pptx

name: pptx description: Generate valid .pptx (PowerPoint) files that open without repair warnings in the latest Microsoft Office. Use when the user asks to create presentations, slide decks, PowerPoint files, or export content to PPTX format. Handles slide layout, text, images, tables, and OOXML compliance.

PPTX Generator

Generate valid .pptx files that open cleanly in Microsoft Office PowerPoint (latest version) with zero repair warnings.

Quick Start

User just asks:

"Create a PowerPoint presentation about X"
"Generate a slide deck for this project"
"Export these notes to PPTX"

Claude Code will:

1. Analyze the content / codebase / notes
2. Plan slide structure and layout
3. Generate OOXML-compliant XML parts
4. Package as a valid .pptx ZIP archive
5. Validate before saving

No prerequisites: Pure PowerShell — no python-pptx, no npm packages needed.

Critical Rules

1. sldMasterId MUST Be ≥ 2147483648

The OOXML spec ST_SlideMasterId defines minInclusive = 2147483648 (0x80000000).

<!-- ✅ CORRECT -->
<p:sldMasterId id="2147483648" r:id="rId1"/>

<!-- ❌ WRONG — triggers PowerPoint repair warning -->
<p:sldMasterId id="2147483647" r:id="rId1"/>

This is the #1 cause of "file is broken" warnings. python-pptx gets this wrong.

2. sldId Range: 256–2147483647

Every <p:sldId> must have id in range [256, 2147483647]. Start at 256 and increment.

<p:sldId id="256" r:id="rId2"/>
<p:sldId id="257" r:id="rId3"/>

3. sldSz Must Match Actual Dimensions

Do NOT mix type attribute with non-matching dimensions:

<!-- ✅ 16:9 widescreen -->
<p:sldSz cx="12192000" cy="6858000"/>

<!-- ✅ 4:3 standard -->
<p:sldSz cx="9144000" cy="6858000" type="screen4x3"/>

<!-- ❌ WRONG — 16:9 dimensions with 4:3 type -->
<p:sldSz cx="12192000" cy="6858000" type="screen4x3"/>

4. Namespace Ordering: xmlns:r Before xmlns:p

PowerPoint expects xmlns:r declared before xmlns:p in slide XML:

<!-- ✅ CORRECT order -->
<p:sld xmlns:a="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/drawingml/2006/main"
       xmlns:r="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/officeDocument/2006/relationships"
       xmlns:p="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/presentationml/2006/main">

<!-- ❌ Avoid: xmlns:p before xmlns:r -->

5. Every Empty Paragraph Needs <a:endParaRPr/>

PowerPoint adds <a:endParaRPr/> to all paragraphs that don't end with a text run:

<!-- ✅ CORRECT -->
<a:p><a:pPr algn="ctr"/><a:endParaRPr/></a:p>

<!-- ❌ Missing endParaRPr — PowerPoint will "repair" it -->
<a:p><a:pPr algn="ctr"/></a:p>

6. grpSpPr Must Have xfrm Children

Never use self-closing <p:grpSpPr/>. Always include the full transform:

<!-- ✅ CORRECT -->
<p:grpSpPr>
  <a:xfrm>
    <a:off x="0" y="0"/>
    <a:ext cx="0" cy="0"/>
    <a:chOff x="0" y="0"/>
    <a:chExt cx="0" cy="0"/>
  </a:xfrm>
</p:grpSpPr>

7. No smtClean Attribute in Generated Content

Do NOT add smtClean="0" to <a:rPr> elements — PowerPoint removes most of them during repair.

8. UTF-8 Without BOM

All XML files must be UTF-8 encoded without BOM (Byte Order Mark). Use:

$utf8NoBom = New-Object System.Text.UTF8Encoding($false)
[System.IO.File]::WriteAllText($path, $content, $utf8NoBom)

9. ZIP Entry Paths Use Forward Slashes

When creating the .pptx ZIP archive, entry names must use / not \:

$entryName = $relativePath.Replace('\', '/')

10. Do NOT Include printerSettings

The printerSettings1.bin is a binary blob that causes issues across platforms. Omit it entirely — PowerPoint regenerates it on first print.

