Python can be used to both create and read pptx files in the OpenXML data format. The Python python-pptx package will be used.

One way to install the python-pptx package is as follows.

Use the path to your installed version of Python.

Besides this page, more information on getting started is at the python-pptx web site at https://python-pptx.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user/quickstart.html.

PowerPoint is based on slides of various forms which one customizes as needed.

It is easier to use the pre-built slide forms rather than create your own. To create your own, start with a blank slide and add content.

For historical reasons, PowerPoint has many specific ways to do things that may not be obvious.

There are some things that are difficult or impossible to do with PowerPoint. One can always generate an image and use that image to do such things. There are also certain specific things that cannot be done using python-pptx.

For such things (e.g., custom sounds and delays, etc.) I use VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) code in PowerPoint to do the fix-ups.

Whenever possible, I have found it useful to adjust the exact size of the slides to match the size of the projector that I will be using. This avoids having extra "black" space around the slide.

You may have to experiment to get the best size but the aspect ratio (width to height) is important.

PowerPoint supports charts to a limited extent, but I have found it generally useful to create the desired image of the chart (e.g., via matplotlib) and then include that image.

For a real world financial printing system, we ended up using high resolution chart images generated using the existing process and then hooked those images into the generated presentations.

Microsoft has on OpenXML SDK that allows one to deconstruct an OpenXML file into the C# code that would generate that OpenXML file using the OpenXML SDK.

This C# code can then be studied in order to obtain the necessary patterns with which to generate the desired documents. Here is the Python code [#1]
from pptx import Presentation from pptx.util import Inches, Pt from pptx.dml.color import RGBColor from PIL import Image mainWidth1 = Inches(12.0) mainHeight1 = Inches(7.5) tableList1 = [ ["r0c1", "r0c2", "r0c3"], ["r1c1", "r1c2", "r1c3"], ["r2c1", "r2c2", "r2c3"], ["r3c1", "r3c2", "r3c3"], ] bulletList1 = [ "First bullet point", "Second bullet point", "Third bullet point", ] pptFs1 = "./ppt1.pptx" ppt1 = Presentation() ppt1.slide_width = mainWidth1 ppt1.slide_height = mainHeight1 # 1. title slide titleLayout1 = ppt1.slide_layouts[0] titleSlide1 = ppt1.slides.add_slide(titleLayout1) title1 = titleSlide1.shapes.title subtitle1 = titleSlide1.placeholders[1] title1.text = "Hello, World!" subtitle1.text = "by Robin Snyder" # 2. table slide x1 = Inches(2) y1 = Inches(2) w1 = Inches(8) h1 = Inches(4) rlen1 = len(tableList1) clen1 = len(tableList1[0]) slide1 = ppt1.slides.add_slide(ppt1.slide_layouts[5]) shape1 = slide1.shapes.add_table(rlen1,clen1,x1,y1,w1,h1) table1 = shape1.table for rpos1,rowList1 in enumerate(tableList1): for cpos1,cellText1 in enumerate(rowList1): cell1 = table1.cell(rpos1,cpos1) cell1.text = cellText1 p1 = cell1.text_frame.paragraphs[0] p1.font.size = Pt(48) p1.font.color.rgb = RGBColor(0,100,0) # 3. image slide # start with blank slide slide1 = ppt1.slides.add_slide(ppt1.slide_layouts[6]) # add some text textbox1 = slide1.shapes.add_textbox(0.1*mainWidth1,0.2*mainHeight1,0.8*mainWidth1,0.125*mainHeight1) p1 = textbox1.text_frame.add_paragraph() p1.text = "This is my 3D chart" p1.font.size = Pt(48) # add image imageFs1 = "./plot41-1-01.png" image1 = Image.open(imageFs1) x1 = Inches(2) y1 = Inches(3) # add scaling - later w1 = Inches(6) h1 = Inches(4) imageWidth1,imageHeight1 = image1.size picture1 = slide1.shapes.add_picture(imageFs1,x1,y1,w1,h1) # 4. bullet slide slide1 = ppt1.slides.add_slide(ppt1.slide_layouts[3]) shapes1 = slide1.shapes title1 = shapes1.title title1.text = "My bullet slide" body1 = shapes1.placeholders[1] frame1 = body1.text_frame for bulletText1 in bulletList1: p1 = frame1.add_paragraph() p1.text = bulletText1 ppt1.save(pptFs1) print("(done)")
Here is the output of the Python code.
(done)

Note that PowerPoint (and other programs) will lock the file currently loaded into the application.

If you try to generate a pptx file while PowerPoint has it locked, a run-time error results.

In the printing industry:

72 points = 1 inch

Fonts are often sized by points.