Resilient PowerPoint Generation Workflow

When to Use This Skill

Use this workflow when:

• You need to create PowerPoint presentations programmatically
• shell_agent may fail or produce opaque error messages
• You need robust error handling and debugging capabilities
• Output files may be created in unexpected nested directories

Overview

This workflow provides two paths:

1. Primary: Use shell_agent with clear specifications (preferred for simple presentations)
2. Fallback: Direct Python execution with python-pptx library (for complex or failed shell_agent attempts)

Both paths include automatic error capture and file location verification.

---

Path 1: shell_agent (Primary)

Step 1.1: Delegate with Clear Specifications

Use shell_agent to create a PowerPoint presentation with:
- Specify exact number of slides needed
- Define content/topic for each slide
- Request file saved with clear filename (e.g., presentation.pptx)
- Ask agent to confirm the full file path after creation
- Request agent report any errors with full output

Example task description:

Create a PowerPoint presentation with 10 slides covering [topic]. Each slide should have a title and bullet points. Save it as presentation.pptx in the current working directory and report the full file path. If you encounter any errors, show the complete error message.

Step 1.2: Verify shell_agent Success

Check if shell_agent completed successfully:

• Did it report a file path?
• Can you access the file at that path?
• Is the file size > 0 bytes?

If any check fails, proceed to Path 2 (Fallback).

---

Path 2: Direct Python with python-pptx (Fallback)

Step 2.1: Create Python Script File

First, write the PowerPoint generation script to a .py file (do NOT use inline execution):

# save as: generate_presentation.py
from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.util import Inches, Pt
import os

# CRITICAL: Explicitly set and verify working directory
working_dir = os.getcwd()
print(f"Working directory: {working_dir}")

# Create presentation
prs = Presentation()

# Example: Add slides with content
slides_content = [
    {"title": "Slide 1 Title", "content": ["Bullet 1", "Bullet 2"]},
    {"title": "Slide 2 Title", "content": ["Point A", "Point B", "Point C"]},
    # Add more slides as needed
]

for slide_data in slides_content:
    slide_layout = prs.slide_layouts[1]  # Title and Content layout
    slide = prs.slides.add_slide(slide_layout)
    
    # Set title
    title = slide.shapes.title
    title.text = slide_data["title"]
    
    # Set content
    content = slide.placeholders[1]
    tf = content.text_frame
    tf.clear()  # Clear existing content
    
    for i, point in enumerate(slide_data["content"]):
        if i == 0:
            p = tf.paragraphs[0]
        else:
            p = tf.add_paragraph()
        p.text = point
        p.font.size = Pt(18)

# Save to current working directory with explicit path
output_filename = "presentation.pptx"
output_path = os.path.join(working_dir, output_filename)
prs.save(output_path)

print(f"Presentation saved to: {output_path}")
print(f"File exists: {os.path.exists(output_path)}")
print(f"File size: {os.path.getsize(output_path)} bytes")

Step 2.2: Execute with Error Output Capture

CRITICAL: Always redirect stderr to stdout to capture actual error messages:

# Execute the script with full error output
python generate_presentation.py 2>&1

# Or if using run_shell tool, ensure 2>&1 is included

Why this matters: Without 2>&1, Python exceptions are sent to stderr and you only see "unknown error" instead of the actual exception message.

Step 2.3: Debug Common Issues

If execution fails, add these debugging commands:

# Check if python-pptx is installed
python -c "import pptx; print(pptx.__version__)" 2>&1

# Check working directory
pwd
ls -la

# Check Python version
python --version

# Run with verbose error output
python -u generate_presentation.py 2>&1 | tee execution_log.txt

---

Step 3: Locate the Output File (Both Paths)

PowerPoint files may be in nested workspace directories. Always verify location:

# Find all .pptx files in workspace
find . -name "*.pptx" -type f 2>&1

# Or search for specific filename
find . -name "presentation.pptx" -type f 2>&1

# If not found locally, search broader (last resort)
find /workspace -name "*.pptx" -type f 2>/dev/null

---

Step 4: Copy to Working Directory

Once located, copy the file to your working directory:

# Get the full path from find output
FILE_PATH=$(find . -name "presentation.pptx" -type f | head -1)

# Copy to current directory
cp "$FILE_PATH" . 2>&1

# Or move it
mv "$FILE_PATH" . 2>&1

---

Step 5: Verify the File

Confirm the file exists and is valid:

