yaml2pptx

Generate professional PowerPoint presentations from YAML. Version-controlled, reproducible, and fully editable output.

Unlike tools like Marp that render slides as flat images, yaml2pptx generates native PowerPoint with real shapes, text, and tables — your audience can edit, copy, and reuse the content.

All slides generated from YAML — no PowerPoint GUI needed.

Why yaml2pptx?

17 slide types — title pages, timelines, stat cards, comparisons, process flows, metrics dashboards, and more. No CSS or design skills needed.
Native .pptx output — real shapes, editable text, and tables. Not screenshots. Not PDFs.
10 built-in themes — professional color palettes that apply consistently across all slide types.
50+ icons — built-in icon library for cards and process slides.
Template support — use your organization's .pptx template with the gen command.
Inline Markdown — **bold**, *italic*, `code`, [links](url), ~~strikethrough~~ in any text field.
VS Code extension — live preview, snippets for all slide types, and JSON schema validation.
Declarative — presentations are plain text. Diff them, review them, version them in git.
Lightweight — Python + python-pptx. No browser, no Chromium, no external services.

Quick Start

pip install yaml2pptx

Create deck.yaml:

theme: midnight
slides:
  - type: title_page
    title: "Quarterly Review"
    subtitle: "Q1 2026 Results"
    author: "Team Alpha"
    date: "April 2026"

  - type: stat_cards
    section: "HIGHLIGHTS"
    title: "Key Results"
    cards:
      - stat: "142%"
        title: "Revenue Target"
        description: "Exceeded annual target by 42%"
      - stat: "4.8"
        title: "Customer Satisfaction"
        description: "Highest score in company history"
      - stat: "23"
        title: "New Markets"
        description: "Expanded to 23 new regions"

  - type: timeline
    section: "ROADMAP"
    title: "What's Next"
    phases:
      - label: "Q2"
        title: "Platform Launch"
        active: true
        items: ["Beta release", "Partner onboarding"]
      - label: "Q3"
        title: "Scale"
        items: ["Global rollout", "Enterprise tier"]
      - label: "Q4"
        title: "Optimize"
        items: ["Performance tuning", "Analytics v2"]

yaml2pptx build deck.yaml --open

This produces a polished presentation with the Midnight theme — dark blue backgrounds, amber accents, consistent typography — without touching PowerPoint.

Installation

# From PyPI
pip install yaml2pptx

# From source (development)
git clone https://github.com/fredrsat/yaml2pptx.git
cd yaml2pptx
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# With file watching support
pip install -e ".[watch]"

Requires Python 3.10+.

Commands

Command	Description
`build`	Component-based renderer — builds slides from free-form shapes using a theme
`gen`	Template-based renderer — uses .pptx templates with placeholders
`inspect`	Shows layouts and placeholders in a .pptx template
`init`	Creates a starter YAML file

yaml2pptx build presentation.yaml              # Build with default output name
yaml2pptx build presentation.yaml --open        # Build and open in PowerPoint
yaml2pptx gen presentation.yaml -t template.pptx  # Use organization template
yaml2pptx inspect template.pptx                 # See template layouts
yaml2pptx init --name "My Deck"                 # Generate starter YAML

YAML Structure

output: "output.pptx"             # Output filename
theme: "default"                   # Theme name (see Themes section)
metadata:
  title: "Presentation Title"
  author: "Author Name"
  subject: "Subject"
theme_config:
  organization: "Organization"     # Footer organization name
  document_title: "Doc Title"      # Footer document title
  classification: "Internal"       # Footer classification label
  footer: "Custom footer text"     # Override entire footer

slides:
  - type: title_page
    # ... slide-specific fields

Slide Types

yaml2pptx includes 17 slide types. Each type has its own layout and set of fields.

`title_page`

Full-screen title slide with dark background and decorative elements.

