HOW TO PRINT A DATATABLE TO PDF FORM USING MIGRADOC AND PDFSHARP

HOW TO PRINT A DATATABLE TO PDF FORM USING MIGRADOC AND PDFSHARP

I. INTRODUCTION
This post will detail out how to print a datatable in a PDF form using Migradoc and PDFSharp (http://www.pdfsharp.com/PDFsharp/).  This functionality can be accomplished using a regular web application but since I was asked to do it in Sharepoint, the step by step implementation will be via a Sharepoint site collection. Special thanks to Mr. John Arrieta who is the original creator of this POC.

II. SCOPE
This post assumes that there is already an existing site collection created in Sharepoint 2010. The content of the datatable doesn’t come from an external data source and was just hard-coded for the purpose of presentation.

III. REQUIREMENTS
- Sharepoint 2010
- Visual Studio 2010
- Migradoc and PDF Assemblies (required DLLs)

IV. IMPLEMENTATION

1.  Open Visual Studio and create an Empty Sharepoint Application. Input your Site Collection URL and click Finish. On my VM, the site collection URL is (http://valedevserver:3706)

2. Since we will be using third-party assemblies for the PDF printing, you have to download the required DLLs in (http://www.pdfsharp.com/PDFsharp/). In the Solution Explorer Toolbar, right-click on references and click on ‘Add Reference’.  On the dialog box, add the assemblies needed.

3. We will create a class that will contain the methods to print our datatable. On the Solution Explorer Toolbar, right-click on ‘Add’  and then ‘New Item’. Create a new class. In my solution, I have named my class to be PDFform.cs.

4. Add the reference in the using section on the newly created class file. This class file handles the creation and formatting of the PDF.

using System.Data;
using MigraDoc.DocumentObjectModel.Tables;
using MigraDoc.DocumentObjectModel.Shapes;

5. Replace the contents of your class with the codes below.

class PDFform
    {
        // The MigraDoc document that represents the invoice.
        Document document;
        DataTable dt;
        string path;
                
        // The text frame of the MigraDoc document that contains the address.
        TextFrame addressFrame;
/// The table of the MigraDoc document that contains the data
  Table table;

// Initializes a new instance of the class and opens the specified datasource
        public PDFform(DataTable dtIn, string pathIn)
        {
            dt = dtIn;
            path = pathIn;
        }
// Creates the document.
        public Document CreateDocument()
        {
            // Create a new MigraDoc document
            this.document = new Document();
            this.document.Info.Title = "";
            this.document.Info.Subject = "";
            this.document.Info.Author = "Aftab";
DefineStyles();
CreatePage();
FillContent();

return this.document;
        }
// Defines the styles used to format the MigraDoc document.
        void DefineStyles()
        {
            // Get the predefined style Normal.
            Style style = this.document.Styles["Normal"];
            // Because all styles are derived from Normal, the next line changes the 
            // font of the whole document. Or, more exactly, it changes the font of
            // all styles and paragraphs that do not redefine the font.
            style.Font.Name = "Verdana";
style = this.document.Styles[StyleNames.Header];
            style.ParagraphFormat.AddTabStop("16cm", TabAlignment.Right);
style = this.document.Styles[StyleNames.Footer];
            style.ParagraphFormat.AddTabStop("8cm", TabAlignment.Center);
// Create a new style called Table based on style Normal
            style = this.document.Styles.AddStyle("Table", "Normal");
            style.Font.Name = "Verdana";
            style.Font.Name = "Times New Roman";
            style.Font.Size = 9;
// Create a new style called Reference based on style Normal
            style = this.document.Styles.AddStyle("Reference", "Normal");
            style.ParagraphFormat.SpaceBefore = "5mm";
            style.ParagraphFormat.SpaceAfter = "5mm";
            style.ParagraphFormat.TabStops.AddTabStop("16cm", TabAlignment.Right);
        }
// Creates the static parts of the invoice.
        void CreatePage()
        {
            // Sets the PDF Page Orientation
            this.document.DefaultPageSetup.Orientation = Orientation.Landscape;
// Each MigraDoc document needs at least one section.
            Section section = this.document.AddSection();

