Powerpoint Presentations

PowerPoint Presentations

Quick Reference

Design Ideas

Don't create boring slides. Plain bullets on a white background won't impress anyone.

Before Starting

• Pick a bold, content-informed color palette: The palette should feel designed for THIS topic.
• Dominance over equality: One color dominates (60-70% visual weight), with 1-2 supporting tones and one sharp accent. Never give all colors equal weight.
• Dark/light contrast: Dark backgrounds for title + conclusion slides, lighter tints for content slides. Or commit to dark throughout for a premium feel.
• Commit to a visual motif: Pick ONE distinctive element and repeat it — rounded image frames, icons in colored circles, thick single-side borders.

Color Palettes

Choose colors that match your topic — don't default to generic blue.

For Each Slide

Every slide needs a visual element — image, chart, icon, or shape. Text-only slides are forgettable.

Layout options:

• Two-column (text left, illustration right)
• Icon + text rows (icon in colored circle, bold header, description below)
• 2x2 or 2x3 grid (image one side, content blocks the other)
• Half-bleed image (full left or right) with content overlay

Data display:

• Large stat callouts (big numbers 60-72pt with small labels below)
• Comparison columns (before/after, pros/cons, side-by-side options)
• Timeline or process flow (numbered steps, arrows)

Visual polish:

• Icons in small colored circles next to section headers
• Italic accent text for key stats or taglines

Typography

Font pairings: Georgia + Calibri (classic), Arial Black + Arial (modern), Calibri Bold + Calibri Light (corporate). Left-align body text; center only titles and stats.

Spacing

• 0.5" minimum margins from edges
• 0.3-0.5" between content blocks
• 0.5"+ breathing room below titles

Avoid (Common Mistakes)

• Plain bullets on white background — always fill slides with a palette color
• Default PowerPoint blue (#4472C4) — signals "auto-generated"
• Don't repeat the same layout — vary columns, cards, and callouts across slides
• Don't center body text — left-align paragraphs; center only titles and stats
• Don't skimp on size contrast — titles need 36pt+ to stand out from 14-16pt body
• Don't mix spacing randomly — choose 0.3" or 0.5" gaps and use consistently
• Don't style one slide and leave the rest plain — commit fully or keep it simple throughout
• Don't create text-only slides — add shapes, icons, charts, or accent elements
• Don't forget text box padding — set margin: 0 when aligning text with shapes at same x-position
• Don't use low-contrast elements — text AND icons need strong contrast against background
• NEVER use accent lines under titles — use whitespace or background color instead
• Don't overcrowd slides — max 4 bullets; split to multiple slides or use 2x2/3-column grid

See design-guide.md for visual element code patterns (accent bars, icon circles, side stripes, cards).

---

Workflow

A. Create from scratch (no template)

1. Call get_slide_design_reference for palette and layout ideas 2. Call create_presentation with slides parameter (PptxGenJS). Read pptxgenjs.md for the full API.

B. Create from a template (user uploaded a .pptx template)

Do NOT use `create_presentation` — that ignores the template entirely and recreates from scratch.

Instead, use the template file as the base: 1. get_presentation_layouts("template-name") — see available layout names 2. preview_presentation_slides — inspect visual style (colors, logo, footer, chrome elements) 3. delete_slides("template-name", [indices of all content slides], "working-name") — strip example content, keep masters/layouts 4. add_slide("working-name", layout_name, position, "working-name-v2") — add slides using the template's own layouts (inherits background, logo, footer automatically) 5. update_slide_content(...) — fill in text and images

This preserves the template's slide master, theme, logo, footer, and background — things create_presentation cannot replicate.

C. Edit existing presentation

Read editing-guide.md for detailed workflows. Then: analyze_presentation → identify element IDs → update_slide_content.

Verify

Call preview_presentation_slides after any modification. Assume there are problems — inspect carefully.

