Layouts & Placeholders
Last updated
Last updated
This guide provides a structured approach to creating custom PowerPoint templates compatible with SlideSpeak’s AI-driven presentation generator. Follow these steps for general setup, layout naming, and managing text elements to ensure seamless integration.
You can create custom templates to work with SlideSpeak.
SlideSpeak uses a custom naming system in order to detect which text elements should be filled with your content.
This templating system allows you to specifiy which layout to use and which text elements belongs to a slide headline or the slide content element.
SlideSpeak supports a variety of slide layouts. Here are a few of them:
Cover Slide Layout
Normal Content Slide Layout
2 Column Layout
3 Column Layout
SWOT Analysis Layout
3 Column Big Number Layout
... and much more. For a full list of supported layouts see this section below.
SlideSpeak replies on the PowerPoint Master Layout system in order to create slides with your own templates and layouts.
In order to specify which layout to use you need to re-name the slide layouts in PowerPoint.
Here's how you can do that...
Open PowerPoint.
Navigate to View > Slide Master to access and edit layout templates in your presentation. This view allows you to modify each layout for SlideSpeak’s naming requirements.
In Slide Master View, locate the layout you want to rename.
Right-click on the layout, select Rename Layout, and enter the appropriate name following SlideSpeak’s naming conventions (e.g., SS_COVER, SS_CONTENT, SS_BIGNUMBER_3_A). SlideSpeak uses these names to recognize and fill content into the correct layout.
SlideSpeak currently supports the following slide layouts:
Examples:
Besides the layout naming itself, you can also specify which text elements will be filled with content on each slide.
This can be controlled by renaming the actual text elements.
Return to the main PowerPoint view.
Open the Selection Pane by navigating to Arrange > Selection Pane. This displays all layers for each layout.
Rename each layer according to the SlideSpeak placeholder conventions (e.g., SS_TITLE, SS_LOGO, SS_SUBTITLE). Proper naming is essential for SlideSpeak to identify and populate text fields.
You can rename the layers and give it one of the following names. Some of the text layers are layout specific.
You can download a sample PowerPoint template here to check how you can name the presentation layers and layouts.
SlideSpeak identifies slide layouts through specific naming patterns. Ensure that each layout follows one of the names below for integration.
SS_COVER: Cover slide, typically for the title.
SS_TABLE_OF_CONTENT: Table of contents layout.
SS_CONTENT: Standard content slide.
SS_SWOT: SWOT analysis layout.
Big Number Layouts: Present large numerical data in multiple column variations:
SS_BIGNUMBER_1_A / SS_BIGNUMBER_1_B: Single-column big number layout with or without images.
SS_BIGNUMBER_2_A / SS_BIGNUMBER_2_B: Two-column big number layout with or without images.
SS_BIGNUMBER_3_A: Three-column big number layout.
Multi-Item Layouts: Support varying numbers of items, with customizable image options:
SS_ITEMS_3_A / SS_ITEMS_3_B: Three-item layout, with and without images.
SS_ITEMS_4_A / SS_ITEMS_4_B: Four-item layout, with and without images.
SS_ITEMS_5_A / SS_ITEMS_5_B: Five-item layout, with and without images.
SS_ITEMS_6_A / SS_ITEMS_6_B: Six-item layout, with and without images.
Step-Based Layouts: Layouts for processes with icons and/or multiple steps.
SS_STEPS_3 / SS_STEPS_3_ICONS: Three-step layout, with optional icons.
SS_STEPS_4 / SS_STEPS_4_ICONS: Four-step layout, with optional icons.
SS_STEPS_5 / SS_STEPS_5_ICONS: Five-step layout, with optional icons.
Each layout has specific text placeholders for SlideSpeak to populate. Accurate naming is essential for layout compatibility and seamless data integration.
The following text elements are common across layouts:
SS_TITLE: Primary title of the slide.
SS_SUBTITLE: Secondary title or subtitle.
SS_LOGO: Logo placeholder.
SS_IMAGE: General image placeholder.
SS_PAGE: Page number.
SS_PRESENTATION_TITLE: Title for footer or repeated headers.
For slides with large numbers, use these placeholders:
SS_ITEM_1_NUMBER: Number or primary data point.
SS_ITEM_2_TITLE: Heading associated with the big number.
SS_ITEM_3_CONTENT: Detailed description or subcontent.
Multi-Item Layouts (3-6 Items)
For slides that display multiple items or columns:
SS_ITEM_1_TITLE, SS_ITEM_2_TITLE, SS_ITEM_3_TITLE: Titles for each item or column.
SS_ITEM_1_CONTENT, SS_ITEM_2_CONTENT, SS_ITEM_3_CONTENT: Descriptions for each item or column.
...
If you have multiple files, GitBook makes it easy to import full repositories too — allowing you to keep your GitBook content in sync.
