HTML/Markdown to PowerPoint Skill

Overview

This skill enables conversion from Markdown or HTML to professional PowerPoint presentations using Marp (Markdown Presentation Ecosystem). Create beautiful, consistent slides using simple Markdown syntax with CSS-based themes.

How to Use

1. Provide Markdown content structured for slides
2. Optionally specify a theme or custom styling
3. I'll convert it to PowerPoint, PDF, or HTML slides

Example prompts:

• "Convert this markdown to a PowerPoint presentation"
• "Create slides from this outline using Marp"
• "Turn my notes into a presentation with the gaia theme"
• "Generate a PDF slide deck from this markdown"

Domain Knowledge

Marp Fundamentals

Marp uses a simple syntax where --- separates slides:

---
marp: true
theme: default
---

# Slide 1 Title

Content for first slide

---

# Slide 2 Title

Content for second slide

Command Line Usage

# Convert to PowerPoint
marp slides.md -o presentation.pptx

# Convert to PDF
marp slides.md -o presentation.pdf

# Convert to HTML
marp slides.md -o presentation.html

# With specific theme
marp slides.md --theme gaia -o presentation.pptx

Slide Structure

Basic Slide

---
marp: true
---

# Title

- Bullet point 1
- Bullet point 2
- Bullet point 3

Title Slide

---
marp: true
theme: gaia
class: lead
---

# Presentation Title

## Subtitle

Author Name
Date

Frontmatter Options

---
marp: true
theme: default          # default, gaia, uncover
size: 16:9              # 4:3, 16:9, or custom
paginate: true          # Show page numbers
header: 'Company Name'  # Header text
footer: 'Confidential'  # Footer text
backgroundColor: #fff
backgroundImage: url('bg.png')
---

Themes

Built-in Themes

---
marp: true
theme: default   # Clean, minimal
---

---
marp: true
theme: gaia      # Colorful, modern
---

---
marp: true
theme: uncover   # Bold, presentation-focused
---

Theme Classes

---
marp: true
theme: gaia
class: lead     # Centered title slide
---

---
marp: true
theme: gaia
class: invert   # Inverted colors
---

Formatting

Text Styling

# Heading 1
## Heading 2

**Bold text** and *italic text*

`inline code`

> Blockquote for emphasis

Lists

- Unordered item
- Another item
  - Nested item

1. Ordered item
2. Second item
   1. Nested numbered

Code Blocks

# Code Example

\`\`\`python
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")
\`\`\`

Tables

| Feature | Status |
|---------|--------|
| Tables  | ✅     |
| Charts  | ✅     |
| Images  | ✅     |

Images

Basic Image

![](image.png)

Sized Image

![width:500px](image.png)
![height:300px](image.png)
![width:80%](image.png)

Background Image

---
marp: true
backgroundImage: url('background.jpg')
---

# Slide with Background

Advanced Layout

Two Columns

---
marp: true
style: |
  .columns {
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);
    gap: 1rem;
  }
---

# Two Column Layout

<div class="columns">
<div>

## Left Column
- Point 1
- Point 2

</div>
<div>

## Right Column
- Point A
- Point B

</div>
</div>

Split Background

---
marp: true
theme: gaia
class: gaia
---

<!-- 
_backgroundImage: linear-gradient(to right, #4a90a4, #4a90a4 50%, white 50%)
-->

<div class="columns">
<div style="color: white;">

# Dark Side

</div>
<div>

# Light Side

</div>
</div>

Directives

Local Directives (per slide)

---
marp: true
---

<!-- 
_backgroundColor: #123
_color: white
_paginate: false
-->

# Special Slide

Scoped Styles

---
marp: true
---

<style scoped>
h1 {
  color: red;
}
</style>

# This Title is Red

Python Integration

import subprocess
import tempfile
import os

def markdown_to_pptx(md_content, output_path, theme='default'):
    """Convert Markdown to PowerPoint using Marp."""
    
    # Add marp directive if not present
    if '---\nmarp: true' not in md_content:
        md_content = f"---\nmarp: true\ntheme: {theme}\n---\n\n" + md_content
    
    # Write to temp file
    with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(mode='w', suffix='.md', delete=False) as f:
        f.write(md_content)
        temp_path = f.name
    
    try:
        # Convert using marp
        subprocess.run([
            'marp', temp_path, '-o', output_path
        ], check=True)
        
        return output_path
    finally:
        os.unlink(temp_path)

# Usage
md = """
# Welcome

Introduction slide

---

# Agenda

- Topic 1
- Topic 2
- Topic 3
"""

markdown_to_pptx(md, 'presentation.pptx')

Node.js/marp-cli API

const { marpCli } = require('@marp-team/marp-cli');

// Convert file
marpCli(['slides.md', '-o', 'output.pptx']).then(exitCode => {
    console.log('Done:', exitCode);
});

Best Practices

1. One Idea Per Slide: Keep slides focused
2. Use Visual Hierarchy: Consistent heading levels
3. Limit Text: 6 bullets max per slide
4. Include Images: Visual content enhances retention
5. Test Output: Preview before final export

Common Patterns

Presentation Generator

def create_presentation(title, sections, output_path, theme='gaia'):
    """Generate presentation from structured data."""
    
    md_content = f"""---
marp: true
theme: {theme}
paginate: true
---

<!-- _class: lead -->

# {title}

{sections.get('subtitle', '')}

{sections.get('author', '')}

"""
    
    for section in sections.get('slides', []):
        md_content += f"""---

# {section['title']}

"""
        for point in section.get('points', []):
            md_content += f"- {point}\n"
        
        if section.get('notes'):
            md_content += f"\n<!-- Notes: {section['notes']} -->\n"
    
    md_content += """---

<!-- _class: lead -->

# Thank You!

Questions?
"""
    
    return markdown_to_pptx(md_content, output_path, theme)

Batch Slide Generation

def generate_report_slides(data_list, template, output_dir):
    """Generate multiple presentations from data."""
    import os
    
    for data in data_list:
        content = template.format(**data)
        output_path = os.path.join(output_dir, f"{data['name']}_report.pptx")
        markdown_to_pptx(content, output_path)

Examples

Example 1: Tech Presentation

---
marp: true
theme: gaia
class: lead
paginate: true
---

# API Documentation

## REST API Best Practices

Engineering Team
January 2024

---

# Agenda

1. Authentication
2. Endpoints Overview
3. Error Handling
4. Rate Limiting
5. Examples

---

# Authentication

All requests require an API key:

```http
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

• Keys expire after 90 days
• Store securely, never commit to git
• Rotate regularly

---

Endpoints Overview

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/users	List all users
POST	/users	Create user
GET	/users/:id	Get user details
PUT	/users/:id	Update user
DELETE	/users/:id	Delete user

---

Error Handling

{
  "error": {
    "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
    "message": "Invalid email format",
    "details": ["email must be valid"]
  }
}

---

Questions?

[email protected]

### Example 2: Business Pitch
```python
def create_pitch_deck(company_data):
    """Generate investor pitch deck."""
    
    md = f"""---
marp: true
theme: uncover
paginate: true
---

<!-- _class: lead -->
<!-- _backgroundColor: #2d3748 -->
<!-- _color: white -->

# {company_data['name']}

{company_data['tagline']}

---

# The Problem

{company_data['problem_statement']}

**Market Pain Points:**
"""
    
    for pain in company_data['pain_points']:
        md += f"- {pain}\n"
    
    md += f"""
---

# Our Solution

{co