Azure Host PPTX

Azure Host Forum PPTX Skill

A reusable fixed-style PowerPoint generation skill. It builds on the pptx skill's technical capabilities while locking in the Azure Host Forum visual identity: bold, contemporary, design-forward, inspired by industry sharing events, speaker forums, and editorial event posters.

Core principle — style wins over content volume. When the user's topic contains more information than the format can hold, compress and reinterpret. The deck must feel like a bold contemporary industry forum and speaker event — not a generic webinar deck, not a text-heavy conference agenda, not a business report. Every slide is a bold event panel or editorial speaker card.

Step 1: Gather Inputs (Ask First — Max 3 Questions)

Do not start generating immediately. Use the AskUserQuestion tool to present all questions in a single call. Only ask about what the user hasn't already provided.

Question 1 — Topic (skip if already provided):

• header: "Topic"
• question: "What is the presentation topic, event title, forum subject, session theme, project, or brand/product name?"
• options: 2–3 relevant examples plus allow Other

Question 2 — Slide count (skip if already specified):

• header: "Slides"
• question: "How many slides should the deck include? (Default is 8 if unsure)"
• options: 6 slides, 8 slides (Recommended), 10 slides, 12 slides

Question 3 — Images:

• header: "Images"
• question: "How should speaker images be handled?"
• options:
  • Use uploaded speaker images — Insert portraits I upload
  • Generate speaker portraits with gpt-image-2 — AI creates clean editorial headshots
  • Combine uploaded images and gpt-image-2 — Mix uploaded and AI-generated

If the user hasn't provided host names, speaker names, session details, date, time, location, agenda items, or registration details, infer reasonable content from the topic or use neutral placeholder copy. Do not keep asking — only follow up if missing info makes it literally impossible to build the deck.

Once you have the three answers, proceed directly to generation.

Step 2: Topic Translation — Everything Becomes a Forum or Speaker Event

Before writing any slide copy, translate the user's topic into an Azure Host Forum frame. No topic is too technical, too abstract, or too far from UI design or industry sharing to work. Every subject can be reframed as a bold hosted forum, expert talk, live session, design-forward panel, product conversation, founder briefing, workshop, or creative industry event — while preserving the user's actual subject.

Decide the event title, the one-line session premise, and the format/location label before writing any slides. These anchor the cover and the visual language of the whole deck.

Step 3: Generate Images (if requested)

Read the generate-image skill at /home/node/.claude/skills/generate-image/SKILL.md for the exact API call pattern. Use openai/gpt-image-2 with response_format: "b64_json".

Cover portrait rule

The cover slide must include exactly two speaker/host headshot images placed in the right olive column, stacked vertically in large circular or softly rounded frames. If the user chose gpt-image-2 or mixed mode and has not uploaded enough portraits, generate two portraits for the cover. Generate additional portraits for individual speaker profile slides as needed.

How many images to generate

• 8-slide deck → 2–3 portraits (cover pair + 1 speaker slide)
• 10–12 slide deck → 3–4 portraits
• 6 slides → 2 portraits minimum (cover pair)

Azure Host Forum portrait prompt formula

Generated portraits are clean editorial headshots — they are supporting image assets, never full-slide screenshots and never images with embedded text.

Clean head-and-shoulders editorial portrait, professional and friendly, white or cream (#F1F0EA) background, soft even studio lighting. [Descriptor: mid-30s person / young professional / senior creative / diverse ethnicity — choose varied diversity across portraits]. No readable text, no logos, no props, no busy environment, no recognizable real person. Suitable for an industry event or speaker forum. High-resolution, editorial photography style.

Save each generated portrait to /tmp/azure-forum-portrait-N.png.

Step 4: Build the PPTX

Read the pptx skill at /home/node/.claude/skills/pptx/SKILL.md and its pptxgenjs.md reference for the full API. Build using PptxGenJS.

Core style constants — do not deviate

const SKY    = "65AEFF";   // dominant background — all sky-blue fields
const GREEN  = "07461E";   // primary typography — titles, headlines, body
const OLIVE  = "728E03";   // side panel, accent panel, structural anchors
const CREAM  = "F1F0EA";   // portrait frames, detail areas, metadata blocks
const LTBLUE = "7BBFFF";   // subtle organic texture color (slightly lighter than SKY)
const SANS   = "Arial Black"; // oversized condensed titles (heavy grotesk)
const META   = "Arial";    // compact metadata, labels, agenda rows, captions

If Arial Black is unavailable, substitute Impact or Trebuchet MS Bold.

Layout — LAYOUT_16x9 always (10" × 5.625")

All slides use LAYOUT_16x9. Background is SKY on every slide. The olive panel is a structural vertical band on the right side of speaker slides. Cream areas are used for portrait frames and metadata blocks only — never as a full-slide background.

Typography sizing

Forum Visual System Rules — These Override Everything

The most common failure mode is a text-heavy report placed on a sky-blue background. These rules prevent that.

Rule 1: Style wins over content volume

When the topic has more information than the forum format can hold, compress it. Do not add more slides, do not shrink fonts, do not write smaller. Summarise with bold event-language. Pick one idea per slide and discard the rest for that slide. The Azure Host Forum aesthetic takes priority over completeness.

Rule 2: One idea per slide. Under 35 words.

Count visible words before finalising each slide. Most slides must be under 35 words total — title, body, labels, agenda rows, and metadata combined. Body copy should be one short sentence, a compact speaker note, a short session cue, or a concise agenda row. No paragraphs.

Wrong: "This session will explore the fundamental challenges of designing user interfaces for high-stakes enterprise software environments where errors can have serious consequences for end users and organizational outcomes."

Right:

DESIGNING UNDER PRESSURE
When UI mistakes have real stakes.
Host: [Name] · Guest: [Name]

Rule 3: Left text field + right speaker column is the default layout

The Azure Host Forum style is defined by the split composition: a large sky-blue text field on the left, a strong olive vertical panel on the right containing portrait frames, speaker names, and compact metadata. Use this layout as the default for speaker-led slides. The split does not have to be 50/50 — 60/40 or 65/35 works — but the two zones must be clearly separated and non-overlapping.

Rule 4: One dominant title, everything else recedes

Every slide has one typographic dominant. Supporting text must be noticeably smaller. Agenda rows, session metadata, and lower-third captions must feel compact and secondary. The hierarchy must be obvious at a glance.

Rule 5: Write in event language, not report language

Body copy should feel like an event poster, speaker card, or live session notice — short, high-impact, editorial.

Preferred patterns:

• "Live critique. Real work. Honest feedback."
• "Session 1 · Intro · 7:00 PM"
• "Format: Live discussion + open Q&A"
• "Register at [url] before [date]"

Avoid: "This section will cover the important aspects of...", "The following information provides an overview of..."