- type: title_page
  category: "CATEGORY LABEL"        # Small caps label above title
  title: "Main Title"               # Large title (54pt, white)
  subtitle: "Subtitle text"         # Below title (22pt, light blue)
  author: "Author Name"             # Below divider line
  date: "April 2026"                # Below author

`agenda`

Numbered table-of-contents with title, description columns and separator lines.

- type: agenda
  section: "AGENDA"
  title: "What we'll cover"
  subtitle: "Optional subtitle"
  items:
    - title: "First topic"
      description: "Brief description"
    - title: "Second topic"
      description: "Brief description"
      number: "02"                   # Optional custom number (auto-generated if omitted)

`stat_cards`

Cards with large statistics (numbers), labels, and descriptions. Good for key figures.

- type: stat_cards
  section: "SECTION LABEL"
  title: "Slide title"
  subtitle: "Optional subtitle"
  cards:
    - stat: "85%"                    # Large number/stat
      label: "of respondents"        # Small label below stat
      title: "Card title"           # Card heading
      description: "Longer text"     # Card body
  footnotes:                         # Optional footnotes at bottom
    - "[1] Source reference"

`definition_cards`

Term cards with icon, subtitle, and description. Ideal for glossaries and key concepts.

- type: definition_cards
  section: "SECTION"
  title: "Key concepts"
  subtitle: "Optional"
  cards:
    - term: "API"                    # Large term text
      icon: "gear"                   # Icon name (see Icons section)
      subtitle: "Application Programming Interface"
      description: "Explanation text"
      border_color: "#00A9A5"        # Optional custom border color
  callout:                           # Optional dark bar at bottom
    label: "CALLOUT LABEL"
    columns:
      - title: "Column 1"
        description: "Description"
      - title: "Column 2"
        description: "Description"

`content_cards`

Feature cards with icon, title, subtitle, and description or bullet points.

- type: content_cards
  section: "SECTION"
  title: "Features"
  subtitle: "Optional"
  cards:
    - title: "Card title"
      icon: "shield"                 # Icon name
      subtitle: "Card subtitle"
      description: "Or use description text"
      # OR use points:
      points:
        - "Bullet point 1"
        - "Bullet point 2"
  callout:                           # Optional callout bar
    label: "LABEL"
    columns:
      - title: "Title"
        description: "Text"

`icon_cards`

Key message at top with accent-bordered cards below.

- type: icon_cards
  section: "KEY MESSAGE"
  message: "The main message text displayed prominently at the top."
  cards:
    - title: "Card title"
      icon: "shield"
      description: "Card description"

`two_panels`

Side-by-side panels (A/B comparison) with dark/light backgrounds.

- type: two_panels
  section: "SECTION"
  title: "Two approaches"
  subtitle: "Optional"
  left_panel:
    letter: "A"                      # Large letter
    label: "OPTION A"               # Small caps label
    title: "Panel title"
    example: "Example text (italic)"
    dark: true                       # Dark background (default for left)
    points:
      - "Bullet point 1"
      - "Bullet point 2"
  right_panel:
    letter: "B"
    label: "OPTION B"
    title: "Panel title"
    example: "Example text"
    dark: false                      # Light background (default for right)
    points:
      - "Bullet point 1"
      - "Bullet point 2"

`comparison`

Two panels with header bars and key-value rows. Good for before/after or side-by-side data.

- type: comparison
  section: "SECTION"
  title: "Comparison"
  subtitle: "Optional"
  left_panel:
    header: "BEFORE"                 # Colored header bar text
    title: "Panel title"
    rows:
      - label: "METRIC"             # Key (colored, bold)
        value: "Description"        # Value text
  right_panel:
    header: "AFTER"
    title: "Panel title"
    rows:
      - label: "METRIC"
        value: "Description"
  footer_text: "Optional centered footer text"

`section_divider`

Full dark background with large number and title. Use between sections.

- type: section_divider
  number: "03"                       # Large number (96pt)
  title: "Section Title"            # Main title (40pt, white)
  subtitle: "Optional subtitle"     # Below title (light blue)

`timeline`

Horizontal timeline with phases/milestones and optional items.

