Caveats and Limitations When Exporting From Displayr to Google Slides – Displayr Help

This article describes the differences you might see when exporting from Displayr to Google Slides. Exported slides may not match Displayr one-to-one. The Google Slides and Google Sheets APIs don't support some Displayr chart options. A chart that uses one of those options shows the Google default instead.

Below, you'll find details on the limitations, along with workarounds for Google Slides and PowerPoint alternatives.

Navigate to the specific section of interest:

Visualizations
Tables
Text and fonts
Shapes
Images
- A very large image is made smaller
- An image that Displayr cannot load is left out
R Calculations
- R outputs that are not a visualization, a table or text export as images
Classification trees
- A tree exports as an image
Pages and layouts

Requirements

A Displayr document that was exported to Google Slides.

Visualizations

Most visualizations export as Google Charts that you can edit. The export also creates a Google Sheet that holds each chart's numeric data, and each chart on a slide links to its sheet. A visualization that Google cannot draw as a chart exports as an image.

You can choose to export a chart as an image. In Displayr, select the chart, then set Properties > Appearance > Google Slides Export > Format to Image. The image looks the same as the chart in Displayr, so none of the differences in this section apply. You cannot edit the image in Google Slides.

You can change some chart settings manually. In Google Slides, select the chart, then open its link menu and click Open source. Change the chart in the Google Sheets chart editor. Then, in Google Slides, click Update on the chart. Any new export from Displayr replaces these changes.

Pie and donut charts

Slice labels and values move into a legend

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The label and value of each slice appear next to the slice.
In Google Slides: Google draws no text on the slices. The export puts the labels and values in a legend to the right of the chart, even when Displayr shows no legend.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, set Customize > Pie chart > Slice label.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint shows the values next to the slices. For some pie charts, PowerPoint drops the labels.

A slice label with two lines loses its second line

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: A long slice label shows on two lines.
In Google Slides: A legend above or below the chart shows only the first line of each label. A legend on the right side drops second lines when it runs out of height.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. Make the labels shorter in Displayr.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint shows the full label.

Slices/bubbles after the sixth are lighter versions of the first six colors

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: Each slice has its own color. This also applies to each group of a bubble chart.
In Google Slides: The first six slices or groups keep their colors. Each slice or group after the sixth is a lighter version of one of the first six colors.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, set the color of each slice under Customize > Pie chart.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the color of each slice.

This bubble chart has 12 groups. In Google Slides, groups 7 to 12 are lighter versions of the colors of groups 1 to 6.

Axes and gridlines

Google adds gridlines

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The chart shows the gridlines that you set, or no gridlines.
In Google Slides: The chart always has light grey horizontal gridlines. Charts with dates or numbers along the bottom also have vertical gridlines.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, change the gridlines under Customize > Gridlines and ticks.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps Displayr's gridline settings.

Axis lines and tick (axis) labels follow Google's style

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: You set whether each axis has a line, and its color and width. You can hide the tick labels.
In Google Slides: The chart always has a dark line along the bottom of the plot, or at the zero axis line, and no line on the value axis. The tick (axis) labels always show and use Google’s default font style and color.
Workaround in Google Slides: None.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the Displayr axis line settings.

Axis numbers take the number format of the chart's values

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The value axis shows the unit once, for example a single % sign at the end of the axis. The axis numbers can have a different number of decimals from the data labels.
In Google Slides: Each axis number has the unit (e.g., 0%, 10%, 20%). The axis numbers take the number format of the chart's values, not the format of the data labels.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, change the number format under Customize > Vertical axis.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint also shows the unit on every axis number, but it keeps the number of decimals.

A logarithmic axis becomes a linear axis

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The value axis uses a logarithmic scale.
In Google Slides: The value axis uses a linear scale.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, select Log scale under Customize > Vertical axis.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the logarithmic axis.

The value axis starts at 0

Type: Not built yet. A later release may fix this.
In Displayr: If you set no minimum, Displayr picks a range that fits the data. For example, the axis of a Time Series with Tests chart can start at 75.
In Google Slides: If you set no minimum, Google picks the range. On a line chart with only positive values, the axis starts at 0, so the line looks flatter.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, set Min under Customize > Vertical axis.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint has the same difference.

