data.json Reference

data.json defines what data to populate a PowerPoint template with, and is one of the required elements of SlidePack's input zip file.

This page is a reference of different types of objects that you can use in data.json. For more concrete examples of how to use them, please refert to Examples.

The root object

This is how the data.json top level object should be shaped.

Attributes

Name
slides
Type
object[]
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
An array of Slide objects. Each will result in a single slide in the output PPTX. Multiple Slide objects may point to the same template slide number, in which case that template slide will be reused multiple times.
Name
theme
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
A Theme object that applies to the whole PPTX presentation.

Older versions of the API accepted JSON with the slides array at root. This format is still supported, but is scheduled to be deprecated in the next version.

The data.json root object

{
  "slides": [
    {
      "template": 1,
      "some_text": "Text to place"
    },
    {
      "template": 2,
      "some_table": {
        "type": "table",
        "rows": [
          ["this", "is", "header"],
          ["this", "is", "first row"]
        ]
      }
    }
  ],
  "theme": {
    "colors": {
      "dk1": "#6c685f",
      "lt1": "#f5f2e3"
    }
  }
}

The Slide object

Each Slide object will result in a single slide in the rendered pptx file.

A Slide object is a mapping of placeholder keys to item data.

For each key, SlidePack will look for a corresponding placeholder in the slide and try to fill it with the provided value.

The template key is required and specifies which slide in the template PowerPoint should be used as the template for this slide.

Attributes

Name
template
Type
integer
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
The template slide number to use.

The Slide object

{
  "template": 1,
  "my_text": "Text to place",
  "more_text": {
    "type": "text",
    "value": "More text to place",
    "hyperlink": "https://slidepack.io/"
  },
  "my_table": {
    "type": "table",
    "rows": [
      ["This", "is", "the header"],
      ["This", "is", "the first row"]
    ]
  }
}

The Text object

The Text object is used to represent a piece of text.

It can be used:

To replace {placeholders} in text boxes with the provided value.
To place text in a table cell.
As a list item.

String shorthand

You can use a plain string in place of a Text object when no additional options are needed.

"my_text": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet."

is equivalent to:

"my_text": {
  "type": "text",
  "value": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet."
}

Attributes

Name
type
Type
string "text"
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Name
value
Type
string
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
The text content value.
Name
styles
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
A Styles object. Specified values will be used to override existing styles.
styles.font applies to the text value.
styles.shape applies to the containing shape.
Name
hyperlink
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
The text will link to this URL if specified.
Name
level
Type
integer
Required?
No
Description
Indent level of this text block within a list. Minimum is 0 (default), maximum is 8. Only applicable if this Text object is part of a List object.

The Text object (minimum example)

"my_placeholder": {
  "type": "text",
  "value": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet."
}

The Text object (with more options)

"my_placeholder": {
  "type": "text",
  "value": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.",
  "styles": {
    "font": {
      "size": 28,
      "color": "#000000",
      "underline": true,
      "italic": true
    },
    "shape": {
      "fill": "#E2E9F4",
      "outline": "758AA5",
      "align": "center",
      "vertical_align": "top"
    }
  },
  "hyperlink": "https://slidepack.io/"
}

The Table object

The Table object is used to populate a table with tabular data.

SlidePack will look for tables that have the key as its alt text. In PowerPoint, right click on a table and select View alt text to change a table's alt text.

Each cell value may be a Text object or a string shorthand.

Columns and rows will be added or removed to match the dimensions of the provided array.

Attributes

Name
type
Type
string "table"
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Name
rows
Type
string[][] or object[][]
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
2-dimensional array of cell values. Cell values may be a mixture of Text objects and string shorthands.
Name
rows[n][m]
Type
string or object
Required?
No
Description
Cell value at row n, column m.
Name
rows[n][m].databar
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
A data bar will be drawn in the cell if specified.
Name
rows[n][m].databar.ratio
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Length of the data bar, within range 0.0 to 1.0.
Name
rows[n][m].databar.color
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Color of the data bar.
Name
horizontal_sizing
Type
string enum
Required?
No
Description
Specifies how the table resizes horizontally when columns are added or removed.
- fixed (default) - Keep the original table width. Column widths are adjusted to fit.
- anchor_left - Keep the left side of the table in place. Table resizes to the right if necessary.
- anchor_right - Keep the right side of the table in place. Table resizes to the left if necessary.
Name
vertical_sizing
Type
string enum
Required?
No
Description
Specifies how the table resizes vertically when rows are added or removed.
- fixed - Keep the original table height. Row heights are adjusted to fit.
- anchor_top (default) - Keep the top side of the table in place. Table resizes downwards if necessary.
- anchor_bottom - Keep the bottom side of the table in place. Table resizes upwards if necessary.

