Deck Editing

Content edits to an outline-backed deck first invoke Skill(skill: "presentation-creator") for the source change. Resume with regenerated artifacts; layout-only edits stay here.

Iteration Loop

Free-form conversation. The author gives feedback in whatever format is natural. Edits drive the real PowerPoint app — there is no open session to mutate. Two mechanisms cover iteration: a global text replace via run-deck-ops.sh's replaceStr, and build-then-assemble — rebuild the affected slide as a one-SLIDE fragment with build-deck.sh, then position it with run-deck-ops.sh's order string (see deckops-spec.md).

Slide-specific changes

Author says: "Slide 12 — make the title shorter" → global text replace (replaces every occurrence, so use distinctive text): run-deck-ops.sh <deck> <out> "" "<unchanged order>" "Old long title=>Shorter"

Author says: "Slide 5 — change to two columns"

1. Build a one-SLIDE fragment on the two-column layout with build-deck.sh.
2. Use run-deck-ops.sh to drop the old slide 5 and place the fragment in its position — express the FINAL slide order (see Structural changes below).

Batch changes

Read design_rules.slide_numbers from the speaker profile. If "never", decline requests to add slide numbers and explain it's a design rule.

Content delivery

Author provides an image for a placeholder slide: → Rebuild that slide as a one-SLIDE fragment with an IMAGE op, then position it with run-deck-ops.sh (build-then-assemble).

Structural changes (real PowerPoint via RunDeckOps)

Make ALL structural edits (delete / reorder / cross-deck import / global text replace) by driving the real PowerPoint app, which serializes the file and preserves backgrounds, fonts, masters, and Keynote-openability. python-pptx editing strips each slide's per-slide background fill — on illustrated decks that silently flattens full-bleed art to bare color. See rules/deck-editing-rules.md.

bash "{speaker_toolkit_root}/skills/presentation-creator/scripts/run-deck-ops.sh" <basePath> <outPath> <importSpec> <orderStr> <replaceStr>

orderStr is the FINAL slide sequence as space-separated <alias>:<1-based #> tokens; alias BASE is basePath. Delete by OMITTING a slide; reorder by listing tokens in the target order; import by adding an alias to importSpec.

# drop slide 3, and move slide 6 ahead of slide 4:
"BASE:1 BASE:2 BASE:6 BASE:4 BASE:5"

macOS + Microsoft PowerPoint only. Run "{python_path}" "{speaker_toolkit_root}/skills/presentation-creator/scripts/deckops-doctor.py" --vault-root "{vault_root}" first and act on its status rather than assuming a first run; deck-editing-setup.md covers enabling VBA macros, importing RunDeckOps.bas into a DeckOps.pptm container, and granting Automation consent. On EVERY build, the user must open DeckOps.pptm first and keep it open for the whole sequence — each macro pass calls a macro in that running instance (see Step 6 of the setup doc). The speaker-notes pass runs no macro. The macro writes a COPY — the original is untouched; continue editing from the OUTPUT deck.