Overview

Long presentations need structure. Sections break your deck into logical groups — each with its own title slide and focused content. The pptx.dev API makes it easy to build multi-section presentations with clear visual hierarchy.

Creating Sections with Title Slides

Use title slide layouts as section dividers. Place a title slide before each group of content slides:

{
  "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf/v1",
  "name": "Annual Strategy Review",
  "slides": [
    {
      "layout": "title-center",
      "title": "Annual Strategy Review",
      "subtitle": "March 2026",
      "design": {
        "titleAlignment": "center"
      }
    },
    {
      "layout": "title-left-box",
      "title": "Section 1: Financial Performance",
      "design": {
        "contentBox": true
      }
    },
    {
      "layout": "number-4x-title-center",
      "title": "Key Financials",
      "blocks": [
        {
          "metric": {
            "value": "$12M",
            "label": "Revenue"
          }
        },
        {
          "metric": {
            "value": "88%",
            "label": "Gross Margin"
          }
        },
        {
          "metric": {
            "value": "$2.1M",
            "label": "EBITDA"
          }
        },
        {
          "metric": {
            "value": "18mo",
            "label": "Runway"
          }
        }
      ],
      "design": {
        "titleAlignment": "center",
        "contentAlignment": "center"
      }
    },
    {
      "layout": "chart-1x-title-center",
      "title": "Revenue Trend",
      "chart": {
        "type": "line-with-markers",
        "data": {
          "columns": [
            "Series",
            "Q1",
            "Q2",
            "Q3",
            "Q4"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Revenue ($M)",
              2.4,
              2.8,
              3.2,
              3.6
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      "design": {
        "titleAlignment": "center",
        "contentAlignment": "center"
      }
    },
    {
      "layout": "title-left-box",
      "title": "Section 2: Product Roadmap",
      "design": {
        "contentBox": true
      }
    },
    {
      "layout": "list-3x-title-center",
      "title": "Q2 Priorities",
      "blocks": [
        {
          "items": [
            {
              "text": "Enterprise SSO",
              "description": "SAML + OIDC support"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "items": [
            {
              "text": "API v2",
              "description": "Batch generation, webhooks"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "items": [
            {
              "text": "Analytics Dashboard",
              "description": "Usage tracking and insights"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "design": {
        "titleAlignment": "center",
        "contentAlignment": "center"
      }
    },
    {
      "layout": "title-left-box",
      "title": "Section 3: Next Steps",
      "design": {
        "contentBox": true
      }
    },
    {
      "layout": "text-1x-center",
      "title": "Key Decision",
      "text": "Approve Q2 budget allocation and headcount plan.",
      "design": {
        "contentAlignment": "center"
      }
    }
  ],
  "design": {
    "colorScheme": "slate-gray",
    "fontScheme": "calibri"
  },
  "catalogs": {
    "layouts": {
      "records": [
        {
          "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf-layout/v1",
          "id": "title-center",
          "name": "Title Center",
          "placeholders": [
            {
              "type": "title"
            },
            {
              "type": "subtitle"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf-layout/v1",
          "id": "title-left-box",
          "name": "Title Left Box",
          "placeholders": [
            {
              "type": "title"
            },
            {
              "type": "subtitle"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf-layout/v1",
          "id": "number-4x-title-center",
          "name": "Number 4x Title Center",
          "placeholders": [
            {
              "type": "title"
            },
            {
              "type": "metric"
            },
            {
              "type": "metric"
            },
            {
              "type": "metric"
            },
            {
              "type": "metric"
            }
          ],
          "composition": {
            "mode": "grid",
            "columns": 2
          }
        },
        {
          "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf-layout/v1",
          "id": "chart-1x-title-center",
          "name": "Chart 1x Title Center",
          "placeholders": [
            {
              "type": "title"
            },
            {
              "type": "chart"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf-layout/v1",
          "id": "list-3x-title-center",
          "name": "List 3x Title Center",
          "placeholders": [
            {
              "type": "title"
            },
            {
              "type": "list"
            },
            {
              "type": "list"
            },
            {
              "type": "list"
            }
          ],
          "composition": {
            "mode": "row"
          }
        },
        {
          "$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf-layout/v1",
          "id": "text-1x-center",
          "name": "Text 1x Center",
          "placeholders": [
            {
              "type": "text"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Section Divider Patterns

Using Narratives for Structure

Narratives automatically provide section structure. For example, the quarterly-review narrative creates a natural flow:

1. KPIs section (chart slides)
2. Risks section (list slides)

Use narratives when you want the API to determine the optimal section order.

Structuring Tips

1. One idea per section. Each section should have a clear theme.
2. Use consistent divider layouts. Pick one divider style and use it throughout.
3. Limit sections to 3-5. More than that and the audience loses the thread.
4. Include a section summary. End each section with a text slide that recaps the key takeaway.

Next Steps

• Choose narratives for automatic structuring
• Style dividers with color schemes
• Browse title layouts for section openers