a:pPr (Paragraph Properties)

Specifies formatting properties for paragraphs, including alignment, indentation, spacing, tabs, and bullet properties.

Parent elements

Child elements

Description

a:pPr (Paragraph Properties) is the paragraph-level formatting container in DrawingML. It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §20.1.2.2.2 and controls all visual presentation of a complete paragraph within a text body.

Purpose and Scope

Paragraph properties specify formatting that applies to every line and run within the paragraph:

Alignment — Left, center, right, justify, or distributed across shape width
Indentation — Left margin, first-line indent (positive) or hanging indent (negative)
Spacing — Line height, space before paragraph, space after paragraph
Bullets and Numbering — Character, font, color, format, level
Tab Stops — Custom tab positions for alignment within paragraph
Text Direction — Left-to-right (LTR) or right-to-left (RTL) for Arabic, Hebrew, etc.
Hierarchy Level — Outline level (0–8) for multi-level lists and nesting

Hierarchy and Precedence

Paragraph properties cascade as follows:

Explicit paragraph properties (a:pPr in a:p) — Most specific
Master slide default properties — Theme or template
Application defaults — Fallback

Run-level properties (a:rPr in a:r) override paragraph properties for specific formatting aspects (e.g., font size, color, bold).

Content Model

a:pPr (attributes + optional children)
├─ a:lnSpc (line spacing)
├─ a:spcBef (spacing before)
├─ a:spcAft (spacing after)
├─ a:buFont (bullet font)
├─ a:buChar (bullet character)
├─ a:buAutoNum (auto-numbered bullet)
├─ a:buClr (bullet color)
├─ a:buSzPct (bullet size)
├─ a:buBlipFill (bullet image)
├─ a:tabLst (tab stops)
├─ a:defRPr (default run properties for paragraph)
└─ ... (other formatting elements)

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Range	Default	Description
`lvl`	Integer	0–8	0	Hierarchy/outline level. Controls indentation and bullet style in multi-level lists.
`algn`	Enum	`l`, `ctr`, `r`, `just`, `dist`	Inherited	Text alignment: left, center, right, justified, distributed.
`marL`	Integer (EMU)	0–9144000	0	Left margin in EMUs (1 inch = 914400 EMU).
`indent`	Integer (EMU)	-9144000–9144000	0	First-line indent (positive = indent, negative = hanging indent).
`defTabSz`	Integer (EMU)	0–51865200	457200	Default tab stop size in EMUs.
`rtl`	Boolean	0, 1, true, false	false	Right-to-left text direction (for Arabic, Hebrew).
`eaLnBrk`	Boolean	0, 1, true, false	true	East Asian line breaking behavior.
`latinLnBrk`	Boolean	0, 1, true, false	false	Latin text line breaking.
`hangingPunct`	Boolean	0, 1, true, false	false	Hanging punctuation (CJK); punctuation protrudes into margin.

Child Elements for Bullets and Spacing

Element	Occurrence	Purpose
`a:lnSpc`	0–1	Line spacing (single, 1.5x, double, or custom).
`a:spcBef`	0–1	Space before paragraph (in points, percentage, or EMU).
`a:spcAft`	0–1	Space after paragraph (in points, percentage, or EMU).
`a:buChar`	0–1	Bullet character (•, ◦, ■, ○, etc.).
`a:buAutoNum`	0–1	Auto-numbered bullets (1, 2, 3 or a, b, c or i, ii, iii).
`a:buFont`	0–1	Font family for bullet character.
`a:buClr`	0–1	Color for bullet (solid fill, theme color, gradient).
`a:buSzPct`	0–1	Bullet size as percentage of text size.
`a:tabLst`	0–1	Tab stop positions for alignment.
`a:defRPr`	0–1	Default run properties for paragraph (font, size, color baseline).

Examples

Basic Left-Aligned Paragraph

<a:p>
  <a:pPr lvl="0" algn="l"/>
  <a:r>
    <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
      <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    </a:rPr>
    <a:t>Left-aligned body text with default spacing.</a:t>
  </a:r>
</a:p>

var para = new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties 
  { 
    Level = 0, 
    Alignment = TextAlignmentTypeValues.Left 
  },
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Left-aligned body text with default spacing.")));

Centered Paragraph with Custom Spacing

<a:p>
  <a:pPr lvl="0" algn="ctr">
    <a:spcBef>
      <a:spcPts val="1200"/>
    </a:spcBef>
    <a:spcAft>
      <a:spcPts val="1200"/>
    </a:spcAft>
  </a:pPr>
  <a:r>
    <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="4400" b="1">
      <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    </a:rPr>
    <a:t>Centered Heading</a:t>
  </a:r>
</a:p>

var pPr = new ParagraphProperties 
{ 
  Level = 0, 
  Alignment = TextAlignmentTypeValues.Center 
};

pPr.Append(new SpaceBefore(new SpacePoints { Val = 1200 }));   // 12pt before
pPr.Append(new SpaceAfter(new SpacePoints { Val = 1200 }));    // 12pt after

var para = new Paragraph(pPr,
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 4400, Bold = true }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Centered Heading")));

