creating-presentations

# PPTX Processing `.pptx` is a ZIP archive of XML and resources. Choose workflow by intent. ## Workflow Decision | Intent | Workflow | Reference | |--------|----------|-----------| | **Read text** | markitdown → markdown | [thumbnails-and-conversion.md](references/thumbnails-and-conversion.md) | | **Analyze layout / comments / theme** | unpack → raw XML | [thumbnails-and-conversion.md](references/thumbnails-and-conversion.md) | | **Create new from scratch** | html2pptx | [html2pptx.md](html2pptx.md) + [design-patterns.md](references/design-patterns.md) | | **Create using template** | rearrange + inventory + replace | [template-workflow.md](references/template-workflow.md) | | **Edit existing slides** | unpack → OOXML → pack | [ooxml.md](ooxml.md) | | **Visual review** | thumbnail grids | [thumbnails-and-conversion.md](references/thumbnails-and-conversion.md) | ## Iron Rules - **Color choice is design** — see [palettes.md](references/palettes.md), state your approach BEFORE code. - **Web-safe fonts only** — Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Georgia, Courier New, Verdana, Tahoma, Trebuchet MS, Impact. - **Layout matches content count** — 2 items → 2 columns; 3 → 3; never force. - **Validate visually** — always generate thumbnails after creation, inspect for cutoff/overlap/contrast. ## Create New (without template) — html2pptx 1. **MANDATORY — READ ENTIRE FILE**: `html2pptx.md`. NEVER set range limits. 2. Create HTML per slide (e.g., 720pt × 405pt for 16:9) - Use `<p>`, `<h1>`–`<h6>`, `<ul>`, `<ol>` - `class="placeholder"` for chart/table areas (gray bg for visibility) - **CRITICAL**: Rasterize gradients & icons as PNG via Sharp first, then reference in HTML - Use full-slide or two-column layout for charts/tables — never vertical stack 3. Run `scripts/html2pptx.js` to convert - `html2pptx()` per HTML file - Charts/tables via PptxGenJS API on placeholders - `pptx.writeFile()` to save 4. **Visual validation** — `python scripts/thumbnail.py output.pptx workspace/thumbnails --cols 4` - Inspect for: text cutoff, overlap, positioning, contrast - Adjust HTML margins/spacing/colors, regenerate, repeat ## Create with Template See [template-workflow.md](references/template-workflow.md) for full 7-step workflow (extract → inventory → outline → rearrange → inventory text → generate replacements → apply). ## Edit Existing Presentation 1. **MANDATORY — READ ENTIRE FILE**: `ooxml.md` (~500 lines). NEVER set range limits. 2. `python ooxml/scripts/unpack.py <file> <dir>` 3. Edit XML (primarily `ppt/slides/slide{N}.xml`) 4. **CRITICAL** — validate after each edit: `python ooxml/scripts/validate.py <dir> --original <file>` 5. `python ooxml/scripts/pack.py <dir> <file>` ## Code Style Concise code, no verbose names, no unnecessary print statements. ## Dependencies | Package | Install | Purpose | |---------|---------|---------| | markitdown | `pip install "markitdown[pptx]"` | Text extraction | | pptxgenjs | `npm i -g pptxgenjs` | Create via html2pptx | | playwright | `npm i -g playwright` | HTML rendering | | react-icons | `npm i -g react-icons react react-dom` | Icons | | sharp | `npm i -g sharp` | SVG rasterization | | LibreOffice | `apt install libreoffice` | PDF conversion | | Poppler | `apt install poppler-utils` | `pdftoppm` | | defusedxml | `pip install defusedxml` | Secure XML |