NuGet PDF Generator in .NET (Developer Tutorial)

HTML to PDF Conversion

IronPDF has the ability to convert HTML content into PDF documents. This allows developers to create PDF files from existing HTML pages or dynamically generate PDFs from user-generated content. Here's an example of how to convert an HTML string to a PDF document:

using IronPdf;

// Instantiate Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a PDF from an HTML string using C#
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("Hello World");

// Export to a file or Stream
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Instantiate Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a PDF from an HTML string using C#
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("Hello World");

// Export to a file or Stream
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

URL to PDF Document

IronPDF allows developers to convert web pages directly into PDF documents. This feature is particularly useful for scenarios where developers need to generate PDF documents from live web pages or save online content for offline viewing, archiving, or sharing.

By leveraging IronPDF's HTML-to-PDF conversion capabilities, developers can easily convert an entire web page, including its text, images, and styles, into a PDF document with just a few lines of code. Here's a quick overview of how this feature works:

using IronPdf;

// Instantiate Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a PDF from a URL or local file path
var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://ironpdf.com/");

// Export to a file or Stream
pdf.SaveAs("url.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Instantiate Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a PDF from a URL or local file path
var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://ironpdf.com/");

// Export to a file or Stream
pdf.SaveAs("url.pdf");

Modify PDF Files

IronPDF also enables developers to modify existing PDF documents and files, making it easy to add or remove content, merge documents, and apply security settings. Here's an example of how to add a watermark to a PDF document:

using IronPdf;

// Stamps a Watermark onto a new or existing PDF
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf");
pdf.ApplyWatermark("SAMPLE", 30, IronPdf.Editing.VerticalAlignment.Middle, IronPdf.Editing.HorizontalAlignment.Center);
pdf.SaveAs(@"C:\Path\To\Watermarked.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Stamps a Watermark onto a new or existing PDF
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf");
pdf.ApplyWatermark("SAMPLE", 30, IronPdf.Editing.VerticalAlignment.Middle, IronPdf.Editing.HorizontalAlignment.Center);
pdf.SaveAs(@"C:\Path\To\Watermarked.pdf");

This example project demonstrates how to create a PDF document from a URL, add a watermark to each page, and save the modified document as a new file.

Advanced PDF Functionality with IronPDF

Beyond the basic PDF file creation operations discussed earlier, IronPDF offers advanced features that can further enhance your PDF document generation and management capabilities. Some of these features include:

Merging PDF Documents: IronPDF enables you to merge multiple PDF files into a single document, making it easy to compile and organize related content.

using IronPdf;

var htmlA = @"<h1>[PDF_A]</h1><p>[PDF_A] 1st Page</p><p>[PDF_A] 2nd Page</p>";
var htmlB = @"<h1>[PDF_B]</h1><p>[PDF_B] 1st Page</p><p>[PDF_B] 2nd Page</p>";

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

var pdfDocA = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlA);
var pdfDocB = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlB);
var merged = PdfDocument.Merge(pdfDocA, pdfDocB);

merged.SaveAs("Merged.pdf");

using IronPdf;

var htmlA = @"<h1>[PDF_A]</h1><p>[PDF_A] 1st Page</p><p>[PDF_A] 2nd Page</p>";
var htmlB = @"<h1>[PDF_B]</h1><p>[PDF_B] 1st Page</p><p>[PDF_B] 2nd Page</p>";

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

var pdfDocA = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlA);
var pdfDocB = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlB);
var merged = PdfDocument.Merge(pdfDocA, pdfDocB);

merged.SaveAs("Merged.pdf");

PDF Forms: IronPDF supports the creation and manipulation of PDF forms, allowing developers to generate dynamic, interactive PDF documents with fillable fields.

using IronPdf;
using System;

// Step 1. Creating a PDF with editable forms from HTML using form and input tags
// Radio Button and Checkbox can also be implemented with input type 'radio' and 'checkbox'
const string formHtml = @"
    <h1>Editable PDF Form</h1>
    <label>First name: <input type='text' name='firstname' /></label>
    <label>Last name: <input type='text' name='lastname' /></label>
    <p>Please specify your gender:</p>
    <label><input type='radio' name='gender' value='female' /> Female</label>
    <label><input type='radio' name='gender' value='male' /> Male</label>
    <label><input type='radio' name='gender' value='other' /> Non-Binary / Other</label>
    <p>Please select all medical conditions that apply:</p>
    <label><input type='checkbox' name='condition' value='hypertension' /> Hypertension</label>
    <label><input type='checkbox' name='condition' value='heartDisease' /> Heart Disease</label>
    <label><input type='checkbox' name='condition' value='stroke' /> Stroke</label>
    <label><input type='checkbox' name='condition' value='diabetes' /> Diabetes</label>
    <label><input type='checkbox' name='condition' value='kidneyDisease' /> Kidney Disease</label>
";

