Printing in Windows Forms GridGrouping control

21 Jan 202524 minutes to read

GridGroupingControl supports printing and previewing the printing document in dialog box. A derived GridPrintDocument, which represents the print document is passed to these classes. This GridPrintDocument implements printing logic that is needed to print multi page grids.

For printing the grid make use of the PrintDialog class. For printing the document get the grid as document with the help of GridPrintDocument class, then assign this document to the property Document of the PrintDialog object. It also supports hierarchical grid printing.

C#

GridPrintDocument pd = new GridPrintDocument(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
PrintDialog printDialog = new PrintDialog();
printDialog.Document = pd;

if (printDialog.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
pd.Print();

VB.NET

Dim pd As New GridPrintDocument(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
Dim printDialog As New PrintDialog()
printDialog.Document = pd

If printDialog.ShowDialog() = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
pd.Print()
End If

Print Preview

Printing gives support for showing a print preview dialog. To access it, PrintPreviewDialog class has to be used and GridPrintDocument has to be assigned to Document property of its object.

C#

GridPrintDocument pd = new GridPrintDocument(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl, true);
PrintPreviewDialog printPreviewDialog = new PrintPreviewDialog();
printPreviewDialog.Document = pd;
printPreviewDialog.ShowDialog();

VB.NET

Dim pd As New GridPrintDocument(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl, True)
Dim printPreviewDialog As New PrintPreviewDialog()
printPreviewDialog.Document = pd
printPreviewDialog.ShowDialog()

Printing using Keyboard shortcut

There is no direct support for printing the grid using Ctrl+P key combination but this can be achieved by handling the TableControl.KeyDown event of the grid.

C#

this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.KeyDown += new KeyEventHandler(TableControl_KeyDown);

private void TableControl_KeyDown(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{

   if (e.Control && e.KeyCode == Keys.P)
   {
      GridPrintDocumentAdv printDocument = new GridPrintDocument(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
      PrintPreviewDialog previewDialog = new PrintPreviewDialog();
      previewDialog.Document = printDocument;
      previewDialog.Show();
   }
}

VB.NET

AddHandler gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.KeyDown, AddressOf TableControl_KeyDown

Private Sub TableControl_KeyDown(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As KeyEventArgs)

   If e.Control AndAlso e.KeyCode = Keys.P Then
      Dim printDocument As New GridPrintDocument(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
      Dim previewDialog As New PrintPreviewDialog()
      previewDialog.Document = printDocument
      previewDialog.Show()
   End If
End Sub

Advanced Print Document

The GridPrintDocumentAdv class provides the advanced options to print the grid. To have this printing support, the Syncfusion.GridHelperClasses.Windows.dll assembly needs to be added into the assembly reference.

This class provides the following functionalities,

• Printing the grid with scaling
• Determining the heights of headers and footers
• Headers and Footers styles
• Events for headers and footers

C#

GridPrintDocumentAdv printDocument = new GridPrintDocumentAdv(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
PrintPreviewDialog previewDialog = new PrintPreviewDialog();
previewDialog.Document = printDocument;
previewDialog.Show();

VB.NET

Dim printDocument As New GridPrintDocumentAdv(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
Dim previewDialog As New PrintPreviewDialog()
previewDialog.Document = printDocument
previewDialog.Show()

The detailed information about the advanced printing is discussed in below sections.

Print options

The GridGroupingControl can be printed with various options. i.e. scaling, print frame, and Orientation of the print document can be applied on printing.

Scaling

All the columns of the GridGroupingControl can be printed with in a single page by enabling the ScaleColumnsToFitPage property of the GridPrintDocumentAdv.

C#

//Create the Grid as printing document
GridPrintDocumentAdv gridPrintDocument = new GridPrintDocumentAdv(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
PrintDialog pd = new PrintDialog();

//Scale all columns to fit within a page
gridPrintDocument.ScaleColumnsToFitPage = true;
pd.Document = gridPrintDocument;

//Print the contents of the Grid
gridPrintDocument.Print();

VB.NET

'Create the Grid as printing document
Dim gridPrintDocument As New GridPrintDocumentAdv(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
Dim pd As New PrintDialog()

'Scale all columns to fit within a page
gridPrintDocument.ScaleColumnsToFitPage = True
pd.Document = gridPrintDocument

'Print the contents of the Grid
gridPrintDocument.Print()

Printing All the Contents into a Single Page

The grid data will be fit to a single page or the minimal number of pages using PagesToFit property and this option will be enabled only when the PrintColumnToFitPage is set to true.

C#

//Create the grid document for print
GridPrintDocumentAdv gridPrintDocument = new GridPrintDocumentAdv(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);

//Used to print all columns to fit within a page
gridPrintDocument.PrintColumnToFitPage = true;

// Printing All the Contents into a Single Page
gridPrintDocument.PagesToFit = 1;
PrintDialog pd = new PrintDialog();
pd.Document = gridPrintDocument;
gridPrintDocument.Print();

VB.NET

'Create the grid document for print
Dim gridPrintDocument As New GridPrintDocumentAdv(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)

'Used to print all columns to fit within a page
gridPrintDocument.PrintColumnToFitPage = True

' Printing All the Contents into a Single Page
gridPrintDocument.PagesToFit = 1
Dim pd As New PrintDialog()
pd.Document = gridPrintDocument
gridPrintDocument.Print()

Printing the grid with the Frame

The contents of the grid can be printed with an outer frame by setting the PrintFrame property to true.

