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Quickstart Guide

Get started with SlideGen in 5 minutes. This guide will walk you through creating your first presentation.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.9 or higher
  • pip (Python package manager)

Step 1: Installation

Install SlideGen using pip:

pip install slidegen-pptx

Or install from source:

git clone https://github.com/nicolairobles/slidegen
cd slidegen
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Step 2: Create Your First Presentation

Use the init command to create a sample project:

slidegen init my-presentation

This creates a directory with a sample deck.yaml file:

presentation:
  title: "My First Presentation"
  slides:
    - layout: title
      title: "Welcome to SlideGen"
      subtitle: "Your AI-powered slide generator"

    - layout: bullet_list
      title: "Features"
      bullets:
        - "Easy to use"
        - "AI-friendly"
        - "Professional output"

    - layout: section_header
      text: "Thank You"

Step 3: Validate Your Schema

Before generating your presentation, validate the schema:

slidegen validate my-presentation/deck.yaml

If there are any errors, SlideGen will provide helpful error messages with suggestions.

Step 4: Generate PowerPoint

Build your presentation:

slidegen build my-presentation/deck.yaml -o my-presentation.pptx

Open my-presentation.pptx in PowerPoint to see your slides!

Step 5: Customize Your Presentation

Edit deck.yaml to customize your presentation. Here are some common layouts:

Title Slide

- layout: title
  title: "Your Title"
  subtitle: "Your Subtitle"

Bullet List

- layout: bullet_list
  title: "Key Points"
  bullets:
    - "First point"
    - "Second point"
    - "Third point"

Chart

- layout: chart
  title: "Revenue Trend"
  chart:
    type: line
    data:
      labels: ["Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"]
      values: [100, 120, 140, 160]

Table

- layout: table
  title: "Sales Data"
  table:
    data:
      - ["Region", "Q1", "Q2"]
      - ["North", "100", "120"]
      - ["South", "80", "90"]

Next Steps

Common Commands

# Initialize a new project
slidegen init <project-name>

# Validate a schema
slidegen validate <schema.yaml>

# Build a presentation
slidegen build <schema.yaml> -o <output.pptx>

# List all available layouts
slidegen layouts

# Watch mode (auto-rebuild on changes)
slidegen build <schema.yaml> -o <output.pptx> --watch

Troubleshooting

Schema Validation Errors

If you get validation errors, check:

  1. Required fields: Make sure all required fields are present
  2. Layout type: Verify the layout type is one of the supported types
  3. Data format: Check that chart/table data matches the expected format

Run slidegen validate with verbose output for detailed error messages:

slidegen validate deck.yaml --verbose

Installation Issues

If installation fails:

  1. Make sure you're using Python 3.9+
  2. Try upgrading pip: pip install --upgrade pip
  3. Install dependencies manually: pip install python-pptx pyyaml jsonschema click

Output Issues

If the generated PowerPoint looks wrong:

  1. Validate your schema first
  2. Check that image paths are correct (if using images)
  3. Verify data sources exist (if using external CSV/JSON files)
  4. Review the layout documentation for layout-specific requirements

Getting Help