C# PDF Viewers

How Do I View PDFs in ASP.NET & MVC?

For web applications, PDFs can be viewed in a browser window or iframe. The iframe approach is particularly effective as it maintains the application's layout while displaying the PDF content inline. When implementing PDF viewing in ASP.NET applications, consider using IronPDF's HTML to PDF conversion capabilities to generate dynamic PDFs on the fly.

Alternatively, you can utilize the impressive pdf.js library from Mozilla, which provides a comprehensive PDF viewer written entirely in JavaScript. This library offers features like text selection, zooming, and page navigation without requiring any browser plugins.

Here's a simple example of embedding a PDF in an ASP.NET page using an iframe:

// Controller action to serve PDF
public ActionResult ViewPdf()
{
    var pdfPath = Server.MapPath("~/Content/sample.pdf");
    return File(pdfPath, "application/pdf");
}

// In your Razor view
<iframe src="@Url.Action("ViewPdf")" width="100%" height="600px"></iframe>

// Controller action to serve PDF
public ActionResult ViewPdf()
{
    var pdfPath = Server.MapPath("~/Content/sample.pdf");
    return File(pdfPath, "application/pdf");
}

// In your Razor view
<iframe src="@Url.Action("ViewPdf")" width="100%" height="600px"></iframe>

For more advanced scenarios, you might want to explore saving and exporting PDFs directly from your ASP.NET application or implementing custom headers and footers for branded document viewing experiences.

How Do I View PDFs in WPF Applications?

For viewing PDF documents directly in WPF, you can use the native WebBrowser control. This control leverages the Internet Explorer rendering engine to display PDF files seamlessly within your WPF application. The WebBrowser control is particularly useful when you need to maintain a consistent user interface while displaying PDF content.

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// THIS CODE SNIPPET IS NOT AVAILABLE!

WPF applications can also benefit from IronPDF's rendering options to customize how PDFs are displayed. You might also want to implement page rotation features for better viewing flexibility.

How Do I View PDFs in Windows Forms?

For viewing PDF documents directly in Windows Forms applications, the WebBrowser control is also a good choice. Similar to WPF, this control provides a straightforward way to embed PDF viewing capabilities directly into your WinForms application without requiring external dependencies.

:path=/static-assets/pdf/content-code-examples/how-to/net-pdf-viewer-winforms-viewer.cs

// THIS CODE SNIPPET IS NOT AVAILABLE!

When working with WinForms PDF viewers, you might also want to implement additional features like extracting text and images from the displayed PDFs or adding annotations for user interaction.

How Do I View PDFs in the Default System PDF Viewer?

To open a PDF from any application in an external window, use System.Diagnostics.Process.Start. This method opens the PDF in the default application for PDF viewing, such as a web browser or Adobe Acrobat, if installed.

:path=/static-assets/pdf/content-code-examples/how-to/net-pdf-viewer-default-pdf-viewer.cs

using IronPdf;

// Render any HTML fragment or document to HTML
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello IronPdf</h1>");

var outputPath = "ChromePdfRenderer.pdf";

// Export PDF document
pdf.SaveAs(outputPath);

// This neat trick opens our PDF file so we can see the result in our default PDF viewer
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(outputPath);

This code snippet demonstrates how to use System.Diagnostics.Process.Start to open a PDF file with the default PDF viewer on the system. Ensure that the specified file path points to a valid PDF file on your system. This approach is particularly useful when you want to leverage the user's preferred PDF viewing application, which may offer advanced features like annotation tools, bookmarking, and printing capabilities.

For production applications, you might want to add error handling:

try
{
    var psi = new System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo
    {
        FileName = outputPath,
        UseShellExecute = true
    };
    System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(psi);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    // Handle the case where no PDF viewer is installed
    MessageBox.Show($"Unable to open PDF: {ex.Message}");
}

try
{
    var psi = new System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo
    {
        FileName = outputPath,
        UseShellExecute = true
    };
    System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(psi);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    // Handle the case where no PDF viewer is installed
    MessageBox.Show($"Unable to open PDF: {ex.Message}");
}

Additional Considerations

When implementing PDF viewing in your .NET applications, consider these additional factors:

1. Performance: For large PDF files, implement PDF compression to improve loading times.

2. Security: If handling sensitive documents, explore IronPDF's password and permissions features to protect your PDFs.

3. Cross-Platform Compatibility: IronPDF supports various platforms including Windows, Linux, and macOS, ensuring your PDF viewing solution works across different environments.

4. Memory Management: When working with multiple PDFs, consider using memory streams to optimize resource usage.