Custom Shape

Change a Shape Using Edit Points

Consider a square. In PowerPoint, using edit points, you can

  • move the square’s corner in or out
  • specify the curvature for a corner or point
  • add new points to the square
  • manipulate points on the square, etc.

Essentially, you can perform the described tasks on any shape. Using edit points, you get to change a shape or create a new shape from an existing shape.

Shape Editing Tips

overview_image

Before you start editing PowerPoint shapes through edit points, you might want to consider these points about shapes:

  • A shape (or its path) can either be closed or open.
  • When a shape is closed, it lacks a start or end point. When a shape is open, it has a beginning and end.
  • All shapes consist of at least 2 anchor points linked to each other by lines
  • A line is either straight or curved. Anchor points determine the nature of the line.
  • Anchor points exist as corner points, straight points, or smooth points:
    • A corner point is a point where 2 straight lines join at an angle.
    • A smooth point is a point where 2 handles exist in a straight line and the line’s segments join in a smooth curve. In this case, all handles are separated from the anchor point by an equal distance.
    • A straight point is a point where 2 handles exist in a straight line and that line’s line segments joins in a smooth curve. In this case, the handles don’t have to be separated from the anchor point by an equal distance.
  • By moving or editing anchor points (which changes the angle of lines), you can change the way a shape looks.

To edit PowerPoint shapes through edit points, Aspose.Slides provides the GeometryPath class and IGeometryPath interface.

Simple Editing Operations

This PHP code shows you how to

Add a line to the end of a path


Add a line to a specified position on a path:


Add a cubic Bezier curve at the end of a path:


Add a cubic Bezier curve to the specified position on a path:


Add a quadratic Bezier curve at the end of a path:


Add quadratic Bezier curve to a specified position on a path:


Append a given arc to a path:


Close the current figure of a path:


Set the position for the next point:


Remove the path segment at a given index:


Add Custom Points to Shape

  1. Create an instance of the GeometryShape class and set the ShapeType::Rectangle type.
  2. Get an instance of the GeometryPath class from the shape.
  3. Add a new point between the two top points on the path.
  4. Add a new point between the two bottom points on the path.
  5. Apply the path to the shape.

This PHP code shows you how to add custom points to a shape:

  $pres = new Presentation();
  try {
    $shape = $pres->getSlides()->get_Item(0)->getShapes()->addAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 100, 100, 200, 100);
    $geometryPath = $shape->getGeometryPaths()[0];
    $geometryPath->lineTo(100, 50, 1);
    $geometryPath->lineTo(100, 50, 4);
    $shape->setGeometryPath($geometryPath);
  } finally {
    if (!java_is_null($pres)) {
      $pres->dispose();
    }
  }

example1_image

Remove Points From Shape

  1. Create an instance of GeometryShape class and set the ShapeType::Heart type.
  2. Get an instance of the GeometryPath class from the shape.
  3. Remove the segment for the path.
  4. Apply the path to the shape.

This PHP code shows you how to remove points from a shape:

  $pres = new Presentation();
  try {
    $shape = $pres->getSlides()->get_Item(0)->getShapes()->addAutoShape(ShapeType::Heart, 100, 100, 300, 300);
    $path = $shape->getGeometryPaths()[0];
    $path->removeAt(2);
    $shape->setGeometryPath($path);
  } finally {
    if (!java_is_null($pres)) {
      $pres->dispose();
    }
  }

example2_image

Create Custom Shape

  1. Calculate the points for the shape.
  2. Create an instance of the GeometryPath class.
  3. Fill the path with the points.
  4. Create an instance of the GeometryShape class.
  5. Apply the path to the shape.

This Java shows you how to create a custom shape:

  $points = new Java("java.util.ArrayList");
  $R = 100;
  $r = 50;
  $step = 72;
  for($angle = -90; $angle < 270; $angle += $step) {
    $radians = $angle * java("java.lang.Math")->PI / 180.0;
    $x = $R * java("java.lang.Math")->cos($radians);
    $y = $R * java("java.lang.Math")->sin($radians);
    $points->add(new Point2DFloat($x + $R, $y + $R));
    $radians = java("java.lang.Math")->PI * $angle . $step / 2 / 180.0;
    $x = $r * java("java.lang.Math")->cos($radians);
    $y = $r * java("java.lang.Math")->sin($radians);
    $points->add(new Point2DFloat($x + $R, $y + $R));
  }
  $starPath = new GeometryPath();
  $starPath->moveTo($points->get(0));
  for($i = 1; $i < java_values($points->size()) ; $i++) {
    $starPath->lineTo($points->get($i));
  }
  $starPath->closeFigure();
  $pres = new Presentation();
  try {
    $shape = $pres->getSlides()->get_Item(0)->getShapes()->addAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 100, 100, $R * 2, $R * 2);
    $shape->setGeometryPath($starPath);
  } finally {
    if (!java_is_null($pres)) {
      $pres->dispose();
    }
  }

example3_image

Create Composite Custom Shape

  1. Create an instance of the GeometryShape class.
  2. Create a first instance of the GeometryPath class.
  3. Create a second instance of the GeometryPath class.
  4. Apply the paths to the shape.

