PowerPoint Generation Skill

Generate professional PowerPoint presentations programmatically using python-pptx library.

Overview

This skill enables creating PowerPoint presentations with:

•Multiple slide layouts (title, content, bullet points, images)
•Text formatting and styling
•Basic charts and tables
•Theme application
•File generation and delivery

Workflow Decision Tree

•Analyze Request → Identify slide count, content type, theme preference
•Determine Output Location → Use session workspace presentations directory with timestamp filename
•Prepare Configuration → Create JSON config with slide definitions
•Execute Generation → Run scripts/generate_ppt.py with configuration
•Return File Info → Include file_path, file_type, and caption in tool result
•Auto Send → System automatically sends .pptx file via channel

Core Operations

1. Create Basic Text Presentation

Use case: Simple presentation with title and bullet points

Steps:

•Create JSON config:

json

{
  "title": "Presentation Title",
  "slides": [
    {
      "layout": "title",
      "title": "Main Title",
      "subtitle": "Subtitle text"
    },
    {
      "layout": "content",
      "title": "Slide Title",
      "content": {
        "bullets": [
          "First point",
          "Second point",
          "Third point"
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

•Determine output path:

python

# Use file_manager utilities
from openclaw.agents.tools.file_manager import prepare_file_for_sending
output_path, filename = prepare_file_for_sending(
    workspace_dir=session.workspace_dir,
    file_category="presentations",
    title="Presentation Title"  # Extract from request
)
# Example output: /workspace/presentations/Presentation_Title_20260208_143022.pptx

•Execute generation:

bash

# Script automatically returns JSON with file info
python skills/powerpoint/scripts/generate_ppt.py \
  --config /path/to/config.json \
  --output {output_path}

# Output (automatically):
# {"file_path": "/full/path.pptx", "file_type": "document", "caption": "已生成演示文稿：Title"}

•System automatically handles file sending:

•Script returns JSON with file_path, file_type, caption
•Runtime detects file info and emits AGENT_FILE_GENERATED event
•Channel Manager sends file via Telegram/channel
•User receives .pptx file instantly

2. Create Presentation with Multiple Layouts

Supported layouts:

•title - Title slide (main title + subtitle)
•content - Content slide (title + bullet points or text)
•section - Section header slide
•blank - Blank slide for custom content

Example configuration:

json

{
  "title": "Project Overview",
  "author": "OpenClaw",
  "slides": [
    {
      "layout": "title",
      "title": "Project Overview",
      "subtitle": "2026 Q1 Report"
    },
    {
      "layout": "section",
      "title": "Executive Summary"
    },
    {
      "layout": "content",
      "title": "Key Findings",
      "content": {
        "bullets": [
          "Revenue increased 25%",
          "Customer satisfaction: 92%",
          "New product launch successful"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "layout": "content",
      "title": "Next Steps",
      "content": {
        "text": "We will focus on expanding our market presence and improving customer experience."
      }
    }
  ]
}

3. Apply Themes and Styling

Basic styling options:

•Font size adjustment
•Color schemes (via theme templates)
•Layout customization

Using default template: The skill includes assets/default_template.pptx which provides professional styling.

Custom themes: Place custom .pptx template files in assets/themes/ and reference them:

json

{
  "template": "assets/themes/corporate_blue.pptx",
  "slides": [...]
}

Script Reference

generate_ppt.py

Main PowerPoint generation script.

Arguments:

•--config PATH - JSON configuration file (required)
•--output PATH - Output .pptx file path (required)
•--template PATH - Template .pptx file (optional, uses default if not specified)

Returns:

•Exit code 0 on success
•Prints output file path to stdout
•Exit code 1 on error with error message to stderr

Example usage:

bash

python openclaw/skills/powerpoint/scripts/generate_ppt.py \
  --config /tmp/presentation_config.json \
  --output ~/.openclaw/workspace/presentations/my_presentation.pptx

add_slide.py

Helper script to add a single slide to an existing presentation.

