PPTX templates

Any PPTX file can be a template. Write Carbone tags in its text boxes, tables and speaker notes, and send your JSON data to the API. You get back a PowerPoint presentation or a PDF that keeps the design of the template.

Basic

Write a tag in a text box to insert a value from the JSON data. In {d.client}, d is the root of the data. The value takes the formatting of its tag: font, size and color, like the name of the client.

• Tags work in tables, in speaker notes and on the slide master, like a footer on every slide.
• Turn off smart quotes in PowerPoint (AutoCorrect > AutoFormat As You Type). Formatters need straight quotes, like :formatD('LL'). Learn more

Learn more about tags.

Loops

A loop repeats a table row for each item of an array. The template needs two rows:

• The row to repeat, with [i] in its tags: {d.products[i].name}.
• The next row, with [i+1] in one cell: {d.products[i+1].name}. It marks the end of the loop and is removed from the report.

Carbone copies the row with its height and formatting. The table grows down, and its total row moves with it.

Shapes below the table do not move. Keep the total in the table, and leave room on the slide for the longest list. Loops on table columns are not supported in PPTX yet.

Sort and filter

Add an attribute before i to sort the rows: {d.accounts[renewal, i].name} sorts the accounts by renewal date, and the end tag becomes [renewal+1, i+1]. Add a condition to the [i+1] tag to filter them: status!='Churned' removes the churned accounts. Learn more about sorting and filtering.

Nested loops

A loop can contain another loop to group rows. {d.quarters[i].name} repeats the quarters, and {d.quarters[i].features[i].name} repeats the features of each quarter. The [i+1] row of the quarters closes the outer loop.

Lists

Loops repeat paragraphs too. Write {d.wins[i]} and {d.wins[i+1]} in two consecutive bullets of a text box to get one bullet per win. wins is an array of strings, so the tags have no attribute.

Shapes below the text box do not move. Draw the text box large enough for the longest list.

Slides

One slide per item is not supported in PPTX yet. Use an ODP template instead, and convert the report to PPTX. Open the presentation in LibreOffice Impress and save it as ODP. Write the [i] tags on the slide to repeat, and an [i+1] tag on the next slide. Carbone repeats the slide for each product.

Add "convertTo": "pptx" to the request to get a PowerPoint file. In an ODP template, {d.discontinued:ifEQ(true):drop(slide)} in a text box removes the slide that contains it.

Shapes

Shapes, pictures and text boxes keep their position on the slide. A loop on a shape repeats it at the same place. To move each copy, write :transform in its alt text, like {d.products[i].name:print(.i):mul(212):transform(x, pt)} for one card every 212 pt. Learn more about :transform.

Numbers and dates

Formatters print numbers, amounts and dates in the language of the report, en-us here:

• :formatC for amounts: {d.revenue:formatC(0)} prints $2,450,000.
• :formatN for numbers: {d.growth:formatN(1)} prints 18.4.
• :formatD for dates: {d.closedAt:formatD(LL)} prints September 30, 2026.

See the number, currency and date formatters.

Conditions

Conditions print a value or remove an element, depending on the data:

• Inline conditions print one value or another: {d.projects[i].progress:ifEQ(100):show('Done'):elseShow('In progress')}.
• Smart conditions remove the element that contains the tag: {d.projects[i].cancelled:ifEQ(true):drop(row)} removes the cancelled project, and {d.blocker:ifEM:drop(shape)} removes the callout when there is no blocker.

In PPTX, :drop removes a row, a col, a p (paragraph), a shape, an img, a chart or a table. Write the tag in the text of the element, or in the alt text of a shape, a picture or a chart. To remove a slide, use an ODP template (see Slides). Learn more about inline conditions and smart conditions.

Totals

Aggregators compute totals from the data. :aggSum sums the amounts and :aggCount counts the deals. Formatters placed before the aggregator apply to each item: {d.deals[].amount:mul(.probability):div(100):aggSum} sums the weighted amounts.

Aggregators are an Enterprise feature. Learn more about aggregators.

