How do I script Powerpoint to save a directory of PPTX files as PDFs?

Assuming you have PowerPoint installed, this is quite simple using Automator.

(I have Office 2011, so I'm unsure if this would work with 2008)

Start Automator, and create a new Folder Action, and choose the input folder (i.e.: the one containing the PPTX files)

From the Actions list, choose "Convert Format of PowerPoint Presentations". For the "New Format" option, choose "Portable Document Format".

Save it & close Automator, and you're done!

Any PPTX files saved in the chosen folder (either pre-existing, or any new ones you save from now on) will automatically be converted to PDF as an additional copy.

Hope this helps!

That pretty much worked. I'm new to Automator so it took me a while to figure it out. I had to save the Automator action as an Application and drop the PPTX files onto it.

You can use AppleScript to convert PowerPoint files to PDF documents, as described in my answer to a similar question here:

Open Script Editor, select New Document and paste the script below. Make sure you adapt parts that are locale specific like "Sichern", "Vorschau" and the like to your local language . and check for the latest version at https://github.com/WolfgangFahl/ppt2pdf

on run (argv) log (count (argv)) if ((count of argv) < 2) then log "usage: ppt2pdf basepath [filenames]" else my ppt2Pdf(argv) end if end run -- -- convert PowerPoint to PDF on the given list of files -- on ppt2Pdf(fileNames) log "launching Powerpoint . " set pp to "Microsoft PowerPoint" tell application pp -- work on version 15.15 or newer launch set isfirst to true repeat with fileName in fileNames if isfirst then set basepath to fileName log "base path is " & basepath set isfirst to false else if fileName ends with ".ppt" or fileName ends with ".pptx" or fileName ends with ".pptm" then set filePath to basepath & "/" & fileName -- set filePath to POSIX path of fileAlias set pdfPath to my makeNewPath(filePath) log "trying to convert powerpoint file " & filePath & " to " & pdfPath open filePath -- save active presentation in pdfPath as save as PDF -- save in same folder -- https://macscripter.net/viewtopic.php?id=26342 --tell application "System Events" -- set listOfProcesses to (name of every process where background only is false) -- tell me to set selectedProcesses to choose from list listOfProcesses with multiple selections allowed --end tell --repeat with processName in selectedProcesses -- log processName --end repeat if not my chooseMenuItem(pp, "Datei", "Drucken. ") then error number -128 end if --my showUiElements(pp, "menu button") -- my waitFor(button whose description is "PDF", 5, 0.5) my choosePopUp(pp, "Layout für den Druck", "Notizen") my choosePopUp(pp, "Farbausgabeformat", "Farbe") --my chooseMenuButtonItem(pp, "PDF", "Als PDF sichern") local myTitle tell application "System Events" -- the magic of Applescript -- if you really want the title and not a reference to it you need to use an operator -- http://books.gigatux.nl/mirror/applescriptdefinitiveguide/applescpttdg2-CHP-12-SECT-5.html set myTitle to title of window 1 of process pp & "" end tell my chooseMenuButtonItem(pp, "PDF", "In Vorschau öffnen") delay 5 tell application "System Events" log "waiting for Vorschau to display " & myTitle set timeLeft to my waitForAppearWindow(myTitle, process "Vorschau", 30, 0.5) if timeLeft < 0 then log "Vorschau " & myTitle & " window didn't show up after 30 secs" error number -128 else log "Vorschau appeared with " & timeLeft & "secs left" tell process "Vorschau" delay 0.2 click menu item "Als PDF exportieren …" of menu 1 of menu bar item "Ablage" of menu bar 1 delay 0.5 -- CMD-SHIFT-G to set the export director -- https://dougscripts.com/itunes/itinfo/keycodes.php keystroke "g" using delay 0.2 tell sheet 1 of window (myTitle) tell sheet 1 -- dereference basePath local basePathStr set basePathStr to basepath & "" set value of first combo box to basePathStr delay 0.2 click button "Öffnen" delay 0.2 end tell click button "Sichern" set timeLeft to my waitForAppear(sheet 1, 3, 0.2) tell sheet 1 if timeLeft > 0 then click button "Ersetzen" end if end tell delay 5 keystroke "q" using end tell end tell end if end tell --tell application "System Events" -- set timeLeft to my waitForAppear("button", button "Sichern" of sheet 1 of sheet 1 of window 1 of process pp, 5, 0.5) -- if timeLeft < 0 then -- log "Sichern button didn't show up after 5 secs" -- error number -128 -- end if -- click button "Sichern" of sheet 1 of sheet 1 of window 1 of process pp --end tell --tell application "System Events" -- delay 0.5 -- try -- set timeLeft to my