Google Slides - How to use "Create a Slide from a Template Slide"?

[RobertAndrews]

“Create a Slide from a Template Slide” is not documented in documentation.

The integration list says:

Creates a new slide by representing all tags like e.g. {{!notfound:name}}, {{!notfound:email}} from a template slide within a specified presentation.

While I understand the variable replacement (which I have successfully tested with “Create a Presentation From a Template”), I don’t understand what a “Template Slide” is here…

By investigating, I can see that the required “Template Slide ID” (“Page Object ID”) maybe corresponds to the selected “Layout” (eg. “id.p3”) as seen in the URL when you are in Google Slides’ Theme-level editor (?)…

But, when I run that, no new slide is added. In fact, Make reports: “RuntimeError [400] Invalid requests[0].duplicateObject: Duplicating a layout (p3) is not allowed.”

I also don’t understand what the Values are supposed to correspond to. In “Create a (Whole) Presentation From a Template”, any {{value}} tags in the slides are automatically picked up by Make.

If I pass a simple integer (eg. “1”, corresponding to one of the two pages already present in the deck I am working with), Make returns: “[404] Requested entity was not found.”

Please could someone explain this module? I think it is about adding an individual slide to a given deck, copied from either … a) a deck itself or b) the theme/layouts behind a deck?

[RobertAndrews]

I tried something else…

There’s another kind of ID which isn’t referred to…

eg. .../edit#slide=id.g2b0dcf99a50_0_4 in the URL, which changes depending on which slide is active.

But, if I use either g2b0dcf99a50_0_4 or id.g2b0dcf99a50_0_4 as the “Template Slide ID” (“Page Object ID”) value, this still doesn’t create a copy of the slide; it just results in “[404] Requested entity was not found.”.

[RobertAndrews]

Okay, actually, I’ve now managed to use the slide ID “g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_142” as “Template Slide ID” (“Page Object ID”) value without generating an error…

I think Output confirms the module picked up the intended source slide to replicate…

But I don’t see any sign of a subsequent new slide having been created.

Still don’t understand how this module is supposed to function.

