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PowerPointPipe CLI Reference | DataMystic

PowerPointPipe Command-Line Reference

Automate batch find and replace operations across Microsoft PowerPoint presentations using PowerPointPipe's command-line interface. Fix broken links, rebrand slide decks, and update thousands of .ppt and .pptx files in a single operation.

Command Syntax

PowerPointPipe.exe [input options] [find/replace options] [link options] [rebranding options] [output options] [advanced options]

All parameters use the /parameter:value format. String values containing spaces must be enclosed in double quotes. Parameters are case-insensitive.

Input File Parameters

Parameter Description Example
/input:<path> Input file or folder path. Specify a single file or a folder to process all matching presentations. /input:"C:\Presentations\deck.pptx"
/inputmask:<mask> File mask filter when input is a folder. Supports wildcards. Default: *.ppt;*.pptx /inputmask:"*.pptx;*.pptm"
/subfolders Include subfolders recursively when input is a folder. /subfolders
/inputlist:<file> Path to a text file containing one input file path per line. /inputlist:"C:\filelist.txt"

Find and Replace Parameters

Parameter Description Example
/find:<text> Text to search for in slide content, speaker notes, and masters. /find:"Old Company"
/replace:<text> Replacement text. Use empty string for deletion. /replace:"New Company"
/casesensitive Enable case-sensitive matching. Default: case-insensitive. /casesensitive
/wholeword Match whole words only. /wholeword
/findlist:<file> Path to a tab-delimited file with find/replace pairs (one pair per line). /findlist:"C:\replacements.txt"
/scope:<area> Limit search scope. Values: all, slides, notes, masters, layouts, handouts. Default: all /scope:slides
/textboxes Include text within shapes and text boxes (enabled by default). /textboxes
/tables Include text within table cells. /tables

Fix broken hyperlinks, update URLs, and repair embedded object links across presentations.

Parameter Description Example
/hyperlinks Enable hyperlink find and replace. Searches both URL targets and display text. /hyperlinks
/findurl:<text> Text to find specifically within hyperlink URLs (not display text). /findurl:"http://intranet.old.com"
/replaceurl:<text> Replacement text for hyperlink URLs. /replaceurl:"https://intranet.new.com"
/olelinks Also update OLE embedded object link paths. /olelinks
/medialinks Also update linked media file paths (audio, video). /medialinks
/actionlinks Also update action button hyperlink targets. /actionlinks

Rebranding Parameters

Comprehensive rebranding options for updating company identity across slide decks.

Parameter Description Example
/replaceimage Enable image replacement mode for logos and graphics. /replaceimage
/findimage:<file> Path to the image to find (matched by content). /findimage:"C:\Brand\old_logo.png"
/newimage:<file> Path to the replacement image. /newimage:"C:\Brand\new_logo.png"
/imagesize:<mode> Size handling: original, replacement, stretch. Default: original /imagesize:original
/slidemaster Also process slide master templates (for logos and branding in masters). /slidemaster
/properties Also find and replace in presentation properties (Title, Author, Company, etc.). /properties

Output Parameters

Parameter Description Example
/inplace Modify files in place (overwrite originals). Cannot be combined with /outputfolder. /inplace
/outputfolder:<path> Write modified files to this folder, preserving originals. /outputfolder:"C:\Output"
/backup Create a .bak backup before modification. Only applies with /inplace. /backup
/log:<file> Write processing log to specified file. /log:"C:\Logs\pptpipe.log"
/summary Display summary of files processed and replacements made. /summary

Advanced Parameters

Parameter Description Example
/silent Suppress all dialog boxes and UI prompts. Essential for unattended operation. /silent
/nopowerpoint Process files without launching PowerPoint (uses internal engine). Faster but fewer features. /nopowerpoint
/timeout:<seconds> Maximum time in seconds per file. Default: 300. /timeout:120
/retries:<count> Number of retry attempts for locked files. Default: 0. /retries:3
/password:<pass> Password to open protected presentations. /password:"secret123"
/preservemacros Preserve VBA macros in .pptm files. /preservemacros

Complete Examples

Simple Text Replacement

Update a product name across all presentations in a folder:

PowerPointPipe.exe /input:"C:\Sales\Decks" /subfolders /inputmask:"*.pptx" /find:"ProductX" /replace:"ProductX Pro" /wholeword /inplace /backup /silent /summary

Fix Broken Hyperlinks After Server Migration

Update all hyperlinks pointing to the old intranet server:

PowerPointPipe.exe /input:"\\fileserver\shared\Presentations" /subfolders /inputmask:"*.ppt;*.pptx" /hyperlinks /findurl:"http://intranet.oldcompany.com" /replaceurl:"https://intranet.newcompany.com" /olelinks /medialinks /actionlinks /inplace /silent /log:"C:\Logs\link_fix.log"

Complete Rebranding

Rebrand all presentations with new company name, logo, and URLs:

PowerPointPipe.exe /input:"C:\Corporate\Templates" /subfolders /inputmask:"*.pptx;*.potx" /findlist:"C:\Branding\rebrand_terms.txt" /replaceimage /findimage:"C:\Branding\old_logo.png" /newimage:"C:\Branding\new_logo.png" /imagesize:original /slidemaster /properties /hyperlinks /findurl:"www.oldcompany.com" /replaceurl:"www.newcompany.com" /inplace /backup /silent /summary /log:"C:\Logs\rebrand.log"

Scheduled Batch Processing Script

Batch file for automated translation updates via Task Scheduler:

@echo off
REM PowerPointPipe - Nightly translation update
REM Updates English presentations with latest translated content

set LOGFILE=C:\Logs\pptpipe_%date:~-4%%date:~4,2%%date:~7,2%.log

"C:\Program Files\DataMystic\PowerPointPipe\PowerPointPipe.exe" ^
  /input:"D:\Marketing\EN_Presentations" ^
  /subfolders ^
  /inputmask:"*.pptx" ^
  /findlist:"D:\Translations\en_to_fr.txt" ^
  /outputfolder:"D:\Marketing\FR_Presentations" ^
  /properties ^
  /silent ^
  /log:"%LOGFILE%" ^
  /summary

if %ERRORLEVEL% NEQ 0 (
    echo ERROR: PowerPointPipe failed with code %ERRORLEVEL% >> "%LOGFILE%"
)

echo Processing complete. See %LOGFILE% for details.

Exit Codes

Code Meaning
0 Success — all files processed without errors.
1 Partial success — some files processed, but one or more failed.
2 No files found — no matching files in the input path.
3 Invalid parameters — one or more command-line parameters were invalid.
4 License error — PowerPointPipe is not licensed or the trial has expired.
5 Fatal error — unexpected error. Check log for details.