How to Convert Razor Pages to PDFs in ASP.NET Core C# App

Introduction

Razor Pages provide a powerful and intuitive way to build dynamic web content in ASP.NET Core applications. When combined with IronPDF's rendering capabilities, developers can create professional PDF documents directly from their web content. This approach removes complex PDF generation logic and allows you to use your existing HTML and CSS skills.

The integration between IronPDF and Razor Pages is particularly valuable for generating reports, invoices, certificates, and any other documents that require dynamic data presentation. By using the same Razor syntax you're already familiar with, you can maintain consistency between your web views and PDF outputs.

What NuGet Packages Do I Need for Razor to PDF Conversion?

The IronPdf.Extensions.Razor package is an extension of the main IronPdf package. Both the IronPdf.Extensions.Razor and IronPdf packages are needed to render Razor Pages to PDF documents in an ASP.NET Core Web App. For detailed installation instructions, visit our installation overview guide.

# Command to install IronPdf.Extensions.Razor package using NuGet Package Manager
Install-Package IronPdf.Extensions.Razor

# Command to install IronPdf.Extensions.Razor package using NuGet Package Manager
Install-Package IronPdf.Extensions.Razor

Install with NuGet

Install-Package IronPdf.Extensions.Razor

nuget.org/packages/IronPdf.Extensions.Razor/

How Do I Convert Razor Pages to PDFs in ASP.NET Core?

You'll need an ASP.NET Core Web App project to convert Razor Pages into PDF files. The process involves creating a model for your data, setting up a Razor Page to display that data, and then using IronPDF's RenderRazorToPdf method to generate the PDF output.

:path=/static-assets/pdf/content-code-examples/how-to/cshtml-to-pdf-razor-model.cs

namespace RazorPageSample.Models
{
    public class Person
    {
        public int Id { get; set; }
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public string Title { get; set; }
        public string Description { get; set; }
    }
}

@page
@using RazorPageSample.Models;
@model RazorPageSample.Pages.PersonsModel
@{
}

<table class="table">
    <tr>
        <th>Name</th>
        <th>Title</th>
        <th>Description</th>
    </tr>
    @foreach (var person in ViewData["personList"] as List<Person>)
    {
        <tr>
            <td>@person.Name</td>
            <td>@person.Title</td>
            <td>@person.Description</td>
        </tr>
    }
</table>

<form method="post">
    <button type="submit">Print</button>
</form>

@page
@using RazorPageSample.Models;
@model RazorPageSample.Pages.PersonsModel
@{
}

<table class="table">
    <tr>
        <th>Name</th>
        <th>Title</th>
        <th>Description</th>
    </tr>
    @foreach (var person in ViewData["personList"] as List<Person>)
    {
        <tr>
            <td>@person.Name</td>
            <td>@person.Title</td>
            <td>@person.Description</td>
        </tr>
    }
</table>

<form method="post">
    <button type="submit">Print</button>
</form>

Render Razor Pages to PDFs

Next, the code below first instantiates the ChromePdfRenderer class. Passing this to the RenderRazorToPdf method is sufficient to convert this Razor Page to a PDF document.

You have full access to the features available in RenderingOptions. These features include the ability to apply page numbers to the generated PDF, set custom margins, and add custom text as well as HTML headers and footers. You can also configure metadata for your PDFs to ensure proper document identification and searchability.

• Open the dropdown for the "Persons.cshtml" file to see the "Persons.cshtml.cs" file.
• Modify the "Persons.cshtml.cs" with the code below.

using IronPdf.Razor;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.RazorPages;
using RazorPageSample.Models;

namespace RazorPageSample.Pages
{
    public class PersonsModel : PageModel
    {
        [BindProperty(SupportsGet = true)]
        public List<Person> Persons { get; set; }

        // Handle GET request to load initial data
        public void OnGet()
        {
            Persons = new List<Person>
            {
                new Person { Name = "Alice", Title = "Mrs.", Description = "Software Engineer" },
                new Person { Name = "Bob", Title = "Mr.", Description = "Software Engineer" },
                new Person { Name = "Charlie", Title = "Mr.", Description = "Software Engineer" }
            };

            ViewData["personList"] = Persons;
        }

        // Handle POST request to convert Razor page to PDF
        public IActionResult OnPost()
        {
            Persons = new List<Person>
            {
                new Person { Name = "Alice", Title = "Mrs.", Description = "Software Engineer" },
                new Person { Name = "Bob", Title = "Mr.", Description = "Software Engineer" },
                new Person { Name = "Charlie", Title = "Mr.", Description = "Software Engineer" }
            };

            ViewData["personList"] = Persons;

            ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

            // Render Razor Page to PDF document
            PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRazorToPdf(this);

            // Return the generated PDF file with appropriate content headers
            Response.Headers.Add("Content-Disposition", "inline");
            return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf", "razorPageToPdf.pdf");

