How to configure Layout Content Guide for text shapes

Updated September 17, 2026 18:50

This article explains how to configure a Layout Content Guide to define the content an Agent generates in a text shape on a layout.

Prerequisites

Admin/owner access to the Templafy tenant.
You must have a slide collection uploaded in the slide layouts tab within AI Agents.

Configure a Layout Content Guide

A Layout Content Guide defines what content an Agent should generate in a specific text shape on a layout.

The guide is configured using the Template field. The Template field is a rich text editor where you can enter text or instructions and apply formatting.

To configure a Layout Content Guide:

In the Admin Center, select AI Agents.
Select the Slide layouts tab.
Select the collection containing the layout you want to configure.
Navigate to the relevant layout.
Select the text shape where you want to configure the Layout Content Guide.
In the Template field, enter the content or instruction you want the Agent to use when generating content for the text shape.
Apply any required formatting to the text.
Save the layout.

The Layout Content Guide is associated with the selected text shape. When an Agent uses the layout, the Agent follows the configured guide when generating content for that shape.

Configure content in the Template field

The content entered in the Template field can be used in two ways.

Enter literal text

If you enter text directly into the Template field, the Agent will use that text as the content for the text shape.

For example, entering:

Hello World

in the Template field instructs the Agent to generate:

Hello World

Add an instruction

You can instruct the Agent to generate content by placing the instruction between < >.

For example:

<Say hello to the audience>

The Agent interprets the text between < > as an instruction and generates the appropriate content for the text shape.

You can also use an instruction to specify the information the Agent should use. For example:

<Highlight key revenue figures from Salesforce>

The Agent uses the instruction to determine what information to retrieve and generate in the associated text shape.

Note

Instructions in the Template field can use information available to the Agent through its configured knowledge sources, including supporting documents and external systems.

Format generated content

The Template field includes formatting options that determine how the content is presented in the text shape.

You can apply the following formatting:

Bold.
Italic.
Strikethrough.
Bulleted list.
Numbered list.
Increase or decrease indentation.
Hyperlinks.
Line breaks.

The configured formatting is applied when the Agent generates content for the text shape.

Configure multiple text shapes

Each text shape on a layout can have its own Layout Content Guide.

You can therefore configure different content and instructions for different text shapes on the same layout.

For example, a layout could contain:

A text shape configured to generate a customer name.
A text shape configured to summarize the customer's key challenges.
A text shape configured to list the customer's key revenue figures.

Only one Layout Content Guide can be configured for each text shape.

Text shapes without a Layout Content Guide

A Layout Content Guide is not required for every text shape.

If a text shape does not have a Layout Content Guide, the Agent determines what content to generate in the text shape based on the context available to it.

Use a Layout Content Guide when you want to provide more specific instructions about the content that should be generated in a particular text shape.

Important

Layout Content Guides only apply to text shapes. The available formatting options are limited to those provided in the Template field. Other PowerPoint formatting options are not configured through the Layout Content Guide.

How Layout Content Guides affect Agent generation

The amount of freedom given to the Agent depends on how the Template is configured.