Automating Powerpoint

Question

Hi

Is it possible through alteryx and intelligence suite package to achieve this

Create a workflow to change few information in ppt like in slide 1: under insert audit name we have to put current audit name specified by user and for all other slides footers needs to be changed to audit name specified by user automatically.

Please can someone show example if possible . Thank you.

OTrieger · Answer

@Navya08 
There is a precise sequence that you will need to follow.

1. Create a template for the PPT that you will want to use

2. Unzip that template file - you will get a folder containing xml files.

3. Create Template folder and copy over the xml files that you are going to modify, such as Slide 1, footnote 1, Header 1 etc.

3a. In one of the subfolders you will find excel files that connected to graphic objects. You can update the data in these excels to update these graphs.

4. In Alteryx connect the xml files, those that saved in Template folder, to a Input Date tool.

5. Set it to CSV - you want to get the xml schema, so set it to csv, increate the number of characters, set no delimiter \0, and tick first row contain headers.

6. Run Alteryx and see what you got. If you got the xml file structure no need to do the next step

7. If you get only 1 or 2 rows of data, do the following

8. Add formula tool and use Replace function. Replace <\ with ~<\. <\ is the end of the data place holder

9. Parse the data to rows. Use Data to Columns tool, and use ~ as delimiter and select split to rows

10. Add a RecordID tool, you will use it to get the xml schema back in place

11. With formula tool create flags for the lines where the data going to be replaced.

12. Filter these rows

13. Replace the original data in <  >, always will be in black colour, with the new data

14 Union all the data

15 Sort the data based on RecordID

16 With select tool remove all the fields that you added, you need to have only the field of the data

17 Set a path, the path need to be the path in the folder where you have all the xml saved, that is why we have another folder for the templates.

18 Save the new files to overwrite the existing xml files, so ensure that you are using the same file name

The following steps can be done with Alteryx on manually, but it is important that you will ensure that the xml files with the new data are first saved.

19. The next thing that need to be done will be to zip that folder where all the xml files are stored

20 Rename the zip file to filename.pptx

Now you have the new PPT with the new data

Navya08 · Answer

Hi can you please show some example? For example- changing just the header with defined name- as per image <> and maybe in footer changing the name in all slides footer example-same name defined in <>. (audit name| 2025) IMG_0021.jpeg

OTrieger · Answer

@Navya08 
Yes, it is possible only if the ppt is pptx file format.

There is a very interesting way to get it done, however it might be complex for some people, but it is possible. You can modify anything that is in the PPT. Even update the data for graphs. Update the data in the excel files that connected to the PPT.

What you will need to do is creating a PPT template with the needed format and graphics and headers, footers etc.