How to add image/text to a named placeholder object in powerpoint using vb scripting? - vbscript

Question

I am trying to find a way to add images to existing placeholders in a slide with a custom layout using a standalone .vbs script. I am able to generate empty slides with the custom layout applied correctly. Now, I want to add text/image to specific placeholders that I have created in the layout. I would like to ideally use the name of the placeholder for each slide as set in the template powerpoint to add data. For example, I have 5 placeholders in my layout, namely, title, image1, image2, text1, text2. I would like to add image/text to these placeholders using their name. I found the AddPicture and Placeholder methods from documentation and various posts but I am not able to successfully add an image or text. The kind of solution I am looking for looks like this since it gives me the opportunity to use the placeholder by name (not necessarily a one liner):
Slide.Shapes.Placeholders("name_of_placeholder").AddPicture()
What I typically find online is something like this (or variations):
Slide.Shapes.Placeholders("name_of_placeholder").Select msoTrue
call oSlide.Shapes.AddPicture("image_path", msoTrue, msoTrue, left, top)
However, I am not able to make it work in any way so far. Can someone point me to the correct syntax for the above problem? I am using office 2019 and I am new to using vb scripting for powerpoint. So any help is much appreciated.
Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

After some further investigation, I found one solution and also an issue I was not aware of. The solution is to simply use the AddPicture and Text methods by iterating over all the shapes:
'Iterate over all shapes of a slide oSlide and get an individual shape oShp object.
'Use With keyword to access the current object and then use Shapes.AddPicture / Text method.
For Each oShp in oSlide.Shapes
With oShp
call oSlide.Shapes.AddPicture(image_path, .Left, .Top, .Width, .Height)
oShp.TextFrame.TextRange.Text = oShape.text
oShp.TextFrame.TextRange.Text = oShape.text
End With
Next
Now, what I actually wanted was to be able to use named placeholders to set data for each item in each slide. I checked (at least in my case) that when I create a slide and apply a layout that has named placeholders (image1, text1,...), the placeholders revert their names to generic names such as 'Text Placeholder 1' or 'Picture Placeholder 1' in the instantiated slide. That's why I couldn't access the placeholders by name in my slide instances. So before adding any text or image, if I check the name of the Shape, I am able to update everything correctly. In my case, I also change the placeholder names to my custom names after a slide has been instantiated and before it is updated. So 'Picture Placeholder 1' becomes 'image1'. An example given below.
if Instr(oShp.Name, "Picture Placeholder 1") > 0 Then
call oSlide.Shapes.AddPicture(oShape.text, .Left, .Top, .Width, .Height)
End If
So naming the placeholders in the master slide custom layout was not useful for me. Current solution works for me and can update one title, two images, and two text placeholders correctly.