MS Graph .NET (How It Works For Developers)

MS Graph .NET serves as an access data tool for interactions with the Microsoft Graph API, a central piece of the Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) ecosystem. Microsoft Graph is a gateway to data and intelligence in Microsoft 365. It allows developers to access, manage, and analyze data across various Microsoft services. The Microsoft Graph client library simplifies this process by providing a set of methods to interact with the API easily.

IronPDF is a library for generating PDF documents in .NET applications. It converts HTML to PDF, making it useful for creating reports, invoices, and documentation automatically. IronPDF works well with .NET applications, offering a straightforward approach to PDF generation.

Combining MS Graph .NET and IronPDF allows developers to create applications that can manipulate Microsoft 365 data and produce PDF documents. This combination is powerful for developing business applications that require data from Microsoft services and need to present that data in a standardized document format.

Getting Started with MS Graph .NET

Setting Up MS Graph .NET in .NET Projects

To use MS Graph .NET effectively, especially when working with user IDs in .NET Core projects, setting up your .NET project is the first step. Here are the steps:

1. Open the NuGet Package Manager.
2. Search for Microsoft.Graph.
   3. Install the Microsoft.Graph package.

This process adds MS Graph .NET to your project. Now, you're ready to start coding with it.

A Basic Code Example

Let's say you want to retrieve the current user's profile information. Here is a simple code example:

var clientId = "Your_Application_Id";
var tenantId = "Your_Tenant_Id";
var clientSecret = "Your_Client_Secret";
var scopes = new [] { "User.Read" };
var options = new TokenCredentialOptions
{
    AuthorityHost = AzureAuthorityHosts.AzurePublicCloud
};
var clientSecretCredential = new ClientSecretCredential(
    tenantId, clientId, clientSecret, options);
var graphClient = new GraphServiceClient(clientSecretCredential, scopes);
var user = await graphClient.Me
    .Request()
    .GetAsync();
Console.WriteLine($"Hello, {user.DisplayName}!");

var clientId = "Your_Application_Id";
var tenantId = "Your_Tenant_Id";
var clientSecret = "Your_Client_Secret";
var scopes = new [] { "User.Read" };
var options = new TokenCredentialOptions
{
    AuthorityHost = AzureAuthorityHosts.AzurePublicCloud
};
var clientSecretCredential = new ClientSecretCredential(
    tenantId, clientId, clientSecret, options);
var graphClient = new GraphServiceClient(clientSecretCredential, scopes);
var user = await graphClient.Me
    .Request()
    .GetAsync();
Console.WriteLine($"Hello, {user.DisplayName}!");

Dim clientId = "Your_Application_Id"
Dim tenantId = "Your_Tenant_Id"
Dim clientSecret = "Your_Client_Secret"
Dim scopes = { "User.Read" }
Dim options = New TokenCredentialOptions With {.AuthorityHost = AzureAuthorityHosts.AzurePublicCloud}
Dim clientSecretCredential As New ClientSecretCredential(tenantId, clientId, clientSecret, options)
Dim graphClient = New GraphServiceClient(clientSecretCredential, scopes)
Dim user = Await graphClient.Me.Request().GetAsync()
Console.WriteLine($"Hello, {user.DisplayName}!")

This code snippet demonstrates creating a new instance of GraphServiceClient, utilizing a client secret for Azure AD authentication. It uses client credentials to authenticate. Then, it retrieves the current user's display name. Following the following code snippets make sure that MS Graph .NET, alongside your authentication provider configurations, is added to your project.

Features of MS Graph .NET

Retrieve User Emails

To retrieve emails from a user's Microsoft account mailbox, you use the Mail.Read permission. Here is how you can list the most recent emails:

var messages = await graphClient.Me.Messages
    .Request()
    .Top(10) // Retrieves the top 10 messages
    .GetAsync();
foreach (var message in messages)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Subject: {message.Subject}");
}

var messages = await graphClient.Me.Messages
    .Request()
    .Top(10) // Retrieves the top 10 messages
    .GetAsync();
foreach (var message in messages)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Subject: {message.Subject}");
}

Dim messages = Await graphClient.Me.Messages.Request().Top(10).GetAsync()
For Each message In messages
	Console.WriteLine($"Subject: {message.Subject}")
Next message

This code lists the subjects of the top 10 emails in the user's inbox.