- type: timeline
  section: "SECTION"
  title: "Project Timeline"
  subtitle: "Optional"
  phases:
    - label: "Q1 2026"              # Above timeline
      title: "Phase name"           # Below timeline
      active: true                   # Highlight this phase (accent color)
      description: "Phase description"
      # OR use items for bullet list:
      items:
        - "Task 1"
        - "Task 2"

`process`

Numbered step-by-step process flow in connected cards.

- type: process
  section: "SECTION"
  title: "Process Steps"
  subtitle: "Optional"
  steps:
    - number: "1"                    # Step number (auto-generated if omitted)
      icon: "search"                 # Optional icon
      title: "Step title"
      description: "Step description"
      items:                         # Optional sub-items
        - "Detail 1"
        - "Detail 2"

`quote`

Large quote with attribution. Optional dark mode.

- type: quote
  section: "SECTION"
  quote: "The quote text goes here."
  attribution: "— Speaker Name"
  source: "Publication, Year"
  dark: true                         # Dark background (optional)

`key_metrics`

Dashboard-style metrics grid with trend indicators. Supports up to 8 metrics in a 2-row layout.

- type: key_metrics
  section: "SECTION"
  title: "Key Metrics"
  subtitle: "Optional"
  metrics:
    - value: "99.9%"                 # Large number
      label: "System uptime"        # Metric label
      trend: "up"                    # "up", "down", or omit
      trend_label: "+0.2pp"         # Trend description
      color: "success"              # "primary", "accent", "success", "warning", "blue", "dark"

`checklist`

Status checklist with colored indicators. Supports multi-column layout.

- type: checklist
  section: "SECTION"
  title: "Action Items"
  subtitle: "Optional"
  columns: 2                         # 1, 2, or 3 columns
  items:
    - text: "Task description"
      status: "done"                 # "done" (checkmark), "in_progress" (dot), "pending" (circle), "blocked" (x)
      note: "Optional note"         # Small italic text below

`image_text`

Image with text content side by side.

- type: image_text
  section: "SECTION"
  title: "Slide Title"
  image: "path/to/image.png"
  image_position: "left"             # "left" or "right"
  content:
    - "Bullet point 1"
    - "Bullet point 2"

`table`

Data table with headers and rows.

- type: table
  section: "SECTION"
  title: "Data Table"
  table:
    headers: ["Column 1", "Column 2", "Column 3"]
    rows:
      - ["Row 1 A", "Row 1 B", "Row 1 C"]
      - ["Row 2 A", "Row 2 B", "Row 2 C"]

`content` (fallback)

Simple bullet-point slide. Used for any unrecognized type or explicit content type.

- type: content
  section: "SECTION"
  title: "Slide Title"
  subtitle: "Optional"
  content:
    - "Bullet point 1"
    - "Bullet point 2"
    - "Bullet point 3"
  # OR as a single string:
  content: "Paragraph text without bullets"

Common Fields

All slide types support these optional fields:

Field	Description
`section`	Section label shown in the header (uppercase)
`page`	Custom page number (auto-generated if omitted)
`speaker_notes`	Speaker notes added to the slide

Inline Markdown

Text fields support inline Markdown formatting:

Syntax	Result
`bold`	bold
`italic`	italic
`code`	monospace
`[text](url)`	hyperlink
`~~strikethrough~~`	strikethrough

Icons

Cards that support icons (definition_cards, content_cards, icon_cards, process) accept an icon field with a named icon:

cards:
  - title: "Security"
    icon: "shield"

