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Connector

Connector (line) shape. A connector is a linear shape having end-points that can be connected to other objects (but not to other connectors). A connector can be straight, have elbows, or can be curved.
The begin_connect() and end_connect() methods are EXPERIMENTAL. The current implementation only works properly with rectangular shapes, such as pictures and rectangles. Use with other shape types may cause unexpected visual alignment of the connected end-point and could lead to a load error if cxn_pt_idx exceeds the connection point count available on the connected shape.

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Properties

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begin_x
Length
Read/write. The X-position of the begin point of this connector, in English Metric Units (as a |Length| object).
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begin_y
Length
Read/write. The Y-position of the begin point of this connector, in English Metric Units (as a |Length| object).
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end_x
Length
Read/write. The X-position of the end point of this connector, in English Metric Units (as a |Length| object).
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end_y
Length
Read/write. The Y-position of the end point of this connector, in English Metric Units (as a |Length| object).
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line
LineFormat
|LineFormat| instance for this connector. Provides access to line properties such as line color, width, and line style.
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shape_type
MSO_SHAPE_TYPE
Member of MSO_SHAPE_TYPE identifying the type of this shape. Unconditionally MSO_SHAPE_TYPE.LINE for a Connector object.

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Methods

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begin_connect
method
Connect the beginning of this connector to a shape at a connection point.Parameters:
  • shape: The shape to connect to
  • cxn_pt_idx (int): Index of the connection point on the shape (starting from 0)
Each shape has zero or more connection points and they are identified by index, starting with 0. Generally, the first connection point of a shape is at the top center of its bounding box and numbering proceeds counter-clockwise from there. However this is only a convention and may vary, especially with non built-in shapes.
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end_connect
method
Connect the ending of this connector to a shape at a connection point.Parameters:
  • shape: The shape to connect to
  • cxn_pt_idx (int): Index of the connection point on the shape (starting from 0)
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get_or_add_ln
method
Helper method required by |LineFormat|. Returns the <a:ln> element.Returns: CT_LineProperties

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Example: Creating and Connecting Lines

from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.enum.shapes import MSO_CONNECTOR
from pptx.util import Inches

prs = Presentation()
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[6])

# Add two shapes to connect
left_shape = slide.shapes.add_shape(
    MSO_SHAPE.ROUNDED_RECTANGLE,
    Inches(1), Inches(2), Inches(1.5), Inches(1)
)

right_shape = slide.shapes.add_shape(
    MSO_SHAPE.ROUNDED_RECTANGLE,
    Inches(5), Inches(2), Inches(1.5), Inches(1)
)

# Add a connector
connector = slide.shapes.add_connector(
    MSO_CONNECTOR.STRAIGHT,
    Inches(0), Inches(0),  # Start position (will be adjusted)
    Inches(1), Inches(1)   # End position (will be adjusted)
)

# Connect the connector to the shapes
# Connection point 0 is typically top-center
# Connection point 3 is typically right-center
connector.begin_connect(left_shape, 3)  # Connect to right side of left shape
connector.end_connect(right_shape, 1)   # Connect to left side of right shape

# Customize the line
connector.line.color.rgb = RGBColor(255, 0, 0)
connector.line.width = Pt(2.5)

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Example: Manual Position Control

from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.enum.shapes import MSO_CONNECTOR
from pptx.util import Inches

prs = Presentation()
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[6])

# Add a connector
connector = slide.shapes.add_connector(
    MSO_CONNECTOR.STRAIGHT,
    Inches(1), Inches(1),
    Inches(5), Inches(3)
)

# Manually adjust endpoints
connector.begin_x = Inches(2)
connector.begin_y = Inches(2)
connector.end_x = Inches(6)
connector.end_y = Inches(4)

print(f"Begin: ({connector.begin_x}, {connector.begin_y})")
print(f"End: ({connector.end_x}, {connector.end_y})")

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Connection Point Reference

For rectangular shapes, connection points are typically numbered:
  • 0: Top center
  • 1: Left center
  • 2: Bottom center
  • 3: Right center
This numbering is a convention and may vary for non-rectangular or custom shapes.

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