Send an Email

Sending an email involves creating a Message object and sending it:

var message = new Message
{
    Subject = "Hello from MS Graph .NET",
    Body = new ItemBody
    {
        ContentType = BodyType.Text,
        Content = "Hello, this is a test email."
    },
    ToRecipients = new List<Recipient>()
    {
        new Recipient
        {
            EmailAddress = new EmailAddress
            {
                Address = "recipient@example.com"
            }
        }
    }
};
await graphClient.Me.SendMail(message, null)
    .Request()
    .PostAsync();

var message = new Message
{
    Subject = "Hello from MS Graph .NET",
    Body = new ItemBody
    {
        ContentType = BodyType.Text,
        Content = "Hello, this is a test email."
    },
    ToRecipients = new List<Recipient>()
    {
        new Recipient
        {
            EmailAddress = new EmailAddress
            {
                Address = "recipient@example.com"
            }
        }
    }
};
await graphClient.Me.SendMail(message, null)
    .Request()
    .PostAsync();

Dim message As New Message With {
	.Subject = "Hello from MS Graph .NET",
	.Body = New ItemBody With {
		.ContentType = BodyType.Text,
		.Content = "Hello, this is a test email."
	},
	.ToRecipients = New List(Of Recipient)() From {
		New Recipient With {
			.EmailAddress = New EmailAddress With {.Address = "recipient@example.com"}
		}
	}
}
Await graphClient.Me.SendMail(message, Nothing).Request().PostAsync()

This sends an email with a simple text body.

Managing Calendar Events

To add an event to the user's calendar:

var @event = new Event
{
    Subject = "Team Meeting",
    Body = new ItemBody
    {
        ContentType = BodyType.Html,
        Content = "Discuss project updates."
    },
    Start = new DateTimeTimeZone
    {
        DateTime = "2024-04-15T12:00:00",
        TimeZone = "Pacific Standard Time"
    },
    End = new DateTimeTimeZone
    {
        DateTime = "2024-04-15T14:00:00",
        TimeZone = "Pacific Standard Time"
    },
    Location = new Location
    {
        DisplayName = "Conference Room 1"
    }
};
await graphClient.Me.Events
    .Request()
    .AddAsync(@event);

var @event = new Event
{
    Subject = "Team Meeting",
    Body = new ItemBody
    {
        ContentType = BodyType.Html,
        Content = "Discuss project updates."
    },
    Start = new DateTimeTimeZone
    {
        DateTime = "2024-04-15T12:00:00",
        TimeZone = "Pacific Standard Time"
    },
    End = new DateTimeTimeZone
    {
        DateTime = "2024-04-15T14:00:00",
        TimeZone = "Pacific Standard Time"
    },
    Location = new Location
    {
        DisplayName = "Conference Room 1"
    }
};
await graphClient.Me.Events
    .Request()
    .AddAsync(@event);

Dim [event] As [Event] = New [Event] With {
	.Subject = "Team Meeting",
	.Body = New ItemBody With {
		.ContentType = BodyType.Html,
		.Content = "Discuss project updates."
	},
	.Start = New DateTimeTimeZone With {
		.DateTime = "2024-04-15T12:00:00",
		.TimeZone = "Pacific Standard Time"
	},
	.End = New DateTimeTimeZone With {
		.DateTime = "2024-04-15T14:00:00",
		.TimeZone = "Pacific Standard Time"
	},
	.Location = New Location With {.DisplayName = "Conference Room 1"}
}
Await graphClient.Me.Events.Request().AddAsync([event])

This code schedules a new event in the calendar.

Accessing OneDrive Files

To list files from the root of the user's OneDrive:

var files = await graphClient.Me.Drive.Root.Children
    .Request()
    .GetAsync();
foreach (var file in files)
{
    Console.WriteLine(file.Name);
}

var files = await graphClient.Me.Drive.Root.Children
    .Request()
    .GetAsync();
foreach (var file in files)
{
    Console.WriteLine(file.Name);
}

Dim files = Await graphClient.Me.Drive.Root.Children.Request().GetAsync()
For Each file In files
	Console.WriteLine(file.Name)
Next file

This code prints the names of the files in the root directory of OneDrive.

Working with Teams

To retrieve the list of teams the user is part of:

var teams = await graphClient.Me.JoinedTeams
    .Request()
    .GetAsync();
foreach (var team in teams)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Team name: {team.DisplayName}");
}

var teams = await graphClient.Me.JoinedTeams
    .Request()
    .GetAsync();
foreach (var team in teams)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Team name: {team.DisplayName}");
}

Dim teams = Await graphClient.Me.JoinedTeams.Request().GetAsync()
For Each team In teams
	Console.WriteLine($"Team name: {team.DisplayName}")
Next team

This lists the names of the Teams that the user is a part of.

Each of these features demonstrates the power and versatility of MS Graph .NET. They show how you can integrate Microsoft 365 services into your applications.

Integrating MSGraph .NET with IronPDF

If you're looking to work with PDFs in your .NET applications, IronPDF is a solid choice. It's a library that gives your apps the ability to read, create, and manipulate PDF files without needing any other external PDF tools or software.

Use Case: Merging IronPDF with MSGraph .NET

Imagine you're building an application that needs to fetch documents from Microsoft 365, say reports or invoices, and convert them into PDFs. MSGraph .NET allows you to interact with Microsoft 365 resources, including files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. IronPDF can then be used to take these documents and convert them into PDFs. This combination is especially useful for automated report generation or archiving emails and attachments in a PDF format for easy distribution.

