Manage TextBox

Texts on slides typically exist in text boxes or shapes. Therefore, to add a text to a slide, you have to add a text box and then put some text inside the textbox. Aspose.Slides for Python via .NET provides the IAutoShape interface that allows you to add a shape containing some text.

Info

Aspose.Slides also provides the IShape interface that allows you to add shapes to slides. However, not all shapes added through the IShape interface can hold text. But shapes added through the IAutoShape interface may contain text.

Note

Therefore, when dealing with a shape to which you want to add text, you may want to check and confirm that it was cast through the IAutoShape interface. Only then will you be able to work with TextFrame, which is a property under IAutoShape. See the Update Text section on this page.

Create Text Box on Slide

To create a textbox on a slide, go through these steps:

Create an instance of the Presentation class.
Obtain a reference for the first slide in the newly created presentation.
Add an IAutoShape object with ShapeType set as RECTANGLE at a specified position on the slide and obtain the reference for the newly added IAutoShape object.
Add a text_frame property to the IAutoShape object that will contain a text. In the example below, we added this text: Aspose TextBox
Finally, write the PPTX file through the Presentation object.

This Python code—an implementation of the steps above—shows you how to add text to a slide:

import aspose.slides as slides

# Instantiates PresentationEx
with slides.Presentation() as pres:

    # Gets the first slide in the presentation
    sld = pres.slides[0]

    # Adds an AutoShape with type set as Rectangle
    ashp = sld.shapes.add_auto_shape(slides.ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 150, 75, 150, 50)

    # Adds TextFrame to the Rectangle
    ashp.add_text_frame(" ")

    # Accesses the text frame
    txtFrame = ashp.text_frame

    # Creates the Paragraph object for text frame
    para = txtFrame.paragraphs[0]

    # Creates a Portion object for paragraph
    portion = para.portions[0]

    # Sets Text
    portion.text = "Aspose TextBox"

    # Saves the presentation to disk
    pres.save("TextBox_out.pptx", slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)

Check for Text Box Shape

Aspose.Slides provides the is_text_box property (from the AutoShape class) to allow you to examine shapes and find text boxes.

Text box and shape

This Python code shows you how to check whether a shape was created as a text box: xxx

from aspose.slides import Presentation, AutoShape

with Presentation("pres.pptx") as pres:
    for slide in pres.slides:
        for shape in slide.shapes:
            if (type(shape) is AutoShape):
                print("shape is text box" if shape.is_text_box else "shape is text not box")

Add Column In Text Box

Aspose.Slides provides the column_count and column_spacing properties (from the ITextFrameFormat interface and text_frame_format class) that allow you to add columns to textboxes. You get to specify the number of columns in a text box and set the amount spacing in points between columns.

This code in Python demonstrates the described operation:

import aspose.slides as slides

with slides.Presentation() as presentation:
	# Gets the first slide in the presentation
	slide = presentation.slides[0]

	# Add an AutoShape with type set as Rectangle
	aShape = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(slides.ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 100, 100, 300, 300)

	# Add TextFrame to the Rectangle
	aShape.add_text_frame("All these columns are limited to be within a single text container -- " +
	"you can add or delete text and the new or remaining text automatically adjusts " +
	"itself to flow within the container. You cannot have text flow from one container " +
	"to other though -- we told you PowerPoint's column options for text are limited!")

	# Gets the text format of TextFrame
	format = aShape.text_frame.text_frame_format

	# Specifies the number of columns in TextFrame
	format.column_count = 3

	# Specifies the spacing between columns
	format.column_spacing = 10

	# Saves the presentation
	presentation.save("ColumnCount.pptx", slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)

Add Column In Text Frame

Aspose.Slides for Python via .NET provides the ColumnCount property (from the ITextFrameFormat interface) that allows you to add columns in text frames. Through this property, you can specify your preferred number of columns in a text frame.