The Table object (minimum example)

"my_table_alt_text": {
  "type": "table",
  "rows": [
    ["Title", "Artist", "Album"],
    ["So What", "Miles Davis", "Kind of Blue"],
    ["Take Five", "Dave Brubeck", "Time Out"]
  ]
}

The Table object (with more options)

"my_table_alt_text": {
  "type": "table",
  "rows": [
    ["Title", "Artist", "Album"],
    [
      {
        "type": "text",
        "value": "So What",
        "styles": {
          "font": {
            "bold": true
          },
          "shape": {
            "align": "justified"
          }
        }
      },
      { "type": "text", "value": "Miles Davis" },
      { "type": "text", "value": "Kind of Blue" }
    ],
    [
      { "type": "text", "value": "Take Five" },
      { "type": "text", "value": "Dave Brubeck" },
      { "type": "text", "value": "Time Out" }
    ]
  ],
  "horizontal_sizing": "fixed",
  "vertical_sizing": "anchor_top"
}

The Chart object

The Chart object is used to populate a chart with series data.

Currently supported chart types are Bar, Line, Area and Pie.

Scatter charts are also supported, but the data format is slightly different.

SlidePack will look for charts that have the key as its alt text. In PowerPoint, right click on a chart and select View alt text to change a chart's alt text.

Attributes

Name
type
Type
string "chart"
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Name
labels
Type
string[]
Required?
No
Description
Array of strings that are displayed as category labels. These are usually displayed on the horizontal axis.
Name
labels_interval
Type
integer
Required?
No
Description
Display interval of string category labels. For example, 3 would mean one in every three of labels are actually displayed, and the rest are skipped.
Name
date_labels
Type
integer[]
Required?
No
Description
Array of numerical values that are displayed as category labels. Specify this instead of labels to use the "Date axis" format. Values are Excel date values: integers that denote the number of days since Jan 1, 1900. For example, November 11, 2022 is 44881.
Name
date_labels_format
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Format code for date axis category labels. An example is "yyyy/mm/dd". Refer to MS Office documents for format code details.
Name
date_labels_major_unit
Type
int
Required?
No
Description
Display interval of date axis category labels. Combine with date_labels_major_time_unit. For example, 2 and "months" means an interval of 2 months.
Name
date_labels_major_time_unit
Type
string enum
Required?
No
Description
One of "days", "months", or "years".
Name
axis1
Type
object
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Data for the primary value axis.
Name
axis1.series
Type
object
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Map of series keys to series data objects.
Name
axis1.series.{key}
Type
object
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Series data. If the key exists as a series name in the template chart, that series will be overwritten. Otherwise, a new series will be created.
Name
axis1.series.{key}.name
Type
string
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
New name for the series. This name may appear, for example, in the chart legend.
Name
axis1.series.{key}.values
Type
number[]
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Array of series data point values.
Name
axis1.series.{key}.styles
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
A Styles object for the whole series.
Name
axis1.series.{key}.data_point_styles
Type
object[]
Required?
No
Description
Array of Styles objects for individual data points. Each styles object applies to the data point in the same position in the values array. Use null elements to keep default styles.
Name
axis1.bounds
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
Display range of the value axis.
Name
axis1.bounds.minimum
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Minimum display value of the axis.
Name
axis1.bounds.maximum
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Maximum display value of the axis.
Name
axis1.format
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Format code for value axis labels. Examples are "0.0%" and "#,#0.0". Refer to MS Office documents for format code details.
Name
axis1.major_unit
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Display interval of value axis labels.
Name
axis2
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
Data for the secondary value axis. Schema is identical to axis1.

Effects of styles and data_point_styles

	`shape.fill`	`shape.outline`
Bar chart	Bar fill	Bar outline
Line chart	Marker fill	Plot line and marker outline
Area chart	Area fill	Area outline

The Chart object (minimum example)

"my_chart_alt_text": {
  "type": "chart",
  "labels": ["Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"],
  "axis1": {
    "series": {
      "my_series_key": {
        "name": "Revenue",
        "values": [100, 130, 120, 130]
      }
    }
  }
}

The Chart object (with more options)