Arguments:

•--pptx PATH - Existing presentation file
•--layout TYPE - Slide layout (title/content/section/blank)
•--title TEXT - Slide title
•--content JSON - Slide content as JSON

apply_theme.py

Helper script to apply a theme to an existing presentation.

Arguments:

•--pptx PATH - Presentation file to modify
•--theme PATH - Theme template file
•--output PATH - Output file path

Integration with Channels

After generating the presentation, use the Message tool to send:

python

# Agent will call this internally
message(
  channel="telegram",
  target="<chat_id>",
  media_url="/path/to/presentation.pptx",
  media_type="document",
  text="Here's your presentation!"
)

File Handling

•Generated files are saved to: ~/.openclaw/workspace/presentations/
•Temporary config files use: /tmp/openclaw_ppt_*.json
•Files are automatically cleaned up after sending

Examples

Example 1: Simple 3-Slide Presentation

User request: "Create a 3-slide presentation about Python programming"

Agent workflow:

•Create config with title slide, content slides
•Execute generate_ppt.py with configuration
•Save to workspace
•Send via Telegram

Example 2: Multi-Section Presentation

User request: "Create a presentation with introduction, 3 topics, and conclusion"

Agent workflow:

•
Create config with:
- •Title slide
- •Section slide for "Introduction"
- •3 content slides for topics
- •Section slide for "Conclusion"
•Execute generation
•Deliver file

Troubleshooting

Error: "python-pptx not installed"

•Solution: Install dependency: pip install python-pptx>=0.6.23

Error: "Template file not found"

•Solution: Ensure default_template.pptx exists in assets/ or specify custom template

Error: "Cannot send file via Telegram"

•Solution: Check that send_media supports local file paths
•Verify file size is under Telegram's limit (50MB for documents)

Resources

•scripts/generate_ppt.py - Main generation script with full implementation
•scripts/add_slide.py - Helper for adding individual slides
•scripts/apply_theme.py - Helper for theme application
•assets/default_template.pptx - Default professional template
•references/pptx_api_guide.md - python-pptx API reference and examples

Limitations

•No support for complex animations or transitions
•Charts are basic (bar, line, pie only)
•Images must be accessible file paths or URLs
•Maximum recommended slides: 50 (performance consideration)

Tips

•Keep slide content concise (5-7 bullets maximum per slide)
•Use section slides to organize long presentations
•Test with simple presentations first
•Generated files are typically 50-500KB depending on content

Important Implementation Notes

File Output and Auto-Sending (CRITICAL)

When generating PowerPoint files, always follow this workflow:

•

Use workspace presentations directory:

python

from openclaw.agents.tools.file_manager import prepare_file_for_sending
output_path, filename = prepare_file_for_sending(
    workspace_dir=session.workspace_dir,
    file_category="presentations",
    title="AI Introduction"  # Extract from user request
)
# Returns: /workspace/session-xxx/presentations/AI_Introduction_20260208_143022.pptx

•

Return file information in tool result:

python

# Your bash tool result MUST include these keys:
{
    "file_path": "/full/path/to/presentation.pptx",
    "file_type": "document",
    "caption": "已生成演示文稿：AI Introduction"
}

•
System automatically sends file:
- •Runtime detects file_path in tool result
- •Emits AGENT_FILE_GENERATED event
- •Channel Manager receives event
- •Sends .pptx file via Telegram/other channel
- •User receives file instantly

File Naming Convention

•Format: {sanitized_title}_{YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS}.pptx
•Title is sanitized: special chars removed, spaces → underscores
•
Examples:
- •AI_Introduction_20260208_143022.pptx
- •Q1_Report_20260208_150000.pptx
- •Python_Tutorial_20260208_120000.pptx

Workspace Structure

code

~/.openclaw/workspace/
└── session-{session_id}/
    ├── presentations/      # PowerPoint files
    │   ├── AI_Intro_20260208.pptx
    │   └── Report_20260208.pptx
    ├── documents/          # PDF, Word files
    └── images/             # Generated images