This PHP code shows you to create a composite custom shape:

  $pres = new Presentation();
  try {
    $shape = $pres->getSlides()->get_Item(0)->getShapes()->addAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 100, 100, 200, 100);
    $geometryPath0 = new GeometryPath();
    $geometryPath0->moveTo(0, 0);
    $geometryPath0->lineTo($shape->getWidth(), 0);
    $geometryPath0->lineTo($shape->getWidth(), $shape->getHeight() / 3);
    $geometryPath0->lineTo(0, $shape->getHeight() / 3);
    $geometryPath0->closeFigure();
    $geometryPath1 = new GeometryPath();
    $geometryPath1->moveTo(0, $shape->getHeight() / 3 * 2);
    $geometryPath1->lineTo($shape->getWidth(), $shape->getHeight() / 3 * 2);
    $geometryPath1->lineTo($shape->getWidth(), $shape->getHeight());
    $geometryPath1->lineTo(0, $shape->getHeight());
    $geometryPath1->closeFigure();
    $shape->setGeometryPaths(array($geometryPath0, $geometryPath1 ));
  } finally {
    if (!java_is_null($pres)) {
      $pres->dispose();
    }
  }

example4_image

Create Custom Shape With Curved Corners

This PHP code shows you how to create a custom shape with curved corners (inwards);

  $shapeX = 20.0;
  $shapeY = 20.0;
  $shapeWidth = 300.0;
  $shapeHeight = 200.0;
  $leftTopSize = 50.0;
  $rightTopSize = 20.0;
  $rightBottomSize = 40.0;
  $leftBottomSize = 10.0;
  $pres = new Presentation();
  try {
    $childShape = $pres->getSlides()->get_Item(0)->getShapes()->addAutoShape(ShapeType::Custom, $shapeX, $shapeY, $shapeWidth, $shapeHeight);
    $geometryPath = new GeometryPath();
    $point1 = new Point2DFloat($leftTopSize, 0);
    $point2 = new Point2DFloat($shapeWidth - $rightTopSize, 0);
    $point3 = new Point2DFloat($shapeWidth, $shapeHeight - $rightBottomSize);
    $point4 = new Point2DFloat($leftBottomSize, $shapeHeight);
    $point5 = new Point2DFloat(0, $leftTopSize);
    $geometryPath->moveTo($point1);
    $geometryPath->lineTo($point2);
    $geometryPath->arcTo($rightTopSize, $rightTopSize, 180, -90);
    $geometryPath->lineTo($point3);
    $geometryPath->arcTo($rightBottomSize, $rightBottomSize, -90, -90);
    $geometryPath->lineTo($point4);
    $geometryPath->arcTo($leftBottomSize, $leftBottomSize, 0, -90);
    $geometryPath->lineTo($point5);
    $geometryPath->arcTo($leftTopSize, $leftTopSize, 90, -90);
    $geometryPath->closeFigure();
    $childShape->setGeometryPath($geometryPath);
    $pres->save("output.pptx", SaveFormat::Pptx);
  } finally {
    if (!java_is_null($pres)) {
      $pres->dispose();
    }
  }

Find Out If a Shape Geometry Is Closed

A closed shape is defined as one where all its sides connect, forming a single boundary without gaps. Such a shape can be a simple geometric form or a complex custom outline. The following code example shows how to check if a shape geometry is closed:

function isGeometryClosed($geometryShape)
{
    $isClosed = null;

    foreach ($geometryShape->getGeometryPaths() as $geometryPath) {
        $dataLength = count(java_values($geometryPath->getPathData()));
        if ($dataLength === 0) {
            continue;
        }

        $lastSegment = java_values($geometryPath->getPathData())[$dataLength - 1];
        $isClosed = $lastSegment->getPathCommand() === PathCommandType::Close;

        if ($isClosed === false) {
            return false;
        }
    }

    return $isClosed === true;
}

Convert GeometryPath to java.awt.Shape

  1. Create an instance of the GeometryShape class.
  2. Create an instance of the java.awt.Shape class.
  3. Convert the java.awt.Shape instance to the GeometryPath instance using ShapeUtil.
  4. Apply the paths to the shape.

This PHP code—an implementation of the steps above—demonstrates the GeometryPath to GraphicsPath conversion process:

  $pres = new Presentation();
  try {
    # Create new shape
    $shape = $pres->getSlides()->get_Item(0)->getShapes()->addAutoShape(ShapeType::Rectangle, 100, 100, 300, 100);
    # Get geometry path of the shape
    $originalPath = $shape->getGeometryPaths()[0];
    $originalPath->setFillMode(PathFillModeType::None);
    # Create new graphics path with text
    $graphicsPath;
    $font = new Font("Arial", Font->PLAIN, 40);
    $text = "Text in shape";
    $img = new BufferedImage(100, 100, BufferedImage->TYPE_INT_ARGB);
    $g2 = $img->createGraphics();
    try {
      $glyphVector = $font->createGlyphVector($g2->getFontRenderContext(), $text);
      $graphicsPath = $glyphVector->getOutline(20.0, -$glyphVector->getVisualBounds()->getY() + 10);
    } finally {
      $g2->dispose();
    }
    # Convert graphics path to geometry path
    $textPath = ShapeUtil->graphicsPathToGeometryPath($graphicsPath);
    $textPath->setFillMode(PathFillModeType::Normal);
    # Set combination of new geometry path and origin geometry path to the shape
    $shape->setGeometryPaths(array($originalPath, $textPath ));
  } finally {
    if (!java_is_null($pres)) {
      $pres->dispose();
    }
  }

example5_image