Thesis Defense PPTX Builder

Thesis Defense PPTX

Use this skill for local, editable .pptx thesis defense decks that must follow a supplied university/lab/company PowerPoint template.

Operating Principles

• Platform: Windows + Microsoft PowerPoint for COM-driven cloning, export, and overflow inspection. On macOS/Linux, use the python-pptx-only parts and skip COM-based quality gates.
• Treat the visual template as the source of truth. Preserve its cover, colors, fonts, navigation, card styles, logos, and slide proportions unless the user explicitly asks to redesign.
• Read the thesis source first: PDF, LaTeX, figures, old PPT, experiment scripts, tables, and captions. Do not generate from topic/title alone when source files exist.
• Build a source-asset inventory before placing images: extract \includegraphics entries and captions from the final TeX/PDF, then use only thesis-cited figures or images the user explicitly approves. Do not carry over pictures from a template, old progress deck, or draft figure folder merely because they look relevant.
• Prefer copying native template slides and replacing content over rebuilding from blank slides.
• Keep slides concise and presentation-oriented. Convert thesis prose into defense talking points.
• Preserve the template's font sizes and hierarchy by default. For projection readability, first shorten text, split dense slides, or use the template's larger existing layouts; only change font sizes locally when the template itself provides no readable fit.
• Always generate an editable .pptx, not only an outline, image deck, PDF, or HTML.
• Always run a visual quality gate before final response: export slide images, inspect a contact sheet plus key full-size slide screenshots, check text overflow, check stale template words/images, and verify the PPTX opens.

Recommended Workflow

1. Identify inputs:

   • thesis project path or full thesis document
   • visual template PPTX
   • optional old defense/report PPTX
   • output directory and desired filename

2. Extract thesis context:

   • Use scripts/extract_thesis_context.py to summarize PDF/TeX text and list candidate figures.
   • Read source files directly when details matter: abstract, introduction, method, experiments, results, conclusion.
   • Create an explicit list of final-thesis figures from \includegraphics and captions. Treat this as the allow-list for PPT images unless the user requests new visuals.
   • Collect defense-critical facts: problem, motivation, modeling, algorithms, experimental setup, baselines, metrics, key results, limitations, future work.

3. Analyze the template:

   • Export template slides to PNG if PowerPoint is available.
   • Inspect cover, TOC, navigation, section, body/card, chart/image, summary, and closing slide styles.
   • Note fonts, font sizes, red/brand color, card dimensions, line widths, and spacing.

4. Build a native template skeleton:

   • Use PowerPoint COM (scripts/clone_template_deck.ps1) when PowerPoint is installed.
   • Copy or duplicate original template slides in the needed order.
   • Use python-pptx only to replace content and add images/shapes after the skeleton is valid.

5. Fill content:

   • Use 12-16 slides for undergraduate defense unless user specifies otherwise.
   • Typical order: cover, TOC, background, problem definition, work summary, system/method, modeling, implementation, experiment setup, training/results, comparison, robustness/multi-seed, innovation/limitations, summary/outlook, thanks.
   • Use final-thesis figures first and verify each inserted picture against the source-asset inventory. If a picture is from a template or old deck and is not thesis-cited, replace it or remove it.
   • Keep dense tables limited to headline metrics; move detailed prose into verbal notes or omit. Prefer one message per slide, large existing template placeholders, metric cards, and short bullets over shrinking text or adding small multi-column tables.
   • Match the template's typography before changing sizes: preserve title/body/table/navigation sizing where possible, and use content reduction or slide splitting before manual font scaling.

6. Quality gate:

   • Export final PPTX to PNG with scripts/export_pptx_png.ps1.
   • Create a contact sheet with scripts/make_contact_sheet.py.
   • Run scripts/inspect_pptx_overflow.ps1.
   • Run scripts/scan_pptx_text.py for slide count and stale template terms.
   • Inspect the contact sheet manually, then open any risky slide full-size. COM overflow is not sufficient: also check visible clipping, text crossing card borders, small text caused by overfilling, stale template images, image aspect ratios, and text/card overlap.
   • Check stale template text, placeholders, wrong names/dates, wrong navigation labels, red active-nav white text, and non-thesis images accidentally inherited from the template or old progress deck.
   • Fix and repeat until the exported deck is clean.

7. Final response:

   • Give the full output path, total slide count, main changes, validation performed, and any unresolved manual confirmations.