Features and Capabilities

Aspose.Slides FOSS for Python provides a broad set of capabilities for working with PowerPoint .pptx files programmatically. This page lists all supported feature areas with representative code examples.

Presentation I/O

Open an existing .pptx file or create a new one, then save back to PPTX format.

import aspose.slides_foss as slides
from aspose.slides_foss.export import SaveFormat

# Open an existing presentation
with slides.Presentation("input.pptx") as prs:
    print(f"Slide count: {len(prs.slides)}")
    prs.save("output.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

# Create a blank presentation from scratch (starts with one empty slide)
with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    prs.save("new.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Note: PPTX is the only supported save format in this FOSS edition. The save call serializes the full presentation object graph to the OOXML container.

Unknown XML parts in the source file are preserved verbatim on save, so opening and re-saving a .pptx will never strip content the library does not yet understand.

Slides Management

Use prs.slides to add empty slides with add_empty_slide(), remove existing ones, or check the total slide count:

import aspose.slides_foss as slides
from aspose.slides_foss.export import SaveFormat

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    # Access the first slide
    slide = prs.slides[0]

    # Add an additional blank slide at the end
    prs.slides.add_empty_slide(prs.layout_slides[0])

    print(f"Total slides: {len(prs.slides)}")
    prs.save("multi-slide.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Shapes

Add AutoShapes, PictureFrames, Tables, and Connectors to a slide.

AutoShapes

Call slide.shapes.add_auto_shape() with a ShapeType, position, and size, then call add_text_frame() to set the text content:

import aspose.slides_foss as slides
from aspose.slides_foss import ShapeType
from aspose.slides_foss.export import SaveFormat

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    slide = prs.slides[0]
    # Add a rectangle at (x=50, y=50) with width=300, height=100
    shape = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 50, 50, 300, 100)
    shape.add_text_frame("Aspose.Slides FOSS")
    prs.save("shapes.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Tables

Use slide.shapes.add_table() with column widths and row heights, then access cells via table.rows[row][col]:

import aspose.slides_foss as slides
from aspose.slides_foss.export import SaveFormat

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    slide = prs.slides[0]
    # Column widths and row heights in points
    col_widths = [120.0, 120.0, 120.0]
    row_heights = [40.0, 40.0, 40.0]
    table = slide.shapes.add_table(50, 50, col_widths, row_heights)
    table.rows[0][0].text_frame.text = "Product"
    table.rows[0][1].text_frame.text = "Quantity"
    table.rows[0][2].text_frame.text = "Price"
    prs.save("table.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Connectors

Call slide.shapes.add_connector() and set start_shape_connected_to and end_shape_connected_to to link two shapes with a connector line:

import aspose.slides_foss as slides
from aspose.slides_foss import ShapeType
from aspose.slides_foss.export import SaveFormat

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    slide = prs.slides[0]
    box1 = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 50, 100, 150, 60)
    box2 = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 350, 100, 150, 60)
    conn = slide.shapes.add_connector(ShapeType.BENT_CONNECTOR3, 0, 0, 10, 10)
    conn.start_shape_connected_to = box1
    conn.start_shape_connection_site_index = 3  # right side
    conn.end_shape_connected_to = box2
    conn.end_shape_connection_site_index = 1    # left side
    prs.save("connector.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Text Formatting

Access portion_format on each Portion to set font height, bold, italic, and fill color at the character level:

import aspose.slides_foss as slides
from aspose.slides_foss import ShapeType, NullableBool, FillType
from aspose.slides_foss.drawing import Color
from aspose.slides_foss.export import SaveFormat

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    slide = prs.slides[0]
    shape = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 50, 50, 500, 150)
    tf = shape.add_text_frame("Bold blue heading")

    fmt = tf.paragraphs[0].portions[0].portion_format
    fmt.font_height = 28
    fmt.font_bold = NullableBool.TRUE
    fmt.fill_format.fill_type = FillType.SOLID
    fmt.fill_format.solid_fill_color.color = Color.from_argb(255, 0, 70, 127)

    prs.save("text.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

NullableBool.TRUE sets the property explicitly; NullableBool.NOT_DEFINED inherits from the slide master.

Fill Types

Set shape.fill_format.fill_type to FillType.SOLID and configure the fill color via solid_fill_color.color using an ARGB value:

import aspose.slides_foss as slides
from aspose.slides_foss import ShapeType, FillType
from aspose.slides_foss.drawing import Color
from aspose.slides_foss.export import SaveFormat

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    slide = prs.slides[0]
    shape = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 50, 50, 300, 150)

    # Solid fill
    shape.fill_format.fill_type = FillType.SOLID
    shape.fill_format.solid_fill_color.color = Color.from_argb(255, 30, 120, 200)

    prs.save("fill.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Visual Effects

Apply outer shadow, glow, soft edge, blur, reflection, and inner shadow to shapes.

The effect properties are accessible through shape.effect_format. Set outer_shadow_effect, glow_effect, soft_edge_effect, blur_effect, reflection_effect, or inner_shadow_effect to configure each independently.

3D Formatting

Apply 3D bevel, camera, light rig, material, and extrusion depth via shape.three_d_format. This controls the visual depth and lighting model for shape rendering in PPTX viewers that support 3D effects.

Speaker Notes

Access notes_slide_manager on any slide and call add_notes_slide() to create a notes page, then set the notes text directly:

import aspose.slides_foss as slides
from aspose.slides_foss.export import SaveFormat

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    notes = prs.slides[0].notes_slide_manager.add_notes_slide()
    notes.notes_text_frame.text = "Key talking point: emphasize the ROI benefit."
    prs.save("notes.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Comments

Create a comment author with prs.comment_authors.add_author(), then call author.comments.add_comment() with the slide and position coordinates:

import aspose.slides_foss as slides
from aspose.slides_foss.drawing import PointF
from aspose.slides_foss.export import SaveFormat
from datetime import datetime

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    author = prs.comment_authors.add_author("Jane Smith", "JS")
    slide = prs.slides[0]
    author.comments.add_comment(
        "Please verify this data before the presentation.",
        slide,
        PointF(2.0, 2.0),
        datetime.now()
    )
    prs.save("comments.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Embedded Images

Embed an image from a file path into the presentation and add it to a slide as a PictureFrame.

import aspose.slides_foss as slides
from aspose.slides_foss.export import SaveFormat

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    with open("logo.png", "rb") as f:
        image_data = f.read()
    image = prs.images.add_image(image_data)
    slide = prs.slides[0]
    slide.shapes.add_picture_frame(
        slides.ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 50, 50, 200, 150, image
    )
    prs.save("with-image.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Document Properties

Access prs.document_properties to read or write standard properties such as title, author, and subject, plus custom key-value pairs:

import aspose.slides_foss as slides
from aspose.slides_foss.export import SaveFormat

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    props = prs.document_properties

    # Core properties
    props.title = "Q1 Results"
    props.author = "Finance Team"
    props.subject = "Quarterly Review"
    props.keywords = "Q1, finance, results"

    # Custom property
    props.set_custom_property_value("ReviewedBy", "Legal Team")

    prs.save("deck.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Known Limitations

The following areas raise NotImplementedError and are not available in this edition:

Area	Status
Charts	Not implemented
SmartArt	Not implemented
Animations and transitions	Not implemented
PDF / HTML / SVG / image export	Not implemented (PPTX only)
VBA macros	Not implemented
Digital signatures	Not implemented
Hyperlinks and action settings	Not implemented
OLE objects	Not implemented
Mathematical text	Not implemented

Features and Capabilities