How to create a PDF file in ASP.NET MVC
PDF (Portable Document Format) is file format used to display the document with same formatting, independent of application software, hardware, and operating system. Syncfusion Essential PDF is a .NET PDF library used to create, read, and edit PDF documents. Using this library, you can create a PDF document in ASP.NET MVC.
Steps to create PDF programmatically:
- Create a new ASP.NET MVC application project.
- Install the Syncfusion.Pdf.AspNet.Mvc NuGet package as a reference to your .NET Framework applications from NuGet.org.
- A default controller with name HomeController.cs gets added on creation of ASP.NET MVC project. Include the following namespaces in that HomeController.cs file.
using Syncfusion.Pdf; using Syncfusion.Pdf.Graphics; using System.Drawing;
Imports Syncfusion.Pdf Imports Syncfusion.Pdf.Graphics Imports System.Drawing
- A default action method named Index will be present in HomeController.cs. Right-click on this action method and select Go To View, where you will be directed to its associated view page Index.cshtml.
- Add a new button in the Index.cshtml as follows.
@{Html.BeginForm("CreateDocument", "Home", FormMethod.Get);
{
<div>
<input type="submit" value="Create Document" style="width:150px;height:27px" />
</div>
}
Html.EndForm();
}
- Add a new action method named CreateDocument in HomeController.cs and include the following code snippet to create an PDF file and download it.
//Create an instance of PdfDocument.
using (PdfDocument document = new PdfDocument())
{
//Add a page to the document
PdfPage page = document.Pages.Add();
//Create PDF graphics for the page
PdfGraphics graphics = page.Graphics;
//Set the standard font
PdfFont font = new PdfStandardFont(PdfFontFamily.Helvetica, 20);
//Draw the text
graphics.DrawString("Hello World!!!", font, PdfBrushes.Black, new PointF(0, 0));
// Open the document in browser after saving it
document.Save("Output.pdf", HttpContext.ApplicationInstance.Response, HttpReadType.Save);
}
'Create an instance of PdfDocument.
Using document As PdfDocument = New PdfDocument()
'Add a page to the document
Dim page As PdfPage = document.Pages.Add()
'Create PDF graphics for the page
Dim graphics As PdfGraphics = page.Graphics
'Set the standard font
Dim font As PdfFont = New PdfStandardFont(PdfFontFamily.Helvetica, 20)
'Draw the text
graphics.DrawString("Hello World!!!", font, PdfBrushes.Black, New PointF(0, 0))
'Open the document in browser after saving it
document.Save("Output.pdf", HttpContext.ApplicationInstance.Response, HttpReadType.Save)
End Using
A complete working sample can be downloaded from Create-PDF-file.zip
By executing the program, you will get the PDF file as follows.
Take a moment to peruse the documentation, where you can find other options like drawing right-to-left text and multi-column text, consuming TrueType fonts, Standards fonts, CJK fonts, etc., and features like PDF form filling, extract text or images from PDF, protect PDF documents etc., with code examples.
Refer here to explore the rich set of Syncfusion Essential PDF features.
An online sample link to generate Hello world PDF document.
See Also:
Create a PDF file in ASP.NET Core
Create a PDF file in Windows Forms
Starting with v16.2.0.x, if you reference Syncfusion assemblies from trial setup or from the NuGet feed, include a license key in your projects. Refer to link to learn about generating and registering Syncfusion license key in your application to use the components without trail message.