C#

//Print the grid with frame
this.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.PrintFrame = true;

VB.NET

'Print the grid with frame
Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.PrintFrame = True

Page Orientation

The orientation of the printing layout can be changed to landscape by setting LandScape property to true.

C#

GridPrintDocument pd = new GridPrintDocument(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
PrintDialog printDialog = new PrintDialog();
printDialog.Document = pd;

//Setting page layout as Landscape
pd.DefaultPageSettings.Landscape = true;

if (printDialog.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
pd.Print();

VB.NET

Dim pd As New GridPrintDocument(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
Dim printDialog As New PrintDialog()
printDialog.Document = pd

'Setting page layout as Landscape
pd.DefaultPageSettings.Landscape = True

If printDialog.ShowDialog() = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
pd.Print()
End If

Black and White Printing

The grid can be printed with the black and white color combination by setting BlackWhite property to true.

C#

//To print the grid in a Black and White color
this.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.BlackWhite = true;

VB.NET

'To print the grid in a Black and White color
Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.BlackWhite = True

Multiple Grid Printing

Multiple GridGroupingControl can be printed across various pages using helper class MultipleGridPrintDocument. This is achieved by drawing full-size grid to a large bitmap and then scaling this bitmap to fit the output page.

The GridPrintOption property is used to specify the multiple grids printing options.

MultiGridPrinting - Customizes the way printing support is provided for grids. It enables multiple grids to be printed in a single print.

PrintGridInNewPage - Multiple grids can be printed continuously. However, the consecutive grid’s starting page will begin on a new page.

DefaultGridPrint - Multiple grids will be printed without considering column breaks.

ScaleColumnsToFit - Multiple grid columns will be scaled to fit the printed page.

C#

//Iterating the GridGroupingControl
List<Control> grids = new List<Control>();

foreach (Control control in this.panel1.Controls)
{

   if (control is GridGroupingControl)
   {
     grids.Add((control as GridGroupingControl).TableControl);
   }
}

//Defining MultiGridPrintDocument
MultiGridPrintDocument multiDocumentPrint = new MultiGridPrintDocument(grids);
multiDocumentPrint.GridPrintOption = MultiGridPrintDocument.GridPrintOptions.MultipleGridPrint;
multiDocumentPrint.ShowHeaderFooterOnAllPages = true;

//Print preview dialog
PrintPreviewDialog previewDialog = new PrintPreviewDialog();
previewDialog.Document = multiDocumentPrint;
previewDialog.Show();

VB.NET

'Iterating the GridGroupingControl
Dim grids As New List(Of Control)()

For Each control As Control In Me.panel1.Controls

   If TypeOf control Is GridGroupingControl Then
     grids.Add((TryCast(control, GridGroupingControl)).TableControl)
   End If
Next control

'Defining MultiGridPrintDocument
Dim multiDocumentPrint As New MultiGridPrintDocument(grids)
multiDocumentPrint.GridPrintOption = MultiGridPrintDocument.GridPrintOptions.MultipleGridPrint
multiDocumentPrint.ShowHeaderFooterOnAllPages = True

'Print preview dialog
Dim previewDialog As New PrintPreviewDialog()
previewDialog.Document = multiDocumentPrint
previewDialog.Show()

Setting Header and Footer

The GridGroupingControl can be printed with the headers and footers by setting the HeaderPrintStyleInfo and FooterPrintStyleInfo properties of the advanced GridPrintDocument.

C#

GridPrintDocumentAdv gridPrintDocument = new GridPrintDocumentAdv(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
PrintPreviewDialog printPreviewDialog = new PrintPreviewDialog();
printPreviewDialog.Document = gridPrintDocument;

//Setting the height for header and footer
gridPrintDocument.HeaderHeight = 30;
gridPrintDocument.FooterHeight = 30;
gridPrintDocument.HeaderPrintStyleInfo.Text = "Syncfusion Software Private Ltd";
gridPrintDocument.FooterPrintStyleInfo.Text = "Time :" + DateTime.Now.TimeOfDay.ToString();
gridPrintDocument.HeaderPrintStyleInfo.TextColor = Color.Orange;
gridPrintDocument.HeaderPrintStyleInfo.Font.Bold = true;
gridPrintDocument.HeaderPrintStyleInfo.Font.Size = 20;

//Set the alignments 
gridPrintDocument.HeaderPrintStyleInfo.HorizontalAlignment = GridHorizontalAlignment.Center;
gridPrintDocument.FooterPrintStyleInfo.HorizontalAlignment = GridHorizontalAlignment.Right;
printPreviewDialog.ShowDialog();

VB.NET

Dim gridPrintDocument As New GridPrintDocumentAdv(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
Dim printPreviewDialog As New PrintPreviewDialog()
printPreviewDialog.Document = gridPrintDocument

'Setting the height for header and footer
gridPrintDocument.HeaderHeight = 30
gridPrintDocument.FooterHeight = 30
gridPrintDocument.HeaderPrintStyleInfo.Text = "Syncfusion Software Private Ltd"
gridPrintDocument.FooterPrintStyleInfo.Text = "Time :" & DateTime.Now.TimeOfDay.ToString()
gridPrintDocument.HeaderPrintStyleInfo.TextColor = Color.Orange
gridPrintDocument.HeaderPrintStyleInfo.Font.Bold = True
gridPrintDocument.HeaderPrintStyleInfo.Font.Size = 20

'Set the alignments 
gridPrintDocument.HeaderPrintStyleInfo.HorizontalAlignment = GridHorizontalAlignment.Center
gridPrintDocument.FooterPrintStyleInfo.HorizontalAlignment = GridHorizontalAlignment.Right
printPreviewDialog.ShowDialog()

Customizing Header and Footer

The header and footer can be customized as per user need by handling the DrawGridPrintHeader and DrawGridPrintFooter event.