This Time Series with Tests chart starts at about 75 in Displayr. In Google Slides, it starts at 0.

A minimum on the value axis moves down to a gridline

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The value axis starts at the Minimum value that you set, for example, 30%.
In Google Slides: The export gives Google the same minimum. Google then moves the start of the axis down to a gridline that it picks. For example, a minimum of 30% starts at 25%.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, under Customize > Gridlines and ticks, set Major step to a value that divides the minimum. For example, for a minimum of 30%, set the step to 0.05. The axis then starts at the minimum.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint starts the axis at the minimum.

Axis titles are black

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: An axis title has the color that you set.
In Google Slides: Each axis title is black. Its font, size, bold, and italic stay the same.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, change the color under Customize > Chart & axis titles.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the color.

The plot area has a different size and position

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The plot area, where the bars, lines, and points are drawn, has the size and position that Displayr picks. Items next to the chart, such as a table of top 2 box scores, can line up with the bars.
In Google Slides: Google picks the size and position of the plot area from the axis labels, the legend, and the title. The chart keeps its size on the slide, but the plot inside it can be smaller or move. Items next to the chart no longer line up with the bars. The Google Sheets API has no setting for the plot area.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. Move or resize the items next to the chart in Google Slides, or the chart itself.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint also picks the plot area for most charts, so the plot can move there too.

Long category labels are turned and cut

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: A long category label wraps onto two or more lines, for example "Diet Coke" above "Coke Zero".
In Google Slides: Google turns long labels 45 degrees and shows only the first line of each label. For example, "Diet Coke / Coke Zero" becomes "Diet". Update in Google Slides does not help, because Google draws the chart on the slide in the same way.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. Make the labels shorter in Displayr, or make the chart wider.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint shows long labels in full.

Legends and chart text

Legend and tick labels have a fixed font size

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: You set the font size and color of the legend and of the tick labels.
In Google Slides: The legend and the tick labels are about 9 pt., which is the Displayr default. Their color is dark grey, or white on a dark chart background.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, change the font size and color under Customize > Legend and under each axis in Customize.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the font size and color.

A legend inside the plot moves outside, with no border

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The legend can be in a box inside the plot area.
In Google Slides: The legend is outside the plot area, with no border.
Workaround in Google Slides: None.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the legend inside the plot, with its border.

Bars, columns and areas

Google sets the space between bars

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: You set the gap between bars or columns.
In Google Slides: Google sets the gap, so the bars can be thinner or thicker than in Displayr.
Workaround in Google Slides: None.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the gap.

Bar outlines and fill patterns are lost

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: Bars can have an outline, and bars or slices can have a hatch pattern.
In Google Slides: The bars have no outline, and each bar or slice has a solid color.
Workaround in Google Slides: None.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the outlines and the patterns.

Area charts are paler

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: A stacked area chart is solid, and other area charts are partly see-through.
In Google Slides: Every area is more see-through than in Displayr, so the chart is paler.
Workaround in Google Slides: Open the chart in Google Sheets. In the chart editor, under Customize > Series, set the opacity of each series to 100% for a stacked area chart, or to 40% for other area charts. Then click Update on the chart in Google Slides.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the Displayr opacity.

Data labels

Significance colors on data labels are lost

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: A data label with a significant result is red or blue, with an arrow. A larger arrow shows a stronger result.
In Google Slides: The labels keep their arrows, but all labels of a series have one color. All arrows have the same size.
Workaround in Google Slides: None.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the red and blue labels. PowerPoint also draws all arrows at the same size.

A data label at the top of the chart is hidden

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The label of the highest point on a line or area chart shows above the point.
In Google Slides: If the label does not fit below the top of the plot, Google does not show it.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, set a larger maximum under Customize > Vertical axis.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint shows the label.

Chart backgrounds

A see-through chart gets a solid background

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: A chart with a transparent background shows the page and the items below it.
In Google Slides: A Google Chart cannot be transparent. The chart takes the one color below it, for example the color of a rectangle. If the part below the chart has more than one color, for example a gradient, a busy part of an image, or the edge of a shape, the chart background is white. Lines below the chart, such as a border or a connector, are hidden.
Workaround in Google Slides: None.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the transparent background.