Available Icons

Category	Icons
Security	`shield`, `lock`, `key`, `unlock`
Technology	`gear`, `server`, `cloud`, `database`, `code`, `network`, `chip`
People	`people`, `person`, `mail`, `chat`
Status	`check`, `cross`, `warning`, `info`, `star`, `flag`
Business	`chart`, `target`, `trend`, `money`, `document`, `folder`
Health	`brain`, `heart`, `health`, `science`, `microscope`
Energy	`lightning`, `globe`, `sun`, `leaf`
Navigation	`arrow_right`, `arrow_left`, `arrow_up`, `arrow_down`, `search`, `link`, `clock`, `rocket`
Shapes	`circle`, `square`, `diamond`, `triangle`

Aliases: gpu=chip, ai=brain, security=shield, settings=gear, users=people, time=clock, data=database, success=check, error=cross, alert=warning, plus=health

Themes

yaml2pptx includes 10 built-in themes. Set the theme in your YAML file:

theme: midnight

Theme	Style	Primary	Accent
`default`	Professional blue	Navy #003087	Teal #00A9A5
`midnight`	Dark and modern	Dark blue #1A237E	Amber #FFC107
`coral`	Warm and energetic	Deep coral #C4654A	Teal #00897B
`forest`	Natural and grounded	Forest green #2E7D32	Earth brown #8D6E63
`sunset`	Warm golden tones	Deep orange #E65100	Purple #7B1FA2
`arctic`	Cool and minimal	Ice blue #0277BD	Cyan #00BCD4
`executive`	Dark and formal	Charcoal #212121	Gold #C9A94E
`neon`	Bold and high-contrast	Electric purple #6200EA	Hot pink #FF4081
`earth`	Warm earth tones	Terracotta #A0522D	Olive #6B8E23
`ocean`	Deep sea blues	Ocean blue #01579B	Aqua #26C6DA

Theme Config

Override footer and organization info per presentation:

theme_config:
  organization: "Company Name"
  document_title: "Document Title"
  classification: "Internal"
  footer: "Custom footer"           # Overrides auto-generated footer

Examples

The examples/ directory contains complete presentations for each theme:

File	Theme	Description
`tech_strategy.yaml`	default	Cloud migration strategy
`midnight_ml_pipeline.yaml`	midnight	ML pipeline architecture
`coral_brand_refresh.yaml`	coral	Brand refresh proposal
`forest_sustainability.yaml`	forest	Sustainability report
`sunset_pitch_deck.yaml`	sunset	Startup pitch deck
`arctic_analytics.yaml`	arctic	Analytics platform overview
`executive_board_report.yaml`	executive	Board report
`neon_devops_keynote.yaml`	neon	DevOps conference keynote
`earth_urban_plan.yaml`	earth	Urban development plan
`ocean_research.yaml`	ocean	Marine research findings
`showcase.yaml`	default	All 17 slide types demonstrated
`product_launch.yaml`	default	Product launch plan
`quarterly_review.yaml`	default	Quarterly business review

# Build a single example
yaml2pptx build examples/coral_brand_refresh.yaml --open

# Build all examples
for f in examples/*.yaml; do yaml2pptx build "$f"; done

VS Code Extension

yaml2pptx includes a VS Code extension for editing YAML presentations with live preview, autocompletion, and validation.

Installation

Build and install the extension from the vscode-extension/ directory:

cd vscode-extension
npm install
npm run compile
npx vsce package

Then install the generated .vsix file:

Open VS Code
Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)
"Extensions: Install from VSIX..."
Select yaml2pptx-0.1.0.vsix

Or from the command line:

code --install-extension yaml2pptx-0.1.0.vsix

Features

Live Preview

Open a yaml2pptx YAML file and run the preview command to see a live rendering of your slides in a side panel.

Command: yaml2pptx: Open Preview
Command Palette: Cmd+Shift+P → "yaml2pptx: Open Preview"
Keyboard shortcut: Cmd+Shift+Y (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+Y (Windows/Linux)
Editor title bar: Click the preview icon when a YAML file is open

The preview updates automatically as you type (with 300ms debounce). Navigate between slides with arrow buttons or click thumbnails. All 10 themes render correctly in the preview.