C#

//Handle the events to draw the header / footer
pd.DrawGridPrintHeader += new Syncfusion.GridHelperClasses.GridPrintDocumentAdv.DrawGridHeaderFooterEventHandler(pd_DrawGridPrintHeader);
pd.DrawGridPrintFooter += new Syncfusion.GridHelperClasses.GridPrintDocumentAdv.DrawGridHeaderFooterEventHandler(pd_DrawGridPrintFooter);

//Used to create own header
void pd_DrawGridPrintHeader(object sender, Syncfusion.GridHelperClasses.GridPrintHeaderFooterTemplateArgs e)
{

    // Get the rectangle area to draw
    Rectangle header = e.DrawRectangle;

    //IMAGE

    //scale the image
    SizeF imageSize = new SizeF(header.Width / 3, header.Height * 0.8f);

    //Locating the logo on the right corner of the Drawing Surface
    PointF imageLocation = new PointF(e.DrawRectangle.Width - imageSize.Width - 20, header.Y + 5);
    Bitmap image = new Bitmap(@"..\..\Data\logo.png");

    //Draw the image in the Header.
    e.Graphics.DrawImage(image, new RectangleF(imageLocation, imageSize));

    //TITLE
    Color activeColor = Color.FromArgb(44, 71, 120);
    SolidBrush brush = new SolidBrush(activeColor);
    Font font = new Font("Helvetica", 20, FontStyle.Bold);

    //Set formatting for the text
    StringFormat format = new StringFormat();
    format.Alignment = StringAlignment.Near;
    format.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Near;

    //Draw the title
    e.Graphics.DrawString("Customers Order Report", font, brush, new RectangleF(header.Location.X + 20, header.Location.Y + 20, e.DrawRectangle.Width, e.DrawRectangle.Height), format);

    ///BORDER LINES - Draw some lines in the header
    Pen pen = new Pen(Color.DarkBlue, 0.8f);
    e.Graphics.DrawLine(pen, new Point(header.Left, header.Top + 2), new Point(header.Right, header.Top + 2));
    e.Graphics.DrawLine(pen, new Point(header.Left, header.Top + 5), new Point(header.Right, header.Top + 5));
    e.Graphics.DrawLine(pen, new Point(header.Left, header.Bottom - 8), new Point(header.Right, header.Bottom - 8));
    e.Graphics.DrawLine(pen, new Point(header.Left, header.Bottom - 5), new Point(header.Right, header.Bottom - 5));

    //Dispose drawing resources
    font.Dispose();
    format.Dispose();
    pen.Dispose();
}

//Used to create own footer
void pd_DrawGridPrintFooter(object sender, Syncfusion.GridHelperClasses.GridPrintHeaderFooterTemplateArgs e)
{

    //Get the rectangle area to draw
    Rectangle footer = e.DrawRectangle;

    //Draw copy right
    StringFormat format = new StringFormat();
    format.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Center;
    format.Alignment = StringAlignment.Center;
    Font font = new Font("Helvetica", 8);
    SolidBrush brush = new SolidBrush(Color.Red);
    e.Graphics.DrawString("@copyright", font, brush, GridUtil.CenterPoint(footer), format);

    //Draw page number
    format.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Far;
    format.Alignment = StringAlignment.Far;
    e.Graphics.DrawString(string.Format("page {0} of {1}", e.PageNumber, e.PageCount), font, brush, new Point(footer.Right - 100, footer.Bottom - 20), format);

    //Dispose resources
    format.Dispose();
    font.Dispose();
    brush.Dispose();
}

VB.NET

'Handle the events to draw the header / footer
AddHandler pd.DrawGridPrintHeader, AddressOf pd_DrawGridPrintHeader
AddHandler pd.DrawGridPrintFooter, AddressOf pd_DrawGridPrintFooter

'Used to create own header
Private Sub pd_DrawGridPrintHeader(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As Syncfusion.GridHelperClasses.GridPrintHeaderFooterTemplateArgs)

    ' Get the rectangle area to draw
    Dim header As Rectangle = e.DrawRectangle

    'IMAGE

    'scale the image
    Dim imageSize As New SizeF(header.Width \ 3, header.Height * 0.8f)

    'Locating the logo on the right corner of the Drawing Surface
    Dim imageLocation As New PointF(e.DrawRectangle.Width - imageSize.Width - 20, header.Y + 5)
    Dim image As New Bitmap("..\..\Data\logo.png")

    'Draw the image in the Header.
    e.Graphics.DrawImage(image, New RectangleF(imageLocation, imageSize))

    'TITLE
    Dim activeColor As Color = Color.FromArgb(44, 71, 120)
    Dim brush As New SolidBrush(activeColor)
    Dim font As New Font("Helvetica", 20, FontStyle.Bold)

