How to create a simple table in PDF using IEnumerable in Xamarin?

Syncfusion Essential PDF is a Xamarin PDF library used to create, read, and edit PDF documents. Using this library, you can create a simple table in a PDF file by providing IEnumerable custom object as a DataSource in PdfLightTable instance in Xamarin platform.

Steps to create a simple table in PDF file by using IEnumerable custom object programmatically:

1. Create a new C# Xamarin.Forms application project.
2. Select a project template and required platforms to deploy the application. In this application, to share the portable assemblies across multiple platforms, the .NET Standard code sharing strategy has been selected. For more details about code sharing, refer here.
   Note:

   If .NET Standard is not available in the code sharing strategy, the Portable Class Library (PCL) can be selected.

3. Install the Syncfusion.Xamarin.PDF NuGet package as a reference to your Portable/NetStandard project from NuGet.org.
4. Add new Forms XAML page in portable project if there is no XAML page is defined in the App class. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.

1. To add the new XAML page, right-click the project and select Add ->New Item and add a Forms XAML page from the list and name it as MainXamlPage.
2. In App class of portable project (App.cs), replace the existing constructor of App class with the following code snippet, which invokes the MainXamlPage.

   public App()
   {
       //The root page of your application
       MainPage = new MainXamlPage();
   }
   

5. In the MainXamlPage.xaml, add new button as follows.

   <ContentPage xmlns="http://xamarin.com/schemas/2014/forms"
                xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
                x:Class="GettingStarted. MainXamlPage">
   <StackLayout VerticalOptions="Center">
    
   <Button Text="Generate PDF Document" Clicked="OnButtonClicked"  HorizontalOptions="Center" VerticalOptions="Center"/>
    
   </StackLayout>
   </ContentPage>
   

6. Include the following namespace in the MainXamlPage.xaml.cs file.

   using Syncfusion.Pdf;
   using Syncfusion.Pdf.Graphics;
   using Syncfusion.Pdf.Tables;
   using Syncfusion.Drawing;
   

7. Include the following code snippet in the click event of the button in MainXamlPage.xaml.cs to create the simple table in PDF file and save it in a stream.

   //Create a new PDF document
   PdfDocument document = new PdfDocument();
    
   //Add a new PDF page
   PdfPage page = document.Pages.Add();
    
   //Create a new PDF light table
   PdfLightTable table = new PdfLightTable();
    
   //Create IEnumerable custom object
   List<Customer> customerDetails = new List<Customer>();
    
   for (int i = 0; i < 6; i++)
   {
        Customer customer = new Customer();
        customer.ID = i;
        customer.Name = "ABC";
        customer.Age = 26;
        customerDetails.Add(customer);
   }
    
   //Enable the table header
   table.Style.ShowHeader = true;
    
   //Set the custom object as table data source
   table.DataSource = customerDetails;
    
   table.Style.CellPadding = 2;
    
   //Create a new PdfCellStyle instance
   PdfCellStyle headerStyle = new PdfCellStyle();
    
   //Assign font
   headerStyle.Font = new PdfStandardFont(PdfFontFamily.Helvetica, 10, PdfFontStyle.Bold);
    
   //Set alignment
   headerStyle.StringFormat = new PdfStringFormat(PdfTextAlignment.Center);
    
   //Set header style.
   table.Style.HeaderStyle = headerStyle;
    
   //Create new PdfCellStyle instance
   PdfCellStyle cellStyle = new PdfCellStyle();
    
   //Set font 
   cellStyle.Font = new PdfStandardFont(PdfFontFamily.Helvetica, 10, PdfFontStyle.Regular);
    
   //Set alignment
   cellStyle.StringFormat = new PdfStringFormat(PdfTextAlignment.Center);
    
   //Set default cell style
   table.Style.DefaultStyle = cellStyle;
    
   //Draw the grid to PDF
   table.Draw(page, PointF.Empty);
    
   MemoryStream stream = new MemoryStream();
    
   //Save the PDF document
   document.Save(stream);
    
   //Close the PDF document
   document.Close(true);
    
   stream.Position = 0;          
    
   //Save the stream as a file in the device and invoke it for viewing         Xamarin.Forms.DependencyService.Get<ISave>().SaveAndView("Output.pdf", "application/pdf", stream);
   

/// <summary>
/// Represents the custom object.
/// </summary>
public class Customer
{
    public int ID { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
}

8. Download the helper files from this link and add them into the mentioned project. These helper files allow you to save the stream as a physical file and open the file for viewing.

• Create a new XML file with the name of provider_path.xml under the Android project Resources folder and add the following code in it. Eg: Resources/xml/provider_path.xml

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
  <paths xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <external-path name="external_files" path="."/>
  </paths>
  

• Add the following code to the AndroidManifest.xml file. Located under Properties/AndroidManifest.xml.

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
  <manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" android:versionCode="1" android:versionName="1.0" package="com.companyname.InsertImage">
   <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="19" android:targetSdkVersion="27" />
   <application android:label="InsertImage.Android">
      <provider android:name="android.support.v4.content.FileProvider"
            android:authorities="${applicationId}.provider"
            android:exported="false"
            android:grantUriPermissions="true">
        <meta-data android:name="android.support.FILE_PROVIDER_PATHS"
                   android:resource="@xml/provider_paths" />
      </provider>
    </application>
  </manifest>
  

9. Compile and execute the application.

By executing the program, you will get the PDF document as follows.

Download the complete work sample from PDFTable.zip.

Take a moment to peruse the documentation, where you can find other options like drawing cell or row customization, built-in table styles, and table pagination in a PDF document.

Refer here to explore the rich set of Syncfusion Essential PDF features.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed learning about how to create a simple table in PDF using IEnumerable in Xamarin.

You can refer to our Xamarin PDF’s feature tour page to know about its other groundbreaking feature representations. You can also explore our  Xamarin PDF documentation to understand how to present and manipulate data.

For current customers, you can check out our WinForms components from the License and Downloads page. If you are new to Syncfusion, you can try our 30-day free trial to check out our Xamarin PDF and other Xamarin components.

If you have any queries or require clarifications, please let us know in comments below. You can also contact us through our support forums, Direct-Trac, or feedback portal. We are always happy to assist you!