Automating Keynote (JXA-first, AppleScript discovery)

Contents

• Relationship to the macOS automation skill

• Core framing

• Workflow (default)

• Quick Examples

• What to load

Relationship to the macOS automation skill

• This skill focuses on Keynote-specific automation (documents, slides, charts).

• Use automating-mac-apps for cross-app workflows or general macOS scripting foundations.

• Assumes Apple Events knowledge from the related skill.

• PyXA Installation: To use PyXA examples in this skill, see the installation instructions in automating-mac-apps skill (PyXA Installation section).

Core Framing

• JXA (JavaScript for Automation) enables macOS app scripting with JavaScript syntax.

• AppleScript dictionaries define Keynote's object model—discover via Script Editor.

• JXA objects are specifiers: read with methods like .name() , write with assignments.

• Production scripts use JXA for reliability; AppleScript for prototyping.

• Important: The JXA Path() function is required when specifying file paths to Keynote (e.g., for images, exports, or opening documents). Use Path("/path/to/file") instead of plain strings.

Workflow (default)

• Discover terms in Script Editor > File > Open Dictionary > Keynote.

• Prototype minimal AppleScript: tell application "Keynote" to get name of document 1 .

• Port to JXA: Application("Keynote").documents[0].name() with try-catch blocks.

• Validate with read-only probes: Application("Keynote").documents.length > 0 .

• Use UI scripting only when dictionary lacks features (e.g. Application("System Events") ).

Quick Examples

Prototype (AppleScript):

tell application "Keynote" get name of document 1 end tell

Production (JXA):

const keynote = Application("Keynote"); if (keynote.documents.length > 0) { console.log(keynote.documents[0].name()); }

Create Slide:

const doc = keynote.documents[0]; const slide = doc.slides.push(keynote.Slide({baseSlide: doc.masterSlides['Title - Center']})); slide.defaultTitleItem.objectText = "New Slide";

Add Image to Slide (note Path() usage):

const slide = doc.slides[0]; const img = keynote.Image({ file: Path("/Users/you/Desktop/diagram.png"), // Path() required! position: { x: 100, y: 100 }, width: 800 }); slide.images.push(img);

Validation Checklist

After implementing Keynote automation:

• Verify Keynote is running and accessible

• Test slide creation with master slide assignment

• Confirm image paths use Path() function

• Check text rendering in default text items

• Validate export operations complete without errors

When Not to Use

• For cross-platform presentation automation (use PowerPoint with Python libraries)

• When AppleScript alone suffices (skip JXA complexity)

• For web-based presentations (Google Slides, reveal.js)

• For non-macOS platforms

What to load

• Keynote JXA basics + runtime caveats: automating-keynote/references/keynote-basics.md

• Keynote recipes (slides, text, images, export): automating-keynote/references/keynote-recipes.md

• Deck generator example: automating-keynote/references/keynote-deck-generator.md

• Chart-aware deck pattern: automating-keynote/references/keynote-chart-aware-deck.md

• Advanced workflows (charts bridge, magic move, UI scripting): automating-keynote/references/keynote-advanced.md

• PyXA (Python) practical examples: automating-keynote/references/keynote-pyxa.md

• PyXA API Reference (complete class/method docs): automating-keynote/references/keynote-pyxa-api-reference.md