Create, read and edit a PowerPoint file on Linux

13 Jun 20245 minutes to read

You can create or edit a PowerPoint file in .NET Core on Linux using Syncfusion PowerPoint library. The below are the steps.

Create a PowerPoint file in .NET Core Console application project on Linux

Step 1: Execute the following command in Linux terminal to create a new .NET Core Console application.

dotnet new console

Create .NET Core console project

Step 2: Install the Syncfusion.Presentation.Net.Core NuGet package as a reference to your project from NuGet.org by execute the following command.

dotnet add package Syncfusion.Presentation.Net.Core -v 17.4.0.39 -s https://www.nuget.org/

Install NuGet packages

NOTE

Starting with v16.2.0.x, if you reference Syncfusion assemblies from trial setup or from the NuGet feed, you also have to add “Syncfusion.Licensing” assembly reference and include a license key in your projects. Please refer to this link to know about registering Syncfusion license key in your application to use our components.

Step 3: Add the following Namespaces in Program.cs file.

using Syncfusion.Presentation;
using System.IO;

Step 4: Add the following code snippet in Program.cs file.

//Create a new instance of PowerPoint Presentation file
IPresentation pptxDoc = Presentation.Create();
//Add a new slide to file and apply background color
ISlide slide = pptxDoc.Slides.Add(SlideLayoutType.TitleOnly);
//Specify the fill type and fill color for the slide background 
slide.Background.Fill.FillType = FillType.Solid;
slide.Background.Fill.SolidFill.Color = ColorObject.FromArgb(232, 241, 229);
//Add title content to the slide by accessing the title placeholder of the TitleOnly layout-slide
IShape titleShape = slide.Shapes[0] as IShape;
titleShape.TextBody.AddParagraph("Company History").HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignmentType.Center;
//Add description content to the slide by adding a new TextBox
IShape descriptionShape = slide.AddTextBox(53.22, 141.73, 874.19, 77.70);
descriptionShape.TextBody.Text = "IMN Solutions PVT LTD is the software company, established in 1987, by George Milton. The company has been listed as the trusted partner for many high-profile organizations since 1988 and got awards for quality products from reputed organizations.";
//Add bullet points to the slide
IShape bulletPointsShape = slide.AddTextBox(53.22, 270, 437.90, 116.32);
//Add a paragraph for a bullet point
IParagraph firstPara = bulletPointsShape.TextBody.AddParagraph("The company acquired the MCY corporation for 20 billion dollars and became the top revenue maker for the year 2015.");
//Format how the bullets should be displayed
firstPara.ListFormat.Type = ListType.Bulleted;
firstPara.LeftIndent = 35;
firstPara.FirstLineIndent = -35;
// Add another paragraph for the next bullet point
IParagraph secondPara = bulletPointsShape.TextBody.AddParagraph("The company is participating in top open source projects in automation industry.");
//Format how the bullets should be displayed
secondPara.ListFormat.Type = ListType.Bulleted;
secondPara.LeftIndent = 35;
secondPara.FirstLineIndent = -35;
//Gets a picture as stream.
FileStream pictureStream = new FileStream("Image.jpg", FileMode.Open);
//Adds the picture to a slide by specifying its size and position.
slide.Shapes.AddPicture(pictureStream, 499.79, 238.59, 364.54, 192.16);
//Add an auto-shape to the slide
IShape stampShape = slide.Shapes.AddShape(AutoShapeType.Explosion1, 48.93, 430.71, 104.13, 80.54);
//Format the auto-shape color by setting the fill type and text
stampShape.Fill.FillType = FillType.None;
stampShape.TextBody.AddParagraph("IMN").HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignmentType.Center;
//Save the PowerPoint Presentation as stream
FileStream outputStream = new FileStream("Sample.pptx", FileMode.Create);
pptxDoc.Save(outputStream);
//Release all resources from stream
outputStream.Dispose();
//Close the PowerPoint presentation
pptxDoc.Close();

Step 5: Execute the following command to restore the NuGet packages.

dotnet restore

Restore the NuGet packages

Step 6: Execute the following command in terminal to run the application.

dotnet run

Run the Applcation

The output of the above code example will generate the below PowerPoint slide. The output will be saved in parallel to program.cs file.

.Net Core Console Output

Read and edit a PowerPoint file in .NET Core Console application project on Linux

You can edit an existing PowerPoint file on Linux using this library. The below code snippet demonstrates accessing a shape from a slide and changing the text within it.

//Open an existing PowerPoint presentation
IPresentation pptxDoc = Presentation.Open(new FileStream("Sample.pptx",FileMode.Open));
//Gets the first slide from the PowerPoint presentation
ISlide slide = pptxDoc.Slides[0];
//Gets the first shape of the slide
IShape shape = slide.Shapes[0] as IShape;
//Change the text of the shape
if(shape.TextBody.Text == "Company History")
    shape.TextBody.Text = "Company Profile";
//Save the PowerPoint presentation as stream
FileStream outputStream = new FileStream("Output.pptx", FileMode.Create);
pptxDoc.Save(outputStream);
outputStream.Position = 0;
outputStream.Flush();
outputStream.Dispose();
//Close the PowerPoint presentation
pptxDoc.Close();

Click here to explore the rich set of Syncfusion PowerPoint Library (Presentation) features.

An online sample link to create a PowerPoint Presentation in ASP.NET Core.