"my_chart_alt_text": {
  "type": "chart",
  "labels": ["Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"],
  "labels_interval": 2,
  "axis1": {
    "bounds": {
      "minimum": 50,
      "maximum": 150
    },
    "format": "#,#.0",
    "interval": 20,
    "series": {
      "ser1": {
        "name": "Revenue",
        "values": [100, 130, 120, 130]
      },
      "ser2": {
        "name": "Expenses",
        "values": [85, 90, 80, 75]
      }
    }
  },
  "axis2": {
    "series": {
      "ser3": {
        "name": "Gross profit margin",
        "values": [0.15, 0.3, 0.33, 0.42],
        "styles": {
          "shape": { "fill": "ffdd99", "outline": "ffaa55" }
        },
        "data_point_styles": [
          null,
          null,
          { "shape": { "fill": "ff0000" } },
          null
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

The Scatter Chart object

The Scatter Chart object is used to populate a scatter chart with series data.

SlidePack will look for charts that have the key as its alt text. In PowerPoint, right click on a chart and select View alt text to change a chart's alt text.

Attributes

Name
type
Type
string "scatter-chart"
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Name
axis1
Type
object
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Data for the primary axis.
Name
axis1.series
Type
object
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Map of series keys to series data objects.
Name
axis1.series.{key}
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
Series data. If the key exists as a series name in the template chart, that series will be overwritten. Otherwise, a new series will be created.
Name
axis1.series.{key}.name
Type
string
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
New name for the series. This name may appear, for example, in the chart legend.
Name
axis1.series.{key}.values
Type
[number, number][]
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Array of series data point values. Each element is a tuple [x, y] that represents a data point.
Name
axis1.series.{key}.styles
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
A Styles object for the whole series.
Name
axis1.series.{key}.data_point_styles
Type
object[]
Required?
No
Description
Array of Styles objects for individual data points. Each styles object applies to the data point in the same position in the values array. Use null elements to keep default styles.
Name
axis1.x_bounds
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
Display range of the X axis.
Name
axis1.x_bounds.minimum
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Minimum display value of the X axis.
Name
axis1.x_bounds.maximum
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Maximum display value of the X axis.
Name
axis1.x_format
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Format code for the X axis labels. Examples are 0.0% and #,#0.0. Refer to MS Office documents for format code details.
Name
axis1.x_major_unit
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Display interval of labels of the X axis labels.
Name
axis1.y_bounds
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
Display range of the Y axis.
Name
axis1.y_bounds.minimum
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Minimum display value of the Y axis.
Name
axis1.y_bounds.maximum
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Maximum display value of the Y axis.
Name
axis1.y_format
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Format code for the Y axis labels. Examples are 0.0% and #,#0.0. Refer to MS Office documents for format code details.
Name
axis1.y_major_unit
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Display interval of labels of the Y axis labels.
Name
axis2
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
Data for the secondary value axis data. Schema is identical to axis1.

The Scatter chart object (minimum example)

"my_scatter_chart_alt_text": {
  "type": "scatter-chart",
  "axis1": {
    "series": {
      "my_series_key": {
        "name": "Occurences",
        "values": [
          [7.1, 5.1],
          [3.4, 6.9],
          [2.6, 2.6],
          [4.0, 8.1],
          [2.8, 4.5]
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

The Chart object (with more options)

"my_scatter_chart_alt_text": {
  "type": "scatter-chart",
  "axis1": {
    "x_bounds": { "minimum": 0, "maximum": 10 },
    "x_format": "#,#0.00",
    "x_major_unit": 1.0,
    "y_bounds": { "minimum": 0, "maximum": 10 },
    "series": {
      "my_series_one": {
        "name": "Natural",
        "values": [
          [7.1, 5.1],
          [3.4, 6.9],
          [2.6, 2.6],
          [4.0, 8.1],
          [2.8, 4.5]
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "axis2": {
    "series": {
      "my_series_two": {
        "name": "Synthetic",
        "values": [
          [4.6, 5.3],
          [5.2, 3.6],
          [6.0, 2.8],
          [6.3, 6.5],
          [8.2, 4.4]
        ],
        "styles": {
          "shape": { "fill": "ffdd99", "outline": "ffaa55" }
        },
        "data_point_styles": [
          null,
          null,
          { "shape": { "fill": "ff0000" } },
          null,
          null
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

The List object

The List object is used to populate a list with list items.

SlidePack will look for {placeholders} in text boxes and replace it with a list.

values[n].styles.font can be used to change font styles, but values[n].styles.shape is ignored.

Attributes

Name
type
Type
string "list"
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Name
values
Type
string[] or object[]
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
List items. May be a mixture of Text objects and string shorthands.
Name
values[n].level
Type
integer
Required?
No
Description
Indent level. Minimum (default) is 0, max is 8.

