Quick Start¶

This guide will have you creating PowerPoint presentations in 5 minutes.

Step 1: Install Power CLI¶

uv tool install nietzsche

Or run directly without installing:

uvx --from nietzsche power --version

Verify the installation:

power --version

Step 2: Create Your First Presentation¶

The simplest way to create a presentation:

power create my_first_deck.pptx --title "Hello World"

This creates a presentation with a single title slide.

Step 3: Use a Template¶

Power CLI includes templates. Download one or use your own corporate template:

power create report.pptx -t Galaxy.pptx --title "Q1 Report" --subtitle "2024 Results"

Step 4: Inspect Templates¶

Not sure what layouts are available? Inspect any PowerPoint file:

power inspect Galaxy.pptx

This shows all available layouts and their placeholders.

Step 5: Generate from YAML¶

For more complex presentations, define your slides in YAML.

Create a file called slides.yaml:

title: My Presentation
subtitle: Getting Started with Power CLI

slides:
  - type: section
    title: Introduction

  - type: content
    title: What We'll Cover
    bullets:
      - Installing Power CLI
      - Creating presentations
      - Using templates
      - Advanced features

  - type: table
    title: Feature Comparison
    headers: [Feature, Status]
    data:
      - [Templates, Supported]
      - [Charts, Supported]
      - [Images, Supported]

  - type: chart
    title: Progress Over Time
    chart_type: bar
    categories: [Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4]
    series:
      Revenue: [100, 150, 200, 250]
      Costs: [80, 90, 100, 110]

  - type: title
    title: Thank You!
    subtitle: Questions?

Generate the presentation:

power generate slides.yaml -o presentation.pptx

Or with a template:

power generate slides.yaml -o presentation.pptx -t Galaxy.pptx

Step 6: Interactive Mode¶

Prefer a guided experience? Use interactive mode:

power new -t Galaxy.pptx -o my_deck.pptx

Follow the prompts to build your presentation step by step.

What's Next?¶

Learn about all CLI commands
Explore the YAML format in detail
Check out the cookbook for real-world examples
Read the troubleshooting guide if you hit any issues

Quick Reference¶

Task	Command
Create with title	`power create out.pptx --title "Title"`
Use template	`power create out.pptx -t template.pptx`
Generate from YAML	`power generate input.yaml -o out.pptx`
Inspect template	`power inspect template.pptx`
Interactive mode	`power new`
Add slide	`power add deck.pptx -o out.pptx --title "New"`
Remove slide	`power remove deck.pptx 2 -o out.pptx`
Replace placeholders	`power replace deck.pptx KEY=value -o out.pptx`