    'Set formatting for the text
    Dim format As New StringFormat()
    format.Alignment = StringAlignment.Near
    format.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Near

    'Draw the title
    e.Graphics.DrawString("Customers Order Report", font, brush, New RectangleF(header.Location.X + 20, header.Location.Y + 20, e.DrawRectangle.Width, e.DrawRectangle.Height), format)

    '''BORDER LINES - Draw some lines in the header
    Dim pen As New Pen(Color.DarkBlue, 0.8f)
    e.Graphics.DrawLine(pen, New Point(header.Left, header.Top + 2), New Point(header.Right, header.Top + 2))
    e.Graphics.DrawLine(pen, New Point(header.Left, header.Top + 5), New Point(header.Right, header.Top + 5))
    e.Graphics.DrawLine(pen, New Point(header.Left, header.Bottom - 8), New Point(header.Right, header.Bottom - 8))
    e.Graphics.DrawLine(pen, New Point(header.Left, header.Bottom - 5), New Point(header.Right, header.Bottom - 5))

    'Dispose drawing resources
    font.Dispose()
    format.Dispose()
    pen.Dispose()
End Sub

'Used to create own footer
Private Sub pd_DrawGridPrintFooter(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As Syncfusion.GridHelperClasses.GridPrintHeaderFooterTemplateArgs)

    'Get the rectangle area to draw
    Dim footer As Rectangle = e.DrawRectangle

    'Draw copy right
    Dim format As New StringFormat()
    format.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Center
    format.Alignment = StringAlignment.Center
    Dim font As New Font("Helvetica", 8)
    Dim brush As New SolidBrush(Color.Red)
    e.Graphics.DrawString("@copyright", font, brush, GridUtil.CenterPoint(footer), format)

    'Draw page number
    format.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Far
    format.Alignment = StringAlignment.Far
    e.Graphics.DrawString(String.Format("page {0} of {1}", e.PageNumber, e.PageCount), font, brush, New Point(footer.Right - 100, footer.Bottom - 20), format)

    'Dispose resources
    format.Dispose()
    font.Dispose()
    brush.Dispose()
End Sub

Printing with Application Form

The printing with application forms can be done in the following ways by handling the PrintDocument class.

• Printing the whole application form
• Printing the client area in form

Printing the whole application form

The whole application form can be printed by handling the PrintPage in the PrintDocument class.

C#

PrintDocument document = new PrintDocument();

//Triggering the PrintPage event
document.PrintPage += new PrintPageEventHandler(document_PrintPage);

PrintPreviewDialog previewDialog = new PrintPreviewDialog();
previewDialog.Document = document;
previewDialog.Show();

void document_PrintPage(object sender, PrintPageEventArgs e)
{

    //Set the image
    Bitmap bitMapImage = new Bitmap(this.Width, this.Height);

    //set the rendering to the specified bitmap
    this.DrawToBitmap(bitMapImage, new Rectangle(0, 0, this.Width, this.Height));

    //draw the image in the given location.
    e.Graphics.DrawImage(bitMapImage, new Point(0, 0));
}

VB.NET

Dim document As New PrintDocument()

'Triggering the PrintPage event
AddHandler document.PrintPage, AddressOf document_PrintPage

Dim previewDialog As New PrintPreviewDialog()
previewDialog.Document = document
previewDialog.Show()


Private Sub document_PrintPage(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As PrintPageEventArgs)

    'Set the image
    Dim bitMapImage As New Bitmap(Me.Width, Me.Height)

    'set the rendering to the specified bitmap
    Me.DrawToBitmap(bitMapImage, New Rectangle(0, 0, Me.Width, Me.Height))

    'draw the image in the given location.
    e.Graphics.DrawImage(bitMapImage, New Point(0, 0))
End Sub

Printing the Client Area in Form

The GridGroupingControl does not have built-in support for printing the client application form. It can be done by using the PrintDocument class and following customization,

1. Call the BitBlt function ie. unmanaged code in a managed application.

   C#

   using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
      
   [DllImport("gdi32.dll")]
      
   private static extern bool BitBlt(IntPtr hdc, int nX, int nY,
   int nWidthInt, int nHeight, IntPtr hdcSrcInt, int nXSrcInt, int nYSrc, System.Int32 n);

   VB.NET

   Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices
      
   <DllImport("gdi32.dll")>
      
   Private Shared Function BitBlt(ByVal hdc As IntPtr, ByVal nX As Integer, ByVal nY As Integer, ByVal nWidthInt As Integer, ByVal nHeight As Integer, ByVal hdcSrcInt As IntPtr, ByVal nXSrcInt As Integer, ByVal nYSrc As Integer, ByVal n As System.Int32) As Boolean
   End Function

2. Draw an image of application form using the PrintPage event.

   C#

   PrintDocument printDocument = new PrintDocument();
   printDocument.PrintPage += new PrintPageEventHandler(printDocument_PrintPage);
   previewDialog.Document = printDocument;
   previewDialog.Show();
      
   void printDocument_PrintPage(object sender, PrintPageEventArgs e)
   {
      e.Cancel = true;
      Graphics graphic = CreateGraphics();
      Image image = new Bitmap(Size.Width, Size.Height, graphic);
      Graphics graphics = Graphics.FromImage(image);
      IntPtr dc1 = graphic.GetHdc();
      IntPtr dc2 = graphics.GetHdc();
      BitBlt(dc2, 0, 0, ClientRectangle.Width, ClientRectangle.Height, dc1, 0, 0, 13369376);
      graphic.ReleaseHdc(dc1);
      graphics.ReleaseHdc(dc2);
      e.Graphics.DrawImage(image, 0, 0);
   }