            // Optionally view the output PDF in browser (uncomment below line if needed)
            // return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf");
        }
    }
}

using IronPdf.Razor;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.RazorPages;
using RazorPageSample.Models;

namespace RazorPageSample.Pages
{
    public class PersonsModel : PageModel
    {
        [BindProperty(SupportsGet = true)]
        public List<Person> Persons { get; set; }

        // Handle GET request to load initial data
        public void OnGet()
        {
            Persons = new List<Person>
            {
                new Person { Name = "Alice", Title = "Mrs.", Description = "Software Engineer" },
                new Person { Name = "Bob", Title = "Mr.", Description = "Software Engineer" },
                new Person { Name = "Charlie", Title = "Mr.", Description = "Software Engineer" }
            };

            ViewData["personList"] = Persons;
        }

        // Handle POST request to convert Razor page to PDF
        public IActionResult OnPost()
        {
            Persons = new List<Person>
            {
                new Person { Name = "Alice", Title = "Mrs.", Description = "Software Engineer" },
                new Person { Name = "Bob", Title = "Mr.", Description = "Software Engineer" },
                new Person { Name = "Charlie", Title = "Mr.", Description = "Software Engineer" }
            };

            ViewData["personList"] = Persons;

            ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

            // Render Razor Page to PDF document
            PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRazorToPdf(this);

            // Return the generated PDF file with appropriate content headers
            Response.Headers.Add("Content-Disposition", "inline");
            return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf", "razorPageToPdf.pdf");

            // Optionally view the output PDF in browser (uncomment below line if needed)
            // return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf");
        }
    }
}

The RenderRazorToPdf method returns a PdfDocument object that can undergo additional processing and editing. You can export the PDF as PDFA or PDFUA, apply a digital signature to the rendered PDF document, or merge and split PDF documents. The method also allows you to rotate pages, add annotations or bookmarks, and stamp custom watermarks onto your PDF.

For enhanced document management, you can also compress PDFs to reduce file size without compromising quality. This is particularly useful when dealing with large reports or when bandwidth is a concern. Additionally, the extensive editing capabilities provided by IronPDF are documented in our comprehensive PDF editing tutorial.

<header>
    <nav class="navbar navbar-expand-sm navbar-toggleable-sm navbar-light bg-white border-bottom box-shadow mb-3">
        <div class="container">
            <a class="navbar-brand" asp-area="" asp-page="/Index">RazorPageSample</a>
            <button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-bs-toggle="collapse" data-bs-target=".navbar-collapse" aria-controls="navbarSupportedContent"
                    aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Toggle navigation">
                <span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span>
            </button>
            <div class="navbar-collapse collapse d-sm-inline-flex justify-content-between">
                <ul class="navbar-nav flex-grow-1">
                    <li class="nav-item">
                        <a class="nav-link text-dark" asp-area="" asp-page="/Index">Home</a>
                    </li>
                    <li class="nav-item">
                        <a class="nav-link text-dark" asp-area="" asp-page="/Persons">Person</a>
                    </li>
                    <li class="nav-item">
                        <a class="nav-link text-dark" asp-area="" asp-page="/Privacy">Privacy</a>
                    </li>
                </ul>
            </div>
        </div>
    </nav>
</header>

<header>
    <nav class="navbar navbar-expand-sm navbar-toggleable-sm navbar-light bg-white border-bottom box-shadow mb-3">
        <div class="container">
            <a class="navbar-brand" asp-area="" asp-page="/Index">RazorPageSample</a>
            <button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-bs-toggle="collapse" data-bs-target=".navbar-collapse" aria-controls="navbarSupportedContent"
                    aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Toggle navigation">
                <span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span>
            </button>
            <div class="navbar-collapse collapse d-sm-inline-flex justify-content-between">
                <ul class="navbar-nav flex-grow-1">
                    <li class="nav-item">
                        <a class="nav-link text-dark" asp-area="" asp-page="/Index">Home</a>
                    </li>
                    <li class="nav-item">
                        <a class="nav-link text-dark" asp-area="" asp-page="/Persons">Person</a>
                    </li>
                    <li class="nav-item">
                        <a class="nav-link text-dark" asp-area="" asp-page="/Privacy">Privacy</a>
                    </li>
                </ul>
            </div>
        </div>
    </nav>
</header>

What Happens When I Run the PDF Generation?

This shows you how to run the project and generate a PDF document. When you click the "Person" navigation link, you'll see the data displayed in a table format. Clicking the "Print" button triggers the PDF generation process, converting the current Razor Page view into a downloadable PDF document.

The generated PDF maintains all the styling and formatting from your Razor Page, ensuring a consistent look between your web view and the PDF output. This approach is particularly useful for generating reports, invoices, or any document that requires data from your application's database or business logic.

Where Can I Download a Complete ASP.NET Core Web App Example?

You can download the complete code for this guide as a zipped file, which you can open in Visual Studio as an ASP.NET Core Web App project.

Download the RazorPageSample.zip ASP.NET Core Web App Project