// Put a logo in the header
            Image image = section.AddImage(path);
image.Top = ShapePosition.Top;
            image.Left = ShapePosition.Left;
            image.WrapFormat.Style = WrapStyle.Through;
// Create footer
            Paragraph paragraph = section.Footers.Primary.AddParagraph();
            paragraph.AddText("This is the footer section");
            paragraph.Format.Font.Size = 9;
            paragraph.Format.Alignment = ParagraphAlignment.Center;
// Create the text frame for the address
            this.addressFrame = section.AddTextFrame();
            this.addressFrame.Height = "3.0cm";
            this.addressFrame.Width = "7.0cm";
            this.addressFrame.Left = ShapePosition.Left;
            this.addressFrame.RelativeHorizontal = RelativeHorizontal.Margin;
            this.addressFrame.Top = "5.0cm";
            this.addressFrame.RelativeVertical = RelativeVertical.Page;
// Put sender in address frame
            paragraph = this.addressFrame.AddParagraph("Karachi,Pakistan");
            paragraph.Format.Font.Name = "Times New Roman";
            paragraph.Format.Font.Size = 7;
            paragraph.Format.SpaceAfter = 3;
// Add the print date field
            paragraph = section.AddParagraph();
            paragraph.Format.SpaceBefore = "6cm";
            paragraph.Style = "Reference";
            paragraph.AddFormattedText("Patients Detail", TextFormat.Bold);
            paragraph.AddTab();
            paragraph.AddText("Date, ");
            paragraph.AddDateField("dd.MM.yyyy");
// Create the item table
            this.table = section.AddTable();
            this.table.Style = "Table";
            this.table.Borders.Color = TableBorder;
            this.table.Borders.Width = 0.25;
            this.table.Borders.Left.Width = 0.5;
            this.table.Borders.Right.Width = 0.5;
            this.table.Rows.LeftIndent = 0;
// Before you can add a row, you must define the columns
            Column column;
            foreach (DataColumn col in dt.Columns)
            {
                column = this.table.AddColumn(Unit.FromCentimeter(3));
                column.Format.Alignment = ParagraphAlignment.Center;
            }
// Create the header of the table
            Row row = table.AddRow();
            row.HeadingFormat = true;
            row.Format.Alignment = ParagraphAlignment.Center;
            row.Format.Font.Bold = true;
            row.Shading.Color = TableBlue;

for (int i = 0; i < dt.Columns.Count; i++)
            {
                row.Cells[i].AddParagraph(dt.Columns[i].ColumnName);
                row.Cells[i].Format.Font.Bold = false;
                row.Cells[i].Format.Alignment = ParagraphAlignment.Left;
                row.Cells[i].VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Bottom;
            }
this.table.SetEdge(0, 0, dt.Columns.Count, 1, Edge.Box, BorderStyle.Single, 0.75, Color.Empty);
        }
// Creates the dynamic parts of the PDF
        void FillContent()
        {
            // Fill address in address text frame
            Paragraph paragraph = this.addressFrame.AddParagraph();
            paragraph.AddText("Dr. Anwar Ali");
            paragraph.AddLineBreak();
            paragraph.AddText("Health And Social Services ");
            paragraph.AddLineBreak();
            paragraph.AddText("Karachi");
            Row newRow;
for (int i = 0; i < dt.Rows.Count; i++)
            {
                // Format Cells and Display Records
                newRow = this.table.AddRow();
                newRow.TopPadding = 1.5;
for (int j = 0; j < dt.Columns.Count; j++)
                {
                    newRow.Cells[j].Shading.Color = TableGray;
                    newRow.Cells[j].VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Center;
newRow.Cells[j].Format.Alignment = ParagraphAlignment.Left;
                    newRow.Cells[j].Format.FirstLineIndent = 1;
                    newRow.Cells[j].AddParagraph(dt.Rows[i][j].ToString());
         this.table.SetEdge(0, this.table.Rows.Count - 2, dt.Columns.Count, 1, Edge.Box, BorderStyle.Single, 0.75);
                }
            }
        }
// Some pre-defined colors
#if true
        // RGB colors
        readonly static Color TableBorder = new Color(81, 125, 192);
        readonly static Color TableBlue = new Color(235, 240, 249);
        readonly static Color TableGray = new Color(242, 242, 242);
#else
    // CMYK colors
    readonly static Color tableBorder = Color.FromCmyk(100, 50, 0, 30);
    readonly static Color tableBlue = Color.FromCmyk(0, 80, 50, 30);
    readonly static Color tableGray = Color.FromCmyk(30, 0, 0, 0, 100);
#endif
    }