When continuing a deck across conversation turns: Do NOT re-preview existing slides just to check the design system. The palette, fonts, and layout decisions from the previous turn are already in the conversation history — use that. Only re-preview if you need to verify the visual state after a modification.

Rules

• Batch all edits in ONE update_slide_content call. Parallel calls cause data loss.
• output_name must differ from presentation_name.
• All slide indices are 0-based EXCEPT preview_presentation_slides which uses 1-based slide_numbers.
• Filenames: letters, numbers, hyphens only.

---

QA (Required)

Assume there are problems. Your job is to find them.

Your first render is almost never perfect. Approach QA as a bug hunt, not a confirmation step.

Visual QA

Call preview_presentation_slides and visually inspect the screenshots. Look for:

• Overlapping elements (text through shapes, lines through words)
• Text overflow or cut off at edges
• Elements too close (< 0.3" gaps) or cards nearly touching
• Uneven gaps (large empty area in one place, cramped in another)
• Insufficient margin from slide edges (< 0.5")
• Columns or similar elements not aligned consistently
• Low-contrast text (light text on light background, dark text on dark background)
• Low-contrast icons without a contrasting background circle
• Text boxes too narrow causing excessive wrapping
• Inconsistent font sizes or styles across similar elements

Verification Loop

1. Generate → preview_presentation_slides → inspect screenshots 2. List issues found (if none found, look again more critically) 3. Fix with update_slide_content 4. Re-verify affected slides — one fix often creates another problem 5. Repeat until a full pass reveals no new issues

Do not declare success until you've completed at least one fix-and-verify cycle.

---

Tool Reference

get_slide_design_reference

Get design guidelines, color palettes, typography rules, and layout patterns.

create_presentation

Create a new presentation with custom-designed slides (16:9 widescreen).

Example tool_input:

{
  "presentation_name": "my-deck",
  "slides": [
    {"custom_code": "let slide = pres.addSlide();\nslide.background = { color: '1E2761' };\nslide.addText('Welcome', { x: 0.6, y: 2.5, w: 10, h: 1.5, fontSize: 44, bold: true, color: 'FFFFFF', align: 'center' });"}
  ]
}

IMPORTANT: custom_code uses pres in scope. Create slides with pres.addSlide(). Colors are 6-digit hex WITHOUT '#'. Do NOT reuse option objects across multiple addText/addShape calls. See pptxgenjs.md for full API.

analyze_presentation

Analyze structure with element IDs and positions for editing.

update_slide_content

Update one or more slides with operations in a single call.

Supported actions per operation: set_text, replace_text, replace_image. See editing-guide.md for details.

add_slide

Add a new blank slide at a specific position.

After adding, populate content with update_slide_content.

delete_slides

move_slide

duplicate_slide

update_slide_notes

list_my_powerpoint_presentations

List all presentations in workspace. No parameters needed.

get_presentation_layouts

Get available slide layouts from a presentation.

preview_presentation_slides

Get slide screenshots for visual inspection.

UI Guidance (from tools-config)

Creating New Presentations:

• Use get_slide_design_reference() first to get design guidelines and color palettes
• create_presentation slides format: [{"custom_code": "let slide = pres.addSlide(); slide.addText(...)"}]
• Each custom_code snippet has pres in scope; create slides with pres.addSlide()
• Color format: 6-digit hex WITHOUT '#' (e.g. '1E2761', not '#1E2761')

Editing Existing Presentations:

• Operations: set_text, replace_text, replace_image
• Batch all edits in 1 call (parallel calls = data loss)
• Output name must differ from source
• preview_presentation_slides first to check layout

Design Philosophy (MANDATORY for new presentations):