Code Example: From MSGraph to PDF

Let's walk through a simple example. We're going to fetch a document from OneDrive using MSGraph .NET and then convert that document to a PDF using IronPDF. I'll assume you've already set up your authentication with MSGraph; if not, there's plenty of documentation on Microsoft's site to get you started.

// Simplified example, ensure to handle exceptions and errors appropriately.
using Microsoft.Graph;
using IronPdf;
using System.IO;
class Program
{
    static async Task Main(string [] args)
    {
        var graphClient = new GraphServiceClient(
            new DelegateAuthenticationProvider(
                async (requestMessage) =>
                {
                    // Insert code to acquire token
                    string accessToken = await GetAccessTokenAsync();
                    requestMessage.Headers.Authorization = new System.Net.Http.Headers.AuthenticationHeaderValue("Bearer", accessToken);
                }));
        // Replace 'itemId' with the ID of your document in OneDrive
        var stream = await graphClient.Me.Drive.Items ["itemId"].Content.Request().GetAsync();
        // IronPDF setup to convert the fetched file to PDF
        var renderer = new HtmlToPdf();
        var pdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(streamToString(stream));
        // Save the PDF to a file
        pdfDocument.SaveAs("YourDocument.pdf");
    }
    static string streamToString(Stream stream)
    {
        using (var reader = new StreamReader(stream))
        {
            return reader.ReadToEnd();
        }
    }
    static async Task<string> GetAccessTokenAsync()
    {
        // Implement your authentication logic here to return the access token
        return "your_access_token";
    }
}

// Simplified example, ensure to handle exceptions and errors appropriately.
using Microsoft.Graph;
using IronPdf;
using System.IO;
class Program
{
    static async Task Main(string [] args)
    {
        var graphClient = new GraphServiceClient(
            new DelegateAuthenticationProvider(
                async (requestMessage) =>
                {
                    // Insert code to acquire token
                    string accessToken = await GetAccessTokenAsync();
                    requestMessage.Headers.Authorization = new System.Net.Http.Headers.AuthenticationHeaderValue("Bearer", accessToken);
                }));
        // Replace 'itemId' with the ID of your document in OneDrive
        var stream = await graphClient.Me.Drive.Items ["itemId"].Content.Request().GetAsync();
        // IronPDF setup to convert the fetched file to PDF
        var renderer = new HtmlToPdf();
        var pdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(streamToString(stream));
        // Save the PDF to a file
        pdfDocument.SaveAs("YourDocument.pdf");
    }
    static string streamToString(Stream stream)
    {
        using (var reader = new StreamReader(stream))
        {
            return reader.ReadToEnd();
        }
    }
    static async Task<string> GetAccessTokenAsync()
    {
        // Implement your authentication logic here to return the access token
        return "your_access_token";
    }
}

' Simplified example, ensure to handle exceptions and errors appropriately.
Imports Microsoft.Graph
Imports IronPdf
Imports System.IO
Friend Class Program
	Shared Async Function Main(ByVal args() As String) As Task
		Dim graphClient = New GraphServiceClient(New DelegateAuthenticationProvider(Async Sub(requestMessage)
					' Insert code to acquire token
					Dim accessToken As String = Await GetAccessTokenAsync()
					requestMessage.Headers.Authorization = New System.Net.Http.Headers.AuthenticationHeaderValue("Bearer", accessToken)
		End Sub))
		' Replace 'itemId' with the ID of your document in OneDrive
		Dim stream = Await graphClient.Me.Drive.Items ("itemId").Content.Request().GetAsync()
		' IronPDF setup to convert the fetched file to PDF
		Dim renderer = New HtmlToPdf()
		Dim pdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(streamToString(stream))
		' Save the PDF to a file
		pdfDocument.SaveAs("YourDocument.pdf")
	End Function
	Private Shared Function streamToString(ByVal stream As Stream) As String
		Using reader = New StreamReader(stream)
			Return reader.ReadToEnd()
		End Using
	End Function
	Private Shared Async Function GetAccessTokenAsync() As Task(Of String)
		' Implement your authentication logic here to return the access token
		Return "your_access_token"
	End Function
End Class

A few things to note in this code:

• We're using MSGraph to access a file stored in OneDrive. You'll need the item's ID, which you can obtain through the Graph API.
• We convert the file stream to a string for this example. This works well for HTML documents. If you're dealing with binary files (like Word documents), you'll want to use a different method to convert these files to PDFs.
• The RenderHtmlAsPdf method from IronPDF is used here to create a PDF from an HTML string. If your source document is not HTML, IronPDF offers methods to work with other formats as well.

Remember, this is a simplified example. In a real-world application, you'd need to handle authentication more robustly, manage errors, and potentially deal with different file formats more gracefully. But this should give you a good starting point for integrating MSGraph and IronPDF in your .NET projects.

Conclusion

For developers looking to integrate Microsoft 365 capabilities into their C# applications, the MS Graph .NET SDK is an essential tool. Start by exploring the official documentation starting at $749.