   VB.NET

   Private printDocument As New PrintDocument()
   Private printDocument.PrintPage += New PrintPageEventHandler(AddressOf printDocument_PrintPage)
   previewDialog.Document = printDocument
   previewDialog.Show()
      
   void printDocument_PrintPage(Object sender, PrintPageEventArgs e)
      e.Cancel = True
      Dim graphic As Graphics = CreateGraphics()
      Dim image As Image = New Bitmap(Size.Width, Size.Height, graphic)
      Dim graphics As Graphics = Graphics.FromImage(image)
      Dim dc1 As IntPtr = graphic.GetHdc()
      Dim dc2 As IntPtr = graphics.GetHdc()
      BitBlt(dc2, 0, 0, ClientRectangle.Width, ClientRectangle.Height, dc1, 0, 0, 13369376)
      graphic.ReleaseHdc(dc1)
      graphics.ReleaseHdc(dc2)
      e.Graphics.DrawImage(image, 0, 0)

Print Layout Helper

The Print Page Layout feature enables viewing page layout on the grid by displaying a segment line and page number with each segment. This helps to analyze page breaks within the grid, and manage them accordingly.

The LayoutSupportHelper class provides the functionality of the layout helper in grid. It provides the following options to view the pages,

• Page breaks
• Customization in page break line color and line width
• Customization in page flow
• Print settings

To enable the page layout line, the ShowLayoutLines property should be enabled.

C#

LayoutSupportHelper helper = new LayoutSupportHelper(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
helper.ShowLayoutLines = true;

VB.NET

Dim helper As New LayoutSupportHelper(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
helper.ShowLayoutLines = true

The detailed information about the Layout helper is discussed in the following sections.

Page Break

Properties are available to define colors for the line and text of the page layout. The number of rows and columns to be printed for each page can be set by using the PageBreakRows and PageBreakCols through LayoutSupportHelper. The following code examples illustrate how to set the line and text color of the page layout.

C#

LayoutSupportHelper helper = new LayoutSupportHelper(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
helper.ShowLayoutLines = true;
helper.LineColor = Color.Blue;
helper.TextColor = Color.Blue;

VB.NET

Dim helper As New LayoutSupportHelper(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
helper.ShowLayoutLines = true
helper.LineColor = Color.Blue
helper.TextColor = Color.Blue

Customizing Layout Lines and Text

The page layout line and text can be changed by using the LineColor, TextColor, LineWidth and PageTextFormat properties.

C#

LayoutSupportHelper helper = new LayoutSupportHelper(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
helper.ShowLayoutLines = true;
helper.LineColor = Color.HotPink;
helper.LineWidth = 3;
helper.TextColor = Color.DeepPink;
helper.PageTextFormat = "Paper";

VB.NET

Dim helper As New LayoutSupportHelper(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
helper.ShowLayoutLines = True
helper.LineColor = Color.HotPink
helper.LineWidth = 3
helper.TextColor = Color.DeepPink
helper.PageTextFormat = "Paper"

Customizing Page Flow

The page number will be considered based on the horizontally by default. This can be handled by using the PageFlow property.

C#

LayoutSupportHelper helper = new LayoutSupportHelper(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
helper.ShowLayoutLines = true;
helper.PageFlow = PageFlowDirection.Vertical;

VB.NET

Dim helper As New LayoutSupportHelper(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
helper.ShowLayoutLines = true
helper.PageFlow = PageFlowDirection.Vertical

Customizing Page Break Rows and Columns

The below example shows the number of rows and number of columns are provided for PageBreaks,

C#

//Defining page breaking rows
List<int> pageBreakRows = new List<int>();
pageBreakRows.Add(10);
pageBreakRows.Add(30);

//Defining page breaking columns
List<int> pageBreakColumns = new List<int>();
pageBreakColumns.Add(5);
pageBreakColumns.Add(9);
LayoutSupportHelper helper = new LayoutSupportHelper(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
helper.LineColor = Color.Blue;
helper.TextColor = Color.Blue;

//Setting Page breaking rows
helper.PageBreakRows = pageBreakRows;
helper.PageBreakCols = pageBreakColumns;
helper.ShowLayoutLines = true;

VB.NET

'Defining page breaking rows
Dim pageBreakRows As New List(Of Integer)()
pageBreakRows.Add(10)
pageBreakRows.Add(30)

'Defining page breaking columns
Dim pageBreakColumns As New List(Of Integer)()
pageBreakColumns.Add(5)
pageBreakColumns.Add(9)
Dim helper As New LayoutSupportHelper(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
helper.LineColor = Color.Blue
helper.TextColor = Color.Blue

'Setting Page breaking rows
helper.PageBreakRows = pageBreakRows
helper.PageBreakCols = pageBreakColumns
helper.ShowLayoutLines = True

Customizing Page Breaks

The row breaks and column breaks for each pages can be customized by using the PrintInfo property. This will provide the list of first row index and first column index of each pages while printing.
The below example shows the 30 rows and 5 columns are printed for each pages,