11. tableStyles.xml Uses DrawingML Namespace

The tableStyles.xml root element is a:tblStyleLst in the DrawingML namespace, NOT p:tblStyleLst:

<!-- ✅ CORRECT — DrawingML namespace -->
<a:tblStyleLst xmlns:a="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/drawingml/2006/main" def="{5C22544A-7EE6-4342-B048-85BDC9FD1C3A}"/>

<!-- ❌ WRONG — PresentationML namespace triggers repair warning -->
<p:tblStyleLst xmlns:p="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/presentationml/2006/main" def="{...}"/>

Despite the Content-Type being presentationml.tableStyles+xml, the XML element uses the DrawingML schema (CT_TableStyleList).

12. theme1.xml Must Have objectDefaults and extraClrSchemeLst

PowerPoint expects these elements after </a:themeElements>, even though the OOXML spec marks them as optional:

<!-- ✅ CORRECT -->
  </a:themeElements>
  <a:objectDefaults/>
  <a:extraClrSchemeLst/>
</a:theme>

<!-- ❌ WRONG — omitting these triggers repair warning -->
  </a:themeElements>
</a:theme>

13. Table Style Reference: Use tableStyleId, Not tblStyle

Inside <a:tblPr>, reference the table style GUID with <a:tableStyleId>:

<!-- ✅ CORRECT -->
<a:tblPr firstRow="1" bandRow="1">
  <a:tableStyleId>{5C22544A-7EE6-4342-B048-85BDC9FD1C3A}</a:tableStyleId>
</a:tblPr>

<!-- ❌ WRONG — <a:tblStyle> does not exist in OOXML spec -->
<a:tblPr firstRow="1" bandRow="1">
  <a:tblStyle val="{5C22544A-7EE6-4342-B048-85BDC9FD1C3A}"/>
</a:tblPr>

Slide Sizes (EMU Values)

All coordinates in OOXML use EMU (English Metric Units): 1 inch = 914400 EMU.

Workflow

Step 1: Plan Content

Organize content into slides:

• Title slide — project name, subtitle, date
• Section dividers — chapter headers with numbering
• Content slides — text, bullet points, tables, images
• Closing slide — summary, Q&A, contact info

Step 2: Generate Package Structure

Create the OOXML package parts. See references/package-structure.md for the full file layout.

Step 3: Write XML Parts

Generate each XML file. See references/xml-templates.md for templates of every required file.

Step 4: Add Slides

For each slide, create:

1. ppt/slides/slideN.xml — slide content
2. ppt/slides/_rels/slideN.xml.rels — relationship to slideLayout

See references/slide-types.md for layout patterns (title, content, section divider, image, table).

Step 5: Validate

Run the validation checklist before packaging. See references/validation.md.

Step 6: Package as ZIP

Assemble the .pptx file using System.IO.Compression:

$stream = [System.IO.File]::Create($outputPath)
$zip = New-Object System.IO.Compression.ZipArchive($stream, 'Create')
# ... add entries with forward-slash paths ...
$zip.Dispose(); $stream.Close()

Color Palettes

Professional Dark Theme (recommended)

Light Theme

Quick Validation Checklist

Before writing file:

• sldMasterId ≥ 2147483648
• All sldId values in range [256, 2147483647]
• sldSz type matches actual cx/cy dimensions
• No self-closing <p:grpSpPr/>
• All empty paragraphs have <a:endParaRPr/>
• No smtClean attributes in generated content
• All XML files are UTF-8 without BOM
• ZIP entries use forward slashes
• [Content_Types].xml lists every slide, layout, and master
• presentation.xml.rels has relationship for every slide
• No orphan printerSettings references
• app.xml <Slides> count matches actual slide count
• tableStyles.xml uses a:tblStyleLst (DrawingML), NOT p:tblStyleLst
• theme1.xml has <a:objectDefaults/> and <a:extraClrSchemeLst/>
• Table slides use <a:tableStyleId>, NOT <a:tblStyle>

Full validation: See references/validation.md

Common Issues

Reference Files

Output

• Location: Same directory as source content, or user-specified
• Filename: Descriptive, e.g., project-overview.pptx
• Testing: Open in Microsoft PowerPoint — should show NO repair dialog