Presentation Automation

Automate slide generation from data sources, build programmatic presentations, and integrate slide creation into CI/CD pipelines.

Core Principles

1. Templates Are the Foundation

Never build slides from scratch in code. Create a well-designed template (.potx or Google Slides master), then populate it programmatically. Templates enforce consistency; code fills in the blanks.

2. Separate Data from Presentation

Keep data extraction, transformation, and presentation logic in distinct layers. CSV/JSON/API → Data transformation → Slide population. This makes both testing and maintenance easier.

3. Idempotency Matters

The same input data should always produce the same output slides. Use deterministic logic, avoid random placement, and version your templates alongside your code.

4. Validate Before Generating

Validate input data, template placeholders, and output formats before generating slides. A broken slide at 11:59 PM before the board meeting is a career-limiting bug.