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Open Presentation

Opens an existing Google Slides presentation using its URL.

Common Properties​

  • Name - The custom name of the node.
  • Color - The custom color of the node.
  • Delay Before (sec) - Waits in seconds before executing the node.
  • Delay After (sec) - Waits in seconds after executing node.
  • Continue On Error - Automation will continue regardless of any error. The default value is false.
info

If the ContinueOnError property is true, no error is caught when the project is executed, even if a Catch node is used.

Inputs​

  • URL - The full URL of the Google Slides presentation to open.

Options​

  • Credentials - Google account credentials used to authenticate with the Google Slides API.

Output​

  • Presentation Id - The ID of the opened presentation.

How It Works​

The Open Presentation node accesses an existing Google Slides presentation using its URL. When executed, the node:

  1. Validates the provided URL input
  2. Authenticates with Google Slides API using the provided credentials
  3. Extracts the presentation ID from the URL
  4. Opens and connects to the specified presentation
  5. Returns the presentation ID for use in subsequent nodes

Requirements​

  • A valid Google Slides presentation URL
  • Valid Google API credentials with appropriate permissions
  • Proper permissions to access the presentation

Error Handling​

The node will return specific errors in the following cases:

  • Empty or invalid URL
  • Invalid or missing Google API credentials
  • Google Slides API authentication errors
  • Insufficient permissions to access the presentation
  • Invalid presentation URL
  • Google Slides service errors

Usage Notes​

  • The URL input should be the full URL of the Google Slides presentation (e.g., https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz/edit)
  • The node extracts the presentation ID from the URL automatically
  • The output Presentation Id can be used with other Google Slides nodes to modify the presentation
  • This node is useful when you have a presentation URL and need to obtain its ID for further operations
  • Ensure the authenticated account has permission to access the presentation
  • The presentation must be accessible to the authenticated user

Examples​

Example 1: Open a Presentation from URL​

Open a presentation using its full URL:

URL: "https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1A2B3C4D5E6F7G8H9I0J/edit"

The node extracts the presentation ID and makes it available for subsequent operations.

Open a presentation that was shared with you:

URL: "https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XyZaBcDeFgHiJkLmN/edit?usp=sharing"

The node handles different URL formats including those with sharing parameters.

Example 3: Open and Process​

Open a presentation, then use the ID to modify it:

  1. Open Presentation node with URL
  2. Store the Presentation Id in msg.presentationId
  3. Replace Text node using msg.presentationId
  4. Add Image node using msg.presentationId

Tips for Effective Use​

  1. URL Formats: The node accepts various Google Slides URL formats (edit mode, view mode, with/without parameters)
  2. ID Extraction: You don't need to manually extract the ID from the URL - the node handles this automatically
  3. Permission Check: Verify the credentials have access to the presentation before running the workflow
  4. URL Sources: URLs can come from web scraping, email parsing, spreadsheets, or user input
  5. Workflow Integration: Use this as the first node when working with existing presentations
  6. Error Recovery: If the URL is invalid, the node returns a clear error message

Common Use Cases​

Use Case 1: Process Presentations from a List​

Open and process multiple presentations from a list of URLs:

// In a JS node, prepare a list of URLs
msg.presentationUrls = [
  "https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ABC/edit",
  "https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/2DEF/edit",
  "https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/3GHI/edit"
];

Then loop through each URL, opening and processing each presentation.

Use Case 2: Update Shared Template​

Open a shared template presentation and modify it:

  1. Open Presentation node with template URL
  2. Get the Presentation Id
  3. Copy Presentation to create a new instance
  4. Modify the copy with Replace Text, Add Image, etc.

Use Case 3: Audit Existing Presentations​

Open presentations to extract information or verify content:

  1. Open Presentation node with URL
  2. Get Presentation node to retrieve metadata
  3. Parse and analyze content
  4. Store audit results in a database or spreadsheet

Use Case 4: Email-Triggered Workflow​

Process presentations mentioned in emails:

  1. Monitor email inbox for presentation URLs
  2. Extract URL from email content
  3. Open Presentation node with extracted URL
  4. Process according to business rules

Common Errors and Solutions​

ErrorCauseSolution
"URL cannot be empty"No URL provided or empty stringEnsure URL input contains a valid Google Slides URL
"No Credential Content"Credentials missing or invalidVerify credentials in Vault and ensure proper authentication
Permission deniedAccount lacks access to presentationShare the presentation with the authenticated account or use different credentials
Invalid URLMalformed or non-Google Slides URLVerify the URL is a valid Google Slides presentation URL
Presentation not foundPresentation deleted or ID invalidCheck that the presentation exists and the URL is current
Authentication failedExpired OAuth tokenRefresh credentials or re-authenticate the account

Best Practices​

  1. Validate URLs: Check that URLs are valid Google Slides links before processing
  2. Handle Errors: Use error handling to gracefully manage inaccessible presentations
  3. Cache IDs: If processing the same presentation multiple times, cache the ID to avoid repeated URL parsing
  4. Access Verification: Test access with a manual open before automating
  5. URL Normalization: Handle different URL formats (edit, view, present modes) consistently