Parsing A Powerpoint File

[waynehoskins]

So I have an odd project on the side burner .. I'd like to parse a Powerpoint file (the old kind, I think) and rip out the text (to insert into database system).

It looks moderately easy, looking at a hexdump of a couple of old old files I had knocking around. The text is plain old ASCII, and I think I can figure out how to pull it out.

But does anyone have a file definition or data manual for one of the PPT files? There are a bunch of control characters in there that I think may be useful for something. Anybody worked with these on the low level before?

[[Admin] osborn4]

You could save as HTML, making it text with a bunch of tags around it.

If the text is in normal PPT fields, you can go to the outline view, Cntl-A to select all and Cntl-C to copy.

Then open up notepad and paste it in there.

Of course, neither of these work well if you have many PPTs you want to read.

[Gene]

No experience with it, but you could take a look at OpenOffice or some other open-source MS Office work-alike, and see how they parse PPT files.

[cjlowe]

Pretty sure you won't find the specs for PowerPoint's file format anywhere - not beyond what's been reverse-engineered for OpenOffice et. al., anyway.

Have you considered using something like VBscript to get PowerPoint to give you the text? (No idea what the project is you're working on!)

[waynehoskins]

The project is importing the text from Powerpoint files (potentially on a computer without Powerpoint) into Lyricue, running under Gutsy. More of an "ooh, I wonder if I can" thing.

Worked on a gig Monday (first of four Mondays in a row) where the band has their entire song library in a single Powerpoint file, and Powerpoint on every computer we had played stupid. So I built last night a machine to run Lyricue, and dumped over my database of songs. Most of the band's songs are Crowder songs, and I don't have most of them in my library already, but I do have a copy of their Powerpoint file. So I figure I can save myself some time and headache if I can write a little script that will parse a Powerpoint file and do a slug of insert()s...

[Smob]

Originally Posted by cjlowe

Have you considered using something like VBscript to get PowerPoint to give you the text? (No idea what the project is you're working on!)

This is the best way to go. Each object in the PPT can be separated and either used or not. Some of those control characters are probably formatting directives. VBScript will get access if you need it.

Here is an example of VBScirpting

[cjlowe]

Well, I was imagining more of an external script controlling PPT than a script within a PowerPoint file. But sure, that'd work too.

'Course, you can't run VBscript or PPT under Linux, so this is all moot. Maybe you could somehow get OOo to give you the text, using DCOP or something?

[Smob]

oops, missed the Linux part.