• CRITICAL: Choose ONE palette for the ENTIRE presentation. All slides must use the same primary and accent colors. Do NOT mix palettes across slides.
• Bold dominant background colors (60-70% slide coverage). NEVER use plain white backgrounds.
• Available palettes: Midnight Executive (#1E2761/#408EC6), Teal Trust (#0A1A2A/#028090), Forest & Moss (#2C5F2D/#97BC62), Berry & Cream (#ECE2D0/#6D2E46), Coral Energy (#1A1A2E/#FF6F61), Ocean Gradient (#065A82/#1B9AAA), Charcoal Minimal (#1C1C1E/#E8E8E8), Cherry Bold (#150E11/#990011), Sage Calm (#2D3A2D/#8FB96A)
• Dark slides for emphasis, lighter tints of the SAME palette for data slides.
• Every slide must have visual elements (shapes, accent bars, icon circles) — no text-only slides.

Typography:

• Titles: 36-44pt bold (Georgia or Arial Black). Body: 14-16pt (Calibri). Stats: 48-120pt bold.
• Font pairings: Georgia+Calibri (classic), Arial Black+Arial (modern), Calibri Bold+Calibri Light (corporate)
• Left-align body text. Center only titles and stats.

Spacing:

• 0.5"+ margins from edges. 0.3-0.5" gaps between elements. 0.5"+ breathing room below titles.

Anti-Patterns (AVOID):

• Plain bullets on white background
• Default PowerPoint blue (#4472C4)
• Accent lines directly under titles
• Text-only slides without visual elements
• More than 4 bullet points per slide

QA: Always use preview_presentation_slides after creation to verify appearance.

Rules:

• Names: letters, numbers, hyphens only
• Indices: 0-based

PowerPoint Design Guide

Visual patterns and detailed guidance for slide design. Load this when implementing slide visuals.

Using Palettes in Code (PptxGenJS)

// Example: Midnight Executive palette
// Colors are 6-digit hex WITHOUT '#'
const PRIMARY = "1E2761";
const ACCENT  = "FFFFFF";
const ICE     = "CADCFC";

let slide = pres.addSlide();

// Solid background
slide.background = { color: PRIMARY };

// Accent bar at bottom
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, {
  x: 0, y: 7.1, w: 13.3, h: 0.4,
  fill: { color: ACCENT }, line: { color: ACCENT }
});

// Title text
slide.addText("Slide Title", {
  x: 0.6, y: 0.4, w: 10, h: 1.0,
  fontSize: 40, bold: true, color: ACCENT,
  fontFace: "Georgia", margin: 0
});

Creating Lighter Tints

For data slides that need lighter backgrounds within the same palette:

// Slightly lighter than Midnight Executive primary for data slide background
const LIGHT_BG = "2A3578";  // Tint of 1E2761

slide.background = { color: LIGHT_BG };

---

Visual Element Patterns

Accent bar (bottom)

slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, {
  x: 0, y: 7.1, w: 13.3, h: 0.4,
  fill: { color: ACCENT }, line: { color: ACCENT }
});

Icon circle

// ICE (secondary) fill + dark PRIMARY text = legible on any slide background
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.OVAL, {
  x: 1.0, y: 2.0, w: 1.2, h: 1.2,
  fill: { color: ICE }, line: { color: ICE }
});
slide.addText("★", {
  x: 1.0, y: 2.0, w: 1.2, h: 1.2,
  fontSize: 28, color: PRIMARY, align: "center", valign: "middle"
});

Side stripe (left edge)

slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, {
  x: 0, y: 0, w: 0.4, h: 7.5,
  fill: { color: ACCENT }, line: { color: ACCENT }
});

Divider line

slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, {
  x: 1, y: 3.0, w: 11.3, h: 0.02,
  fill: { color: ACCENT }, line: { color: ACCENT }
});

Card with shadow

const makeShadow = () => ({ type: "outer", color: "000000", blur: 8, offset: 3, angle: 135, opacity: 0.15 });
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, {
  x: 1.0, y: 1.5, w: 5.0, h: 2.5,
  fill: { color: "FFFFFF" },
  shadow: makeShadow()
});

Always use a factory function for shadow objects — PptxGenJS mutates them in-place. See pptxgenjs.md.

