Format Presentation Text in Python via Java

What this page is about

Format and style text in PowerPoint and OpenDocument presentations using Aspose.Slides for Python via Java. Customize fonts, colors, alignment, and more.

Overview

This article shows how to format text in PowerPoint and OpenDocument presentations using Aspose.Slides for Python via Java. It covers background colors, transparency, character spacing, font properties, rotation, paragraph spacing, autofit behavior, text anchoring, tab stops, and language settings.

In the examples below, we’ll use a file named “sample.pptx”, which contains a single text box on the first slide with the following text:

Sample text

To find and highlight literal text or regular-expression matches, see Search and Replace Text.

Set Text Background Color

Use ParagraphFormat.getDefaultPortionFormat to set the default highlight color for a paragraph, or use PortionFormat.getHighlightColor for individual text portions.

The following code example shows how to set the background color for the entire paragraph:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat
from java.awt import Color

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)

    # Set the highlight color for the entire paragraph.
    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().getDefaultPortionFormat().getHighlightColor().setColor(Color.LIGHT_GRAY)

    presentation.save("gray_paragraph.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The gray paragraph

The code example below demonstrates how to set the background color for text portions with a bold font:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat
from java.awt import Color

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)

    for portion in paragraph.getPortions():
        if portion.getPortionFormat().getEffective().getFontBold():
            # Set the highlight color for the text portion.
            portion.getPortionFormat().getHighlightColor().setColor(Color.LIGHT_GRAY)

    presentation.save("gray_text_portions.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The gray text portions

Align Text Paragraphs

Use ParagraphFormat.setAlignment to set paragraph alignment within a text frame. The value can be centered, left-aligned, right-aligned, justified, and so on.

The following code example shows how to align the paragraph to the center:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat, TextAlignment

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)

    # Set the alignment of the paragraph to center.
    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().setAlignment(TextAlignment.Center)

    presentation.save("aligned_paragraph.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The aligned paragraph

Set Transparency for Text

Text transparency is controlled through the alpha component of the color assigned to PortionFormat.getFillFormat. In the examples below, alpha = 50 is an ARGB alpha-channel value on the 0–255 scale, not a transparency percentage.

The code example below shows how to apply transparency to the entire paragraph:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import FillType, Presentation, SaveFormat
from java.awt import Color

alpha = 50
text_color = Color(0, 0, 0, alpha)

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)

    # Set the fill color of the text to transparent color.
    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().getDefaultPortionFormat().getFillFormat().setFillType(FillType.Solid)
    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().getDefaultPortionFormat().getFillFormat().getSolidFillColor().setColor(text_color)

    presentation.save("transparent_paragraph.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The transparent paragraph

The following code example shows how to apply transparency to text portions with a bold font:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import FillType, Presentation, SaveFormat
from java.awt import Color

alpha = 50
text_color = Color(0, 0, 0, alpha)

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)

    for portion in paragraph.getPortions():
        if portion.getPortionFormat().getEffective().getFontBold():
            # Set the transparency of the text portion.
            portion.getPortionFormat().getFillFormat().setFillType(FillType.Solid)
            portion.getPortionFormat().getFillFormat().getSolidFillColor().setColor(text_color)

    presentation.save("transparent_text_portions.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The transparent text portions

Set Character Spacing for Text

Use PortionFormat.setSpacing to expand or condense spacing between characters in a text box.

The following Python code shows how to expand the character spacing in the entire paragraph:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)

    # Note: Use negative values to compress the character spacing.
    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().getDefaultPortionFormat().setSpacing(3) # Expand character spacing.

    presentation.save("character_spacing_in_paragraph.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The character spacing in the paragraph

The code example below shows how to expand the character spacing in text portions with a bold font:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)

    for portion in paragraph.getPortions():
        if portion.getPortionFormat().getEffective().getFontBold():
            # Note: Use negative values to compress the character spacing.
            portion.getPortionFormat().setSpacing(3) # Expand character spacing.

    presentation.save("character_spacing_in_text_portions.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The character spacing in the text portions

Disable Kerning for Specific Fonts

In some cases, text rendered by Aspose.Slides may look slightly tighter than the same text displayed in PowerPoint. This can happen because PowerPoint may ignore kerning data for certain fonts, even when the font contains valid kerning information and kerning is enabled in PowerPoint settings.

