Convert an Excel document to PDF in UWP

22 Jul 20268 minutes to read

Syncfusion^® XlsIO is a .NET Excel library used to create, read, edit, and convert Excel documents programmatically, without Microsoft Excel or interop dependencies.

Steps to convert an Excel document to PDF in UWP

Step 1: Create a new C# Blank App (Universal Windows) project.

Step 2: Name the project.

Step 3: Install the Syncfusion.XlsIORenderer.Net.Core NuGet package as a reference to your project from NuGet.org. This package transitively pulls in the required Syncfusion.XlsIO.Net.Core and Syncfusion.Pdf.Net.Core assemblies.

NOTE

Starting with v16.2.0.x, if you reference Syncfusion^® assemblies from the trial setup or from the NuGet feed, you must also add the Syncfusion.Licensing reference and register a license key. Refer to this link to learn how to register the Syncfusion^® license key. The simplest approach is to add the following call in App.xaml.cs before constructing the ExcelEngine:

Syncfusion.Licensing.SyncfusionLicenseProvider.RegisterLicense("YOUR_LICENSE_KEY");

Step 4: Add a new button to MainPage.xaml as shown below.

C#

<Page
    x:Class="Convert_Excel_to_PDF.MainPage"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    xmlns:local="using:Convert_Excel_to_PDF"
    xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
    xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
    mc:Ignorable="d"
    Background="{ThemeResource ApplicationPageBackgroundThemeBrush}">

    <Grid>
        <Button x:Name="button" Content="Convert Excel to PDF" Click="OnButtonClicked" HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
    </Grid>
</Page>

Step 5: Add an InputTemplate.xlsx file to the project. In Solution Explorer, right-click the project, choose Add → Existing Item, select InputTemplate.xlsx, and set its Build Action to Embedded Resource in the Properties window. The logical name passed to GetManifestResourceStream (below) must match the project’s default namespace followed by the file name (e.g. Convert_Excel_to_PDF.InputTemplate.xlsx).

Step 6: Add the following namespaces in MainPage.xaml.cs.

C#

using Syncfusion.XlsIO;
using Syncfusion.Pdf;
using Syncfusion.XlsIORenderer;

Step 7: Add the following code in the OnButtonClicked handler in MainPage.xaml.cs to convert an Excel document to PDF, save the PDF as a file, and open the file for viewing. The OnButtonClicked method must be declared with the UWP event-handler signature (Windows.UI.Xaml.RoutedEventArgs). Note: async void is acceptable in UWP event handlers; the SavePDF and MessageDialog.ShowAsync calls require the UI thread, which is the calling thread here.

C#

private async void OnButtonClicked(object sender, Windows.UI.Xaml.RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    using (ExcelEngine excelEngine = new ExcelEngine())
    {
        IApplication application = excelEngine.Excel;
        application.DefaultVersion = ExcelVersion.Xlsx;

        // Load the embedded Excel workbook as a stream.
        Assembly assembly = typeof(App).GetTypeInfo().Assembly;
        IWorkbook workbook = application.Workbooks.Open(
            assembly.GetManifestResourceStream("Convert_Excel_to_PDF.InputTemplate.xlsx"));

        // Initialize the XlsIO renderer.
        XlsIORenderer renderer = new XlsIORenderer();

        // Convert the Excel document to a PDF document.
        PdfDocument pdfDocument = renderer.ConvertToPDF(workbook);

        // Create a MemoryStream to save the converted PDF.
        MemoryStream pdfStream = new MemoryStream();

        // Save the converted PDF document to the MemoryStream.
        pdfDocument.Save(pdfStream);
        pdfStream.Position = 0;

        // Close the workbook and the PDF document to release resources.
        workbook.Close();
        pdfDocument.Close();

        // Save the PDF file or perform any other action with the PDF.
        await SavePDF(pdfStream);
    }
}

Save PDF document in UWP

C#

//Saves the PDF document
private async void SavePDF(Stream outputStream)
{
    StorageFile stFile;
    if (!(Windows.Foundation.Metadata.ApiInformation.IsTypePresent("Windows.Phone.UI.Input.HardwareButtons")))
    {
        FileSavePicker savePicker = new FileSavePicker();
        savePicker.DefaultFileExtension = ".pdf";
        savePicker.SuggestedFileName = "Sample";
        savePicker.FileTypeChoices.Add("Adobe PDF Document", new List<string>() { ".pdf" });
        stFile = await savePicker.PickSaveFileAsync();
    }
    else
    {
        StorageFolder local = Windows.Storage.ApplicationData.Current.LocalFolder;
        stFile = await local.CreateFileAsync("Sample.pdf", CreationCollisionOption.ReplaceExisting);
    }
    if (stFile != null)
    {
        Windows.Storage.Streams.IRandomAccessStream fileStream = await stFile.OpenAsync(FileAccessMode.ReadWrite);
        Stream st = fileStream.AsStreamForWrite();
        st.SetLength(0);
        st.Write((outputStream as MemoryStream).ToArray(), 0, (int)outputStream.Length);
        st.Flush();
        st.Dispose();
        fileStream.Dispose();
        MessageDialog msgDialog = new MessageDialog("Do you want to view the Document?", "File created.");
        UICommand yesCmd = new UICommand("Yes");
        msgDialog.Commands.Add(yesCmd);
        UICommand noCmd = new UICommand("No");
        msgDialog.Commands.Add(noCmd);
        IUICommand cmd = await msgDialog.ShowAsync();
        if (cmd == yesCmd)
        {
            // Launch the retrieved file
            bool success = await Windows.System.Launcher.LaunchFileAsync(stFile);
        }
    }
}

NOTE

For additional control over page size, orientation, and font embedding, pass an ExcelToPdfConverterSettings instance to XlsIORenderer.ConvertToPDF. See the Excel-to-PDF conversion settings for details.

A complete working example of how to convert an Excel document to PDF in UWP is present on this GitHub page.

By executing the program, you will get the PDF document as shown below.

NOTE

As per MSDN announcement, the minimum version of UWP project must be Fall Creators Update (FCU).

Click here to explore the rich set of Syncfusion^® Excel library (XlsIO) features.

An online sample link to convert an Excel document to PDF in ASP.NET Core.