Bulleted Paragraph (Simple Bullet)

<a:p>
  <a:pPr lvl="0">
    <a:buChar char="•"/>
    <a:buFont typeface="Arial"/>
  </a:pPr>
  <a:r>
    <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
      <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    </a:rPr>
    <a:t>First bullet point in the list.</a:t>
  </a:r>
</a:p>

var pPr = new ParagraphProperties { Level = 0 };
pPr.Append(new BulletCharacter { Char = "•" });
pPr.Append(new BulletFont { Typeface = "Arial" });

var para = new Paragraph(pPr,
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("First bullet point in the list.")));

Multi-Level Hierarchy with Nested Bullets

<a:txBody>
  <a:bodyPr/>
  <a:lstStyle/>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr lvl="0">
      <a:buChar char="•"/>
      <a:buFont typeface="Arial"/>
    </a:pPr>
    <a:r><a:t>Level 0: Main bullet</a:t></a:r>
  </a:p>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr lvl="1">
      <a:buChar char="◦"/>
      <a:buFont typeface="Arial"/>
    </a:pPr>
    <a:r><a:t>Level 1: Sub-bullet</a:t></a:r>
  </a:p>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr lvl="2">
      <a:buChar char="■"/>
      <a:buFont typeface="Arial"/>
    </a:pPr>
    <a:r><a:t>Level 2: Sub-sub-bullet</a:t></a:r>
  </a:p>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr lvl="0">
      <a:buChar char="•"/>
      <a:buFont typeface="Arial"/>
    </a:pPr>
    <a:r><a:t>Back to level 0</a:t></a:r>
  </a:p>
</a:txBody>

var textBody = new TextBody();
textBody.Append(new BodyProperties());
textBody.Append(new ListStyle());

// Level 0
textBody.Append(new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties(
    new BulletCharacter { Char = "•" },
    new BulletFont { Typeface = "Arial" }
  ) { Level = 0 },
  new Run(new Text("Level 0: Main bullet"))));

// Level 1
textBody.Append(new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties(
    new BulletCharacter { Char = "◦" },
    new BulletFont { Typeface = "Arial" }
  ) { Level = 1 },
  new Run(new Text("Level 1: Sub-bullet"))));

// Level 2
textBody.Append(new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties(
    new BulletCharacter { Char = "■" },
    new BulletFont { Typeface = "Arial" }
  ) { Level = 2 },
  new Run(new Text("Level 2: Sub-sub-bullet"))));

// Back to Level 0
textBody.Append(new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties(
    new BulletCharacter { Char = "•" },
    new BulletFont { Typeface = "Arial" }
  ) { Level = 0 },
  new Run(new Text("Back to level 0"))));

Hanging Indent (List-Style Indentation)

<a:p>
  <a:pPr lvl="0" marL="914400" indent="-457200">
    <a:buChar char="•"/>
  </a:pPr>
  <a:r>
    <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
      <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    </a:rPr>
    <a:t>Bullet with hanging indent: main paragraph text continues on second and subsequent lines, indented from the bullet.</a:t>
  </a:r>
</a:p>

var pPr = new ParagraphProperties 
{ 
  Level = 0, 
  MarginLeft = 914400,        // 1 inch from left
  FirstLineIndent = -457200   // -0.5 inch (bullet protrudes)
};
pPr.Append(new BulletCharacter { Char = "•" });

var para = new Paragraph(pPr,
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Bullet with hanging indent: main paragraph text continues on second and subsequent lines, indented from the bullet.")));

Paragraph with Line Spacing (1.5 Line Height)

<a:p>
  <a:pPr lvl="0">
    <a:lnSpc>
      <a:spcPct val="150000"/>
    </a:lnSpc>
  </a:pPr>
  <a:r>
    <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
      <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    </a:rPr>
    <a:t>Text with 1.5 line spacing for improved readability. Multiple lines of text will be rendered with increased vertical space between each line.</a:t>
  </a:r>
</a:p>

var pPr = new ParagraphProperties { Level = 0 };

var lnSpc = new LineSpacing();
var spcPct = new SpacingPercent { Val = 150000 };  // 150% = 1.5x
lnSpc.Append(spcPct);
pPr.Append(lnSpc);

var para = new Paragraph(pPr,
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Text with 1.5 line spacing for improved readability. Multiple lines of text will be rendered with increased vertical space between each line.")));

Right-Aligned with Negative Margin (Odd Layout)

<a:p>
  <a:pPr lvl="0" algn="r" marL="1371600"/>
  <a:r>
    <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
      <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    </a:rPr>
    <a:t>Right-aligned text with left margin offset.</a:t>
  </a:r>
</a:p>

var para = new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties 
  { 
    Level = 0, 
    Alignment = TextAlignmentTypeValues.Right,
    MarginLeft = 1371600  // 1.5 inches from left
  },
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Right-aligned text with left margin offset.")));

