Create a PDF from web page using MVC .NET 4.8

Aspose.PDF Product Family
1

I am using .NET framework 4.8 and would like to create a PDF from and application using MVC. Please provide guidance on using views and viewmodels to create the PDF.

2

@pbrowder

Cause

To create a PDF from a web page in an ASP.NET MVC application using .NET Framework 4.8, you need to render a view to a PDF format. This involves converting HTML content generated by your MVC views into a PDF document.

Solution

You can achieve this by using the Aspose.PDF library, which allows for easy conversion of HTML to PDF. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to implement this:

  1. Install Aspose.PDF: Ensure you have the Aspose.PDF library installed in your project via NuGet Package Manager.

  2. Create a ViewModel: Define a ViewModel that contains the data you want to display in your PDF.

  3. Create a View: Create a Razor view that will be rendered as HTML.

  4. Convert HTML to PDF: Use Aspose.PDF to convert the rendered HTML to a PDF document.

Code

Here’s a sample implementation:

  1. ViewModel:

    public class PdfViewModel
{
    public string Title { get; set; }
    public string Content { get; set; }
}

  2. Controller Action:

    public ActionResult GeneratePdf()
{
    var model = new PdfViewModel
    {
        Title = "Sample PDF",
        Content = "This is a sample content for the PDF."
    };

    // Render the view to a string
    string htmlContent = RenderRazorViewToString("PdfView", model);

    // Convert HTML to PDF
    using (var pdfDocument = new Aspose.Pdf.Document())
    {
        var page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add();
        page.Paragraphs.Add(new Aspose.Pdf.HtmlFragment(htmlContent));
        pdfDocument.Save("output.pdf");
    }

    return File("output.pdf", "application/pdf", "GeneratedPdf.pdf");
}

private string RenderRazorViewToString(string viewName, object model)
{
    ViewData.Model = model;
    using (var sw = new StringWriter())
    {
        var viewResult = ViewEngines.Engines.FindPartialView(ControllerContext, viewName);
        var viewContext = new ViewContext(ControllerContext, viewResult.View, ViewData, TempData, sw);
        viewResult.View.Render(viewContext, sw);
        return sw.GetStringBuilder().ToString();
    }
}

  3. Razor View (PdfView.cshtml):

    @model YourNamespace.PdfViewModel

<html>
<head>
    <title>@Model.Title</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>@Model.Title</h1>
    <p>@Model.Content</p>
</body>
</html>

Next Steps

  1. Test the implementation by running your MVC application and navigating to the action that generates the PDF.
  2. Adjust the HTML in your Razor view to format the PDF as needed.
  3. Explore additional features of Aspose.PDF for more complex PDF manipulations, such as adding bookmarks or headers/footers.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask!

3

I am not using Razor. I handle the event in an AJAX call to the controller. How do get the viewmodel data to the controller?

4

@pbrowder

To pass the model values back to the Controller ActionResult, you can use form.serialize() method in ajax. However, it will work when the bindings are inside the form tag. There can be other alternatives to this as well.

Nevertheless, this does not look related to Aspose.PDF. Can you please explain and share how and where do you intend to use the API OR have you been using it somewhere and facing any issues? We will further proceed to assist you accordingly.

5

I am using this JS script to handle the button click event from an html view:

saveMvcView: function () {
$.ajax(routeconfig.asposeMvcView, {
type: ‘POST’,
headers: appsecurity.getSecurityHeaders(),
dataType: ‘json’,
contentType: “application/json; charset=utf-8”,
data: JSON.stringify({
viewmodel
})
})
}

Ho do I use the viewmodel in the controller c# code? Can you please provide sample code to ingest and use the viewmodel in the controller.

Thanks for your help.

6

@pbrowder

When you say viewmodel data, do you mean the rendered HTML? Do you intend to pass the rendered HTML back to the controller and use that HTML to generate PDF using Aspose.PDF? Please confirm so that we can share our feedback with you accordingly.

7

I use HTML pages as my views. JavaScript pages contain the viewmodel definitions. I would like to create a PDF of an existing view with a button click event on the view. How do I accomplish this with Aspose PDF? I currently do not define my viewmodel in any C# code in the controller, but will do so if required.

8

@pbrowder

If possible, would you please provide a basic sample application in .zip format for our reference? We will modify it for your requirements and share with you.

9

While I’m preparing the sample code, is there a tutorial or reference area for using Aspose PDF with MVC .NET framework?

10

@pbrowder

Aspose.PDF for .NET is specifically designed for .NET applications and can be integrated into any application that targets the .NET Framework. You can easily include the DLL or retrieve it via the NuGet Package Manager. While there are no specific guidelines for MVC applications, the API usage follows general principles that apply to all .NET applications. Feel free to explore the link provided, and let us know if you require additional details or assistance.