ppt-generation-resilient

name ppt-generation-resilient description Robust PowerPoint generation with shell_agent primary approach and python-pptx fallback, including working directory verification and inline error debugging Resilient PowerPoint Generation Workflow When to Use This Skill Use this workflow when: You need to create PowerPoint presentations with specific slide content and structure Direct document generation tools fail or are unavailable shell_agent encounters opaque errors during PowerPoint generation Output files may be created in unexpected nested directories within the workspace Overview This workflow provides a resilient approach with two tiers: Primary : shell_agent delegation with clear specifications Fallback : Direct Python execution using python-pptx library with proper error capture Step 0: Verify Working Directory Before starting, establish your working directory context: # Capture current working directory pwd # Store for later reference WORK_DIR=$( pwd ) echo "Working directory: $WORK_DIR " Step 1: Attempt PowerPoint Generation via shell_agent (Primary) Delegate the PowerPoint creation task to shell_agent with explicit specifications: Use shell_agent to create a PowerPoint presentation with: - Specify the exact number of slides needed - Define the content/topic for each slide - Request the file be saved with a clear filename (e.g., presentation.pptx) - Ask the agent to confirm the file path after creation using: echo "FILE_PATH: $(pwd)/presentation.pptx" - Request that any errors be printed to stderr with full tracebacks Example task description: Create a PowerPoint presentation with 10 slides covering [topic]. Each slide should have a title and bullet points. Save it as presentation.pptx in the current working directory. After creation, run: echo "FILE_PATH: $(pwd)/presentation.pptx" and report any errors with full tracebacks. Wait for shell_agent response. If successful with file path confirmed, proceed to Step 4. If shell_agent fails or returns opaque errors, proceed to Step 2. Step 2: Fallback to Direct Python Execution with python-pptx When shell_agent fails, create and execute a Python script directly: 2a: Create the Python Script Write the PowerPoint generation script to a .py file first: # save as generate_pptx.py from pptx import Presentation from pptx.util import Inches, Pt import os # Verify working directory print ( f"Working directory: {os.getcwd()} " ) # Create presentation prs = Presentation() # Slide 1: Title slide slide_layout = prs.slide_layouts[ 0 ] slide = prs.slides.add_slide(slide_layout) title = slide.shapes.title subtitle = slide.placeholders[ 1 ] title.text = "Your Title" subtitle.text = "Your Subtitle" # Additional slides (add as needed) for i in range ( 2 , 11 ): slide_layout = prs.slide_layouts[ 1 ] slide = prs.slides.add_slide(slide_layout) title = slide.shapes.title content = slide.placeholders[ 1 ] title.text = f"Slide {i} Title" content.text = f"• Bullet point 1\n• Bullet point 2\n• Bullet point 3" # Save with full path verification output_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), "presentation.pptx" ) prs.save(output_path) print ( f"FILE_PATH: {output_path} " ) print ( f"File size: {os.path.getsize(output_path)} bytes" ) 2b: Execute with Full Error Capture Run the script with stderr redirected to capture actual errors: # Execute with full error output capture python generate_pptx.py 2>&1 | tee execution_log.txt # Or if using run_shell tool, ensure 2>&1 is included python generate_pptx.py 2>&1 Critical : The 2>&1 redirect ensures Python exceptions are captured, not masked as "unknown error". 