To make the rendered output closer to PowerPoint in such cases, you can disable kerning for text portions that use the affected font. Set PortionFormat.setKerningMinimalSize to a value significantly larger than the actual font size:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat

presentation = Presentation("presentation.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    target_font = "Roboto"

    for paragraph in auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs():
        for portion in paragraph.getPortions():
            portion_format = portion.getPortionFormat()
            fonts = (portion_format.getLatinFont(), portion_format.getEastAsianFont(), portion_format.getComplexScriptFont())
            if any(font is not None and font.getFontName() == target_font for font in fonts):
                portion_format.setKerningMinimalSize(100)

    presentation.save("output.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

This setting prevents kerning from being applied to matching text portions and can help align Aspose.Slides rendering with PowerPoint’s visual output for fonts affected by this PowerPoint-specific behavior.

Manage Text Font Properties

Font properties can be set at the paragraph level through ParagraphFormat.getDefaultPortionFormat or on individual portions through PortionFormat.

The following code sets the font and text style for the entire paragraph: it applies font size, bold, italic, dotted underline, and the Times New Roman font to all portions in the paragraph.

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import FontData, NullableBool, Presentation, SaveFormat, TextUnderlineType

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)

    # Set the font properties for the paragraph.
    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().getDefaultPortionFormat().setFontHeight(12)
    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().getDefaultPortionFormat().setFontBold(NullableBool.True_)
    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().getDefaultPortionFormat().setFontItalic(NullableBool.True_)
    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().getDefaultPortionFormat().setFontUnderline(TextUnderlineType.Dotted)
    font = FontData("Times New Roman")
    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().getDefaultPortionFormat().setLatinFont(font)

    presentation.save("font_properties_for_paragraph.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The font properties for the paragraph

The code example below applies similar properties to text portions with a bold font:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import FontData, NullableBool, Presentation, SaveFormat, TextUnderlineType

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)

    for portion in paragraph.getPortions():
        if portion.getPortionFormat().getEffective().getFontBold():
            # Set the font properties for the text portion.
            portion.getPortionFormat().setFontHeight(13)
            portion.getPortionFormat().setFontItalic(NullableBool.True_)
            portion.getPortionFormat().setFontUnderline(TextUnderlineType.Dotted)
            font = FontData("Times New Roman")
            portion.getPortionFormat().setLatinFont(font)

    presentation.save("font_properties_for_text_portions.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The font properties for text portions

Set Text Rotation

Use TextFrameFormat.setTextVerticalType to set a predefined text orientation within a shape.

The following code example sets the text orientation in the shape to Vertical270, which rotates the text 90 degrees counterclockwise:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat, TextVerticalType

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)

    auto_shape.getTextFrame().getTextFrameFormat().setTextVerticalType(TextVerticalType.Vertical270)

    presentation.save("text_rotation.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The text rotation

Set Custom Rotation for Text Frames

Use TextFrameFormat.setRotationAngle to set a custom rotation angle for an TextFrame.

The code example below rotates the text frame by 3 degrees clockwise within the shape:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)

    auto_shape.getTextFrame().getTextFrameFormat().setRotationAngle(3)

    presentation.save("custom_text_rotation.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The custom text rotation

Set Line Spacing of Paragraphs

Aspose.Slides provides ParagraphFormat.setSpaceAfter, ParagraphFormat.setSpaceBefore, and ParagraphFormat.setSpaceWithin to control paragraph spacing. These properties are used as follows:

Use a positive value to specify line spacing as a percentage of the line height.
Use a negative value to specify line spacing in points.

The following code example shows how to specify the line spacing within the paragraph:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)

    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().setSpaceWithin(200)

    presentation.save("line_spacing.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The line spacing within the paragraph

Set Autofit Type for Text Frames

TextFrameFormat.setAutofitType determines how text behaves when it exceeds the boundaries of its container. Use it to control whether the text shrinks, overflows, or resizes the shape automatically.

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat, TextAutofitType

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)

    auto_shape.getTextFrame().getTextFrameFormat().setAutofitType(TextAutofitType.Shape)

    presentation.save("autofit_type.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

Set Anchor of Text Frames

TextFrameFormat.setAnchoringType defines how text is positioned vertically inside a shape, for example at the top, middle, or bottom.

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat, TextAnchorType

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)

    auto_shape.getTextFrame().getTextFrameFormat().setAnchoringType(TextAnchorType.Bottom)

    presentation.save("text_anchor.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

Set Text Tabulation

Use ParagraphFormat.setDefaultTabSize and ParagraphFormat.getTabs to configure tab stops in a paragraph.