Stat callout (large number)

slide.addText("87%", {
  x: 1, y: 1.5, w: 4, h: 2,
  fontSize: 80, bold: true, color: ACCENT,
  align: "center", valign: "middle"
});
slide.addText("Customer Satisfaction", {
  x: 1, y: 3.5, w: 4, h: 0.5,
  fontSize: 14, color: ACCENT, align: "center"
});

PowerPoint Editing Guide

Editing Existing Presentations

Step 1: Analyze Structure

Always call analyze_presentation first to get element IDs and positions.

{ "presentation_name": "my-deck", "slide_index": 0 }

The response includes:

• element_id: Unique identifier for each element (shape)
• text: Current text content
• position: Left, top, width, height in EMU (English Metric Units)
• placeholder_idx: Placeholder index (for template-based slides)

Step 2: Build Update Operations

update_slide_content accepts a list of slide_updates, each targeting a specific slide:

{
  "presentation_name": "my-deck",
  "output_name": "my-deck-v2",
  "slide_updates": [
    {
      "slide_index": 0,
      "operations": [
        {
          "action": "set_text",
          "element_id": 2,
          "text": "New Title"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Available Actions

EMU Unit Reference

1 inch = 914400 EMU. Common slide dimensions (16:9):

• Slide width: 12192000 EMU (13.333 inches)
• Slide height: 6858000 EMU (7.5 inches)

When editing actions aren't enough

If you need to add completely new visual elements or restructure a slide:

• Use create_presentation with PptxGenJS to build a new deck from scratch
• Use add_slide to append a blank slide, then set_text to populate existing placeholder shapes

Batch Editing Rules

• Always batch all slide updates into a single update_slide_content call.
• Multiple slides can be updated in one call by adding multiple entries to slide_updates.
• Never call update_slide_content multiple times in sequence on the same file — the second call would overwrite the first.
• The output_name must differ from presentation_name. Use a versioning convention like -v2, -v3.

Common Patterns

Replace all text on a slide

{
  "slide_updates": [
    {
      "slide_index": 0,
      "operations": [
        { "action": "set_text", "element_id": 2, "text": "Updated Title" },
        { "action": "set_text", "element_id": 3, "text": "Updated Subtitle" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Replace specific text (preserve formatting)

{
  "slide_updates": [
    {
      "slide_index": 1,
      "operations": [
        { "action": "replace_text", "element_id": 3, "old_text": "Q3", "new_text": "Q4" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

PptxGenJS Reference

The pres instance (PptxGenJS, LAYOUT_WIDE) is already in scope. Start with pres.addSlide().

Layout dimensions for LAYOUT_WIDE: 13.3" × 7.5"

Other layouts: LAYOUT_16x9 10"×5.625" · LAYOUT_16x10 10"×6.25" · LAYOUT_4x3 10"×7.5"

---

Text & Formatting

// Basic text
slide.addText("Simple Text", {
  x: 1, y: 1, w: 8, h: 2, fontSize: 24, fontFace: "Arial",
  color: "363636", bold: true, align: "center", valign: "middle"
});

// Character spacing (use charSpacing, not letterSpacing — letterSpacing is silently ignored)
slide.addText("SPACED TEXT", { x: 1, y: 1, w: 8, h: 1, charSpacing: 6 });

// Rich text arrays (partial formatting)
slide.addText([
  { text: "Bold ", options: { bold: true } },
  { text: "Italic ", options: { italic: true } }
], { x: 1, y: 3, w: 8, h: 1 });

// Multi-line text (requires breakLine: true between lines)
slide.addText([
  { text: "Line 1", options: { breakLine: true } },
  { text: "Line 2", options: { breakLine: true } },
  { text: "Line 3" }  // Last item doesn't need breakLine
], { x: 0.5, y: 0.5, w: 8, h: 2 });