This Python code shows you how to add a column inside a text frame:

import aspose.slides as slides

outPptxFileName = "ColumnsTest.pptx"
with slides.Presentation() as pres:
    shape1 = pres.slides[0].shapes.add_auto_shape(slides.ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 100, 100, 300, 300)
    format = shape1.text_frame.text_frame_format

    format.column_count = 2
    shape1.text_frame.text = """All these columns are forced to stay within a single text container -- 
        you can add or delete text - and the new or remaining text automatically adjusts 
        itself to stay within the container. You cannot have text spill over from one container 
        to other, though -- because PowerPoint's column options for text are limited!
        pres.save(outPptxFileName, slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)"""

    with slides.Presentation(path + outPptxFileName) as test:
        print(test.slides[0].shapes[0].text_frame.text_frame_format.column_count)
        print(test.slides[0].shapes[0].text_frame.text_frame_format.column_spacing)

    format.column_spacing = 20
    pres.save(path + outPptxFileName, slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)

    with slides.Presentation(path + outPptxFileName) as test:
        print(test.slides[0].shapes[0].text_frame.text_frame_format.column_count)
        print(test.slides[0].shapes[0].text_frame.text_frame_format.column_spacing)

    format.column_count = 3
    format.column_spacing = 15
    pres.save(path + outPptxFileName, slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)

    with slides.Presentation(path + outPptxFileName) as test:
        print(test.slides[0].shapes[0].text_frame.text_frame_format.column_count)
        print(test.slides[0].shapes[0].text_frame.text_frame_format.column_spacing)

Update Text

Aspose.Slides allows you to change or update the text contained in a text box or all the texts contained in a presentation.

This Python code demonstrates an operation where all the texts in a presentation are updated or changed:

import aspose.slides as slides

with slides.Presentation("pres.pptx") as pres:
    for slide in pres.slides:
        for shape in slide.shapes:
            if type(shape) is slides.AutoShape:
                for paragraph in shape.text_frame.paragraphs:
                    for portion in paragraph.portions:
                        portion.text = portion.text.replace("years", "months")
                        portion.portion_format.font_bold = 1
  
    # Saves modified presentation
    pres.save("text-changed.pptx", slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)

Add Text Box with Hyperlink

You can insert a link inside a text box. When the text box is clicked, users are directed to open the link.

To add a text box containing a link, go through these steps:

Create an instance of the Presentation class.
Obtain a reference for the first slide in the newly created presentation.
Add an AutoShape object with ShapeType set as RECTANGLE at a specified position on the slide and obtain a reference of the newly added AutoShape object.
Add a text_frame to the AutoShape object that contains Aspose TextBox as its default text.
Instantiate the hyperlink_manager class.
Assign the hyperlink_manager object to the HyperlinkClick property associated with your preferred portion of the TextFrame.
Finally, write the PPTX file through the Presentation object.

This Python code—an implementation of the steps above—shows you how to add a text box with a hyperlink to a slide:

import aspose.slides as slides

# Instantiates a Presentation class that represents a PPTX
with slides.Presentation() as pptxPresentation:
    # Gets the first slide in the presentation
    slide = pptxPresentation.slides[0]

    # Adds an AutoShape object with type set as Rectangle
    pptxShape = slide.shapes.add_auto_shape(slides.ShapeType.RECTANGLE, 150, 150, 150, 50)

    # Accesses the ITextFrame property associated with the AutoShape
    pptxShape.add_text_frame("")

    textFrame = pptxShape.text_frame

    # Adds some text to the frame
    textFrame.paragraphs[0].portions[0].text = "Aspose.Slides"

    # Sets the Hyperlink for the portion text
    hm = textFrame.paragraphs[0].portions[0].portion_format.hyperlink_manager
    hm.set_external_hyperlink_click("http://www.aspose.com")
    # Saves the PPTX Presentation
    pptxPresentation.save("hLinkPPTX_out.pptx", slides.export.SaveFormat.PPTX)

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