LibreOffice Impress

Overview

Use the impress modules to create and edit Impress presentations with UNO-backed operations. Prefer these high-level functions instead of raw UNO calls or a CLI.

Quick Reference

• core.create_presentation(path)
• core.get_slide_count(path)
• core.export_presentation(path, output_path, format)
• slides.add_slide(path, index=None, layout="BLANK")
• slides.delete_slide(path, index)
• slides.move_slide(path, from_index, to_index)
• slides.duplicate_slide(path, index)
• slides.get_slide_inventory(path, index)
• content.set_title(path, slide_index, text)
• content.set_body(path, slide_index, text)
• content.add_text_box(path, slide_index, text, x_cm, y_cm, width_cm, height_cm)
• content.add_image(path, slide_index, image_path, x_cm, y_cm, width_cm=10.0, height_cm=10.0)
• content.add_shape(path, slide_index, shape_type, x_cm, y_cm, width_cm, height_cm, fill_color=None, line_color=None)
• tables.add_table(path, slide_index, rows, cols, x_cm, y_cm, width_cm, height_cm, data=None)
• tables.set_table_cell(path, slide_index, shape_index, row, col, text)
• tables.format_table_cell(path, slide_index, shape_index, row, col, bold=False, font_size=None, fill_color=None)
• charts.add_chart(path, slide_index, chart_type, data, x_cm, y_cm, width_cm, height_cm, title=None)
• media.add_audio(path, slide_index, media_path, x_cm, y_cm, width_cm, height_cm)
• media.add_video(path, slide_index, media_path, x_cm, y_cm, width_cm, height_cm)
• formatting.format_shape_text(path, slide_index, shape_index, bold=False, italic=False, underline=False, font_size=None, font_name=None, color=None, alignment=None)
• formatting.set_slide_background(path, slide_index, color)
• notes.set_notes(path, slide_index, text)
• notes.get_notes(path, slide_index)
• master.list_master_pages(path)
• master.apply_master_page(path, master_name)
• master.import_master_from_template(path, template_path)
• master.set_master_background(path, master_name, color)
• find_replace.find_replace(path, find, replace, match_case=False, whole_word=False)
• snapshot.snapshot_slide(doc_path, slide_index, output_path, width=1280, height=720)
• colors.resolve_color(color)

Usage Notes

• Use absolute file paths for presentations and media assets.
• Ensure the bundled modules are on PYTHONPATH. The modules are bundled under scripts/ in this skill directory. Set: PYTHONPATH=<skill_base_dir>/scripts where <skill_base_dir> is the base directory reported when this skill was loaded (e.g. the path shown as "Base directory" in the skill output).
• Slide indices are zero-based.
• Position and size arguments use centimetres at the API boundary.
• Layouts: BLANK, TITLE_SLIDE, TITLE_AND_CONTENT, TITLE_ONLY, TWO_CONTENT, CENTERED_TEXT.
• Shape types: rectangle, ellipse, triangle, line, arrow.
• Chart types: bar, line, pie, scatter.
• Alignment values are case-insensitive. Unknown values raise ValueError.
• Color fields accept either a 0xRRGGBB integer or a CSS color name string.

Example: Create a Simple Deck

from pathlib import Path

from impress.core import create_presentation, export_presentation
from impress.content import add_text_box, add_shape
from impress.formatting import format_shape_text, set_slide_background
from impress.slides import add_slide

output = Path("test-output/demo.odp").resolve()
create_presentation(str(output))

add_slide(str(output), layout="TITLE_SLIDE")
add_text_box(str(output), 1, "Quarterly Review", 2.0, 2.0, 16.0, 3.0)

shape_idx = add_shape(
    str(output),
    1,
    "rectangle",
    2.0,
    6.0,
    8.0,
    4.0,
    fill_color="lightsteelblue",
    line_color="black",
)

format_shape_text(
    str(output),
    1,
    shape_idx,
    bold=True,
    font_size=18,
    color="navy",
    alignment="center",
)

set_slide_background(str(output), 1, "white")
export_presentation(str(output), str(output.with_suffix(".pdf")), "pdf")

Visual Snapshots

Use snapshot.snapshot_slide() to capture a slide as PNG for layout verification. PNG export uses LibreOffice's CLI conversion pipeline.

from impress.snapshot import snapshot_slide

result = snapshot_slide(str(doc_path), 0, "/tmp/slide1.png")
# result.file_path, result.width, result.height, result.dpi

Parameters:

• doc_path: Absolute path to the presentation.
• slide_index: Zero-based slide index.
• output_path: File path for the PNG output.
• width, height: Pixel dimensions (default: 1280x720).

When to snapshot:

• After applying master pages to confirm styling.
• After inserting charts or media to confirm layout.
• Before finalizing a deck for delivery.

Cleanup: Remove snapshot PNGs after verification. Do not let temporary images accumulate.

Path(result.file_path).unlink(missing_ok=True)

Common Mistakes

• Passing relative paths (UNO loads absolute URLs).
• Using 1-based slide indices.
• Forgetting to create the document before inserting content.
• Passing lowercase layout names - layouts use UPPER_SNAKE_CASE (e.g., BLANK, TITLE_SLIDE).
• Passing uppercase shape types - shape types use lowercase (e.g., rectangle, ellipse).