// Instantiate Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
renderer.RenderingOptions.CreatePdfFormsFromHtml = true;
renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(formHtml).SaveAs("BasicForm.pdf");

// Step 2. Reading and Writing PDF form values.
var formDocument = PdfDocument.FromFile("BasicForm.pdf");

// Set and Read the value of the "firstname" field
var firstNameField = formDocument.Form.FindFormField("firstname");
firstNameField.Value = "Minnie";
Console.WriteLine("FirstNameField value: {0}", firstNameField.Value);

// Set and Read the value of the "lastname" field
var lastNameField = formDocument.Form.FindFormField("lastname");
lastNameField.Value = "Mouse";
Console.WriteLine("LastNameField value: {0}", lastNameField.Value);

formDocument.SaveAs("FilledForm.pdf");

using IronPdf;
using System;

// Step 1. Creating a PDF with editable forms from HTML using form and input tags
// Radio Button and Checkbox can also be implemented with input type 'radio' and 'checkbox'
const string formHtml = @"
    <h1>Editable PDF Form</h1>
    <label>First name: <input type='text' name='firstname' /></label>
    <label>Last name: <input type='text' name='lastname' /></label>
    <p>Please specify your gender:</p>
    <label><input type='radio' name='gender' value='female' /> Female</label>
    <label><input type='radio' name='gender' value='male' /> Male</label>
    <label><input type='radio' name='gender' value='other' /> Non-Binary / Other</label>
    <p>Please select all medical conditions that apply:</p>
    <label><input type='checkbox' name='condition' value='hypertension' /> Hypertension</label>
    <label><input type='checkbox' name='condition' value='heartDisease' /> Heart Disease</label>
    <label><input type='checkbox' name='condition' value='stroke' /> Stroke</label>
    <label><input type='checkbox' name='condition' value='diabetes' /> Diabetes</label>
    <label><input type='checkbox' name='condition' value='kidneyDisease' /> Kidney Disease</label>
";

// Instantiate Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
renderer.RenderingOptions.CreatePdfFormsFromHtml = true;
renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(formHtml).SaveAs("BasicForm.pdf");

// Step 2. Reading and Writing PDF form values.
var formDocument = PdfDocument.FromFile("BasicForm.pdf");

// Set and Read the value of the "firstname" field
var firstNameField = formDocument.Form.FindFormField("firstname");
firstNameField.Value = "Minnie";
Console.WriteLine("FirstNameField value: {0}", firstNameField.Value);

// Set and Read the value of the "lastname" field
var lastNameField = formDocument.Form.FindFormField("lastname");
lastNameField.Value = "Mouse";
Console.WriteLine("LastNameField value: {0}", lastNameField.Value);

formDocument.SaveAs("FilledForm.pdf");

PDF Security: IronPDF provides options for securing your PDF documents, including password protection and encryption.

using IronPdf;

// Open an Encrypted File, alternatively create a new PDF from Html
var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("encrypted.pdf");

//Edit file security settings

//The following code makes a PDF read-only and will disallow copy & paste and printing
pdf.SecuritySettings.RemovePasswordsAndEncryption();
pdf.SecuritySettings.MakePdfDocumentReadOnly("secret-key");
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserAnnotations = false;

//Change or set the document encryption password
pdf.SecuritySettings.OwnerPassword = "top-secret"; // password to edit the pdf
pdf.SaveAs("secured.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Open an Encrypted File, alternatively create a new PDF from Html
var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("encrypted.pdf");

//Edit file security settings

//The following code makes a PDF read-only and will disallow copy & paste and printing
pdf.SecuritySettings.RemovePasswordsAndEncryption();
pdf.SecuritySettings.MakePdfDocumentReadOnly("secret-key");
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserAnnotations = false;

//Change or set the document encryption password
pdf.SecuritySettings.OwnerPassword = "top-secret"; // password to edit the pdf
pdf.SaveAs("secured.pdf");

IronPDF's advanced features make it an invaluable tool for developers who require comprehensive PDF functionality in their .NET applications. From merging documents and managing forms to securing content and custom rendering, IronPDF offers a robust solution for all your PDF needs.