Open action in the PowerPoint package

The Open action enables you to open an existing PowerPoint presentation allowing your automation to view, edit, or update its content. It’s essential for ensuring your bot works on the correct file before performing further actions like adding or modifying slides.

This action is the first step in any workflow that involves making changes to a presentation, such as adding slides, updating content, or formatting.

Settings

  • File path: Select one of the following options to specify the location of your presentation.
    • Variable: Enables you to specify the File variable that contains the location of the file.
    • Control Room file: Enables you to select the file that is available in a folder in the Control Room.
    • Desktop file: Enables you to select the file from your local device using one of the following options:
      • Specific path: Enter the file path, select a string variable that contains the file path as its value, or use Browse option to upload it directly.
      • Regex: In the Folder path field, click the Browse button to select a path or click the Insert a value icon to select a variable that you have used to store the path for the PowerPoint file.

        File name: Defines the name of the presentation file using regex components allowing you to construct the file name dynamically.

        Type: Specify the type of input used to build the file name. For example, String which can be a static or a variable text.

        Value: Specify the actual content of the file name. For example,
        • Static value: Report
        • Dynamic value using variables: Report_$Date$

        Case sensitive: Select this option to treat the uppercase and lowercase letters differently.

        Add Regex: Enables you to add multiple pattern segments to construct a complex file name.

    Note: This option supports files with .ppt or .pptx extension,
  • Open in: Select the Read-write or Read only mode to open the presentation in edit mode or read-only mode respectively.
  • Open password (Optional): Select one of the following options to specify the password required to open the presentation:
    • Credential: To use a value available in the Credential Vault. Click Choose to select a credential.
    • Variable: To use a value that is stored as a credential variable.
    • Insecure string: To manually specify the values. (Optional) Click the Insert a value icon to insert an existing variable.
  • Edit password (Optional): Select one of the following options to specify the password required to edit the presentation:
    • Credential: To use a value available in the Credential Vault. Click Choose to select a credential.
    • Variable: To use a value that is stored as a credential variable.
    • Insecure string: To manually specify the values. (Optional) Click the Insert a value icon to insert an existing variable.
  • Create PowerPoint session: Select one of the following tabs to create a session:
    • Local session: to specify a session name that can be used only in the current bot.
    • Global session: to specify a session name that can be used across multiple bots, such as parent bots, child bots, and all other child bots of the parent bot.
    • Variable: to specify a PowerPoint session variable.

      Click the icon on the right to create a variable, then choose PowerPoint session as the Session type in the window that appears. See Create a variable.