think-cell automation

A skill for generating think-cell charts and elements correctly, in the right format, following a company template.

Core principle: think-cell is template-driven

think-cell is not a charting library Claude can call directly. It is a PowerPoint COM add-in. To produce a think-cell chart programmatically, the workflow is always:

1. A PowerPoint template exists (.pptx) containing think-cell elements (chart, table, text field, Harvey ball, etc.) that each have a name assigned via the think-cell mini toolbar (AddRangeData Name).
2. Data is supplied separately — as JSON (.ppttc file) or as an Excel workbook range.
3. think-cell merges them when the .ppttc is opened, when PresentationFromTemplate runs, or when UpdateBatch.Send() runs.

This means the formatting (fonts, colors, layout, label positions, source line, page numbers) lives in the template, not in the code Claude writes. Claude's job is to (a) produce the correct data payload and (b) wire it to the correctly-named element. Everything else — house style — comes from the template, which is why charts produced this way automatically match the rest of the deck.

Therefore, before doing anything, Claude must know:

• Which template is being used (path to the .pptx)
• Which named elements are in it (and what kind: chart? text field? table?)
• For each chart element, its datasheet layout (default? 100%= row? Size column for Mekko? etc.)