On a rectangle, the chart takes the color of the rectangle. Across the edge of a rectangle, the chart is white. Over a line, the chart hides the line.

Scatter and bubble charts

Bubbles always have an outline

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The bubbles have no outline.
In Google Slides: Each bubble has an outline in the color of the chart background. The outline shows where bubbles overlap or cross a gridline.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, set the bubble border color to None under Customize > Bubble.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint draws no outline.

In Displayr, overlapping bubbles blend into each other. In Google Slides, each bubble has a white ring where it crosses another bubble or a gridline.

Bubbles at the edge of the chart are cut

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The axes leave room for the whole of each bubble.
In Google Slides: The axes fit the centers of the bubbles, so the bubbles at the edges are cut.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, set a smaller minimum and a larger maximum for each axis under Customize.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint shows the whole bubbles.

The bubble at the top right is cut in Google Slides. The picture also shows that the Google Chart has no axis titles.

A bubble chart loses some colors and its axis titles

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: A bubble chart can color its bubbles by a numeric scale, give each group a different label color, and have axis titles.
In Google Slides: Bubbles colored by a numeric scale are all one color. All data labels have one color. The chart has no axis titles.
Workaround in Google Slides: In the chart editor, add the axis titles under Customize > Chart & axis titles.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the colors and the axis titles.

With a numeric color scale, Google Slides draws every bubble in one color. The color scale at the right of the Displayr chart is also lost. The Google Chart also has no "Price" and "Rating" axis titles.

In Displayr, the labels of each group have the color of the group. In Google Slides, all labels are dark grey.

Tables

Tables export as tables that you can edit in Google Slides. A calculation grid also exports as a table that you can edit. A large calculation grid is cut in the same way as a large table. The export builds each table from the same table that the PowerPoint export makes. Fonts, colors, shading, borders, column comparison letters, and the text under the table look the same as in Displayr.

Significance arrows are thin text arrows

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: A significant result has a solid arrow next to the value. A larger arrow shows a stronger result.
In Google Slides: Each arrow is a thin text arrow. All arrows have the same size. The value keeps its color.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. A Google Slides table cell can hold only text.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint has the same difference.

Large tables are cut to their first rows and columns

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The table shows all of its rows and columns.
In Google Slides: If the table has more than 400 cells, the export keeps only the first 20 rows and the first 20 columns. Each statistic in a cell counts as one row. The header rows and the row label columns count toward both limits. For example, a table with five statistics keeps only the first three row categories. The export keeps whole row categories and the header rows.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. To export the full table, make it smaller in Displayr first. For example, show fewer statistics, or split it into two tables.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the full table. If the table has more than 75 rows or columns, the PowerPoint export does not export it.

The export report shows the warning when the export finishes:

A table that scrolls in its box runs past the box

Type: Export choice. The export shows all the rows on purpose, so that the slide has all the data of the table.
In Displayr: The table has scroll bars. Only the rows that fit in the box show.
In Google Slides: The table shows all of its rows and is taller than the box. The title and sample size text go below the last row. If the table is near the bottom of the slide, the text can go below the slide.
Workaround in Google Slides: Remove rows in Slides.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint exports only the rows that show in the box.

Text and fonts

Text in a font that Google Slides does not have shows in Arial

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: Text can use any font that Displayr has, including a custom font that the company added.
In Google Slides: Google Slides has only the Google Fonts. Text in any other font shows in Arial. When the export finishes, the export report lists each font that shows in Arial. A font that is installed only on your computer, and not added to Displayr, is different: it shows in Open Sans, and the export report does not list it. Open Sans can be wider than the original font, so the text can wrap onto more lines and run past the bottom of its box.
Workaround in Google Slides: Select the text. Then choose a font that looks similar from the font list in the toolbar. To get more fonts, click More fonts in that list. To prevent this, use a Google Font in Displayr before the export.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the font name. The export report lists each custom font. If the computer that opens the file does not have the font, PowerPoint shows another font.

Bulleted text is always aligned left

Type: Not built yet. A later release may fix this.
In Displayr: Bulleted lines follow the alignment of the text, for example, center or right.
In Google Slides: Bulleted lines are always aligned left. Lines with no bullet keep their alignment.
Workaround in Google Slides: Select the bulleted lines. Then click the alignment button in the toolbar.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint has the same difference.

