How to on word doc output (page setup, streaming html and datagrid, open file)

[Andrew]

I'm adding this as it to me a while to figure out all the pieces to be
able to do this without using Microsoft.Office.Interop which caused me
problems on the web-server.

Streaming is the easy part, but I couldn't initially work out how to
manipulate the page setup to change page margins and orientation,
that's why I was looking at Microsoft.Office.Interop.

But with Microsoft.Office.Interop I couldn't fiure out how to stream
HTML Source to the word doc it would only output text.

So here's what I figured out:

1. Open a new word doc and alter the page setup to how you want it to
look. Then in the body of the document type the following:
#INSERTDATAHERE#

If you read the html source of this you should easily be able to pick
out the page setup section:

@page Section1
{size:11.0in 8.5in;
mso-page-orientation:landscape;
margin:.5in 1.0in .5in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}

2. Then save that word doc as html in your web application folder

3. create a blank word doc in your web application folder called
output.doc

4. In your asp.net page add an asp button and an onclick event
e.g:
<asp:Button id="CmdExport" onclick="Export_Click" Text="Click to
Export"></asp:Button>

In the codebehind for the onclick event = Export_Click this example
will render a datagrid and some html (example is in VB)

Sub Export_Click(Sender As Object, E As EventArgs)

Dim sw As New System.IO.StringWriter()
Dim hw As New System.Web.UI.HtmlTextWriter(sw)

'Get the HTML for the control.
hw.Write(("<center><H2>THIS IS MY TITLE</H2>"))
hw.Write(("<p>This is a subtitle</p>"))
datagrid.RenderControl(hw)
hw.Write(("</center>"))

'This section will read the input and look for
'#INSERTDATAHERE#" and then input your data in its place
' and will then save the output and open it on as a new
'file on the client
Dim input As New
StreamReader(Server.MapPath("newdoc.html"))
Dim output As New
StreamWriter(Server.MapPath("output.doc"))

Dim findstring As String = "#INSERTDATAHERE#"
Dim line As String = input.ReadLine()
Dim pos As Integer


Do Until line Is Nothing
If InStr(1,line,findstring,1) > 0 Then

output.WriteLine(Replace(line,findstring,sw.ToString()))
Else
output.WriteLine(line)
End If

line = input.ReadLine()
Loop

output.Close()
input.Close()

End If
' this section will get output and open the file as an
' attachment on the client
Dim FilePath As String = Server.MapPath("output.doc")
Dim fs As New
FileStream(FilePath,FileMode.Open,FileAccess.Read)
Dim bw As New System.IO.BinaryReader(fs)
Dim byt() As Byte, i As Integer
byt = bw.ReadBytes(CInt(fs.Length))
i = byt.Length()
Response.ContentType = "application/msword"
' change attachment to inline if you want it to open
'in browser window
Response.AddHeader
("content-disposition","attachment;filename=myoutput.doc")
Response.OutputStream.Write(byt, 0, i)
Response.OutputStream.Close()

End Sub

hope this helps someone and saves you some time. Someone else may have
other suggestions and better code, but this is my 2cents.

 

[Andrew]

on step 2 = save the file to the web application folder as newdoc.html

forget step 3 as we can create it and delete it in the same routine

change Export routine to below:
Sub Export_Click(Sender As Object, E As EventArgs)


Dim sw As New System.IO.StringWriter()
Dim hw As New System.Web.UI.HtmlTextWriter(sw)


'Get the HTML for the control.
hw.Write(("<center><H2>THIS IS MY TITLE</H2>"))
hw.Write(("<p>This is a subtitle</p>"))
datagrid.RenderControl(hw)
hw.Write(("</center>"))


'This section will read the input and look for
'#INSERTDATAHERE#" and then input your data in its place
' and will then save the output and open it on as a new
'file on the client
Dim input As New
StreamReader(Server.MapPath("newdoc.html"))
Dim output As New
StreamWriter(Server.MapPath("output.doc"),True)
'<--- above will create output.doc file


Dim findstring As String = "#INSERTDATAHERE#"
Dim line As String = input.ReadLine()
Dim pos As Integer


Do Until line Is Nothing
If InStr(1,line,findstring,1) > 0 Then


output.WriteLine(Replace(line,findstring,sw.ToString()))
Else
output.WriteLine(line)
End If


line = input.ReadLine()
Loop


output.Close()
input.Close()


End If
' this section will get output and open the file as an
' attachment on the client
Dim FilePath As String = Server.MapPath("output.doc")
Dim fs As New
FileStream(FilePath,FileMode.Open,FileAccess.Read)
Dim bw As New System.IO.BinaryReader(fs)
Dim byt() As Byte, i As Integer
byt = bw.ReadBytes(CInt(fs.Length))
i = byt.Length()
Response.ContentType = "application/msword"
' change attachment to inline if you want it to open
'in browser window
Response.AddHeader
("content-disposition","attachment;filename=myoutput.doc")
Response.OutputStream.Write(byt, 0, i)
Response.OutputStream.Close()
fs.Close() '<---- I forgot this in the prev version
File.Delete(Server.MapPath("output.doc"))


End Sub