C#

GridPrintDocumentAdv printDocument = new GridPrintDocumentAdv(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);

printDocument.PrintPage += new System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventHandler(pd_PrintPage);

private void pd_PrintPage(object sender, System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventArgs e)
{

  // set the row count need to be printed for each page
  this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstRow = new ArrayList();
  this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstRow.Add(0);
  this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstRow.Add(30);
  this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstRow.Add(60);

  // Set the starting column count for each page
  this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstCol = new ArrayList();
  this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstCol.Add(0);
  this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstCol.Add(5);
}

VB.NET

Dim printDocument As New GridPrintDocumentAdv(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)

AddHandler printDocument.PrintPage, AddressOf pd_PrintPage

Private Sub pd_PrintPage(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventArgs)

  ' set the row count need to be printed for each page
  Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstRow = New ArrayList()
  Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstRow.Add(0)
  Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstRow.Add(30)
  Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstRow.Add(60)

  ' Set the starting column count for each page
  Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstCol = New ArrayList()
  Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstCol.Add(0)
  Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintInfo.m_awPageFirstCol.Add(5)
End Sub

Preventing Page Number Being Displayed

To prevent the page number is being displayed from the print page layout, the DrawPageNumber event can be used.

C#

LayoutSupportHelper helper = new LayoutSupportHelper(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
helper.ShowLayoutLines = true;
helper.DrawPageNumber += new DrawPageNumberEventHandler(helper_DrawPageNumber);

void helper_DrawPageNumber(GridControlBase grid, DrawPageNumberEventArgs e)
{

    if (e.Text == "page 1" || e.Text == "page 2")
    {

        //Canceling the Page number to be displayed
        e.Cancel = true;
    }
}

VB.NET

Dim helper As New LayoutSupportHelper(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
helper.ShowLayoutLines = True
AddHandler helper.DrawPageNumber, AddressOf helper_DrawPageNumber

Private Sub helper_DrawPageNumber(ByVal grid As GridControlBase, ByVal e As DrawPageNumberEventArgs)

    If e.Text = "page 1" OrElse e.Text = "page 2" Then

        'Canceling the Page number to be displayed
        e.Cancel = True
    End If
End Sub

Printing Customizations

The printing options of the grid can be customized by using the following methods.

Applying Header Colors While Printing

The cell styles can be changed dynamically on printing the grid by using PrintingMode property. The following code snippet is used to set the header colors for the GridGroupingControl only on the printed document,

C#

//Triggering the QueryCellStyleInfo event
this.gridGroupingControl1.QueryCellStyleInfo += new GridTableCellStyleInfoEventHandler(gridGroupingControl1_QueryCellStyleInfo);

void gridGroupingControl1_QueryCellStyleInfo(object sender, GridTableCellStyleInfoEventArgs e)
{

    if (this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintingMode)
    {

        if (e.TableCellIdentity.TableCellType == GridTableCellType.ColumnHeaderCell
            || e.TableCellIdentity.TableCellType == GridTableCellType.RecordRowHeaderCell
            || e.TableCellIdentity.TableCellType == GridTableCellType.AlternateRecordRowHeaderCell)
        {
            e.Style.BackColor = Color.Pink;
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

'Triggering the QueryCellStyleInfo event
Private Me.gridGroupingControl1.QueryCellStyleInfo += New GridTableCellStyleInfoEventHandler(AddressOf gridGroupingControl1_QueryCellStyleInfo)

Private Sub gridGroupingControl1_QueryCellStyleInfo(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As GridTableCellStyleInfoEventArgs)

If Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintingMode Then

If e.TableCellIdentity.TableCellType = GridTableCellType.ColumnHeaderCell OrElse e.TableCellIdentity.TableCellType = GridTableCellType.RecordRowHeaderCell OrElse e.TableCellIdentity.TableCellType = GridTableCellType.AlternateRecordRowHeaderCell Then
e.Style.BackColor = Color.Pink
End If
End If
End Sub

Hiding Row and Column Headers

To hide the row and column headers while printing or print previewing the grid, set the PrintRowHeader and PrintColumnHeader property values as false which are available in the TableModel property.

C#

//Hide Row and column headers while printing the document
this.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.PrintRowHeader = false;
this.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.PrintColHeader = false;

VB.NET

'Hide Row and column headers while printing the document
Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.PrintRowHeader = False
Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.PrintColHeader = False

Customizing the Print Alignment

The grid can be centered vertically while printing by setting the CenterVertical property to true. The grid can be printed with centered horizontally by enabling the CenterHorizontal property.

This property will disable the default alignment and the alignments can be determined by setting the margins using the Margins property.

