Create/edit .pptx presentations with charts, templates, and speaker notes. Use when asked for pitch decks, QBR decks, or slide automation.
This skill enables creation and editing of PowerPoint presentations programmatically. Claude should apply these patterns when users need to generate pitch decks, reports, training materials, or automate presentation workflows.
Modern Best Practices (Jan 2026):
| Task | Tool/Library | Language | When to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create PPTX | python-pptx | Python | Presentations, slide decks |
| Create PPTX | PptxGenJS |
| Node.js |
| Server-side generation |
| Template-driven | PPTX-Automizer | Node.js | Corporate branding, template injection |
| Templates | python-pptx | Python | Master slides, themes |
| Charts | python-pptx | Python | Data visualizations |
| Extract content | python-pptx | Python | Parse existing decks |
Selection guide
from pptx import Presentation
prs = Presentation()
# Title slide
title_layout = prs.slide_layouts[0] # Title Slide layout
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(title_layout)
title = slide.shapes.title
subtitle = slide.placeholders[1]
title.text = "Q4 2025 Business Review"
subtitle.text = "Presented by Product Team"
# Content slide with bullets
bullet_layout = prs.slide_layouts[1] # Title and Content
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(bullet_layout)
slide.shapes.title.text = "Key Highlights"
body = slide.placeholders[1]
tf = body.text_frame
tf.text = "Revenue grew 25% YoY"
p = tf.add_paragraph()
p.text = "Customer base expanded to 10,000+"
p.level = 0
p = tf.add_paragraph()
p.text = "New enterprise tier launched"
p.level = 1 # Indented bullet
# Add speaker notes
notes_slide = slide.notes_slide
notes_slide.notes_text_frame.text = "Emphasize the enterprise growth story here."
prs.save('presentation.pptx')
import pptxgen from 'pptxgenjs';
async function main() {
const pptx = new pptxgen();
pptx.author = 'Product Team';
pptx.title = 'Q4 Business Review';
// Title slide
let slide = pptx.addSlide();
slide.addText('Q4 2025 Business Review', {
x: 1, y: 2, w: '80%',
fontSize: 36, bold: true, color: '363636',
align: 'center',
});
slide.addText('Presented by Product Team', {
x: 1, y: 3.5, w: '80%',
fontSize: 18, color: '666666',
align: 'center',
});
// Content slide with bullets
slide = pptx.addSlide();
slide.addText('Key Highlights', {
x: 0.5, y: 0.5, w: '90%',
fontSize: 28, bold: true,
});
slide.addText([
{ text: 'Revenue grew 25% YoY', options: { bullet: true } },
{ text: 'Customer base expanded to 10,000+', options: { bullet: true } },
{ text: 'New enterprise tier launched', options: { bullet: true, indentLevel: 1 } },
], { x: 0.5, y: 1.5, w: '90%', fontSize: 18 });
// Add chart
slide = pptx.addSlide();
slide.addChart(pptx.ChartType.bar, [
{ name: 'Sales', labels: ['Q1', 'Q2', 'Q3', 'Q4'], values: [100, 150, 180, 225] },
], { x: 1, y: 1.5, w: 8, h: 4 });
await pptx.writeFile({ fileName: 'presentation.pptx' });
}
main();
from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.util import Inches
from pptx.chart.data import CategoryChartData
from pptx.enum.chart import XL_CHART_TYPE
prs = Presentation()
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[6]) # Blank
# Chart data
chart_data = CategoryChartData()
chart_data.categories = ['Q1', 'Q2', 'Q3', 'Q4']
chart_data.add_series('Revenue', (100, 150, 180, 225))
chart_data.add_series('Expenses', (80, 90, 100, 110))
# Add chart
x, y, cx, cy = Inches(1), Inches(1.5), Inches(8), Inches(5)
chart = slide.shapes.add_chart(
XL_CHART_TYPE.COLUMN_CLUSTERED,
x, y, cx, cy,
chart_data
).chart
chart.has_legend = True
chart.legend.include_in_layout = False
prs.save('charts.pptx')
from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.util import Inches
prs = Presentation()
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[6]) # Blank
# Add image
slide.shapes.add_picture('logo.png', Inches(0.5), Inches(0.5), width=Inches(2))
# Add table
rows, cols = 4, 3
table = slide.shapes.add_table(rows, cols, Inches(1), Inches(2), Inches(8), Inches(3)).table
# Set column headers
table.cell(0, 0).text = 'Product'
table.cell(0, 1).text = 'Sales'
table.cell(0, 2).text = 'Growth'
# Fill data
data = [
('Widget A', '$1.2M', '+25%'),
('Widget B', '$800K', '+15%'),
('Widget C', '$500K', '+40%'),
]
for row_idx, (product, sales, growth) in enumerate(data, 1):
table.cell(row_idx, 0).text = product
table.cell(row_idx, 1).text = sales
table.cell(row_idx, 2).text = growth
prs.save('images_and_tables.pptx')
from pptx import Presentation
prs = Presentation('existing.pptx')
for slide_num, slide in enumerate(prs.slides, 1):
print(f"\n--- Slide {slide_num} ---")
for shape in slide.shapes:
if shape.has_text_frame:
for paragraph in shape.text_frame.paragraphs:
print(paragraph.text)
if shape.has_table:
table = shape.table
for row in table.rows:
row_text = [cell.text for cell in row.cells]
print(row_text)
| Layout Index | Name | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Title Slide | Opening, section dividers |
| 1 | Title and Content | Standard bullet slides |
| 2 | Section Header | Section transitions |
| 3 | Two Content | Side-by-side comparison |
| 4 | Comparison | Pros/cons, before/after |
| 5 | Title Only | Custom content placement |
| 6 | Blank | Full creative control |
| 7 | Content with Caption | Image + description |
PITCH DECK STRUCTURE
1. Title (company, tagline)
2. Problem (pain point)
3. Solution (your product)
4. Market Size (TAM/SAM/SOM)
5. Business Model (how you make money)
6. Traction (metrics, growth)
7. Team (founders, advisors)
8. Competition (landscape)
9. Financials (projections)
10. Ask (funding, next steps)
QUARTERLY REVIEW STRUCTURE
1. Title + Agenda
2. Executive Summary (KPIs dashboard)
3. Revenue & Growth
4. Product Updates
5. Customer Highlights
6. Challenges & Learnings
7. Next Quarter Goals
8. Q&A
Use only when explicitly requested and policy-compliant.
Resources
Templates
Related Skills