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How to generating PDF documents from Windows Application?

Hi,

I want to save/Convert the windows forms to a PDF File when the user clicks "Create PDF" Button.

The look and feel of the PDF should be same as in the Forms.

Is there any tool to do this process or is there any way to acheive this?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance,
Edwin Aloysius.

Edwin Aloysius Thursday, September 10, 2009 5:08 AM

Hi Edwin,

We can use the open source library iTextSharp to convert a form to a pdf. These are the steps:

1. Get the image of the form using BitBlt API or DrawToBitmap method of the form.

2. Add the image to the pdf document and save the pdf.

This is a tutorial of iTextSharp:
http://69.10.233.10/KB/graphics/iTextSharpTutorial.aspx?display=PrintAll&fid=397222&df=90&mpp=25&noise=3&sort=Position&view=Quick&fr=26&select=2182599

This is a code snippet about how to save a form to a pdf:

    //Save the form to a pdf.
    public bool FormToPdf(string sFilePDF, System.Windows.Forms.Form form)
    {
        bRet = false;

        // step 1: creation of a document-object
        Document document = new Document();

        try
        {
            // step 2:
            // we create a writer that listens to the document
            // and directs a PDF-stream to a file

            PdfWriter writer = PdfWriter.GetInstance(document, new FileStream(sFilePDF, FileMode.Create));

            // step 3: we open the document
            document.Open();
            
            // step 4: 
            //Get the image of the form.
            System.Drawing.Bitmap bitmap = new System.Drawing.Bitmap(form.Width, form.Height);
            this.DrawToBitmap(form, bitmap);      
            //Add image to the document.
            Image img = Image.GetInstance(bitmap, Color.WHITE);
            document.Add(img);

            bRet = true;
        }
        catch (DocumentException de)
        {
            this.Message = de.Message;
        }
        catch (IOException ioe)
        {
            this.Message = ioe.Message;
        }

        // step 5: we close the document
        document.Close();

        if (bRet)
            this.Message = sFilePDF + " has been created";

        return bRet;
    }

    [DllImport("gdi32.dll")]
    static extern bool BitBlt(IntPtr hdc, int nXDest, int nYDest, int
    nWidth, int nHeight, IntPtr hdcSrc, int nXSrc, int nYSrc, uint dwRop);

    //A method to draw a Form to an image.
    private void DrawToBitmap(Form f, System.Drawing.Bitmap image)
    {

        System.Drawing.Graphics g = f.CreateGraphics();
        System.Drawing.Graphics g2 = System.Drawing.Graphics.FromImage(image);
        IntPtr gi = g.GetHdc();
        IntPtr gi2 = g2.GetHdc();
        BitBlt(gi2, 0, 0, f.Width, f.Height, gi, 0, 0, 0x00CC0020);
        g.ReleaseHdc();
        g2.ReleaseHdc();
        g.Dispose();
        g2.Dispose();
    }

Let me know if this does not help.

Aland Li

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Marked As Answer byAland LiMSFT, ModeratorThursday, September 17, 2009 2:34 AM

Aland Li Monday, September 14, 2009 6:54 AM

You will need a PDF library for that. There are plenty of commercial ones out there, try www.componentsource.com or try searching for a FREE one.

VB.NET to C# http://www.developerfusion.com/tools/convert/vb-to-csharp/