Aspose.Slides FOSS
Python
Developer Guide
Comments and Notes

Working with Comments and Speaker Notes — Aspose.Slides FOSS for Python

This guide shows how to add and read threaded comments and speaker notes in PPTX presentations using Aspose.Slides FOSS for Python. Two annotation types are supported: threaded slide comments (visible in review mode) and speaker notes (visible in Presenter View and the Notes pane).

Threaded Comments

Comments are attached to a slide and associated with an author. The prs.comment_authors collection manages all authors; each author has a comments collection for adding and reading comments.

Add a Comment

Call prs.comment_authors.add_author() to create an author, then call author.comments.add_comment() with the slide, text, position, and timestamp:

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

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    # Create a comment author with initials
    author = prs.comment_authors.add_author("Jane Smith", "JS")

    slide = prs.slides[0]

    # Add a comment at position (2.0, 2.0) inches from the slide top-left
    author.comments.add_comment(
        "Please review the figures on this slide",
        slide,
        PointF(2.0, 2.0),
        datetime.now()
    )

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

The PointF position is in inches from the top-left corner of the slide. Multiple comments can be added to the same slide by calling add_comment() again.

The Presentation API surface has changed in the current source model; review its reference page before relying on older member details.

Multiple Authors and Comments

Create separate authors for each reviewer and add independent comments from different authors to the same slide:

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

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    author1 = prs.comment_authors.add_author("Alice Brown", "AB")
    author2 = prs.comment_authors.add_author("Bob Davis", "BD")

    slide = prs.slides[0]

    author1.comments.add_comment("Initial draft", slide, PointF(1.0, 1.0), datetime.now())
    author2.comments.add_comment("Approved", slide, PointF(3.0, 1.0), datetime.now())

    prs.save("multi-author.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Read Comments from an Existing File

Iterate prs.comment_authors to access each author, then iterate author.comments to read the comment text and slide reference:

import aspose.slides_foss as slides

with slides.Presentation("commented.pptx") as prs:
    for author in prs.comment_authors:
        print(f"Author: {author.name} ({author.initials})")
        for comment in author.comments:
            print(f"  [{comment.slide.slide_number}] {comment.text}")

Speaker Notes

Speaker notes are stored on a per-slide basis via a NotesSlide object. Access it through slide.notes_slide_manager.

Add Speaker Notes to a Slide

Call slide.notes_slide_manager.add_notes_slide() to create a notes slide, then set the text on notes.notes_text_frame:

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

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    slide = prs.slides[0]
    slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(slides.ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 50, 50, 400, 200)

    # Create the notes slide and set text
    notes = slide.notes_slide_manager.add_notes_slide()
    notes.notes_text_frame.text = "Mention the Q3 revenue increase on this slide. Emphasize the 24% growth."

    prs.save("with-notes.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

Simpler Notes Example

The call to add_notes_slide() works the same regardless of what shapes are on the slide — add a shape, then create the notes:

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

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    slide = prs.slides[0]
    slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 100, 100, 500, 250).add_text_frame("Main Content")

    notes = slide.notes_slide_manager.add_notes_slide()
    notes.notes_text_frame.text = "These are the speaker notes for this slide."

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

Check Whether a Notes Slide Already Exists

notes_slide_manager.notes_slide returns None if no notes slide has been created yet:

import aspose.slides_foss as slides

with slides.Presentation("existing.pptx") as prs:
    for i, slide in enumerate(prs.slides):
        existing_notes = slide.notes_slide_manager.notes_slide
        if existing_notes:
            text = existing_notes.notes_text_frame.text
            print(f"Slide {i + 1} notes: {text[:60]}...")
        else:
            print(f"Slide {i + 1}: no notes")

Add Notes to Multiple Slides

Iterate prs.slides and call add_notes_slide() on each slide to attach a speaker note from an array of prepared text strings:

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

note_texts = [
    "Opening remarks: introduce the agenda.",
    "Key metrics: emphasize Q4 results.",
    "Closing: call to action.",
]

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    # Add slides 2 and 3
    layout = prs.slides[0].layout_slide
    prs.slides.add_empty_slide(layout)
    prs.slides.add_empty_slide(layout)

    for i, slide in enumerate(prs.slides):
        slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 50, 50, 600, 300).add_text_frame(f"Slide {i + 1}")
        n = slide.notes_slide_manager.add_notes_slide()
        n.notes_text_frame.text = note_texts[i]

    prs.save("all-notes.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX)

See Also

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