// Text box margin (internal padding)
// Set margin: 0 when aligning text precisely with shapes/icons at the same x-position
slide.addText("Title", { x: 0.5, y: 0.3, w: 9, h: 0.6, margin: 0 });

---

Lists & Bullets

// ✅ CORRECT: Multiple bullets using array
slide.addText([
  { text: "First item", options: { bullet: true, breakLine: true } },
  { text: "Second item", options: { bullet: true, breakLine: true } },
  { text: "Third item", options: { bullet: true } }
], { x: 0.5, y: 0.5, w: 8, h: 3 });

// ❌ WRONG: Never use unicode bullet characters
slide.addText("• First item", { ... });  // Creates double bullets

// Sub-items and numbered lists
{ text: "Sub-item", options: { bullet: true, indentLevel: 1 } }
{ text: "First", options: { bullet: { type: "number" }, breakLine: true } }

---

Shapes

// Rectangle
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, {
  x: 0.5, y: 0.8, w: 1.5, h: 3.0,
  fill: { color: "1E2761" }, line: { color: "000000", width: 2 }
});

// Oval / circle
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.OVAL, { x: 4, y: 1, w: 2, h: 2, fill: { color: "408EC6" } });

// Line with dash
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.LINE, {
  x: 1, y: 3, w: 5, h: 0, line: { color: "408EC6", width: 3, dashType: "dash" }
});

// Transparency
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, {
  x: 1, y: 1, w: 3, h: 2,
  fill: { color: "0088CC", transparency: 50 }
});

// Rounded rectangle
// ⚠️ Don't pair with rectangular accent overlays — they won't cover rounded corners. Use RECTANGLE instead.
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.ROUNDED_RECTANGLE, {
  x: 1, y: 1, w: 3, h: 2,
  fill: { color: "FFFFFF" }, rectRadius: 0.1
});

// With shadow
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, {
  x: 1, y: 1, w: 3, h: 2,
  fill: { color: "FFFFFF" },
  shadow: { type: "outer", color: "000000", blur: 6, offset: 2, angle: 135, opacity: 0.15 }
});

Shadow options:

To cast a shadow upward (e.g. footer bar), use angle: 270 with positive offset — do not use negative offset.

Gradient fills are not natively supported. Use a gradient image as slide background instead.

---

Images

// From file path
slide.addImage({ path: "images/chart.png", x: 1, y: 1, w: 5, h: 3 });

// From URL
slide.addImage({ path: "https://example.com/image.jpg", x: 1, y: 1, w: 5, h: 3 });

// From base64 (faster, no file I/O)
slide.addImage({ data: "image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo...", x: 1, y: 1, w: 5, h: 3 });

// Options
slide.addImage({
  path: "image.png",
  x: 1, y: 1, w: 5, h: 3,
  rotate: 45,              // 0-359 degrees
  rounding: true,          // Circular crop
  transparency: 50,        // 0-100
  flipH: true,             // Horizontal flip
  altText: "Description"
});

// Sizing modes
{ sizing: { type: 'contain', w: 4, h: 3 } }   // Fit inside, preserve ratio
{ sizing: { type: 'cover', w: 4, h: 3 } }     // Fill area, preserve ratio (may crop)
{ sizing: { type: 'crop', x: 0.5, y: 0.5, w: 2, h: 2 } }  // Cut specific portion

Preserve aspect ratio:

const origWidth = 1978, origHeight = 923, maxHeight = 3.0;
const calcWidth = maxHeight * (origWidth / origHeight);
const centerX = (13.3 - calcWidth) / 2;  // LAYOUT_WIDE is 13.3" wide
slide.addImage({ path: "image.png", x: centerX, y: 1.2, w: calcWidth, h: maxHeight });

---

Slide Backgrounds

// Solid color
slide.background = { color: "1E2761" };

// Image
slide.background = { path: "https://example.com/bg.jpg" };
slide.background = { data: "image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo..." };