Nested bullets and numbers change style at each level

Type: Google Slides style. The export keeps this style on purpose, because it makes the levels easier to tell apart.
In Displayr: Every bullet level shows a round dot. Every numbered level uses digits, such as "1.".
In Google Slides: The bullets change at each level: ●, then ○, then ■, then the same again. The numbers change at each level: 1., then a., then i., then the same again.
Workaround in Google Slides: Select the lines. Then choose a list style under Format > Bullets & numbering.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the Displayr bullets: a round dot, or digits, at every level.

Shapes

Shapes, lines and connectors export as shapes that you can edit in Google Slides. Most shapes look the same as in Displayr. The differences are in line ends, dash patterns, and curves.

Arrowheads, dots, and diamonds at line ends are larger

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: Each end of a line has the size that the line settings give.
In Google Slides: Each arrowhead, dot, and diamond is larger than in Displayr.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. Google Slides has no setting for the size of a line end.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the Displayr size.

Open arrowheads become stealth arrowheads

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The Arrow line end is an open "V" arrowhead.
In Google Slides: The Arrow line end is a stealth arrowhead, the same as the Stealth line end. Google Slides has no open "V" arrowhead. This applies to the start and the end of a line.
Workaround in Google Slides: Select the line. Then choose a different arrowhead from Line start or Line end in the toolbar. The nearest arrowhead is the open arrow, which is a hollow triangle.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the open "V" arrowhead.

The line ends, magnified. In Displayr, the Arrow line has an open arrowhead. In Google Slides, it has the same stealth arrowhead as the Stealth line.

Google Slides ignores the arrow length and arrow width settings

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The Begin arrow length, End arrow length, Begin arrow width, and End arrow width settings make an arrowhead shorter, longer, narrower, or wider.
In Google Slides: All arrowheads have the same size. The four settings have no effect.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. Google Slides has no setting for the size of an arrowhead.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the four settings.

Dashed and dotted lines use different patterns

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: A dashed line has short dashes. A dotted line has small dots that are close together.
In Google Slides: The dashes are longer and have larger gaps. The dots also have larger gaps. This applies to lines and to the outlines of shapes.
Workaround in Google Slides: Select the line. Then choose a different pattern from Line dash in the toolbar. No pattern is the same as in Displayr.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint uses short dashes and close dots, which look like Displayr.

Curved connectors have a different curve

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: A curved connector has a sharp turn at its middle.
In Google Slides: A curved connector is a smooth S-shaped curve. On a curved connector that is taller than it is wide, the line has a small hook just before the arrowhead.
Workaround in Google Slides: Select the connector. Then drag its yellow handle to change the curve.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint also draws a smooth curve, as Google Slides does.

The curved connectors are in the middle column of the picture. The bent connectors in the left and right columns look the same as in Displayr.

Images

An image that you add to Displayr exports as the same image file. Displayr stores each image as a PNG, JPEG, or GIF file, and Google Slides accepts these formats.

A very large image is made smaller

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The image keeps its full size, for example, a photo of more than 25 megapixels.
In Google Slides: Google Slides does not accept an image of more than 25 megapixels or more than 50 MB. The export makes a new image at the size that the image has on the page. If you make the image larger in Google Slides, it can look less sharp.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. To keep the full quality, make the image file smaller before it goes into Displayr.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint keeps the original image file.

An image that Displayr cannot load is left out

Type: Not built yet. A later release may fix this.
In Displayr: The image item is on the page, but Displayr cannot load its file. For example, the link to the image no longer works.
In Google Slides: The export leaves the image out. The rest of the deck still exports.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. Fix the link to the image in Displayr, then export again.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint shows an empty image box in the place of the image.

R Calculations

The Appearance > Google Slides Export > Format setting of an R Calculation controls how it exports. The options are Default (Image), Image, Native, and Table. An R Calculation that is a visualization is in the Visualizations section.

R outputs that are not a visualization, a table, or text export as images

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: An R Calculation can show output that is not a visualization, a table, or plain text. For example, a table with HTML formatting that responds to the mouse.
In Google Slides: The output is an image of the R Calculation at the time of the export. You cannot edit it, and it does not respond to the mouse.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. To change the output, change it in Displayr and export again.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint has the same difference.