Alignment Reference

Value	Name	Effect	Use Case
`l`	Left	Flush to left edge	Default, body text, left-to-right documents
`ctr`	Center	Centered horizontally	Titles, centered headings, emphasis
`r`	Right	Flush to right edge	Right-aligned layouts, right-to-left document support
`just`	Justified	Stretched to fill width	Formal documents, newspaper-style columns
`dist`	Distributed	Stretched with uniform character spacing	Compact layouts, East Asian typography

Hierarchy Levels and Indentation

Level	Name	Purpose	Typical Bullet
0	Main	Primary/top-level bullets	• (solid circle)
1	First	First sub-level indent	◦ (hollow circle)
2	Second	Second sub-level indent	■ (solid square)
3–8	Deeper	Additional nesting	Varies by theme/template

EMU to Inches/Points:

1 inch = 914400 EMU
1 point = 12700 EMU
Typical level-to-level indent: 457200–914400 EMU (0.5–1.0 inch)

Spacing Units Reference

Unit	Type	Example	Meaning
EMU	Direct	`marL="914400"`	1 inch; used for margins/indents
Points	Via spcPts	`<a:spcPts val="1200"/>`	1200/100 = 12pt
Percentage	Via spcPct	`<a:spcPct val="120000"/>`	120% of line height
Percent of Font	Via spcPct	`<a:spcPct val="100000"/>`	100% = 1x font size

Common Bullet Character Reference

Character	Code	Use Case
•	`•` (U+2022)	Standard bullet (most common)
◦	`◦` (U+25E6)	Hollow circle (secondary level)
■	`■` (U+25A0)	Solid square (tertiary level)
○	`○` (U+25CB)	Circle outline (alternative)
–	`–` (U+2013)	En dash (numbered/dash lists)
‣	`‣` (U+2023)	Triangular bullet
→	`→` (U+2192)	Arrow (navigation/flow)

Common Formatting Patterns

Professional Heading (Centered, Larger Font, Extra Spacing)

<a:pPr lvl="0" algn="ctr">
  <a:spcBef><a:spcPts val="1800"/></a:spcBef>
  <a:spcAft><a:spcPts val="600"/></a:spcAft>
</a:pPr>

Bullet List with First-Line Hanging Indent

<a:pPr lvl="0" marL="914400" indent="-457200">
  <a:buChar char="•"/>
  <a:buFont typeface="Arial"/>
</a:pPr>

Justified Body Text with 1.5 Line Spacing

<a:pPr lvl="0" algn="just">
  <a:lnSpc><a:spcPct val="150000"/></a:lnSpc>
</a:pPr>

Multi-Level Outline (0, 1, 2 Hierarchy)

<!-- Level 0 -->
<a:pPr lvl="0"><a:buChar char="•"/></a:pPr>
<!-- Level 1 -->
<a:pPr lvl="1"><a:buChar char="◦"/></a:pPr>

```

Notes

Element Relationships

Parent: Direct child of a:p (paragraph). Must be the first child if present (0–1 occurrence).
Children (optional formatting elements):
- Spacing: a:lnSpc (line spacing), a:spcBef (space before), a:spcAft (space after)
- Bullets/Numbering: a:buChar (bullet character), a:buAutoNum (auto-numbered), a:buFont (bullet font), a:buClr (bullet color)
- Layout: a:tabLst (tab stops), a:defRPr (default run properties for paragraph)

General Notes

Container for Formatting: Paragraph properties is the central element for controlling paragraph-wide layout and formatting in DrawingML.
Optional Element: a:pPr is optional (0–1). If omitted, defaults to left-aligned, no bullets, with font/size inherited from the text body or theme.
EMU Conversion: 914400 EMU = 1 inch = 72 points. Common conversions: 457200 EMU = 0.5”, 228600 EMU = 0.25”.
Hierarchy Levels: Levels 0–8 control indentation and bullet style; level 0 is top level, level 1 is first indent, etc. No explicit nesting is required; all paragraphs are siblings.
Alignment Scope: Applies to entire paragraph; individual runs cannot have different alignment.
Bullet Inheritance: If a:buChar is not specified, the paragraph inherits bullet style from master/theme or is rendered without bullet.
Tab Stops: Define custom tab positions with a:tabLst for alignment at specific distances within the paragraph.
Right-to-Left: Set rtl="1" for Arabic, Hebrew, or other RTL languages to control text direction and alignment.
Line Spacing Options: Single, proportional (%), fixed points, or automatic (default). Most common: 100% (single), 120% (1.2x), 150% (1.5x), 200% (double).
Compatibility: DrawingML paragraph properties mirror WordML w:pPr and PresentationML p:pPr structures, enabling consistent layout across Office formats.