---

Tables

slide.addTable([
  ["Header 1", "Header 2"],
  ["Cell 1", "Cell 2"]
], {
  x: 1, y: 1, w: 8, h: 2,
  border: { pt: 1, color: "999999" }, fill: { color: "F1F1F1" }
});

// Advanced with merged cells and styled headers
let tableData = [
  [{ text: "Header", options: { fill: { color: "1E2761" }, color: "FFFFFF", bold: true } }, "Cell"],
  [{ text: "Merged", options: { colspan: 2 } }]
];
slide.addTable(tableData, { x: 1, y: 3.5, w: 8, colW: [4, 4] });

---

Charts

// Bar chart
slide.addChart(pres.charts.BAR, [{
  name: "Sales", labels: ["Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"], values: [4500, 5500, 6200, 7100]
}], { x: 0.5, y: 0.6, w: 6, h: 3, barDir: 'col', showTitle: true, title: 'Quarterly Sales' });

// Line chart
slide.addChart(pres.charts.LINE, [{
  name: "Trend", labels: ["Jan", "Feb", "Mar"], values: [32, 35, 42]
}], { x: 0.5, y: 4, w: 6, h: 3, lineSize: 3, lineSmooth: true });

// Pie chart
slide.addChart(pres.charts.PIE, [{
  name: "Share", labels: ["A", "B", "Other"], values: [35, 45, 20]
}], { x: 7, y: 1, w: 5, h: 4, showPercent: true });

Modern, clean chart styling — default charts look dated, apply these:

slide.addChart(pres.charts.BAR, chartData, {
  x: 0.5, y: 1, w: 9, h: 4, barDir: "col",

  chartColors: ["0D9488", "14B8A6", "5EEAD4"],  // Match your palette
  chartArea: { fill: { color: "FFFFFF" }, roundedCorners: true },

  catAxisLabelColor: "64748B",   // Muted axis labels
  valAxisLabelColor: "64748B",

  valGridLine: { color: "E2E8F0", size: 0.5 },  // Subtle grid (value only)
  catGridLine: { style: "none" },

  showValue: true,
  dataLabelPosition: "outEnd",
  dataLabelColor: "1E293B",

  showLegend: false,  // Hide for single series
});

Key chart options: chartColors, chartArea, catGridLine/valGridLine, lineSmooth, legendPos ("b"/"t"/"l"/"r"/"tr")

Available chart types: BAR, LINE, PIE, DOUGHNUT, SCATTER, BUBBLE, RADAR

---

Common Pitfalls

⚠️ These cause file corruption, visual bugs, or broken output.

1. NEVER use "#" with hex colors — corrupts file

   color: "FF0000"   // ✅
   color: "#FF0000"  // ❌

2. NEVER encode opacity in hex color strings — 8-char hex corrupts the file

   shadow: { color: "00000020" }                        // ❌ CORRUPTS FILE
   shadow: { color: "000000", opacity: 0.12 }           // ✅

3. Use `bullet: true`, never unicode "•" (creates double bullets)

4. Use `breakLine: true` between items in text arrays

5. Avoid `lineSpacing` with bullets — causes excessive gaps; use paraSpaceAfter instead

6. NEVER reuse option objects across calls — PptxGenJS mutates objects in-place (converts values to EMU). Sharing one object between multiple addText/addShape calls corrupts the second shape.

