How To Create Drag And Drop In Google Slides

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Google Slides has become an integral part of our daily lives, whether for business presentations, academic lessons or personal use. One of the creative functionalities you can use in Google Slides is the drag and drop feature. In this blog post, we will guide you on how to create a drag and drop interaction in Google Slides.

Step 1: Open Google Slides

Firstly, navigate to Google Slides and open the presentation where you want to add the drag and drop interaction. If you do not have an existing presentation, you can create a new one by clicking on the “+ New presentation” button.

Step 2: Insert Objects

Next, we need to add the objects that will be dragged and dropped. These could be images, shapes, or text boxes. To insert an object:

  • Click on the “Insert” menu
  • Choose the object type – Image, Shape, or Text box
  • Place the object on the slide

Remember, you can customize the appearance of your objects using the toolbar options.

Step 3: Making Objects Movable – The Hack!

Unfortunately, Google Slides does not directly support drag and drop functionality. But don’t worry! We have a clever workaround for you that involves using Google Slides’s animation feature.

By applying a motion path, we can simulate the effect of dragging and dropping. Here’s how:

  • Select the object you want to make movable.
  • Click on the “Insert” menu
  • Select “Animation”
  • In the Animation panel, choose “Add animation”
  • Set the effect to “Motion on path”
  • Draw your desired path for the object
  • Under “Start”, select “On click”
  • For “Speed”, you can select “Medium” or “Slow” to enhance the effect of dragging and dropping the object

In the source code, it should look something like this:

{
  "animations": [
    {
      "objectId": "shapeId",
      "slideObjectId": "slideId",
      "effectType": "MOTION_PATH",
      "motionPaths": [
        {
          "points": [
            {"normalizedX": 0, "normalizedY": 0},
            {"normalizedX": 1, "normalizedY": 1}
          ]
        }
      ],
      "trigger": "ON_CLICK",
      "speed": "MEDIUM"
    }
  ]
}

Recap

To create a drag and drop interaction in Google Slides, insert your objects and apply a motion path animation. This method is not the traditional drag and drop interaction but it creates a similar effect. Enjoy enhancing your Google Slides presentations with this creative workaround!

Note: Remember to save your changes frequently to avoid losing any of your work.

Conclusion

With this little trick, you can now create engaging, interactive presentations that are sure to make an impression. This can be particularly useful for educators who want to create interactive learning materials. Have fun exploring all the possibilities!