dotnetify.NET (How It Works For Developers)

To establish a simple project and begin configuring DotNetify in a C# online application, follow these steps. This tutorial demonstrates how to use ASP.NET Core and Blazor to set up a basic DotNetify server and client.

Set Up a New ASP.NET Core Blazor Server Project

1. Open Visual Studio: Launch Visual Studio and create a new project.
2. Create a Blazor Server App: Choose the Blazor Server App template from the project templates and click "Next."
3. Configure Your Project: Provide a name for your project (e.g., "DotNetifyWebApp") and make the necessary configuration changes. Click "Create."

Install DotNetify via NuGet

1. Manage NuGet Packages: In the Solution Explorer, right-click your project and choose "Manage NuGet Packages."
2. Search for DotNetify: Install the DotNetify and DotNetify.Blazor packages.

Configure DotNetify

To configure DotNetify, open Startup.cs and use the ConfigureServices and Configure methods.

using DotNetify;
using DotNetify.Blazor;

public class Startup
{
    public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
    {
        services.AddRazorPages();
        services.AddServerSideBlazor();
        services.AddSignalR();
        services.AddDotNetify();
    }

    public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IWebHostEnvironment env)
    {
        if (env.IsDevelopment())
        {
            app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
        }
        else
        {
            app.UseExceptionHandler("/Error");
            app.UseHsts();
        }

        app.UseHttpsRedirection();
        app.UseStaticFiles();
        app.UseRouting();
        app.UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
        {
            endpoints.MapBlazorHub();
            endpoints.MapFallbackToPage("/_Host");
            endpoints.MapHub<DotNetifyHub>("/dotnetify");
        });
    }
}

using DotNetify;
using DotNetify.Blazor;

public class Startup
{
    public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
    {
        services.AddRazorPages();
        services.AddServerSideBlazor();
        services.AddSignalR();
        services.AddDotNetify();
    }

    public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IWebHostEnvironment env)
    {
        if (env.IsDevelopment())
        {
            app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
        }
        else
        {
            app.UseExceptionHandler("/Error");
            app.UseHsts();
        }

        app.UseHttpsRedirection();
        app.UseStaticFiles();
        app.UseRouting();
        app.UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
        {
            endpoints.MapBlazorHub();
            endpoints.MapFallbackToPage("/_Host");
            endpoints.MapHub<DotNetifyHub>("/dotnetify");
        });
    }
}

Create a ViewModel

Create a new class file in your project (for example, HelloWorldViewModel.cs) and design a basic ViewModel.

using DotNetify;

public class HelloWorldViewModel : BaseVM
{
    public string Greetings => "Hello, World!";
}

using DotNetify;

public class HelloWorldViewModel : BaseVM
{
    public string Greetings => "Hello, World!";
}

Register ViewModel

Before registering the ViewModel, open Program.cs.

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;

public class Program
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        CreateHostBuilder(args).Build().Run();
    }

    public static IHostBuilder CreateHostBuilder(string[] args) =>
        Host.CreateDefaultBuilder(args)
            .ConfigureWebHostDefaults(webBuilder =>
            {
                webBuilder.UseStartup<Startup>();
            })
            .ConfigureServices(services =>
            {
                services.AddTransient<HelloWorldViewModel>();
            });
}

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;

public class Program
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        CreateHostBuilder(args).Build().Run();
    }

    public static IHostBuilder CreateHostBuilder(string[] args) =>
        Host.CreateDefaultBuilder(args)
            .ConfigureWebHostDefaults(webBuilder =>
            {
                webBuilder.UseStartup<Startup>();
            })
            .ConfigureServices(services =>
            {
                services.AddTransient<HelloWorldViewModel>();
            });
}

Create Blazor Component

In your project, add a new Blazor component (such as HelloWorld.razor) and connect it to the ViewModel.

@page "/"

@using DotNetify
@using DotNetify.Blazor
@inject IDotNetifyService DotNetify

<h3>@greetings</h3>

@code {
    private string greetings;

    protected override async Task OnInitializedAsync()
    {
        var vm = await DotNetify.ConnectAsync<HelloWorldViewModel>(this);
        greetings = vm.Greetings;
    }
}

• Sets up the application to utilize DotNetify, Blazor, Razor Pages, and SignalR.
• Configures DotNetify and Blazor endpoints and routing.
• Describes a basic ViewModel with a greeting message-returning attribute.
• Registers the HelloWorldViewModel as a service.
• The Blazor component establishes a connection with the HelloWorldViewModel, retrieves the welcome text, and displays it on the screen.

To gain the tools needed to work with PDFs in .NET projects, install the IronPDF package.