C#

//Specifies if the grid should be centered vertically on printing.
this.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.CenterVertical = true;

//Specifies if the grid should be centered horizontally while printing.
this.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.CenterHorizontal = true;
GridPrintDocument printDocument = new GridPrintDocument(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl);
PrintPreviewDialog previewDialog = new PrintPreviewDialog();

//Setting the Margins
printDocument.DefaultPageSettings.Margins = new Margins(0, 0, 0, 700);
previewDialog.Document = printDocument;
previewDialog.Show();

VB.NET

'Specifies if the grid should be centered vertically on printing.
Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.CenterVertical = True

'Specifies if the grid should be centered horizontally while printing.
Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.Properties.CenterHorizontal = True
Dim printDocument As New GridPrintDocument(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl)
Dim previewDialog As New PrintPreviewDialog()

'Setting the Margins
printDocument.DefaultPageSettings.Margins = New Margins(0, 0, 0, 700)
previewDialog.Document = printDocument
previewDialog.Show()

Hiding Grid Lines While Printing

The horizontal and the vertical lines can be hidden in the printed document by setting the following code snippet,

C#

//To avoid printing the Horizontal and vertical lines
this. gridGroupingControl1.PrintHorizontalLines = false;
this. gridGroupingControl1.PrintVerticalLines = false;

VB.NET

'To avoid printing the Horizontal and vertical lines
Me. gridGroupingControl1.PrintHorizontalLines = False
Me. gridGroupingControl1.PrintVerticalLines = False

Hiding the Row/columns using Events

To hide some of the rows and columns while printing the grid, set the size of the row height and column width value as zero at the QueryRowHeight and QueryColWidth events while the grid entered into the PrintingMode.

C#

// Triggering the QueryRowHeight event
this.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.QueryRowHeight += new GridRowColSizeEventHandler(TableModel_QueryRowHeight);

// Triggering the QueryColWidth event
this.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.QueryColWidth += new GridRowColSizeEventHandler(TableModel_QueryColWidth);

void TableModel_QueryColWidth(object sender, GridRowColSizeEventArgs e)
{

  //Apply the condition only on printing

  if (this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintingMode)
  {

    if (e.Index == 3 || e.Index == 4)
    {

      //Set the row height value as zero while the Grid in printing mode
      e.Size = 0;
      e.Handled = true;
    }
  }
}

void TableModel_QueryRowHeight(object sender, GridRowColSizeEventArgs e)
{

   //Apply the condition only on printing

   if (this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintingMode)
   {

     if (e.Index == 8)
     {

        //Set the row height value as zero while the Grid in printing mode
        e.Size = 0;
        e.Handled = true;
     }
  }
}

VB.NET

' Triggering the QueryRowHeight event

Private Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.QueryRowHeight += New GridRowColSizeEventHandler(AddressOf TableModel_QueryRowHeight)

' Triggering the QueryColWidth event

Private Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableModel.QueryColWidth += New GridRowColSizeEventHandler(AddressOf TableModel_QueryColWidth)

Private Sub TableModel_QueryColWidth(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As GridRowColSizeEventArgs)

  'Apply the condition only on printing

  If Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintingMode Then

    If e.Index = 3 OrElse e.Index = 4 Then

      'Set the row height value as zero while the Grid in printing mode
      e.Size = 0
      e.Handled = True
    End If
  End If
End Sub

Private Sub TableModel_QueryRowHeight(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As GridRowColSizeEventArgs)

   'Apply the condition only on printing

   If Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl.PrintingMode Then

     If e.Index = 8 Then

        'Set the row height value as zero while the Grid in printing mode
        e.Size = 0
        e.Handled = True
     End If
   End If
End Sub

Print the selected range of the cells

To print only the selected range of cells from the grid, set the PrintRange value as Selection. It will print the selected range of cells or the selected page from the GridGroupingControl.

This will only print the selected range which is enabled by the AllowSelection property. So It will not print the selected ranges which is enabled by theListBoxSelectionMode selection.

C#

//Enabling the AllowSelection type selection
this.gridGroupingControl1.TableOptions.AllowSelection = GridSelectionFlags.Any;
GridPrintDocument gridPrintDocument = new GridPrintDocument(this.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl, true);

//To print the selected range of cells
gridPrintDocument.PrinterSettings.PrintRange = System.Drawing.Printing.PrintRange.Selection;

VB.NET

'Enabling the AllowSelection type selection
Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableOptions.AllowSelection = GridSelectionFlags.Any
Dim gridPrintDocument As New GridPrintDocument(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl, True)

'To print the selected range of cells
gridPrintDocument.PrinterSettings.PrintRange = System.Drawing.Printing.PrintRange.Selection

The PrintRange enumeration has the following printing options,

AllPages –Used to print all the pages of the Grid

CurrentPage –Used to print the Current page

Selection –Used to print the selected range of cells

SomePages –Used to print particular range of pages.

NOTE

By default the PrintRange will be pointed to AllPages, so that the print method will print all the pages of the grid.

Printing needed pages alone

The needed pages in the grid can only be printed by setting the PrintRange property value as SomePages.

C#

GridPrintDocument gridPrintDocument = new GridPrintDocument(this. gridGroupingControl1.TableControl, true);
PrintPreviewDialog printPreviewDialog = new PrintPreviewDialog();
printPreviewDialog.Document = gridPrintDocument;

//To print the specific range of pages
gridPrintDocument.PrinterSettings.FromPage = 2;
gridPrintDocument.PrinterSettings.ToPage = 3;
gridPrintDocument.PrinterSettings.PrintRange = System.Drawing.Printing.PrintRange.SomePages;
printPreviewDialog.ShowDialog();

VB.NET

Dim gridPrintDocument As New GridPrintDocument(Me.gridGroupingControl1.TableControl, True)
Dim printPreviewDialog As New PrintPreviewDialog()
printPreviewDialog.Document = gridPrintDocument

'To print the specific range of pages
gridPrintDocument.PrinterSettings.FromPage = 2
gridPrintDocument.PrinterSettings.ToPage = 3
gridPrintDocument.PrinterSettings.PrintRange = System.Drawing.Printing.PrintRange.SomePages
printPreviewDialog.ShowDialog()

Deriving GridPrintDocument

The GridPrintDocument has the events BeginPrint, PrintPage and EndPrint inherited from PrintDocument, which allows to access the printing flow at certain points. To gain more control over the printing document, derive the GridPrintDocument and override the members like OnPrintPage. Using this overrides, the ViewLayout and TopRowIndex of the grid members can be accessed to obtain the information about the page that is being printed.