   // ❌ Wrong: shadow object gets mutated after first call
   const shadow = { type: "outer", blur: 6, offset: 2, color: "000000", opacity: 0.15 };
   slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, { x:1, y:1, w:3, h:2, fill:{color:"FFF"}, shadow });
   slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, { x:5, y:1, w:3, h:2, fill:{color:"FFF"}, shadow });

   // ✅ Correct: factory function creates fresh object each time
   const makeShadow = () => ({ type: "outer", blur: 6, offset: 2, color: "000000", opacity: 0.15 });
   slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, { x:1, y:1, w:3, h:2, fill:{color:"FFF"}, shadow: makeShadow() });
   slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, { x:5, y:1, w:3, h:2, fill:{color:"FFF"}, shadow: makeShadow() });

7. Don't use `ROUNDED_RECTANGLE` with accent borders — rectangular overlay bars won't cover rounded corners

   // ❌ Accent bar doesn't cover rounded corners
   slide.addShape(pres.shapes.ROUNDED_RECTANGLE, { x:1, y:1, w:3, h:1.5, fill:{color:"FFFFFF"} });
   slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, { x:1, y:1, w:0.08, h:1.5, fill:{color:"0891B2"} });

   // ✅ Use RECTANGLE for clean alignment
   slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, { x:1, y:1, w:3, h:1.5, fill:{color:"FFFFFF"} });
   slide.addShape(pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, { x:1, y:1, w:0.08, h:1.5, fill:{color:"0891B2"} });

---

Spatial Reference (LAYOUT_WIDE: 13.3" × 7.5")

Use these as mental anchors when placing elements. All coordinates are in inches.

Slide zones

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐  y=0
│  safe margin top: 0.4"                  │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────┐  │  y=0.4
│  │  Title zone    (~0.5–1.2" tall)   │  │
│  ├───────────────────────────────────┤  │  y=1.2–1.5
│  │                                   │  │
│  │  Content zone  (~4.5–5.5" tall)   │  │
│  │                                   │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────┘  │  y=6.8–7.1
│  safe margin bottom: 0.4"              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘  y=7.5
  x=0                                    x=13.3
  safe margin left/right: 0.5–0.6"

Font size → visual height

Add 0.1–0.15" padding to the h value to avoid clipping. Multi-line text multiplies height linearly.

Horizontal space budget

At common font sizes, approximate characters per line for a given width:

These are rough estimates (varies by font face). Wrap generously — narrow boxes cause unexpected wrapping.

Common layout patterns (inches)

// Full-width title bar (left of chrome)
{ x: 0.6, y: 0.35, w: 11.5, h: 0.75 }   // 44pt title

// Two-column split
// Left column:  x:0.5,  w:5.9
// Right column: x:6.9,  w:5.9

// Three-column split
// Col 1: x:0.5,  w:3.7
// Col 2: x:4.8,  w:3.7
// Col 3: x:9.1,  w:3.7

// 2×2 grid (cards)
// Top-left:     x:0.5,  y:1.5, w:5.9, h:2.3
// Top-right:    x:6.9,  y:1.5, w:5.9, h:2.3
// Bottom-left:  x:0.5,  y:4.1, w:5.9, h:2.3
// Bottom-right: x:6.9,  y:4.1, w:5.9, h:2.3

// Large stat callout
{ x: 1.0, y: 1.8, w: 5.0, h: 2.2 }   // 72pt number + 14pt label below

// Bottom accent bar (above chrome bar)
{ x: 0, y: 7.1, w: 13.3, h: 0.4 }

// Left side stripe (chrome)
{ x: 0, y: 0, w: 0.15, h: 7.5 }

Gaps and spacing rules

• Slide edge → first element: 0.5" minimum (use 0.6" for comfort)
• Between sibling elements: 0.2–0.3" minimum; 0.4–0.5" for breathing room
• Title bottom → content top: 0.3–0.5"
• Content bottom → slide edge / bar: 0.3" minimum
• Card internal padding (text inside a card shape): 0.2" on all sides → offset text box by 0.2" from shape edges

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Quick Reference

• Shapes: pres.shapes.RECTANGLE, OVAL, LINE, ROUNDED_RECTANGLE
• Charts: pres.charts.BAR, LINE, PIE, DOUGHNUT, SCATTER, BUBBLE, RADAR
• Alignment: "left", "center", "right"
• Data label positions: "outEnd", "inEnd", "center"