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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Export GridView with Images from database to Word Excel and PDF Formats


In one of my previous articles I explained Export GridView To Word/Excel/PDF/CSV in ASP.Net
In this article I am explaining how to Export GridView to Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Portable Document Format (PDF) which has images and pictures in it.  Here I am exporting a GridView which is displaying images from SQL Server Database using Image Handler. In order to display Images from SQL Server database in GridView refer my article Display images from SQL Server Database in ASP.Net GridView control
Figure below describes how images are stored in the database table.


Images stored in Binary Format in SQL Server Database

The concept is quite simple whenever the Word or Excel file is transmitted to the client and the client opens it a call is made to the server and the images are downloaded from the server. Hence instead if the relative URL we will have to use the complete URL. So that the images are downloaded from the server
Here I am using the same GridView which I used in my article  Display images from SQL Server Database in ASP.Net GridView control to display images from database in GridView. The only exporting I will be changing the URL of the image handler from relative to absolute URL. For example in the previous example the URL was
ImageCSharp.aspx?ImageID=1
Now it will be changed to
http://localhost/ImageCSharp.aspx?ImageID=1

Since Word, Excel or PDF files need complete URL so that they can download the file from the server
For doing this conversion I have the following function
C#
protected  string GetUrl(string page)
{
    string[] splits = Request.Url.AbsoluteUri.Split('/');
    if (splits.Length  >= 2)
    {
        string url = splits[0] + "//";
        for (int i = 2; i < splits.Length - 1; i++)
        {
            url += splits[i];
            url += "/";
        }
        return url +  page;
    }
    return page;
}

VB.Net
        
  Protected Function GetUrl(ByVal page As StringAs String
        Dim splits As String() = Request.Url.AbsoluteUri.Split("/"c)
        If splits.Length >= 2 Then
            Dim url As String = splits(0) & "//"
            For i As Integer = 2 To splits.Length - 2
                url += splits(i)
                url += "/"
            Next
            Return url + page
        End If
        Return page
    End Function

And I am calling the function in the GridView in the following Manner. As you can see below I am passing the Page Name to the GetUrl function which in returns the complete URL for the handler.
C#
<asp:GridView ID="GridView1" runat="server" AutoGenerateColumns = "false"
Font-Names = "Arial" >
<Columns>
    <asp:BoundField DataField = "ID" ItemStyle-Height = "150"
     HeaderText = "ID" />
    <asp:BoundField DataField = "Name" ItemStyle-Height = "150"
     HeaderText = "Image Name" />
    <asp:TemplateField ItemStyle-Height = "150" ItemStyle-Width = "170"
     HeaderText = "Image Preview">
     <ItemTemplate>
      <asp:Image ID="Image1"  runat="server"
      ImageUrl='<%# Eval("ID", GetUrl("ImageCSharp.aspx?ImageID={0}"))%>' />
     </ItemTemplate>
    </asp:TemplateField>
</Columns>
</asp:GridView>

     
VB.Net
<asp:GridView ID="GridView1" runat="server" AutoGenerateColumns = "false"
Font-Names = "Arial" >
<Columns>
    <asp:BoundField DataField = "ID" ItemStyle-Height = "150"
     HeaderText = "ID" />
    <asp:BoundField DataField = "Name" ItemStyle-Height = "150"
     HeaderText = "Image Name" />
    <asp:TemplateField ItemStyle-Height = "150" ItemStyle-Width = "170"
     HeaderText = "Image Preview">
     <ItemTemplate>
      <asp:Image ID="Image1"  runat="server"
      ImageUrl='<%# Eval("ID", GetUrl("ImageVB.aspx?ImageID={0}"))%>' />
     </ItemTemplate>
    </asp:TemplateField>
</Columns>
</asp:GridView>

Figure Below displays the GridView with Images that are stored in SQL Server Database


GridView displaying images from SQL Server Database

When you do  View Source of the page in Browser you will notice that the relative URL have been converted to absolute one and the GetUrl function has done its job perfectly. Refer the figure below that displays the Source of the page with the complete URL of the handler


View Source of the page showing complete URL of the Image Handler


Now here is the code to Export the GridView in the Word, Excel and PDF Formats
      

Word

C#
private void Word_Export()
{
    Response.Clear();
    Response.Buffer = true;
    Response.AddHeader("content-disposition",
      "attachment;filename=GridViewExport.doc");
    Response.Charset = "";
    Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-word ";
    StringWriter sw = new StringWriter();
    HtmlTextWriter hw = new HtmlTextWriter(sw);
    GridView1.AllowPaging = false;
    GridView1.DataBind();
    GridView1.RenderControl(hw);
    Response.Output.Write(sw.ToString());
    Response.Flush();
    Response.End();
}

VB.Net
Private Sub Word_Export()
   Response.Clear()
   Response.Buffer = True
   Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", _
    "attachment;filename=GridViewExport.doc")
   Response.Charset = ""
   Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-word "
   Dim sw As New StringWriter()
   Dim hw As New HtmlTextWriter(sw)
   GridView1.AllowPaging = False
   GridView1.DataBind()
   GridView1.RenderControl(hw)
   Response.Output.Write(sw.ToString())
   Response.Flush()
   Response.End()
End Sub

Figure below displays the Word document which contains exported GridView with images.


