Introduction

Aspose.Slides FOSS for C++ (aspose_slides_foss) is a free, MIT-licensed library for creating and editing PowerPoint .pptx files in native C++. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with no dependency on Microsoft Office.

This article walks through the key features available in the current release.

Key Features

Presentation Loading and Saving

Presentation is the root object. Construct it with no arguments to create a new file or pass a file path to load an existing one. Call save() with a path and SaveFormat to write the output:

#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/presentation.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/export/save_format.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides::Foss;

// Create new
Presentation prs;
prs.save("output.pptx", SaveFormat::PPTX);

// Load and save
Presentation prs2("existing.pptx");
prs2.save("copy.pptx", SaveFormat::PPTX);

Slide Management

The slides() method returns the slide collection. Add slides with add_empty_slide(), remove them with remove(), and access existing slides by index:

#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/presentation.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/slide_collection.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/export/save_format.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides::Foss;

Presentation prs;
auto& slide = prs.slides()[0];   // First slide (created automatically)

// Add a second slide using the first master/layout
auto& layout = prs.masters()[0].layout_slides()[0];
auto& newSlide = prs.slides().add_empty_slide(layout);
prs.save("two_slides.pptx", SaveFormat::PPTX);

AutoShape Insertion and Text

Add shapes using slide.shapes().add_auto_shape(). Access the text frame via shape.text_frame() to set text content:

#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/auto_shape.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/presentation.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/shape_collection.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/shape_type.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/slide.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/slide_collection.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/text_frame.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/export/save_format.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides::Foss;

Presentation prs;
auto& slide = prs.slides()[0];
auto& shape = slide.shapes().add_auto_shape(
    ShapeType::RECTANGLE, 50, 50, 300, 100
);
shape.text_frame()->set_text("Hello from Aspose.Slides FOSS");
prs.save("shape_demo.pptx", SaveFormat::PPTX);

Solid Fills

Apply FillType::SOLID with an ARGB color to any shape:

#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/auto_shape.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/fill_format.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/fill_type.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/presentation.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/shape_type.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/export/save_format.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides::Foss;

Presentation prs;
auto& shape = prs.slides()[0].shapes().add_auto_shape(
    ShapeType::RECTANGLE, 100, 100, 400, 200
);
shape.fill_format().set_fill_type(FillType::SOLID);
shape.fill_format().solid_fill_color().set_color(0xFF, 0x46, 0x82, 0xB4);
prs.save("solid_fill.pptx", SaveFormat::PPTX);

Visual Effects

Apply outer shadows, glow, and soft-edge effects via shape.effect_format():

#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/auto_shape.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/effect_format.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/fill_type.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/presentation.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/shape_type.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/export/save_format.h>

using namespace Aspose::Slides::Foss;

Presentation prs;
auto& shape = prs.slides()[0].shapes().add_auto_shape(
    ShapeType::RECTANGLE, 100, 100, 300, 150
);
auto& ef = shape.effect_format();
ef.enable_outer_shadow_effect();
ef.outer_shadow_effect().set_blur_radius(8);
ef.outer_shadow_effect().set_distance(6);
ef.outer_shadow_effect().set_direction(45);
prs.save("shadow.pptx", SaveFormat::PPTX);

Quick Start

Add the library via CMake (C++20 compiler required):

include(FetchContent)
FetchContent_Declare(
    aspose_slides_foss
    GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/aspose-slides-foss/Aspose.Slides-FOSS-for-Cpp.git
    GIT_TAG main
)
FetchContent_MakeAvailable(aspose_slides_foss)
target_link_libraries(your_target PRIVATE aspose_slides_foss)

#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/auto_shape.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/presentation.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/shape_type.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/text_frame.h>
#include <Aspose/Slides/Foss/export/save_format.h>

int main() {
    using namespace Aspose::Slides::Foss;

    Presentation prs;
    auto& shape = prs.slides()[0].shapes().add_auto_shape(
        ShapeType::RECTANGLE, 50, 50, 400, 150
    );
    shape.text_frame()->set_text("My first slide");
    prs.save("first.pptx", SaveFormat::PPTX);
    return 0;
}

Supported Formats

FormatExtensionReadWrite
PPTX.pptx—✓

Open Source & Licensing

Aspose.Slides FOSS for C++ is released under the MIT License. Build from source via CMake. Commercial use, redistribution, and modification are all permitted.

Getting Started