The following code shows how to print the header and footer with each page count,

C#

public class GridPrintAtLocDocument : GridPrintDocument
{
   private GridControlBase _grid;
   private int headerHeight;
   private int footerHeight;
   private int pageNo;

   public GridPrintAtLocDocument(GridControlBase grid, bool printPreview) :
               base(grid, printPreview)
   {
      _grid = grid;
        headerHeight = 50;
        footerHeight = 20;
      int left = this.DefaultPageSettings.Margins.Left;
      int top = (this.DefaultPageSettings.Margins.Top + headerHeight);

      // 50 lower
      int right = this.DefaultPageSettings.Margins.Right;
      int bottom = this.DefaultPageSettings.Margins.Bottom;
      this.DefaultPageSettings.Margins = new Margins(left, right, top, bottom);
      pageNo = 1;
   }

   protected override void OnPrintPage(System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventArgs e)
   {
       base.OnPrintPage(e);

       // compute the position of the header
       float x = float.Parse(this.DefaultPageSettings.Bounds.X);
       float y = (float.Parse(this.DefaultPageSettings.Margins.Top) - (headerHeight - 30));
       float w = float.Parse(this.DefaultPageSettings.Bounds.Width);
       float h = (float.Parse(headerHeight) + 30);

       // setup the alignment
       StringFormat format = new StringFormat();
       format.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Center;
       format.Alignment = StringAlignment.Center;

       // define the header text and draw it
       string text = string.Format("Header Text {0}", pageNo);
       Font font = new Font(_grid.Font.Name, 30);
       e.Graphics.DrawString(text, font, Brushes.Black, new RectangleF(x, y, w, h), format);

       // position the footer; align the footer ; print the footer
       y = float.Parse((this.DefaultPageSettings.Bounds.Top + (this.DefaultPageSettings.Bounds.Height - footerHeight)));
       h = float.Parse(footerHeight);
       format.Alignment = StringAlignment.Center;

       //  Gets the page No. with the Maximum Page
       text = string.Format("Footer Text {0} of {1}", pageNo, this.PrinterSettings.MaximumPage);
       font = new Font(_grid.Font.Name, 10);
       e.Graphics.DrawString(text, font, Brushes.Black, new RectangleF(x, y, w, h), format);
       pageNo++;
   }
}

VB.NET

Public Class GridPrintAtLocDocument
    Inherits GridPrintDocument
    Private _grid As GridControlBase
    Private headerHeight As Integer
    Private footerHeight As Integer
    Private pageNo As Integer

    Public Sub New(ByVal grid As GridControlBase, ByVal printPreview As Boolean)
        MyBase.New(grid, printPreview)
        _grid = grid
        headerHeight = 50
        footerHeight = 20
        Dim left As Integer = Me.DefaultPageSettings.Margins.Left
        Dim top As Integer = (Me.DefaultPageSettings.Margins.Top + headerHeight)

        ' 50 lower
        Dim right As Integer = Me.DefaultPageSettings.Margins.Right
        Dim bottom As Integer = Me.DefaultPageSettings.Margins.Bottom
        Me.DefaultPageSettings.Margins = New Margins(left, right, top, bottom)
        pageNo = 1
    End Sub

    Protected Overrides Sub OnPrintPage(ByVal e As System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventArgs)
        MyBase.OnPrintPage(e)

        ' compute the position of the header
        Dim x As Single = Single.Parse(Me.DefaultPageSettings.Bounds.X)
        Dim y As Single = (Single.Parse(Me.DefaultPageSettings.Margins.Top) - (headerHeight - 30))
        Dim w As Single = Single.Parse(Me.DefaultPageSettings.Bounds.Width)
        Dim h As Single = (Single.Parse(headerHeight) + 30)

        ' setup the alignment
        Dim format As New StringFormat()
        format.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Center
        format.Alignment = StringAlignment.Center

        ' define the header text and draw it
        Dim text As String = String.Format("Header Text {0}", pageNo)
        Dim font As New Font(_grid.Font.Name, 30)
        e.Graphics.DrawString(text, font, Brushes.Black, New RectangleF(x, y, w, h), format)

        ' position the footer; align the footer ; print the footer
        y = Single.Parse((Me.DefaultPageSettings.Bounds.Top + (Me.DefaultPageSettings.Bounds.Height - footerHeight)))
        h = Single.Parse(footerHeight)
        format.Alignment = StringAlignment.Center

        '  Gets the page No. with the Maximum Page
        text = String.Format("Footer Text {0} of {1}", pageNo, Me.PrinterSettings.MaximumPage)
        font = New Font(_grid.Font.Name, 10)
        e.Graphics.DrawString(text, font, Brushes.Black, New RectangleF(x, y, w, h), format)
        pageNo += 1
    End Sub
End Class