Editable TableOfContents boxes in each Powerpoint slide header

Question

I would like each slide in my Powerpoint 2013 presentation to have at the top an outline showing the location within the current chapter, something like:

I would like Powerpoint to create new slides based on this slide template, so I edited the Title+Content slide-type as above, in the Slides Master; I used the slide's default Title box for the title of my first section (Intro), then copied/pasted that box to obtain the boxes for the other presentation sections (Methods, Results).

I expected that, in the newly created slides, I'd be able to edit each of these boxes (highlight current section & current slide position), so as to suit the slide where I am at the moment, in terms of title and current slide.

However, I can only click inside the first box (the default one that Slide Master gave me) whereas the others are just "drawn" in the background. Also, even after clicking in that first box, the existing text disappears rather than being editable.

Also, is there a way to automate this slide layout somewhat? I used white/black dot circle symbols to indicate within-section current-slide number, but is there a smarter way to make this in Powerpoint based on slide count within the current section?

At the very least, I'd like to have editable text boxes at the top of each new slide, with pre-determined names that can nonetheless be edited, and (imporantly) that can be updated all at once from the Slide Master, in case I decide to change my chapter/section names.

Not a trivial task for Powerpoint, I know, but I'm hoping that the knowledgeable good people on here might give some good suggestions/workaround, for which I am grateful in advance.

Answer 1

You can trick PowerPoint into adding editable shapes to the slide master by inserting a text placeholder and changing to shape to your desired shape. A little clunky but it works.

See this link.

Alternatively, you could write some PowerPoint VBA to create the slides with the desired objects.

Update

I use PowerPoint 2013. I downloaded your PPT. I wasn't sure whether you were referring to the textbox with the text "replace text ... " or the main text box for the slide. I'll assume you're referring to the textbox with the text "replace text ... " (mind you ... the answer is still the same).

It looks like you're adding a text box to the slide master (which is not what I think you want). Add a text placeholder like the screen shot below which you add from the Slide Master ribbon. Once added you can change the default text formatting (which is a set of bullet points), and you can change the shape (in this example to a rounded rectangle). I don't believe (?) that its possible to create default text for the text placeholder in Slide Master that appears as default text when the default slide is created using the master.

Then when you leave master mode, you have an editable text box. If you reset the slide, this shape reverts to its default formatting and position, but any text you've added is retained.

You can also change the default text box on the slide master in the same way (shape, shape formatting and text formatting).