The List object (minimum example)

"my-list-placeholder": {
  "type": "list",
  "values": [
    "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet",
    "consectetur adipiscing elit",
    "Sed mollis pretium"
  ]
}

The List object (with more options)

"my-list-placeholder": {
  "type": "list",
  "values": [
    {
      "value": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet",
      "level": 1
    },
    {
      "value": "consectetur adipiscing elit",
      "level": 2
    },
    {
      "value": "Sed mollis pretium",
      "level": 2,
      "styles": {
        "font": {
          "bold": true,
          "color": "#2a4598"
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

The Image object

The Image object is used to embed an image.

SlidePack will look for {placeholders} in shapes and replace it with an image.

Attributes

Name
type
Type
string "image"
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Name
src
Type
string
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Include your image file in the zip archive, and specify the relative path from the directory data.json is in. Supported image formats are jpg, jpeg, gif, and png.
Name
scaling
Type
string enum
Required?
No
Description
Specifies how the image should be scaled.
- none (default) - Use the image intrinsic size.
- contain - Scale so that the entire image fits within the target shape.
- cover - Scale so that the image fills the target shape. Image may overflow.
Name
overflow
Type
string enum
Required?
No
Description
Specifies how overflow should be treated.
- visible (default) - Image is not clipped, and may overflow the target shape.
- hidden - Image is clipped at the target shape bounds.

The Image object

  "my-image-placeholder": {
    "type": "image",
    "src": "images/home-office.jpg",
    "scaling": "contain",
    "overflow": "hidden"
  }

The Video object

The Video object is used to embed a video.

SlidePack will look for {placeholders} in shapes and replace it with a video.

Video may be unplayable if it uses a codec that PowerPoint does not support. Microsoft recommends H.264 video and AAC audio.

Attributes

Name
type
Type
string "video"
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
Name
src
Type
string
Required?
Yesrequired
Description
A local video file path or a YouTube URL. For local videos, include your video file in the zip archive, and specify the relative path from the directory data.json is in. Supported file formats are mp4, m4v, and mov.
Name
thumbnail
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Picture to be shown when video is not playing. Required for local video files. Needs to have the same aspect ratio as the video itself. Include your image file in the zip archive, and specify the relative path from the directory data.json is in. Supported file formats are jpg, jpeg, png and gif.
Name
scaling
Type
string enum
Required?
No
Description
Specifies how the video should be scaled.
- contain (default) - Scale so that the entire video fits within the target shape.
- cover - Scale so that the video fills the target shape. Video may overflow.

The Video object

  "my-video-placeholder": {
    "type": "video",
    "src": "demo-reel.mp4",
    "thumbnail": "thumb.png",
    "scaling": "contain"
  }

The Styles object

The Styles object is used to apply colors and font styles to objects.

The effects vary depending on what type of object the styles are being applied to. For example, when applied to a Text object, shape.outline changes the outline color of the shape that the text is in. When applied to a bar Chart series, it changes the outline color of the bars.

Some properties do not have an effect when applied to a certain type of object. For example, shape.align is ignored for a chart data point.

See reference entries for each object type and the examples for details.

Attributes

Name
font
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
Font styles.
Name
font.typeface
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Changes the text font typeface. Examples are "Arial" and "Calibri".
Name
font.size
Type
number
Required?
No
Description
Changes the text font size, in points.
Name
font.color
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Changes the text color.
Name
font.underline
Type
boolean
Required?
No
Description
Applies underline.
Name
font.bold
Type
boolean
Required?
No
Description
Applies bold.
Name
font.italic
Type
boolean
Required?
No
Description
Applies italic.
Name
font.strike
Type
boolean
Required?
No
Description
Applies strike-through.
Name
shape
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
Shape styles.
Name
shape.outline
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Changes the shape outline color.
Name
shape.fill
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Changes the shape fill color.
Name
shape.align
Type
string enum
Required?
No
Description
Changes the horizontal alignment of text within the shape. One of left, center, right, justified or distributed.
Name
shape.vertical_align
Type
string enum
Required?
No
Description
Changes the vertical alignment of text within the shape. One of top, center or bottom.

Text object with Styles

"my-text-placeholder": {
  "type": "text",
  "value": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet",
  "styles": {
    "font": {
      "typeface": "Times New Roman",
      "size": 28,
      "color": "#000000",
      "underline": true,
      "italic": true,
      "bold": true,
      "strike": true
    },
    "shape": {
      "outline": "accent1",
      "fill": "lavender",
      "align": "center",
      "vertical_align": "bottom"
    }
  }
}

The Theme object

The Theme object is used to change theme colors that apply to all slides in the presentation.

