01 / CODEX × POWERPOINT
How I make complex PowerPoint layouts editable
Dense case studies and operating models need to stay editable. With Codex, I built slides from text, shapes, connectors, tables and charts so I could revise individual elements and reuse the composition.
The problem
Flattened slides made even small wording changes difficult.
My approach
I planned the composition, built native PowerPoint objects and specified what to change and what to preserve.
What changed
Case research and three-column operating models became individually editable and reproducible.
Dense diagrams and three photo columns, editable one element at a time
Flattened slides made even small wording changes difficult.
Case research and three-column operating models became individually editable and reproducible.
FROM REQUEST TO RESULT
How I made it work.
- 01
Start with the explanation
I gave Codex the source material, reference slides and the point I wanted the audience to understand.
- 02
Build editable objects
I built tables, charts, shapes and text as separate objects, including the elements of complex operating models.
- 03
Revise just what changed
I asked for specific changes to numbers, wording, colors and spacing while keeping the structure intact.
- 04
Reuse the work
I kept the PPT and generation code so I could reuse the layout with new material and later revisions.
EDITABLE STRUCTURE. ANONYMIZED EXAMPLES.
I built complex diagrams as editable slides.
I selected eight diagram and photo slides from a presentation I made, then adapted identifying details about organizations, universities, locations and projects for public sharing. Select any slide to enlarge it.
I kept the editable PPT structure while adapting identifying text, logos and image details for public sharing. The counts show individual objects; elements inside photos remain images. The A/B files below are a separate example I made to demonstrate targeted edits.
REAL STRUCTURE. VISIBLE REVISIONS.
The same slide, revised.
Compare changes to the table, chart and text. This public example retains the work’s structure, with example names and values.
“Change employment growth from 800 to 1,200 and cultural space to 15,000m². Update the table and chart together, and thicken the bars.”
In my work, I revised bar heights, outside labels, change rates, table units and columns separately. These A/B files are a separate public example you can open to explore that editing method.
LOOK CLOSER AT THE EVIDENCE
Explore the evidence in detail.
COULD THIS WORK FOR YOU?
Could this work in your setup?
Can I revise an existing PPT while keeping its tables and diagrams editable?
BUILD DETAILS
Build details & ideas to reuse
01First, structure the information
I started with the point of the slide and its source material. A case study needed photographs, descriptions and comparison criteria; an operating model needed stages, actors and relationships. I then chose a three-column layout, flowchart or comparison table.
I gave Codex references and source material and asked for editable text and shapes, with photographs as separate replaceable images. An attractive single image and an editable file require different instructions.
02Build the composition with PowerPoint objects
Titles and descriptions became text boxes, stages became shapes, and relationships became connectors. Data went into table cells or native charts. Separating the elements preserves the rest of the slide when wording or relationships change.
A photograph remains an image; objects inside it are not individually editable. Separating the photograph from its caption and background lets me replace it while retaining the layout.
03Specify both the change and what must stay
For example: keep the three-column photo layout and shorten only the middle description; keep the stage shapes and change just the connector direction. I update table and chart data when values change and adjust the relevant box when text grows.
After revisions, I render the slides to check overflow and overlap. Keeping the native objects and generation code supports later changes, either directly in PowerPoint or through another Codex request.
04Complex layouts and a hands-on editing example
The gallery contains eight anonymized public slides: two case studies and three pairs of model diagrams and illustrated layouts. It shows how dense relationships and three-column photographs fit together.
The separate A/B downloads demonstrate editing. The first slide contains 22 text/shape objects, a chart and a 3×3 table; the second has 29 text/shape objects and four images. They are not a download of the eight-slide gallery or historical client revisions.