From 9baa1df12cdac11ba974ddb619e619cf225f5096 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: SuperUser Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2026 09:40:38 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Add pptx editing guide --- pptx/editing.md | 205 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 205 insertions(+) create mode 100644 pptx/editing.md diff --git a/pptx/editing.md b/pptx/editing.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..52fe431 --- /dev/null +++ b/pptx/editing.md @@ -0,0 +1,205 @@ +# Editing Presentations + +## Template-Based Workflow + +When using an existing presentation as a template: + +1. **Analyze existing slides**: + ```bash + python scripts/thumbnail.py template.pptx + python -m markitdown template.pptx + ``` + Review `thumbnails.jpg` to see layouts, and markitdown output to see placeholder text. + +2. **Plan slide mapping**: For each content section, choose a template slide. + + ⚠️ **USE VARIED LAYOUTS** — monotonous presentations are a common failure mode. Don't default to basic title + bullet slides. Actively seek out: + - Multi-column layouts (2-column, 3-column) + - Image + text combinations + - Full-bleed images with text overlay + - Quote or callout slides + - Section dividers + - Stat/number callouts + - Icon grids or icon + text rows + + **Avoid:** Repeating the same text-heavy layout for every slide. + + Match content type to layout style (e.g., key points → bullet slide, team info → multi-column, testimonials → quote slide). + +3. **Unpack**: `python scripts/office/unpack.py template.pptx unpacked/` + +4. **Build presentation** (do this yourself, not with subagents): + - Delete unwanted slides (remove from ``) + - Duplicate slides you want to reuse (`add_slide.py`) + - Reorder slides in `` + - **Complete all structural changes before step 5** + +5. **Edit content**: Update text in each `slide{N}.xml`. + **Use subagents here if available** — slides are separate XML files, so subagents can edit in parallel. + +6. **Clean**: `python scripts/clean.py unpacked/` + +7. **Pack**: `python scripts/office/pack.py unpacked/ output.pptx --original template.pptx` + +--- + +## Scripts + +| Script | Purpose | +|--------|---------| +| `unpack.py` | Extract and pretty-print PPTX | +| `add_slide.py` | Duplicate slide or create from layout | +| `clean.py` | Remove orphaned files | +| `pack.py` | Repack with validation | +| `thumbnail.py` | Create visual grid of slides | + +### unpack.py + +```bash +python scripts/office/unpack.py input.pptx unpacked/ +``` + +Extracts PPTX, pretty-prints XML, escapes smart quotes. + +### add_slide.py + +```bash +python scripts/add_slide.py unpacked/ slide2.xml # Duplicate slide +python scripts/add_slide.py unpacked/ slideLayout2.xml # From layout +``` + +Prints `` to add to `` at desired position. + +### clean.py + +```bash +python scripts/clean.py unpacked/ +``` + +Removes slides not in ``, unreferenced media, orphaned rels. + +### pack.py + +```bash +python scripts/office/pack.py unpacked/ output.pptx --original input.pptx +``` + +Validates, repairs, condenses XML, re-encodes smart quotes. + +### thumbnail.py + +```bash +python scripts/thumbnail.py input.pptx [output_prefix] [--cols N] +``` + +Creates `thumbnails.jpg` with slide filenames as labels. Default 3 columns, max 12 per grid. + +**Use for template analysis only** (choosing layouts). For visual QA, use `soffice` + `pdftoppm` to create full-resolution individual slide images—see SKILL.md. + +--- + +## Slide Operations + +Slide order is in `ppt/presentation.xml` → ``. + +**Reorder**: Rearrange `` elements. + +**Delete**: Remove ``, then run `clean.py`. + +**Add**: Use `add_slide.py`. Never manually copy slide files—the script handles notes references, Content_Types.xml, and relationship IDs that manual copying misses. + +--- + +## Editing Content + +**Subagents:** If available, use them here (after completing step 4). Each slide is a separate XML file, so subagents can edit in parallel. In your prompt to subagents, include: +- The slide file path(s) to edit +- **"Use the Edit tool for all changes"** +- The formatting rules and common pitfalls below + +For each slide: +1. Read the slide's XML +2. Identify ALL placeholder content—text, images, charts, icons, captions +3. Replace each placeholder with final content + +**Use the Edit tool, not sed or Python scripts.** The Edit tool forces specificity about what to replace and where, yielding better reliability. + +### Formatting Rules + +- **Bold all headers, subheadings, and inline labels**: Use `b="1"` on ``. This includes: + - Slide titles + - Section headers within a slide + - Inline labels like (e.g.: "Status:", "Description:") at the start of a line +- **Never use unicode bullets (•)**: Use proper list formatting with `` or `` +- **Bullet consistency**: Let bullets inherit from the layout. Only specify `` or ``. + +--- + +## Common Pitfalls + +### Template Adaptation + +When source content has fewer items than the template: +- **Remove excess elements entirely** (images, shapes, text boxes), don't just clear text +- Check for orphaned visuals after clearing text content +- Run visual QA to catch mismatched counts + +When replacing text with different length content: +- **Shorter replacements**: Usually safe +- **Longer replacements**: May overflow or wrap unexpectedly +- Test with visual QA after text changes +- Consider truncating or splitting content to fit the template's design constraints + +**Template slots ≠ Source items**: If template has 4 team members but source has 3 users, delete the 4th member's entire group (image + text boxes), not just the text. + +### Multi-Item Content + +If source has multiple items (numbered lists, multiple sections), create separate `` elements for each — **never concatenate into one string**. + +**❌ WRONG** — all items in one paragraph: +```xml + + Step 1: Do the first thing. Step 2: Do the second thing. + +``` + +**✅ CORRECT** — separate paragraphs with bold headers: +```xml + + + Step 1 + + + + Do the first thing. + + + + Step 2 + + +``` + +Copy `` from the original paragraph to preserve line spacing. Use `b="1"` on headers. + +### Smart Quotes + +Handled automatically by unpack/pack. But the Edit tool converts smart quotes to ASCII. + +**When adding new text with quotes, use XML entities:** + +```xml +the “Agreement” +``` + +| Character | Name | Unicode | XML Entity | +|-----------|------|---------|------------| +| `"` | Left double quote | U+201C | `“` | +| `"` | Right double quote | U+201D | `”` | +| `'` | Left single quote | U+2018 | `‘` | +| `'` | Right single quote | U+2019 | `’` | + +### Other + +- **Whitespace**: Use `xml:space="preserve"` on `` with leading/trailing spaces +- **XML parsing**: Use `defusedxml.minidom`, not `xml.etree.ElementTree` (corrupts namespaces) \ No newline at end of file