waitForAppear("button", button "Ersetzen" of sheet 1 of sheet 1 of sheet 1 of window 1 of process pp, 5, 0.5) -- if timeLeft < 0 then -- log "Ersetzen button didn't show up after 5 secs" -- error number -128 -- end if -- click button "Ersetzen" of sheet 1 of sheet 1 of sheet 1 of window 1 of process pp -- end try --end tell log "done . " -- close filePath end if end if end repeat -- still in tell powerpoint context --tell application "System Events" -- delay 0.5 -- try -- set timeLeft to my waitForVanish("window", window "Sichern" of process pp, 60, 1) -- if timeLeft < 0 then -- log "print dialog didn't vanish after 60 secs" -- error number -128 -- end if -- end try --end tell quit end tell end ppt2Pdf on showElement(uiElem) local className set className to class of uiElem as string log (((«class pDSC» of uiElem as string) & "=" & value of uiElem as string) & "(" & className) & ")" end showElement -- -- show all UI elements -- on showUiElements(appName, filterClassName) tell application "System Events" tell process appName tell (1st window whose value of attribute "AXMain" is true) repeat with uiElem in entire contents of it as list try local className set className to class of uiElem as string if filterClassName is missing value or className is filterClasssname then log (((description of uiElem as string) & "=" & value of uiElem as string) & "(" & className) & ")" end if end try end repeat end tell end tell end tell end showUiElements -- -- wait for the given element to appear -- on waitForAppearWindow(elementName, parentElement, time, slice) set timeLeft to time set appeared to false repeat until (appeared) or timeLeft ≤ 0 try set appeared to window elementName of parentElement exists end try delay slice log "." set timeLeft to timeLeft - slice end repeat log timeLeft return timeLeft end waitForAppearWindow -- -- wait for the given element to appear -- on waitForAppear(element, time, slice) set timeLeft to time set appeared to false repeat until (appeared) or timeLeft ≤ 0 try set appeared to element exists end try delay slice log "." set timeLeft to timeLeft - slice end repeat log timeLeft return timeLeft end waitForAppear --- --- wait for the given element to vanish --- on waitForVanish(element, time, slice) set timeLeft to time try repeat while (exists element) and timeLeft >0 delay slice log "." set timeLeft to timeLeft - slice end repeat end try log timeLeft return timeLeft end waitForVanish on chooseMenuButtonItem(appName, buttonName, itemName) tell application "System Events" tell process appName tell window 1 local win1 set win1 to it tell sheet 1 log "choosing " & itemName & " of menu button " & buttonName tell menu button buttonName click delay 0.1 tell menu 1 click menu item itemName end tell end tell end tell end tell end tell end tell end chooseMenuButtonItem -- -- choose a popup -- on choosePopUp(appName, buttonName, itemName) tell application "System Events" tell process appName tell window 1 tell sheet 1 log "choosing " & itemName & " of pop up menu " & buttonName --repeat with pbutton in pop up buttons -- local pbutton1 -- set pbutton1 to pbutton -- log description of pbutton & "=" & value of pbutton --end repeat tell (1st pop up button whose description is buttonName) click it delay 0.5 pick menu item itemName of menu 1 end tell end tell end tell end tell end tell end choosePopUp -- -- https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/ -- LanguagesUtilities/Conceptual/MacAutomationScriptingGuide -- AutomatetheUserInterface.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40016239-CH69-SW17 -- on chooseMenuItem(theAppName, theMenuName, theMenuItemName) try -- Bring the target app to the front tell application theAppName activate end tell -- Target the app tell application "System Events" tell process theAppName -- Target the menu bar tell menu bar 1 -- Target the menu by name tell menu bar item theMenuName tell menu theMenuName -- Click the menu item log "clicking " & theMenuItemName click menu item theMenuItemName end tell end tell end tell end tell end tell return true on error return false end try end chooseMenuItem on makeNewPath(f) set t to f as string if t ends with ".pptx" or t ends with ".pptm" then return (text 1 thru -5 of t) & "pdf" else return (text 1 thru -4 of t) & "pdf" end if end makeNewPath 

#!/bin/bash # use current path as base path osascript $HOME/bin/ppt2pdf.scpt $(pwd) $@ 

chmod +x $HOME/bin/ppt2pdf 

Now, to convert PowerPoint files to PDF documents, open Terminal, change directory to the folder where the PowerPoint files are located, and run:

$HOME/bin/ppt2pdf *.pptx 

ppt2pdf *.pptx 

if your $HOME/bin directory is part of your $PATH