Manage Bulleted and Numbered Lists in Presentations in Python
Overview
Aspose.Slides for Python via .NET lets you create and format bulleted and numbered lists in PowerPoint and OpenDocument presentations. A list item is a paragraph whose bullet settings are controlled through its paragraph format.
Use the Paragraph.paragraph_format property to access paragraph-level list settings. The main entry point is ParagraphFormat.bullet, which returns a BulletFormat object. With this object, you can set the bullet type, symbol, picture, color, size, numbering style, and starting number.
This article shows how to:
- create a bulleted list with a custom symbol
- create a picture bullet
- create a multilevel list by setting paragraph depth
- create a numbered list
- inspect and change list formatting in an existing presentation
Create a Bulleted List
To create a bulleted list, add Paragraph objects to a TextFrame and set BulletFormat.type to BulletType.SYMBOL. You can then set BulletFormat.char, BulletFormat.color, and BulletFormat.height to control the bullet appearance.
The following Python code demonstrates how to create a bulleted list in a slide:
import aspose.slides as slides
import aspose.pydrawing as draw
def create_paragraph(text):
paragraph = slides.Paragraph()
paragraph.paragraph_format.bullet.type = slides.BulletType.SYMBOL
paragraph.paragraph_format.bullet.char = '*'
paragraph.paragraph_format.indent = 15
paragraph.paragraph_format.bullet.is_bullet_hard_color = slides.NullableBool.TRUE
paragraph.paragraph_format.bullet.color.color = draw.Color.indian_red
paragraph.paragraph_format.bullet.height = 100
paragraph.text = text
return paragraph
with slides.Presentation() as presentation:
slide = presentation.slides[0]
auto_shape = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(slides.ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 20, 20, 200, 50)
text_frame = auto_shape.text_frame
text_frame.paragraphs.clear()
paragraph1 = create_paragraph("The first paragraph")
text_frame.paragraphs.add(paragraph1)
paragraph2 = create_paragraph("The second paragraph")
text_frame.paragraphs.add(paragraph2)
presentation.save("symbol_bullets.pptx", slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)
The result:
Create a Numbered List
Use numbered lists when the order of items matters. Set BulletFormat.type to BulletType.NUMBERED. You can also choose a numbering format with BulletFormat.numbered_bullet_style or set BulletFormat.numbered_bullet_start_with when the list should start from a value other than 1.
The following Python code shows how to create a numbered list in a slide:
import aspose.slides as slides
with slides.Presentation() as presentation:
slide = presentation.slides[0]
auto_shape = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(slides.ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 20, 20, 90, 80)
text_frame = auto_shape.text_frame
text_frame.paragraphs.clear()
paragraph1 = slides.Paragraph()
paragraph1.paragraph_format.bullet.type = slides.BulletType.NUMBERED
paragraph1.text = "Apple"
text_frame.paragraphs.add(paragraph1)
paragraph2 = slides.Paragraph()
paragraph2.paragraph_format.bullet.type = slides.BulletType.NUMBERED
paragraph2.text = "Orange"
text_frame.paragraphs.add(paragraph2)
paragraph3 = slides.Paragraph()
paragraph3.paragraph_format.bullet.type = slides.BulletType.NUMBERED
paragraph3.text = "Banana"
text_frame.paragraphs.add(paragraph3)
presentation.save("numbered_bullets.pptx", slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)
The result:
Create a Picture Bullet
Aspose.Slides allows you to replace a regular bullet symbol with an image. Picture bullets work best with simple images that remain readable at a small size, such as icons or small transparent PNG files.
Ideally, if you plan to replace the regular bullet symbol with an image, it’s best to choose a simple graphic with a transparent background. Such images work well as custom bullet symbols.
Keep in mind that the image will be scaled down to a very small size. For that reason, we strongly recommend selecting an image that remains clear and visually effective when used as a bullet in a list.