# List file with details
ls -la presentation.pptx

# Check file size (should NOT be 0 bytes)
file presentation.pptx
stat presentation.pptx | grep Size

# Verify it's a valid PowerPoint file
python -c "from pptx import Presentation; prs = Presentation('presentation.pptx'); print(f'Slides: {len(prs.slides)}')" 2>&1

---

Common Pitfalls & Solutions

Problem	Solution
shell_agent returns "unknown error"	Switch to Path 2 (direct Python) immediately
Python script fails silently	Add 2>&1 to capture stderr; use python -u for unbuffered output
File not found after generation	Use find . -name "*.pptx" - don't assume current directory
File is 0 bytes	Re-run generation; check for exceptions in error output
Working directory confusion	Always print(os.getcwd()) in Python scripts; use absolute paths
Module not found (pptx)	Install with pip install python-pptx or use alternative environment
Permission denied	Check directory permissions: ls -la on parent dirs; use /workspace/ prefix

---

Decision Tree

Start
  │
  └─→ Try shell_agent with clear specs
        │
        ├─→ Success + File path reported? ──→ Verify file → Done
        │
        └─→ Failed or opaque error?
              │
              └─→ Switch to direct Python (Path 2)
                    │
                    ├─→ Write script to .py file
                    ├─→ Execute with 2>&1 redirect
                    ├─→ Capture and analyze errors
                    ├─→ Fix and retry (max 3 attempts)
                    │
                    └─→ Success? → Locate → Copy → Verify → Done
                    └─→ Still failing? → Report actual error messages

---

Example: Complete Workflow

# Attempt 1: shell_agent (via task delegation)
# [Agent creates presentation, reports path or error]

# If shell_agent failed, proceed to Path 2:

# Step 1: Write Python script
cat > generate_presentation.py << 'EOF'
from pptx import Presentation
import os
print(f"Working directory: {os.getcwd()}")
prs = Presentation()
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[0])
slide.shapes.title.text = "Title Slide"
prs.save("presentation.pptx")
print(f"Saved: presentation.pptx")
EOF

# Step 2: Execute with error capture
python generate_presentation.py 2>&1
# Output: Working directory: /workspace/task_123
#         Saved: presentation.pptx

# Step 3: Locate (in case it's nested)
find . -name "presentation.pptx" -type f
# Output: ./presentation.pptx

# Step 4: Verify
ls -la presentation.pptx
# Output: -rw-r--r-- 1 user user 45632 Jan 15 10:30 presentation.pptx

python -c "from pptx import Presentation; print(len(Presentation('presentation.pptx').slides))"
# Output: 1

---

Troubleshooting: Detailed Error Diagnosis

When you see "unknown error" from run_shell:

# This is NOT helpful - stderr is hidden
python script.py

# This CAPTURES the actual error
python script.py 2>&1

# This CAPTURES and LOGS for analysis
python script.py 2>&1 | tee error_log.txt

When working directory is unclear:

# Always include this at script start
import os
print(f"CWD: {os.getcwd()}")
print(f"Files in CWD: {os.listdir('.')}")

# Use absolute paths for output
output_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), "presentation.pptx")

When multiple .pptx files exist:

# Find most recently created
find . -name "*.pptx" -type f -printf '%T@ %p\n' | sort -n | tail -1

# Or find by name pattern
find . -name "*presentation*.pptx" -type f

---

Tool-Specific Notes

run_shell

• ALWAYS include 2>&1 to capture Python exceptions
• Consider python -u for unbuffered output (real-time error display)
• Use | tee logfile.txt to preserve error output for analysis

shell_agent

• Request explicit file path confirmation in task description
• Ask agent to report full error messages if generation fails
• Be prepared to switch to Path 2 if errors are opaque

execute_code_sandbox

• May have module availability issues (e.g., missing python-pptx)
• Prefer run_shell with explicit script file for complex tasks
• Verify module availability before relying on this tool

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Success Criteria

A successful PowerPoint generation workflow:

• File exists at known path
• File size > 0 bytes (typically > 10KB for multi-slide)
• File can be opened by python-pptx without errors
• Expected number of slides present
• Slide titles match specifications *** End Files