Colors

:color applies a color from the data or from a condition. In the status column, :color(cell, text) colors each status. In the alt text of the status pill, {d.overall:ifEQ('Operational'):show('DCFCE7'):elseShow('FEF3C7'):color(shape, background)} sets its fill.

• PPTX supports the cell, row and shape scopes. The p scope is not supported in PPTX yet. Color the text of the cell or the shape instead.
• In PPTX tables, background works only on cells without borders for now. On a cell with borders, it changes the color of a border. Use an ODP template, or color the text.

Learn more about colors.

Charts

Insert a chart (Insert > Chart), open its data sheet (right-click > Edit Data) and write the loop in the sheet. Put {d.regions[i].name} and {d.regions[i].revenue} on row 2, and {d.regions[i+1].name} and {d.regions[i+1].revenue} on row 3. The chart keeps the colors, labels and axes of the template.

Each [i] tag needs its [i+1] tag on the next row of the sheet. To remove the chart when there is no data, write {d.regions:ifEM:drop(chart)} in its alt text. To draw a chart image from the data instead, use the :chart formatter.

Pictures

Insert a temporary picture and write the tag in its alt text (right-click > View Alt Text), like {d.client.logo}. Carbone replaces it with the image from the data: a public URL or a Base64 data URI. The image takes the width of the temporary picture and keeps its proportions.

• Add :imageFit(contain) to fit the image inside the temporary picture, or :imageFit(fill) to stretch it to its size.
• An empty value shows a grey crossed square. To remove the picture instead, write {d.client.logo:ifEM:drop(img)} in its alt text.
• A loop repeats the picture at the same place. Move each copy with :transform.

Learn more about pictures.

Barcodes

Barcodes are pictures too: write the :barcode formatter in the alt text of a temporary picture. {d.proposalUrl:barcode(qrcode, scale:6)} draws a QR code that links to the proposal.

The barcode takes the width of the temporary picture, so draw a square for a QR code. scale sets the resolution, from 1 to 10 (3 by default). Learn more about the barcode types and options.

Hyperlinks

Select some text, insert a link (Insert > Link) and write a tag as its address, like {d.resources[i].url}. Carbone replaces it with the address from the data. In a loop, each item gets its own address.

Learn more about dynamic hyperlinks.

Translations

Write static text in {t( )} tags, and add the :t formatter to translate values from the data. Carbone uses the translations for the lang of the report. This example uses "lang": "fr-fr" and the dictionary in the Translations tab. Dates follow the language too: :formatD(LL) prints 15 septembre 2026.

Learn more about translations.

Convert PPTX to PDF

To generate a PDF from a PPTX template with the Carbone API:

1. Prepare two files: a PPTX template with Carbone tags, like {d.name}, and the JSON data to populate it. You can use the files of the Loops example.
2. Generate the PDF in one of three ways:
   • Use an official Carbone integration, like N8N, Make, Zapier, Airtable or Bubble.
   • Use a Carbone SDK: Node.js, Go, Python, Java, JavaScript or PHP.
   • Send a POST /render/template HTTP request to the Carbone API, like this curl command:

curl --location --request POST 'https://api.carbone.io/render/template?download=true' \
  --header 'carbone-version: 5' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer API_TOKEN' \
  --data-raw "{
    \"data\": $(cat loops-data.json),
    \"template\": \"$(base64 -i loops-template.pptx)\",
    \"convertTo\": \"pdf\"
  }" \
  --output report.pdf

💡 Linux users: replace base64 -i loops-template.pptx with base64 -w 0 loops-template.pptx

Key parameters

Parameter	Description
template	Your PPTX template, encoded as a Base64 string.
data	JSON data used to populate the template.
convertTo	"pdf", or another output format: "pptx" (by default), "odp", "png"...
converter	Optional: LibreOffice "L" (default) or OnlyOffice "O". See converters.
?download=true	Query parameter to download the document as a stream.
Authorization	Header required for the Carbone Cloud API. Get your API key here.

Each slide becomes a page of the PDF. The PDF uses the fonts installed on the server. See font support. For more details, refer to the Carbone API Documentation.