To create a picture bullet, add an image to Presentation.images and assign the returned image object to BulletFormat.picture. Set BulletFormat.type to BulletType.PICTURE before assigning the image.
Let’s say we have an “image.png”:
The following Python code shows how to create picture bullets in a slide:
import aspose.slides as slides
def create_paragraph(text, image):
paragraph = slides.Paragraph()
paragraph.paragraph_format.bullet.type = slides.BulletType.PICTURE
paragraph.paragraph_format.bullet.picture.image = image
paragraph.paragraph_format.indent = 15
paragraph.paragraph_format.bullet.height = 100
paragraph.text = text
return paragraph
with slides.Presentation() as presentation:
slide = presentation.slides[0]
auto_shape = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(slides.ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 20, 20, 200, 50)
text_frame = auto_shape.text_frame
text_frame.paragraphs.clear()
with open("image.png", "rb") as image_stream:
bullet_image = presentation.images.add_image(image_stream)
paragraph1 = create_paragraph("The first paragraph", bullet_image)
text_frame.paragraphs.add(paragraph1)
paragraph2 = create_paragraph("The second paragraph", bullet_image)
text_frame.paragraphs.add(paragraph2)
presentation.save("picture_bullets.pptx", slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)
The result:
Create a Multilevel List
Use ParagraphFormat.depth to place list items on different levels. Level 0 is the top level, level 1 is nested below it, and so on.
The following Python code shows how to create a multilevel bulleted list:
import aspose.slides as slides
with slides.Presentation() as presentation:
slide = presentation.slides[0]
auto_shape = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(slides.ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 20, 20, 260, 110)
text_frame = auto_shape.text_frame
text_frame.paragraphs.clear()
paragraph1 = slides.Paragraph()
paragraph1.paragraph_format.depth = 0
paragraph1.text = "My text - Depth 0"
text_frame.paragraphs.add(paragraph1)
paragraph2 = slides.Paragraph()
paragraph2.paragraph_format.depth = 1
paragraph2.text = "My text - Depth 1"
text_frame.paragraphs.add(paragraph2)
paragraph3 = slides.Paragraph()
paragraph3.paragraph_format.depth = 2
paragraph3.text = "My text - Depth 2"
text_frame.paragraphs.add(paragraph3)
paragraph4 = slides.Paragraph()
paragraph4.paragraph_format.depth = 3
paragraph4.text = "My text - Depth 3"
text_frame.paragraphs.add(paragraph4)
presentation.save("multilevel_bullets.pptx", slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)
The result:
Change an Existing List
To change list formatting in an existing presentation, access the target paragraph and update its ParagraphFormat.bullet settings. The same properties used to create lists can be used to inspect or modify lists loaded from a PPT, PPTX, or ODP file.
The following Python code changes the first paragraph in a text frame to use a numbered list style:
import aspose.slides as slides
with slides.Presentation("input.pptx") as presentation:
slide = presentation.slides[0]
auto_shape = slide.shapes[0]
paragraph = auto_shape.text_frame.paragraphs[0]
paragraph.paragraph_format.bullet.type = slides.BulletType.NUMBERED
paragraph.paragraph_format.bullet.numbered_bullet_style = slides.NumberedBulletStyle.BULLET_ROMAN_UC_PERIOD
paragraph.paragraph_format.bullet.numbered_bullet_start_with = 1
paragraph.paragraph_format.margin_left = 30
paragraph.paragraph_format.indent = -20
presentation.save("updated_list.pptx", slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)
FAQ
Can bulleted and numbered lists be exported to PDF or images?
Yes. Aspose.Slides preserves list formatting when the target format supports the corresponding text layout and bullet features.
Can I edit lists in existing presentations?
Yes. Load the presentation, access the target paragraph, inspect or update its ParagraphFormat.bullet settings, and save the presentation.
Can lists contain non-Latin text?
Yes. List item text can contain Unicode characters, so you can create lists in multilingual presentations. Make sure the fonts used in the presentation support the characters you need.