Aspose.Slides FOSS
Python
Getting Started
Installation

Installation

Installation of Aspose.Slides FOSS for Python

Aspose.Slides FOSS for Python is distributed as a pure-Python package on PyPI. Its only external dependency is lxml, which pip installs automatically: no native extensions to compile, no system libraries to install, and no Microsoft Office or other proprietary runtime required.

Prerequisites

RequirementDetail
Python version3.10 or later
Package managerpip (bundled with CPython)
Operating systemWindows, macOS, Linux (any platform that runs CPython)
Compiler / build toolsNone required
Automatic dependencylxml (installed by pip automatically)

1. Install via pip (Recommended)

The simplest way to install Aspose.Slides FOSS is directly from PyPI:

pip install aspose-slides-foss

pip downloads and installs the package along with the lxml dependency. No post-install configuration is needed.

To install a pinned version for reproducible builds:

pip install aspose-slides-foss==26.3.0

2. Set Up a Virtual Environment (Recommended for Projects)

Using a virtual environment keeps the library isolated from other Python projects and avoids version conflicts.

Create and activate a virtual environment:

##Create the environment
python -m venv .venv

##Activate on Linux / macOS
source .venv/bin/activate

##Activate on Windows (Command Prompt)
.venv\Scripts\activate.bat

##Activate on Windows (PowerShell)
.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

Install the library inside the activated environment:

pip install aspose-slides-foss

Record dependencies for reproducibility:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

To recreate the environment on another machine:

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate   # or the Windows equivalent
pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Verify the Installation

After installing, verify that the library imports correctly and a Presentation can be created:

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

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    print("Aspose.Slides FOSS installed successfully")
    print(f"Slides in empty presentation: {len(prs.slides)}")

Expected output:

Aspose.Slides FOSS installed successfully
Slides in empty presentation: 1

You can also check the installed version with pip:

pip show aspose-slides-foss

This prints the version, author, and license (MIT).

Quick Start: Create a Presentation with a Shape

The following script creates a new presentation, adds a rectangle with text, and saves it as a .pptx file:

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

with slides.Presentation() as prs:
    slide = prs.slides[0]

    ##Add a rectangle shape and set its text
    shape = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 50, 50, 400, 150)
    shape.add_text_frame("Hello from Aspose.Slides FOSS!")

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

print("Saved hello.pptx")

Important: Always use Presentation as a context manager (with statement). This ensures proper cleanup of internal resources when the block exits.

Platform Notes

Windows, macOS, Linux: The library is identical on all platforms. There are no platform-specific code paths or binary extensions beyond lxml.

Docker / serverless: The library works inside slim Docker images (such as python:3.12-slim) with pip install aspose-slides-foss. No additional apt or yum packages are required unless lxml needs to compile from source (the PyPI wheel covers common architectures).

CI/CD: Add pip install aspose-slides-foss to your CI pipeline’s dependency step. No additional setup is required.

Conda: If your project uses Conda, install the library from PyPI inside a Conda environment:

conda create -n slides-env python=3.12
conda activate slides-env
pip install aspose-slides-foss

Additional Resources