/geometry/media/notes changelog without rendering. - Thumbnail grids for whole-deck review: `python scripts/thumbnail.py deck.pptx --cols 4` (optional second arg = output filename prefix). ### Reviewing more than a slide or two — fan out, don't accumulate Rendered images and full `inspect` dumps are the heaviest things you put in context, and they never leave it: one agent that builds the deck and then reviews every slide re-reads every image and dump it has ever seen on every later turn, so cost grows with the square of the work. The fix is context discipline, not fewer checks. **When more than a slide or two needs visual review, AND you have a sub-agent / Task tool available, fan the review out — one sub-agent per slide (or per small batch):** - Give each sub-agent a **fresh, minimal context**: the deck path + that one slide's render + its `inspect --slide N`. NOT your build history, the other slides, or their renders. This is the whole point — each review context stays small, and they run in parallel. - Each sub-agent returns a **verdict only** — `pass`, or the specific defects with shape ids and the `fix`/patch ops to apply. It does not hand the image back to you. - You apply the fixes from the verdicts, then (if needed) fan out one more round on only the slides that changed. **Even during the build, don't hoard renders in your own thread.** Look at a render, act on it, and move on — don't carry a growing pile of slide JPGs forward. If you're visually checking many slides, delegate the looking so the images live in the sub-agents' contexts, not yours. No sub-agent tool available? Render and review in small batches and drop earlier slides' images from context once you've judged them — same principle, manual. ## Escape hatch When no op expresses the change (animations, exotic effects): ```bash python scripts/deck.py deck.pptx xml get --slide 5 -o slide5.xml # pretty-printed, editable python scripts/deck.py deck.pptx xml set slide5.xml --slide 5 -o out.pptx # parse-checked, lint-checked ``` Out of scope by design (use the escape hatch or PowerPoint itself): creating native charts, shape animations (slide transitions ARE covered — `set-slide` `"transition"`; verify them with `inspect`/`diff`, since renders are static), embedded video/OLE, merged table cells. ## Dependencies - Python 3.9+ with `python-pptx` and `Pillow` (`pip install python-pptx Pillow`) - For `render` and thumbnails: LibreOffice (`soffice`) and Poppler (`pdftoppm`)