ServiceNow® Export to PowerPoint (FAQ)<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } Layout & Formatting Q: Why does my generated PowerPoint have different text positioning compared to my template? A: Export to PowerPoint app doesn't fully implement PowerPoint's layout engine. When text is replaced, positioning can shift due to: Different font metrics between design and runtime. Text length changes affecting anchor points. Complex theme interactions. Remediation: Use text boxes with fixed dimensions rather than auto-sizing. Try to start with a blank slide and avoid complex themes. Add extra padding in text areas to accommodate shifts. For critical and complex presentations, plan for manual adjustments after generation. Q: Tables in my generated presentation have uneven columns or misaligned headers. Why? A: Table rendering in Export to PowerPoint differs from MS PowerPoint's native rendering: If there is only one row in the table, the bottom border as part of the theme or formatting might still be visible. However, if there are multiple rows, the bottom border will not be visible. Column auto-sizing algorithms are different. Cell content impacts neighbouring cells differently. Header styles may be interpreted differently. Remediation: Set explicit column widths in your template. Use simpler table styles without complex formatting. Use a simpler layout or breaking into multiple tables and even multiple slides for data-heavy tables. Avoid merged cells. Q: Why does content sometimes overflow text boxes or containers? A: Content overflows due to: Fixed container sizes with variable content. Font rendering differences. Line break calculations differing from PowerPoint. Complex formatting affecting text flow. Remediation: Design templates with generous space for variable content. Set overflow properties explicitly in text boxes. Consider breaking into multiple containers for critical text. Test with maximum expected content length. Template Design Q: What template design practices will result in more accurate output? A: For best results: Start with blank slides rather than complex pre-designed templates. Use standard fonts available across all systems. Create dedicated placeholder frames for variable content. Avoid PowerPoint-specific features (Smart Art, complex charts). Use simple, predictable layouts. Test templates with various content lengths. Q: Can I use PowerPoint's advanced features like Smart Art, animations, or transitions? A: This is currently not supported. Content Limitations Q: Charts in my generated presentation don't match my template design or chart is not getting generated with error. A: Chart generation has specific limitations: Data ranges affect chart rendering. Some chart styles aren't fully supported. Axis scaling may change based on data. Remediation: Use basic chart types (bar, column, line). Set fixed axis ranges where possible. Use explicit data labels rather than relying on formatting. Technical Considerations Q: Is there a size limitation for the PowerPoint files we generate? A: Yes, we have a limit of 50 slides and 15 MB of the total of Template.pptx and the Output.pptx. PPT Generation is stuck/hung Q: Why is PPT generation stuck? A: Check for slides with REPEAT_SLIDE token. The default URL includes maximumSlides=50, which may cause issues if PPTs exceed this limit, if enough data is there in your instance.Export To PPT plugin takes some time to calculate total number of slides before preprocessing, causing timeouts or getting stuck if slides exceed the limit. Instance’s transaction quota rules might also stop transactions if they take too long. Remediation: Review the Session Debug Log with added log statements to see if the transaction limit is exceeded. Check the template PPT for the REPEAT_SLIDE token and its count. Adjust maximumSlides value to stay under the 50-slide limit. For instance, if there are 2 repeating slides and 7 non-repeating slides, set maximumSlides=20 to keep the total slide count to a maximum of 47. Check the "Transaction Quota Rule" table and increase the "Maximum duration" for "REST Batch API Request Timeout" to accommodate preprocessing. Export Roadmap to PPT Q: Why does label sometimes overflow Roadmap timeline? A: Consider the following points: Export is not supported for Roadmaps longer than 1 year.When the Roadmap timeline is short, but labels are long, labels may overlap the timeline bar instead of being truncated. Q: Why does milestones are stacked and not visible properly in Roadmap timeline? A: Consider the following points: While rendering Roadmap tab in the SPW it is easy to show milestones stacked with a pop-over, because there is hover over functionality there, but for Roadmap exported to PPT, we must plot the details of milestones, on a 2D plane. Even if the milestone labels overlap, you can rearrange the names of the milestones manually.The names displayed on the PPT slide can be rearranged by dragging the text of each milestone to the desired location. You need to place the milestone names near the corresponding milestones, utilising any available empty space.