2c: Verify Script Execution Output Check the execution log for: FILE_PATH: confirmation line File size confirmation Any error tracebacks in execution_log.txt Step 3: Locate the Output File PowerPoint files may be in nested workspace directories. Use find to locate them: # Find all .pptx files in the workspace find . -name "*.pptx" - type f 2>&1 # Or search for a specific filename find . -name "presentation.pptx" - type f 2>&1 # If not found, search broader (may require elevated permissions) find /workspace -name "*.pptx" - type f 2>/dev/null Expected output format: ./presentation.pptx or ./workspace/task_123/output/presentation.pptx Step 4: Copy to Working Directory Once located, copy the file to your working directory: # Copy the found file to current directory cp /path/to/found/presentation.pptx . # Or move it if you prefer mv /path/to/found/presentation.pptx . # Verify copy succeeded ls -la presentation.pptx Step 5: Verify the File Confirm the file exists and is valid: # List the file with details ls -la presentation.pptx # Check file size to ensure it's not empty (should be > 0 bytes) FILE_SIZE=$( stat -f%z presentation.pptx 2>/dev/null || stat -c%s presentation.pptx 2>/dev/null) echo "File size: $FILE_SIZE bytes" # Verify it's a valid PowerPoint file file presentation.pptx # Expected: "Microsoft PowerPoint 2007+" # If python-pptx was used, verify slide count python -c "from pptx import Presentation; prs=Presentation('presentation.pptx'); print(f'Slide count: {len(prs.slides)}')" 2>&1 Common Pitfalls Don't assume the file is in the current directory - shell_agent may create files in subdirectories Don't skip the find step - always verify the file location before proceeding Check file size - ensure the PowerPoint file is not empty (0 bytes) Always use 2>&1 - redirect stderr to capture actual Python exceptions, not "unknown error" Write scripts to .py files first - don't rely on inline execution which may have path issues Verify working directory - capture and confirm pwd before and after script execution Debugging Commands When errors occur, use these commands to diagnose: # Check if python-pptx is available python -c "import pptx; print(pptx.__version__)" 2>&1 # Check current directory permissions ls -la . ls -la .. # Test write permissions touch test_write.txt && rm test_write.txt && echo "Write permissions OK" # Check Python path which python python --version # Verify no stale files interfering find . -name "*.pptx" - type f -mtime -1 2>&1 Example Workflow (Complete) # Step 0: Verify working directory pwd # Output: /workspace/task_abc # Step 1: shell_agent attempt (via task delegation) # If shell_agent fails with opaque errors... # Step 2: Fallback to direct Python cat > generate_pptx.py << 'EOF' from pptx import Presentation import os print (f "Working directory: {os.getcwd()}" ) prs = Presentation() slide_layout = prs.slide_layouts[0] slide = prs.slides.add_slide(slide_layout) slide.shapes.title.text = "Title Slide" output_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), "presentation.pptx" ) prs.save(output_path) print (f "FILE_PATH: {output_path}" ) EOF python generate_pptx.py 2>&1 | tee execution_log.txt # Output: Working directory: /workspace/task_abc # Output: FILE_PATH: /workspace/task_abc/presentation.pptx # Step 3: Locate (if needed) find . -name "*.pptx" - type f # Output: ./presentation.pptx # Step 4: Copy (if in nested directory) # (skip if already in working directory) # Step 5: Verify ls -la presentation.pptx # Output: -rw-r--r-- 1 user user 45632 Jan 15 10:30 presentation.pptx python -c "from pptx import Presentation; prs=Presentation('presentation.pptx'); print(f'Slide count: {len(prs.slides)}')" 2>&1 # Output: Slide count: 1 Troubleshooting Problem Solution shell_agent returns "unknown error" Immediately fall back to Step 2; add 2>&1 to capture actual exceptions File not found with find Search broader: find /workspace -name "*.pptx" 2>/dev/null ; check if script executed at all File is 0 bytes Re-run Python script; check for exceptions in execution_log.txt Permission denied Check directory permissions with ls -la ; try creating in /tmp first Multiple .pptx files found Use more specific search: find . -name "*presentation*.pptx" -type f python-pptx not installed Try pip install python-pptx or use alternative library Script executes but no file created Check working directory mismatch; add explicit os.chdir() in script Success Criteria The workflow is complete when: PowerPoint file exists in working directory File size > 0 bytes (typically > 20KB for multi-slide presentations) file command identifies it as Microsoft PowerPoint format Slide count matches requirements (verify with python-pptx if needed) File is readable and not corrupted