Classification trees

This section is about the trees that Mixed-Mode Tree and Latent Class Analysis make. A tree from R code, such as a classification and regression tree, is an R Calculation.

A tree exports as an image

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: The tree is a Displayr output.
In Google Slides: The tree is an image of the tree at the time of the export. It looks the same, but you cannot edit its text or its structure.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. To change the tree, change it in Displayr and export again.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint has the same difference.

Pages and layouts

Each page exports as one slide. The slides have the same size as the Displayr pages, and they are in the same order. Pages that are hidden from export are left out. An output that is not on a page gets a slide of its own.

Each page master that the exported pages use becomes a Google Slides layout. The items on the master are on the layout, not on the slide. To change them, click Slide > Edit theme in Google Slides, then select the layout. A change to a layout applies to every slide that uses it. The PowerPoint export also puts master items on the layout.

The title and text slots of a page master become title and text placeholders on the layout, as in the PowerPoint export. The title and text of each page go into these placeholders.

Some slot text stays a text box at the same position as in Displayr. This applies to text with a fill, border or shadow, turned text, raw HTML text, and text with a page number or another inserted value.

To use a Google Slides theme, click Slide > Change theme. The new theme changes the slides as follows:

On slides that use the page master that most exported pages use, the title a nd text take the theme's fonts and colors. On slides with another page master, the title and text keep each style in which their page master differs from that one.
Formatting that you set on the text of one page stays.
Slides on a built-in page master move to the theme's matching layout and take the theme's background. The items of the Displayr page master are no longer on these slides.
Slides on a custom page master stay on the Displayr layout, so they keep the items of the Displayr page master, such as a logo or footer text. The theme's background color shows behind those items. Google Slides gives each layout type to one layout only. If the export uses more built-in page masters than the theme has matching layouts, the masters that fewer pages use also keep the Displayr layout.

Charts, tables, and pictures in a content slot are not in a placeholder

Type: Google limit for charts and tables. Export choice for pictures.
In Displayr: A chart, table or picture can sit in a content slot of the page master.
In Google Slides: The chart, table, or picture is on the slide at the same position as in Displayr, but not in a placeholder. If you change the slide's layout or theme, the item stays where it is.
- Google Slides cannot put a chart or a table into a placeholder.
- Google Slides can put a picture into a picture placeholder. But no Google Slides theme has a layout with a picture placeholder. Slide > Change theme moves a slide to the new theme's layout only when the two layouts have the same placeholders. A slide with a picture placeholder would keep the Displayr layout and background, so the export leaves pictures out of placeholders.
- In Slide > Edit theme, a layout can show an empty text placeholder at a content slot. The export adds this placeholder so that Change theme can move the layout's slides. No slide shows the empty placeholder.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. Move or resize each chart, table, or picture on its own slide.
PowerPoint export: A content slot becomes a content placeholder on the layout. The chart, table, or picture goes into the placeholder on each slide.

Page numbers count the slides in the deck

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: A page number on a page master shows the position of the page in the whole document.
In Google Slides: The page number is a Google Slides slide number. It shows the position of the slide in the deck, and it changes when you move, add, or delete slides. If you export only some pages, the numbers start at 1. A slide for an output that is not on a page also counts as a slide, so the numbers after it are one higher than in Displayr. That slide shows no page number.
Workaround in Google Slides: None. To keep the Displayr numbers, export the whole document.
PowerPoint export: PowerPoint also counts the slides in the deck. In PowerPoint, the slide for an output that is not on a page also shows a page number.

Some links to pages stop working

Type: Google limit. Displayr cannot fix this.
In Displayr: A link in text can go to a page, to the next or previous page, or back and forward through the pages that you opened.
In Google Slides: A link to a page goes to the slide of that page. A link to the next or previous page goes to the next or previous slide. If the page is not in the export, the export removes the link and keeps the text. The export also removes back and forward links, because Google Slides has no link of this type.
Workaround in Google Slides: None.
PowerPoint export: Google Slides does better. In the PowerPoint export, links to pages do not work.

How to Export a Document to Google Slides

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