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, SaveFormat, TabAlignment

presentation = Presentation("sample.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)

    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().setDefaultTabSize(100)
    paragraph.getParagraphFormat().getTabs().add(30, TabAlignment.Left)

    presentation.save("paragraph_tabs.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

The result:

The paragraph tabs

Set Proofing Language

Aspose.Slides provides PortionFormat.setLanguageId, which allows you to set the proofing language for a text portion. The proofing language determines the language used for spelling and grammar checks in PowerPoint.

The following code example shows how to set the proofing language for a text portion:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import FontData, Portion, Presentation, SaveFormat

presentation = Presentation("presentation.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)

    paragraph = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0)
    paragraph.getPortions().clear()

    font = FontData("SimSun")

    text_portion = Portion()
    text_portion.getPortionFormat().setComplexScriptFont(font)
    text_portion.getPortionFormat().setEastAsianFont(font)
    text_portion.getPortionFormat().setLatinFont(font)

    # Set the Id of a proofing language.
    text_portion.getPortionFormat().setLanguageId("zh-CN")

    text_portion.setText("1。")
    paragraph.getPortions().add(text_portion)

    presentation.save("proofing_language.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

Set Default Language

Use LoadOptions.setDefaultTextLanguage to define the default language for text created while loading or creating a presentation.

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import LoadOptions, Presentation, ShapeType

load_options = LoadOptions()
load_options.setDefaultTextLanguage("en-US")

presentation = Presentation(load_options)
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)

    # Add a rectangle shape with text.
    shape = slide.getShapes().addAutoShape(ShapeType.Rectangle, 20, 20, 150, 50)
    shape.getTextFrame().setText("Sample text")

    # Check the first portion language.
    portion = shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0).getPortions().get_Item(0)
    print(portion.getPortionFormat().getLanguageId())
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

Set Default Text Style

To apply default text formatting at the presentation level, use Presentation.getDefaultTextStyle.

The following code example shows how to set a default bold font with a 14 pt size for all text across slides in a new presentation.

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import NullableBool, Presentation, SaveFormat

presentation = Presentation()
try:
    # Get the top level paragraph format.
    paragraph_format = presentation.getDefaultTextStyle().getLevel(0)

    if paragraph_format is not None:
        paragraph_format.getDefaultPortionFormat().setFontHeight(14)
        paragraph_format.getDefaultPortionFormat().setFontBold(NullableBool.True_)

    presentation.save("default_text_style.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

Extract Text with the All-Caps Effect

In PowerPoint, applying the All Caps font effect makes text appear in uppercase on the slide even when it was originally typed in lowercase. When you retrieve such a text portion with Aspose.Slides, the library returns the text exactly as it was entered. To match the displayed text, check TextCapType and convert the returned string to uppercase when the value is All.

Let’s say we have the following text box on the first slide of the sample2.pptx file.

The All Caps effect

The code example below shows how to extract the text with the All Caps effect applied:

import jpype
import asposeslides

if not jpype.isJVMStarted():
    jpype.startJVM()

from asposeslides.api import Presentation, TextCapType

presentation = Presentation("sample2.pptx")
try:
    slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0)
    auto_shape = slide.getShapes().get_Item(0)
    text_portion = auto_shape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0).getPortions().get_Item(0)

    print("Original text: " + str(text_portion.getText()))

    text_format = text_portion.getPortionFormat().getEffective()
    if text_format.getTextCapType() == TextCapType.All:
        text = str(text_portion.getText()).upper()
        print("All-Caps effect: " + text)
finally:
    presentation.dispose()

Output:

Original text: Hello, Aspose!
All-Caps effect: HELLO, ASPOSE!

FAQ

How do I modify text in a table on a slide?

To modify text in a table on a slide, use Table. Iterate through the cells and update each cell through Cell.getTextFrame and paragraph formatting through Paragraph.getParagraphFormat.

How do I apply a gradient color to text on a PowerPoint slide?

To apply a gradient color to text, use PortionFormat.getFillFormat. Set FillFormat.setFillType to FillType.Gradient and configure the gradient stops, direction, and transparency.

Get Text Portion Bounds from Presentations in Python via Java Search and Replace Text in PowerPoint Presentations in Python via Java