Generate PPTX

Generate a PowerPoint file directly from VS Code.

Command: yaml2pptx: Generate PPTX
Opens a terminal and runs yaml2pptx build on the current file
Requires yaml2pptx to be installed (pip install -e .)

Snippets

Type y2p- in a YAML file to see available snippets for all 17 slide types:

Snippet	Description
`y2p-presentation`	Full presentation scaffold
`y2p-title_page`	Title page slide
`y2p-agenda`	Agenda slide
`y2p-stat_cards`	Stat cards slide
`y2p-definition_cards`	Definition cards slide
`y2p-content_cards`	Content cards slide
`y2p-icon_cards`	Icon cards slide
`y2p-two_panels`	Two panels slide
`y2p-comparison`	Comparison slide
`y2p-section_divider`	Section divider slide
`y2p-timeline`	Timeline slide
`y2p-process`	Process steps slide
`y2p-quote`	Quote slide
`y2p-key_metrics`	Key metrics slide
`y2p-checklist`	Checklist slide
`y2p-content`	Content slide
`y2p-table`	Table slide

Schema Validation

The extension provides JSON schema validation for yaml2pptx YAML files, giving you inline errors and autocomplete for slide types and their fields.

Template-Based Rendering (`gen`)

For organizations with existing PowerPoint templates:

template: "template.pptx"
output: "output.pptx"
metadata:
  title: "Title"
slides:
  - layout: title_slide
    title: "Presentation Title"
    subtitle: "Subtitle"
  - layout: content
    title: "Slide Title"
    content:
      - "Point with **bold** and *italic*"
      - text: "Indented point"
        level: 1
    speaker_notes: "Speaker notes here"

yaml2pptx gen presentation.yaml
yaml2pptx inspect template.pptx     # See available layouts
yaml2pptx init --name "My Deck"     # Generate starter YAML

How It Compares

Feature	yaml2pptx	Marp	Google Slides API
Input format	YAML	Markdown	JSON/REST
Output	Native .pptx (editable)	HTML, PDF, image-based .pptx	Google Slides
Slide types	17 built-in layouts	Free-form markdown	Manual positioning
Themes	10 built-in	3 built-in + CSS	Manual styling
Icons	50+ built-in	None	Manual
Tables	Native PowerPoint tables	Rendered as images	Supported
Template support	Yes (.pptx templates)	CSS only	Yes
Dependencies	Python + python-pptx	Node.js + Chromium	API credentials
Offline	Yes	Yes	No
Editable output	Yes	No (image-based PPTX)	Yes (Google Slides)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

# Development setup
git clone https://github.com/fredrsat/yaml2pptx.git
cd yaml2pptx
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest

License

MIT

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 7 Commits
docs/screenshots		docs/screenshots
examples		examples
scripts		scripts
src/yaml2pptx		src/yaml2pptx
templates		templates
tests		tests
vscode-extension		vscode-extension
.gitignore		.gitignore
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
pyproject.toml		pyproject.toml
run.sh		run.sh

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yaml2pptx

Why yaml2pptx?

Quick Start

Installation

Commands

YAML Structure

Slide Types

title_page

agenda

stat_cards

definition_cards

content_cards

icon_cards

two_panels

comparison

section_divider

timeline

process

quote

key_metrics

checklist

image_text

table

content (fallback)

Common Fields

Inline Markdown

Icons

Available Icons

Themes

Theme Config

Examples

VS Code Extension

Installation

Features

Live Preview

Generate PPTX

Snippets

Schema Validation

Template-Based Rendering (gen)

How It Compares

Contributing

License

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`title_page`

`agenda`

`stat_cards`

`definition_cards`

`content_cards`

`icon_cards`

`two_panels`

`comparison`

`section_divider`

`timeline`

`process`

`quote`

`key_metrics`

`checklist`

`image_text`

`table`

`content` (fallback)

Template-Based Rendering (`gen`)

Packages