Word document which contains exported GridView with images


Excel

C#
private void Excel_Export()
{
    Response.Clear();
    Response.Buffer = true;
    Response.AddHeader("content-disposition",
     "attachment;filename=GridViewExport.xls");
    Response.Charset = "";
    Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel";
    StringWriter sw = new StringWriter();
    HtmlTextWriter hw = new HtmlTextWriter(sw);
    GridView1.AllowPaging = false;
    GridView1.DataBind();
    for (int i = 0; i < GridView1.Rows.Count; i++)
    {
        GridViewRow row = GridView1.Rows[i];
        //Apply text style to each Row
        row.Attributes.Add("class""textmode");
    }
    GridView1.RenderControl(hw);

    //style to format numbers to string
    string style = @"<style> .textmode { mso-number-format:\@; } </style>";
    Response.Write(style);
    Response.Output.Write(sw.ToString());
    Response.Flush();
    Response.End();
}
    
                  
VB.Net

Private Sub Excel_Export()
   Response.Clear()
   Response.Buffer = True
   Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", _
    "attachment;filename=GridViewExport.xls")
   Response.Charset = ""
   Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel"
   Dim sw As New StringWriter()
   Dim hw As New HtmlTextWriter(sw)
   GridView1.AllowPaging = False
   GridView1.DataBind()
   For i As Integer = 0 To GridView1.Rows.Count - 1
     Dim row As GridViewRow = GridView1.Rows(i)
    'Apply text style to each Row
     row.Attributes.Add("class""textmode")
   Next
   GridView1.RenderControl(hw)

   'style to format numbers to string
   Dim style As String = "<style> .textmode " _
     "{ mso-number-format:\@; } </style>"
   Response.Write(style)
   Response.Output.Write(sw.ToString())
   Response.Flush()
   Response.End()
End Sub

Figure below displays the Excel Workbook which contains exported GridView with images.


Excel Workbook which contains exported GridView with images.


Portable Document Format (PDF)
For exporting the GridView to PDF format I am using the iTextSharp Library that will be available with the source code of this example. Also you can download it from here.
   
      
C#
private void PDF_Export()
{
    Response.ContentType = "application/pdf";
    Response.AddHeader("content-disposition",
        "attachment;filename=GridViewExport.pdf");
    Response.Cache.SetCacheability(HttpCacheability.NoCache);
    StringWriter sw = new StringWriter();
    HtmlTextWriter hw = new HtmlTextWriter(sw);
    GridView1.AllowPaging = false;
    GridView1.DataBind();
    GridView1.RenderControl(hw);
    StringReader sr = new StringReader(sw.ToString());
    Document pdfDoc = new Document(PageSize.A4, 10f, 10f, 10f, 0f);
    HTMLWorker htmlparser = new HTMLWorker(pdfDoc);
    PdfWriter.GetInstance(pdfDoc, Response.OutputStream);
    pdfDoc.Open();
    htmlparser.Parse(sr);
    pdfDoc.Close();
    Response.Write(pdfDoc);
    Response.End(); 
}

VB.Net
Private Sub PDF_Export()
  Response.ContentType = "application/pdf"
  Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", _
   "attachment;filename=GridViewExport.pdf")
  Response.Cache.SetCacheability(HttpCacheability.NoCache)
  Dim sw As New StringWriter()
  Dim hw As New HtmlTextWriter(sw)
  GridView1.AllowPaging = False
  GridView1.DataBind()
  GridView1.RenderControl(hw)
  Dim sr As New StringReader(sw.ToString())
  Dim pdfDoc As New Document(PageSize.A4, 10.0F, 10.0F, 10.0F, 0.0F)
  Dim htmlparser As New HTMLWorker(pdfDoc)
  PdfWriter.GetInstance(pdfDoc, Response.OutputStream)
  pdfDoc.Open()
  htmlparser.Parse(sr)
  pdfDoc.Close()
  Response.Write(pdfDoc)
  Response.End()
End Sub

Figure below displays the PDF Document which contains exported GridView with images.


PDF Document which contains exported GridView with images.

Finally the method that one should not forget is the below otherwise the GridView export will throw the Error
Control 'GridView1' of type 'GridView' must be placed inside a form tag with runat=server.

C#.Net
public override void VerifyRenderingInServerForm(Control control)
{
    /* Verifies that the control is rendered */
}

VB.Net
Public Overloads Overrides Sub VerifyRenderingInServerForm(
ByVal control As Control)
        ' Verifies that the control is rendered
End Sub

This completes the article. You can download the source in C# and Vb.Net using the link below.
ExportGridViewWithImages.zip (2.93 mb)

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