Slides

Overview

Use PptxGenJS for slide authoring. Do not use python-pptx for deck generation unless the task is inspection-only; keep editable output in JavaScript and deliver both the .pptx and the source .js.

Keep work in a task-local directory. Only copy final artifacts to the requested destination after rendering and validation pass.

Bundled Resources

• scripts/render_slides.py: Rasterize a .pptx or .pdf to per-slide PNGs.
• scripts/slides_test.py: Detect content that overflows the slide canvas.
• scripts/create_montage.py: Build a contact-sheet style montage of rendered slides.
• scripts/detect_font.py: Report missing or substituted fonts as LibreOffice resolves them.

Workflow

1. Inspect the request and determine whether you are creating a new deck, recreating an existing deck, or editing one.
2. Set the slide size up front. Default to 16:9 (LAYOUT_WIDE) unless the source material clearly uses another aspect ratio.
3. Build the deck in JavaScript with PptxGenJS, an explicit theme font, stable spacing, and editable PowerPoint-native elements when practical.
4. Run the bundled scripts from this skill directory or copy the needed ones into the task workspace. Render the result with render_slides.py, review the PNGs, and fix layout issues before delivery.
5. Run slides_test.py for overflow checks when slide edges are tight or the deck is dense.
6. Deliver the .pptx, the authoring .js, and any generated assets that are required to rebuild the deck.

Authoring Rules

• Set theme fonts explicitly. Do not rely on PowerPoint defaults if typography matters.
• Size text boxes deliberately and verify by rendering; do not rely on PptxGenJS fit or autoFit for final layout.
• Use bullet options, not literal • characters.
• Use explicit crop/contain calculations when placing images so aspect ratio and framing are intentional.
• Prefer native PowerPoint charts for simple bar/line/pie/histogram style visuals so reviewers can edit them later.
• For charts or diagrams that PptxGenJS cannot express well, render SVG externally and place the SVG in the slide.
• Fix all unintentional overlap and out-of-bounds issues before delivering. If an overlap is intentional, leave a short code comment near the relevant element.

Recreate Or Edit Existing Slides

• Render the source deck or reference PDF first so you can compare slide geometry visually.
• Match the original aspect ratio before rebuilding layout.
• Preserve editability where possible: text should stay text, and simple charts should stay native charts.

Validation Commands

Examples below assume you copied the needed scripts into the working directory. If not, invoke the same script paths relative to this skill folder.

# Render slides to PNGs for review
python3 scripts/render_slides.py deck.pptx --output_dir rendered

# Build a montage for quick scanning
python3 scripts/create_montage.py --input_dir rendered --output_file montage.png

# Check for overflow beyond the original slide canvas
python3 scripts/slides_test.py deck.pptx

# Detect missing or substituted fonts
python3 scripts/detect_font.py deck.pptx --json