PowerPoint Creator - Markdown to PowerPoint Conversion Enhancement

Project Context

You are working on the powerpoint-creator npm package (https://github.com/wapdat/powerpoint-creator), which is a Node.js CLI tool and library for generating professional PowerPoint presentations programmatically from JSON data. The package currently supports 7 slide types (title, text, chart, table, image, notes, custom) and uses PptxGenJS under the hood.

Primary Objective

Add comprehensive markdown to PowerPoint conversion functionality to the powerpoint-creator package, allowing users to convert markdown documents directly into professional PowerPoint presentations.

Requirements

1. Core Functionality

Add a new module src/markdown-converter.ts that parses markdown and converts it to the existing JSON structure
Support both CLI and programmatic API usage
Maintain backward compatibility with existing JSON-based functionality

2. Markdown Parsing Features

Implement intelligent parsing that recognizes and converts:

Document Structure

# H1 headers → Title slides
## H2 headers → Section divider slides
### H3 headers → Content slide titles
Regular paragraphs → Bullet points or text slides
Lists (ordered/unordered) → Bullet slides with proper nesting

Data Elements

Markdown tables → Table slides with professional formatting
Code blocks with data → Chart slides (detect CSV/JSON data in code blocks)
Images ![alt](url) → Image slides with captions
Blockquotes > → Notes slides or emphasized text boxes

Advanced Features

YAML frontmatter for presentation metadata (title, author, theme, date)
Custom slide directives using HTML comments: 
Speaker notes using  or :::notes blocks
Page breaks --- or *** to force new slides

3. Smart Content Analysis

Implement intelligent content grouping:

Auto-split long content into multiple slides
Group related bullet points
Detect and preserve heading hierarchy
Smart truncation with continuation indicators
Maintain context across slide breaks

4. Chart Detection

Recognize and convert data patterns:

<!-- chart: type="bar" -->
| Month | Sales | Target |
|-------|-------|--------|
| Jan   | 1500  | 1200   |
| Feb   | 1800  | 1700   |

Or from code blocks:

Month,Sales,Target
Jan,1500,1200
Feb,1800,1700

5. CLI Enhancement

Add new CLI commands:

# Direct markdown conversion
powerpoint-creator --markdown input.md --output presentation.pptx

# With custom template
powerpoint-creator --markdown report.md --template corporate.pptx --output report.pptx

# Specify theme
powerpoint-creator --markdown content.md --theme dark --output slides.pptx

6. Programmatic API

import { PresentationGenerator, MarkdownConverter } from 'powerpoint-creator';

// Direct conversion
const converter = new MarkdownConverter();
const jsonData = await converter.convert(markdownContent, options);
const generator = new PresentationGenerator();
const pptx = await generator.generate(jsonData);

// Or simplified
import { markdownToPowerPoint } from 'powerpoint-creator';
const pptx = await markdownToPowerPoint(markdownContent, options);

7. Configuration Options

Support options for:

slidesPerPage: Max bullet points per slide
autoSplit: Enable/disable automatic content splitting
theme: Predefined themes (professional, dark, light, academic)
includeTableOfContents: Auto-generate TOC slide
slideNumbers: Add slide numbers
companyLogo: Add logo to all slides
footerText: Add footer text

8. Default Styling Rules

When converting markdown:

H1 → Title slide with gradient background
H2 → Section divider with accent color
Lists → Professional bullet points with proper indentation
Tables → Alternating row colors with header emphasis
Code blocks → Monospace font with syntax highlighting background
Images → Centered with professional borders

9. Example Conversions

Input Markdown:

# Q4 2024 Sales Report
**Author:** John Doe  
**Date:** January 2025

## Executive Summary

- Revenue exceeded targets by 15%
- New customer acquisition up 25%
- Market expansion successful in 3 regions

## Sales Performance

### Monthly Breakdown

| Month | Revenue | Target | Achievement |
|-------|---------|--------|-------------|
| Oct   | $1.5M   | $1.3M  | 115%        |
| Nov   | $1.8M   | $1.5M  | 120%        |
| Dec   | $2.1M   | $2.0M  | 105%        |

## Next Steps

1. Expand team by 20%
2. Launch new product line
3. Enter European market

Should Generate:

Slide 1: Title slide with "Q4 2024 Sales Report"
Slide 2: Section divider "Executive Summary"
Slide 3: Bullet points with the three summary items
Slide 4: Section divider "Sales Performance"
Slide 5: Table slide with monthly breakdown
Slide 6: Section divider "Next Steps"
Slide 7: Numbered list with three action items

10. Testing Requirements

Create comprehensive test suite for markdown parsing
Test various markdown flavors (CommonMark, GFM)
Ensure all existing JSON functionality still works
Add example markdown files in examples/markdown/
Create visual regression tests for generated presentations

11. Documentation Updates

Update README.md with markdown conversion examples
Add API documentation for new methods
Create a markdown conversion guide
Include best practices for markdown structure
Add troubleshooting section

12. Dependencies to Add

{
  "dependencies": {
    "marked": "^11.0.0",  // or remark for more advanced parsing
    "gray-matter": "^4.0.3",  // for frontmatter parsing
    "js-yaml": "^4.1.0"  // for YAML parsing
  }
}

Implementation Steps

First, create the markdown parser module that converts markdown to an AST
Then, create converters for each markdown element to slide JSON
Next, implement smart content splitting and grouping logic
After that, add CLI command support with proper error handling
Then, create the simplified API methods
Finally, write comprehensive tests and documentation

Success Criteria

Markdown files can be converted to presentations with a single command
The generated presentations look professional without manual editing
All markdown elements are properly converted to appropriate slide types
Long documents are intelligently split into digestible slides
The feature integrates seamlessly with existing JSON functionality
Performance is good (convert 100-page markdown in < 5 seconds)

Additional Considerations

Ensure the package remains lightweight and fast
Maintain backward compatibility with version 1.1.0
Follow TypeScript best practices and maintain type safety
Add proper error messages for unsupported markdown features
Consider adding a preview mode that shows JSON output before generation

Code Quality Requirements

Add JSDoc comments for all public methods
Maintain 80%+ test coverage
Follow existing code style and linting rules
Update version to 1.2.0 after implementation
Add examples showing markdown to PowerPoint conversion

This enhancement will make the powerpoint-creator package much more versatile, allowing users to quickly convert their markdown documentation, reports, and notes into professional presentations without manually creating JSON structures.