SlideJ

JSON → PPTX. PPTX → JSON. Animated.

A JSON-first CLI tool for generating PowerPoint (.pptx) presentations and parsing existing PPTX files back into JSON.

Built for AI agents and developers who need to programmatically create animated presentations with full layout, styling, and timing control.

Installation

npm install -g slidej          # CLI tool
npx skills add H4pplness/slidej  # AI agent local skill

Quick Start

slidej example -o demo.json          # 1. Generate sample JSON
slidej generate demo.json -o demo.pptx  # 2. Build the PPTX
slidej parse demo.pptx -o parsed.json   # 3. Parse it back
slidej generate parsed.json -o edit.pptx # 4. Edit & regenerate

CLI Commands

Command	Alias	Description
slidej generate <input.json>	gen	Create a PPTX from a JSON file
slidej parse <input.pptx>	—	Parse a PPTX into JSON
slidej template list	tpl ls	List available templates
slidej template use <name>	tpl use	Export a template as JSON for editing
slidej template save <json> <name>	tpl save	Save a JSON file as a reusable template
slidej template info <name>	tpl info	Show detailed template info
slidej template remove <name>	tpl rm	Remove a custom template
slidej example	—	Output a sample JSON file
slidej schema	—	Print the full JSON schema reference

Options

slidej generate input.json -o output.pptx           # Generate a PPTX
slidej parse input.pptx -o output.json               # Parse PPTX to file
slidej parse input.pptx                              # Parse to stdout (for piping)
slidej parse input.pptx --no-images -o output.json   # Skip embedded images
slidej example -o starter.json                       # Write sample JSON

Templates

SlideJ includes built-in templates as style guides — each defines a visual language (palette, layout patterns, component styles, animation approach) along with example slides. Use them as a starting point, then freely add, remove, or rearrange slides.

Template	Style	Tone
title-slide	Dark hero, centered focal point	Dramatic, confident
pitch-deck	Professional dark-to-light, narrative arc	Confident, data-driven
report	Clean corporate, tables and KPI cards	Authoritative, clear
minimal	Ultra-clean whitespace, typography only	Calm, focused
dark-modern	Sleek dark UI, gradient accents	Sharp, futuristic
sunset-wave	Warm gradients, organic shapes	Dreamy, expressive
candy-pop	Bold pop-art, bright geometry on white	Joyful, youthful
ocean-aurora	Deep cool-tone, ethereal glow	Immersive, elegant
neon-garden	Neon-on-black, high contrast	Electric, rebellious

Each template includes a guide with palette, layout, components, animations, and customization tips. Run slidej template info <name> to view the full style guide.

Template workflow

slidej template list                        # 1. Browse templates
slidej template info pitch-deck             # 2. View style guide
slidej template use pitch-deck -o deck.json # 3. Export to JSON
# 4. Edit deck.json — change text, colors, add/remove slides
slidej generate deck.json -o deck.pptx      # 5. Generate PPTX

Save your own

slidej template save deck.json my-brand -d "Company deck" -t "company,branded"
slidej template list                        # now includes my-brand
slidej template remove my-brand             # remove when done

Custom templates are stored in ~/.slidej/templates/ and override built-in templates with the same name.

JSON Format

Top-level structure

{
  "width": 13.333,
  "height": 7.5,
  "meta": { "title": "My Presentation", "author": "Your Name" },
  "theme": { "majorFont": "Calibri Light", "minorFont": "Calibri" },
  "slides": [...]
}

Dimensions are in inches. Default 13.333 × 7.5 is standard widescreen (16:9).

Slide

{
  "background": "#1a1a2e",
  "transition": { "type": "fade", "speed": "med" },
  "elements": [...]
}

Transitions: fade push wipe split cover cut dissolve random — speed: slow med fast

Elements

Text

{
  "type": "text",
  "text": "Hello, World!",
  "position": { "x": 1, "y": 1, "w": 10, "h": 2 },
  "fontSize": 48,
  "bold": true,
  "color": "FFFFFF",
  "align": "center",
  "vertAlign": "middle",
  "letterSpacing": 5
}

Shape — 20+ preset types

{
  "type": "shape",
  "shapeType": "roundRect",
  "position": { "x": 1, "y": 1, "w": 4, "h": 2 },
  "fill": { "type": "gradient", "stops": [
    { "color": "#3498db", "position": 0 },
    { "color": "#9b59b6", "position": 100 }
  ], "angle": 135 },
  "shadow": { "blur": 10, "distance": 5, "angle": 45, "opacity": 0.5 }
}

Types: rect roundRect ellipse triangle diamond pentagon hexagon octagon star5 star6 rightArrow leftArrow upArrow downArrow line cloud heart lightningBolt callout1 callout2

Image

{
  "type": "image",
  "src": "./assets/logo.png",
  "position": { "x": 1, "y": 1, "w": 4, "h": 3 },
  "hyperlink": "https://example.com"
}

src accepts relative paths, absolute paths, or base64 data URIs.

Table

{
  "type": "table",
  "position": { "x": 1, "y": 2, "w": 11, "h": 4 },
  "headerRow": true,
  "rows": [
    [
      { "text": "Header A", "bold": true, "fill": "#2c3e50", "color": "FFFFFF" },
      { "text": "Header B", "bold": true, "fill": "#2c3e50", "color": "FFFFFF" }
    ],
    [ { "text": "Cell 1" }, { "text": "Cell 2" } ]
  ]
}

Animations

Add an animations array to any element:

{ "type": "flyIn", "duration": 500, "delay": 200, "trigger": "afterPrevious", "direction": "bottom" }

Entrance	Exit	Emphasis
appear fadeIn flyIn wipeIn zoomIn bounceIn	fadeOut flyOut wipeOut zoomOut	pulse spin growShrink

Triggers: onClick withPrevious afterPrevious — Direction (fly/wipe): top right bottom left

Library API

const { generate, parse, listTemplates, getTemplate } = require('slidej');

// Templates
const templates = listTemplates();
const tpl = getTemplate('pitch-deck');

// Generate
await generate({ slides: [{ elements: [{ type: "text", text: "Hello", position: { x: 1, y: 1, w: 10, h: 2 } }] }] }, 'output.pptx');

// Parse
const model = await parse('input.pptx');

For AI Agents

From template (new presentations):

template list → template use <name> -o deck.json → edit JSON → generate deck.json -o final.pptx

From existing PPTX (modify decks):

parse input.pptx -o deck.json → edit JSON → generate deck.json -o updated.pptx

OpenAI Agent tool definition included at agents/openai.yaml. Run slidej schema for the full JSON schema reference.

Project Structure

src/
  cli.js                # CLI entry point
  index.js              # Library exports
  generators/           # JSON → PPTX engine
  parsers/              # PPTX → JSON engine
  utils/                # XML helpers, constants
templates/              # Built-in style guide templates
agents/                 # AI agent tool definitions

License

MIT