SlideMasterRemover

This is a simple C# console application that removes any unused slide masters and custom layouts from a specified PowerPoint presentation file. It helps to clean up your .pptx or .pptm files by deleting unnecessary designs or layouts, potentially reducing file size and preventing clutter.

Features

• Opens a PowerPoint file (supports .pptx, .pptm, and .ppt by default, with a user warning for unknown extensions).
• Scans each slide to determine which layouts are actively used.
• Removes unused layouts and deletes designs if they are completely unused.
• Saves changes directly to the specified PowerPoint file.

Prerequisites

• Windows OS (the application uses COM interop with Microsoft PowerPoint).
• Microsoft Office / PowerPoint installed (the application relies on Microsoft.Office.Interop.PowerPoint).
• .NET Framework / .NET runtime to execute the C# application (depending on the version you compile against).

How to Build

1. Clone or download this repository.
2. Open the solution (.sln) or project (.csproj) in Visual Studio (or your preferred IDE).
3. Restore any required NuGet packages if prompted.
4. Build the project.

Alternatively, from the command line using the .NET SDK:

dotnet build

How to Use

1. Open a command prompt or terminal where the compiled SlideMasterRemover.exe (or equivalent) is located.

2. Run the executable with the full path to your PowerPoint file as an argument. For example:

   SlideMasterRemover.exe "C:\Path\To\Presentation.pptx"

3. If the presentation file has an extension other than .pptx, .pptm, or .ppt, the application will prompt you for confirmation before proceeding.

4. If successful, the program will report which layouts are used, delete those that are unused, and remove any completely unused designs.

5. The PowerPoint file will be saved automatically after cleanup.

Usage Notes

• Backup your original file before running this tool, just to be safe.
• The presentation is saved in-place by default (the same file path is used).
• Microsoft PowerPoint must be installed on the machine running this program because the tool relies on Microsoft Office Interop.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvements:

• Create a Pull Request if you have changes or enhancements to contribute.

License

This project is released under the MIT License.

Feel free to modify and distribute in accordance with the license terms.