Install-Package IronPdf

Integrate DotNetify with IronPDF

Configure DotNetify:

Startup Configuration: Open Startup.cs and configure DotNetify using the ConfigureServices and Configure methods.

using DotNetify;
using DotNetify.Blazor;

public class Startup
{
    public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
    {
        services.AddRazorPages();
        services.AddServerSideBlazor();
        services.AddSignalR();
        services.AddDotNetify();
    }

    public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IWebHostEnvironment env)
    {
        if (env.IsDevelopment())
        {
            app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
        }
        else
        {
            app.UseExceptionHandler("/Error");
            app.UseHsts();
        }

        app.UseHttpsRedirection();
        app.UseStaticFiles();
        app.UseRouting();
        app.UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
        {
            endpoints.MapBlazorHub();
            endpoints.MapFallbackToPage("/_Host");
            endpoints.MapHub<DotNetifyHub>("/dotnetify");
        });
    }
}

using DotNetify;
using DotNetify.Blazor;

public class Startup
{
    public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
    {
        services.AddRazorPages();
        services.AddServerSideBlazor();
        services.AddSignalR();
        services.AddDotNetify();
    }

    public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IWebHostEnvironment env)
    {
        if (env.IsDevelopment())
        {
            app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
        }
        else
        {
            app.UseExceptionHandler("/Error");
            app.UseHsts();
        }

        app.UseHttpsRedirection();
        app.UseStaticFiles();
        app.UseRouting();
        app.UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
        {
            endpoints.MapBlazorHub();
            endpoints.MapFallbackToPage("/_Host");
            endpoints.MapHub<DotNetifyHub>("/dotnetify");
        });
    }
}

Create a ViewModel

Add a new class file in your project (e.g., PdfViewModel.cs) and create a ViewModel that will produce a PDF.

using DotNetify;
using IronPdf;

public class PdfViewModel : BaseVM
{
    public string PdfUrl { get; set; }

    public void GeneratePdf()
    {
        // Create a new PDF renderer instance
        var Renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // Render HTML as a PDF document
        var PdfDocument = Renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World!</h1>");

        // Define the output path for saving the PDF
        var OutputPath = "wwwroot/PdfFiles/HelloWorld.pdf";

        // Save the generated PDF document
        PdfDocument.SaveAs(OutputPath);

        // Update the property for the PDF URL
        PdfUrl = "/PdfFiles/HelloWorld.pdf";
        Changed(nameof(PdfUrl));
    }
}

using DotNetify;
using IronPdf;

public class PdfViewModel : BaseVM
{
    public string PdfUrl { get; set; }

    public void GeneratePdf()
    {
        // Create a new PDF renderer instance
        var Renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // Render HTML as a PDF document
        var PdfDocument = Renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World!</h1>");

        // Define the output path for saving the PDF
        var OutputPath = "wwwroot/PdfFiles/HelloWorld.pdf";

        // Save the generated PDF document
        PdfDocument.SaveAs(OutputPath);

        // Update the property for the PDF URL
        PdfUrl = "/PdfFiles/HelloWorld.pdf";
        Changed(nameof(PdfUrl));
    }
}

Create a Blazor component by adding a new component (e.g., GeneratePdf.razor) and binding it to the ViewModel.

@page "/"

@using DotNetify
@using DotNetify.Blazor
@inject IDotNetifyService DotNetify

<PageTitle>Generate PDF</PageTitle>
<h3>Generate PDF</h3>

<button @onclick="GeneratePdf">Generate PDF</button>

@if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(pdfUrl))
{
    <a href="@pdfUrl" target="_blank">Download PDF</a>
}

@code {
    private string pdfUrl;

    protected override async Task OnInitializedAsync()
    {
        var vm = await DotNetify.ConnectAsync<PdfViewModel>(this);
        pdfUrl = vm.PdfUrl;

        vm.PropertyChanged += (sender, args) =>
        {
            if (args.PropertyName == nameof(vm.PdfUrl))
            {
                pdfUrl = vm.PdfUrl;
                StateHasChanged();
            }
        };
    }

    private void GeneratePdf()
    {
        DotNetify.CallMethod("GeneratePdf");
    }
}

By integrating DotNetify and IronPDF in a C# ASP.NET Core Blazor application, real-time data handling and dynamic PDF production are made possible. The setup begins with configuring the project in Startup.cs, where services for Razor Pages, Blazor Server, SignalR, and DotNetify are registered to enable server-side Blazor and real-time features.

In PdfViewModel.cs, IronPDF's PDF generation logic is defined. The PDF file can be generated with just a few lines of code. The GeneratePdf function converts HTML content into a PDF and updates the PdfUrl property, informing the client of the new file's location. Communication with the GeneratePdf.razor Blazor component is handled by this ViewModel.

The component connects to the PdfViewModel via the IDotNetifyService and binds to its properties, enabling the client to call the GeneratePdf function and respond to property changes. When users click the "Generate PDF" button, the ViewModel's method is invoked, creating the PDF and dynamically updating the download URL. With this configuration, the web application delivers a responsive and engaging user experience by combining IronPDF's powerful document-generating capabilities with DotNetify's real-time data synchronization.