A PowerPoint theme has 12 named colors:

You can specify each of them with a Color string.

Use hex codes such as "#ff0000" or color names such as "snow". Theme color names such as "dk1" cannot be used to define theme colors.

Unspecified colors and ones set to empty strings "" or null retain their original colors.

Attributes

Name
colors
Type
object
Required?
No
Description
Color values.
Name
colors.lt1
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Text/Background - Light 1". This is usually the slide background.
Name
colors.dk1
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Text/Background - Dark 1". This is usually the text color.
Name
colors.lt2
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Text/Background - Light 2".
Name
colors.dk2
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Text/Background - Dark 2".
Name
colors.accent1
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Accent 1".
Name
colors.accent2
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Accent 2".
Name
colors.accent3
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Accent 3".
Name
colors.accent4
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Accent 4".
Name
colors.accent5
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Accent 5".
Name
colors.accent6
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Accent 6".
Name
colors.hlink
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Hyperlink".
Name
colors.folHlink
Type
string
Required?
No
Description
Color for "Followed Hyperlink".

Theme object

{
  "colors": {
    "lt1": "F5F2E3",
    "dk1": "6c685f",
    "lt2": "#CAD9EA",
    "dk2": "#5c6875",
    "accent1": "6b95a4",
    "accent2": "c9747f",
    "accent3": "7e9a62",
    "accent4": "tan",
    "accent5": "",
    "accent6": null,
    "hlink": "858499"
  }
}

Deleting elements

Assigning { "delete": true } to a placeholder key will delete that object from the slide.

Deleting objects from a slide

"my_placeholder": {
  "delete": true
}

All text boxes containing the placeholder will be deleted.
All table cells containing the placeholder will be emptied.
All tables and charts with matching alt text will be deleted.

Colors

Specify colors for fonts, fills, etc. using Hex codes or color names.

Hex color codes look like #f6ad5c or FF0000. The leading # is optional. Hex color codes are case-insensitive.

Color names can be lt1, dk1, lt2, dk2, accent1, accent2, accent3, accent4, accent5, accent6, hlink, or folHlink. They correspond to the 12 named colors defined in the theme and can be customized.

The following color names are available as well. They are similar to HTML color names, but please note that there are subtle differences such as "dark" vs "dk". These color names are case sensitive.

black

dkSlateGray

dimGray

slateGray

gray

ltSlateGray

dkGray

silver

ltGray

gainsboro

mistyRose

antiqueWhite

linen

beige

whiteSmoke

lavenderBlush

oldLace

aliceBlue

ltCyan

seaShell

ghostWhite

honeydew

floralWhite

azure

mintCream

snow

ivory

white

medVioletRed

deepPink

paleVioletRed

hotPink

ltPink

pink

dkRed

red

firebrick

crimson

indianRed

ltCoral

salmon

dkSalmon

ltSalmon

orangeRed

tomato

dkOrange

coral

orange

dkKhaki

gold

khaki

peachPuff

yellow

paleGoldenrod

moccasin

papayaWhip

ltGoldenrodYellow

lemonChiffon

ltYellow

maroon

brown

saddleBrown

sienna

chocolate

dkGoldenrod

peru

rosyBrown

goldenrod

sandyBrown

tan

burlyWood

wheat

navajoWhite

bisque

blanchedAlmond

cornsilk

dkGreen

green

dkOliveGreen

forestGreen

seaGreen

olive

oliveDrab

medSeaGreen

limeGreen

lime

springGreen

medSpringGreen

dkSeaGreen

medAquamarine

yellowGreen

lawnGreen

chartreuse

ltGreen

greenYellow

paleGreen

teal

dkCyan

ltSeaGreen

cadetBlue

dkTurquoise

medTurquoise

turquoise

aqua

cyan

aquamarine

paleTurquoise

navy

dkBlue

medBlue

blue

midnightBlue

dkSlateBlue

slateBlue

medSlateBlue

royalBlue

steelBlue

dodgerBlue

deepSkyBlue

cornflowerBlue

skyBlue

ltSkyBlue

ltSteelBlue

ltBlue

powderBlue

indigo

purple

dkMagenta

dkViolet

blueViolet

medPurple

dkOrchid

fuchsia

magenta

medOrchid

orchid

violet

plum

thistle

lavender