5. For the next step, we will create a webpart that will serve as our User Interface for this function. Right-click on our Sharepoint solution and click on ‘New Item’ and then select ‘Visual Webpart’.

6. Create a Gridview on the User Control. This will contain our hard-coded datatable and a button that will trigger our PDF printing. Our user interface will look something like the one below.

6. On the source code of the created visual webpart, add javascript function that creates a new browser window to display the generated PDF. Set the OnClientClick event of the button to the javascript function.

<script type="text/javascript">
        function PostToNewWindow() {
            originalTarget = document.forms[0].target;
            document.forms[0].target = '_blank';
            window.setTimeout("document.forms[0].target=originalTarget;", 300);
            return true;
        } 
</script>

<asp:Button ID="btnSaveViewPDF" runat="server" onclick="btnSaveViewPDF_Click"
    Text="Save  and View PDF" OnClientClick="return PostToNewWindow();" />

7. On the code-behind of the created visual webpart, add the following code on the PageLoad event and ButtonClick events. A script fix has been added on the PageLoad to handle viewing of PDF in a new browser window.  ButtonClick event handles the creation of the PDF by calling the PDFform class created earlier and saves it in the 14th hive of Sharepoint, then renders the saved PDF document on a new browser window.

DataTable dt = new DataTable();

        protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            // Script Fix for Viewing PDF in a new browser window
            ScriptManager.RegisterStartupScript(this.Page, this.GetType(), 
                "UpdatePanelFixup", "_spOriginalFormAction = document.forms[0].action; _spSuppressFormOnSubmitWrapper=true;", true);

// Sample Data
            dt.Columns.Add("Column 1", typeof(string));
            dt.Columns.Add("Column 2", typeof(string));
            dt.Columns.Add("Column 3", typeof(string));
            dt.Rows.Add("Data 1", "Data 2", "Data 3");
            dt.Rows.Add("Data 1", "Data 2", "Data 3");
            dt.Rows.Add("Data 1", "Data 2", "Data 3");

            GridView1.DataSource = dt;
            GridView1.DataBind();
        }
      protected void btnSaveViewPDF_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
                // Create instance of PDFform class
                PDFform pdfForm = new PDFform(dt, "ImageLogo");
                // Create a MigraDoc document
                MigraDoc.DocumentObjectModel.Document document = pdfForm.CreateDocument();
                document.UseCmykColor = true;
                // Create a renderer for PDF that uses Unicode font encoding
                PdfDocumentRenderer pdfRenderer = new PdfDocumentRenderer(true);
                // Set the MigraDoc document
                pdfRenderer.Document = document;
                // Create the PDF document
                pdfRenderer.RenderDocument();
                // Save the PDF document...
                string filename = "PDFReport1.pdf";
                //14 Hive Path
                string spSetupPath = SPUtility.GetGenericSetupPath(string.Empty);
                pdfRenderer.Save(spSetupPath + filename); ;
                // ...and start a viewer.
                Response.Clear();
                Response.ClearContent();
                Response.ClearHeaders();
                //Set the appropriate ContentType.         
                Response.ContentType = "Application/pdf";
                //Get the physical path to the file.         
                Response.WriteFile(spSetupPath + filename);
                Response.Flush();
                Response.End();
        }


8. On this step, the solution is now ready to be deployed in Sharepoint. Right-click on our Sharepoint solution and click on Deploy.

9. To consume our Visual webpart, Edit a page and insert a webpart.  On the Categories section, Click on the Customs group. Add the custom webpart (VisualWebPart1) on the Sharepoint page.

10. Clicking the button will open a new browser window containing the generated PDF. Created PDF is located at the 14 hive.