[
    {
        "objectId": "g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_142",
        "pageElements": [
            {
                "objectId": "g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_143",
                "size": {
                    "width": {
                        "magnitude": 3000000,
                        "unit": "EMU"
                    },
                    "height": {
                        "magnitude": 3000000,
                        "unit": "EMU"
                    }
                },
                "transform": {
                    "scaleX": 2.8402,
                    "scaleY": 0.1909,
                    "translateX": 311700,
                    "translateY": 445025,
                    "unit": "EMU"
                },
                "shape": {
                    "shapeType": "TEXT_BOX",
                    "text": {
                        "textElements": [
                            {
                                "endIndex": 11,
                                "paragraphMarker": {
                                    "style": {
                                        "direction": "LEFT_TO_RIGHT"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            {
                                "endIndex": 11,
                                "textRun": {
                                    "content": "An Attempt\n",
                                    "style": {}
                                }
                            }
                        ]
                    },
                    "shapeProperties": {
                        "shapeBackgroundFill": {
                            "propertyState": "INHERIT"
                        },
                        "outline": {
                            "propertyState": "INHERIT"
                        },
                        "shadow": {
                            "propertyState": "INHERIT"
                        },
                        "autofit": {
                            "fontScale": 0.9
                        }
                    },
                    "placeholder": {
                        "type": "TITLE",
                        "parentObjectId": "g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_330"
                    }
                }
            },
            {
                "objectId": "g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_144",
                "size": {
                    "width": {
                        "magnitude": 3000000,
                        "unit": "EMU"
                    },
                    "height": {
                        "magnitude": 3000000,
                        "unit": "EMU"
                    }
                },
                "transform": {
                    "scaleX": 2.8402,
                    "scaleY": 1.1388,
                    "translateX": 311700,
                    "translateY": 1152475,
                    "unit": "EMU"
                },
                "shape": {
                    "shapeType": "TEXT_BOX",
                    "text": {
                        "textElements": [
                            {
                                "endIndex": 40,
                                "paragraphMarker": {
                                    "style": {
                                        "indentStart": {
                                            "unit": "PT"
                                        },
                                        "indentFirstLine": {
                                            "unit": "PT"
                                        },
                                        "direction": "LEFT_TO_RIGHT"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            {
                                "endIndex": 40,
                                "textRun": {
                                    "content": "Maybe this is my Template Slide and ID?\n",
                                    "style": {}
                                }
                            }
                        ]
                    },
                    "shapeProperties": {
                        "shapeBackgroundFill": {
                            "propertyState": "INHERIT"
                        },
                        "outline": {
                            "propertyState": "INHERIT"
                        },
                        "shadow": {
                            "propertyState": "INHERIT"
                        },
                        "autofit": {
                            "fontScale": 1
                        }
                    },
                    "placeholder": {
                        "type": "BODY",
                        "parentObjectId": "g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_331"
                    }
                }
            }
        ],
        "slideProperties": {
            "layoutObjectId": "g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_329",
            "masterObjectId": "g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_318",
            "notesPage": {
                "objectId": "g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_142:notes",
                "pageType": "NOTES",
                "pageElements": [
                    {
                        "objectId": "g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_145",
                        "size": {
                            "width": {
                                "magnitude": 3000000,
                                "unit": "EMU"
                            },
                            "height": {
                                "magnitude": 3000000,
                                "unit": "EMU"
                            }
                        },
                        "transform": {
                            "scaleX": 2.032,
                            "scaleY": 1.143,
                            "translateX": 381300,
                            "translateY": 685800,
                            "unit": "EMU"
                        },
                        "shape": {
                            "shapeProperties": {
                                "outline": {
                                    "propertyState": "INHERIT"
                                }
                            },
                            "placeholder": {
                                "type": "SLIDE_IMAGE",
                                "parentObjectId": "n:slide"
                            }
                        }
                    },
                    {
                        "objectId": "g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_146",
                        "size": {
                            "width": {
                                "magnitude": 3000000,
                                "unit": "EMU"
                            },
                            "height": {
                                "magnitude": 3000000,
                                "unit": "EMU"
                            }
                        },
                        "transform": {
                            "scaleX": 1.8288,
                            "scaleY": 1.3716,
                            "translateX": 685800,
                            "translateY": 4343400,
                            "unit": "EMU"
                        },
                        "shape": {
                            "shapeType": "TEXT_BOX",
                            "shapeProperties": {
                                "shapeBackgroundFill": {
                                    "propertyState": "INHERIT"
                                },
                                "outline": {
                                    "propertyState": "INHERIT"
                                },
                                "shadow": {
                                    "propertyState": "INHERIT"
                                },
                                "autofit": {
                                    "fontScale": 1
                                }
                            },
                            "placeholder": {
                                "type": "BODY",
                                "index": 1,
                                "parentObjectId": "n:text"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                ],
                "pageProperties": {
                    "pageBackgroundFill": {
                        "propertyState": "INHERIT"
                    }
                },
                "notesProperties": {
                    "speakerNotesObjectId": "g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_146"
                }
            }
        },
        "revisionId": "ue-D7lAdksygTQ",
        "pageProperties": {
            "pageBackgroundFill": {
                "propertyState": "INHERIT"
            }
        }
    }
]

[RobertAndrews]

Ooohh… I see…

“Values” for Tag replacement are required.

Although the pop-up box doesn’t require them, without adding them, I think Make doesn’t attempt to replicate the slide.

I think I now see how this is supposed to work.

---

This module (“Create a Slide from a Template Slide”) is less mature than the similar “Create a Presentation From a Template” because…

• You have to manually enter a slide ID (eg. g2b0d5a0ff2d_0_384) (the other uses a file picker).
• You have to manually enter Tags for replacement (the other automatically surfaces them into the pop-up).

[samliew]

Thanks for sharing your findings with us. I was following your question since this will likely come in handy in the future.