Published November 14, 2023
C# Open Word Document
Word application documents are integral to various aspects of professional and personal communication. The ability to manipulate and interact with Microsoft Word document files programmatically is essential for developers looking to automate tasks or integrate document processing into their applications. To be able to work with a Microsoft Word document programmatically in C#, there are many document libraries available. One such library is IronWord, a robust C# Word DOCX library by Iron Software that simplifies working with Word documents in .NET applications.
In this article, we'll explore the robust IronWord - The C# Library, its features, opening Word document collection, and reading data from it.
How to Open Word Documents Collection in C#
- Create a Console Application in Visual Studio
- Install IronWord C# DOCX library
- Open Word document using WordDocument class
- Loop through each paragraph using the Paragraph class
- Run TextRuns on each Paragraph
- Display the contents or Save with SaveAs method
IronWord - The C# DOCX Library
IronWord is a feature-rich C# Word DOCX library developed by Iron Software. It offers a user-friendly API that empowers developers to work with Word documents in their .NET applications with ease. Whether you're creating new Word documents, editing existing ones, or extracting content, IronWord provides a comprehensive set of tools to streamline the process.
Feature Set
1. Compatibility and Cross-Platform Support
IronWord is designed to be versatile, supporting various .NET versions, including .NET 8, 7, 6, Framework, Core, and Azure. Developers can utilize it across different platforms such as Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, making it adaptable to a wide range of .NET application development scenarios.
2. Document Manipulation
IronWord's capabilities extend beyond simple document creation. It allows for intricate document manipulation, including text and paragraph formatting, image and shape integration, table creation, and much more. This versatility makes IronWord suitable for a variety of applications where precise control over document structure and content is essential.
3. No Dependencies on Microsoft Office
One notable feature of IronWord is its independence from Microsoft Office installations or Word Interop. This means no Word application is required. Developers can harness its functionality without worrying about additional dependencies, ensuring a smoother and more efficient development process.
4. Ease of Use
The library is crafted with a user-friendly API, allowing developers to seamlessly integrate Word document processing functionality into their .NET projects. Moreover, IronWord eliminates the need for installing Microsoft Office or Word Interop, ensuring a hassle-free development experience.
Prerequisites
Before diving into the world of IronWord, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:
- Visual Studio: Ensure you have a working installation of Visual Studio, a popular integrated development environment for .NET development. You can download it from here.
- IronWord: You need to download the library to use its features. You can download NuGet package directly from here.
Create Visual Studio Console Application
To begin working with IronWord, create a new Visual Studio project. This can be a Console Application, Windows Forms Application, or any other project type that suits your requirements.
Follow these steps to create a Visual Studio Console Application:
Open Visual Studio: Launch Visual Studio on your machine.
Create a New Project:
- Click on "Create a New Project"
- Choose "Console App" under the "C#" category.
- Enter a name for your project and choose a location.
- Choose the latest .NET Framework 8.0. IronWord fully supports .NET 8, 7, 6, Framework, Core.
- Click "Create" to create the project.
Install IronWord via NuGet:
- Open the NuGet Package Manager Console (Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console).
- Run the following code command to install IronWord:
Install-Package IronWord- Alternatively, you can download and install it from NuGet Package Manager for Solutions (Right-Click Solution Explorer -> Manage NuGet Package Manager for Solutions)
- In NuGet browse window, search for IronWord and install:
- Add Reference to IronWord in Code: In your C# code file, add the following using statement in Program.cs file to reference IronWord:
using IronWord;using IronWord;Imports IronWordSteps to Open a Word Document and Read Contents
Now that our project is set up, follow these steps to open a Word document and read its contents using IronWord:
- Load an Existing Document:
// Load existing Word document file
WordDocument doc = new WordDocument("existing_document.docx");// Load existing Word document file
WordDocument doc = new WordDocument("existing_document.docx");' Load existing Word document file
Dim doc As New WordDocument("existing_document.docx")In this step, we create an instance of the WordDocument class from the IronWord library. We use the constructor that takes the path to an existing input Word document (existing_document.docx). This initializes the doc object sender, representing the loaded Word document from input file name.
Input File:
- Read and Manipulate Content:
The following code helps in reading the text content from the opened document file:
// Access paragraphs and text runs
foreach (Paragraph paragraph in doc.Paragraphs)
{
foreach (TextRun textRun in paragraph.TextRuns)
{
// Access text content
string content = textRun.Text;
// Display contents
Console.WriteLine(content);
}
}// Access paragraphs and text runs
foreach (Paragraph paragraph in doc.Paragraphs)
{
foreach (TextRun textRun in paragraph.TextRuns)
{
// Access text content
string content = textRun.Text;
// Display contents
Console.WriteLine(content);
}
}' Access paragraphs and text runs
For Each paragraph As Paragraph In doc.Paragraphs
For Each textRun As TextRun In paragraph.TextRuns
' Access text content
Dim content As String = textRun.Text
' Display contents
Console.WriteLine(content)
Next textRun
Next paragraphHere, we iterate through the paragraphs and text runs within the loaded Word document (doc). The foreach loop allows us to traverse each paragraph, and nested within it, each text run. For each textRun, we can access the text content using textRun.Text. This is the point where you can perform any desired manipulations, such as extracting information or modifying the text content programmatically.
- Displaying Contents and Output:
// Display contents
Console.WriteLine(content);// Display contents
Console.WriteLine(content);' Display contents
Console.WriteLine(content)In the second foreach loop of the previous step, we are displaying the word visible contents on the console output screen. We can also save some part of the opened document as a new document:
// Method to save changes to the document
doc.SaveAs("modified_document.docx");// Method to save changes to the document
doc.SaveAs("modified_document.docx");' Method to save changes to the document
doc.SaveAs("modified_document.docx")The complete program code goes as follows:
using IronWord;
using IronWord.Models;
namespace IronWordExample
{
class Program
{
public static void main(string[] args)
{
// Load existing Word doc file
WordDocument doc = new WordDocument("existing_document.docx");
// Access paragraphs and text runs
foreach (Paragraph paragraph in doc.Paragraphs)
{
foreach (TextRun textRun in paragraph.TextRuns)
{
// Access text content
string content = textRun.Text;
// Display Contents
Console.WriteLine(content);
}
}
// Save changes to the document
doc.SaveAs("modified_document.docx");
}
}
}using IronWord;
using IronWord.Models;
namespace IronWordExample
{
class Program
{
public static void main(string[] args)
{
// Load existing Word doc file
WordDocument doc = new WordDocument("existing_document.docx");
// Access paragraphs and text runs
foreach (Paragraph paragraph in doc.Paragraphs)
{
foreach (TextRun textRun in paragraph.TextRuns)
{
// Access text content
string content = textRun.Text;
// Display Contents
Console.WriteLine(content);
}
}
// Save changes to the document
doc.SaveAs("modified_document.docx");
}
}
}Imports IronWord
Imports IronWord.Models
Namespace IronWordExample
Friend Class Program
Public Shared Sub main(ByVal args() As String)
' Load existing Word doc file
Dim doc As New WordDocument("existing_document.docx")
' Access paragraphs and text runs
For Each paragraph As Paragraph In doc.Paragraphs
For Each textRun As TextRun In paragraph.TextRuns
' Access text content
Dim content As String = textRun.Text
' Display Contents
Console.WriteLine(content)
Next textRun
Next paragraph
' Save changes to the document
doc.SaveAs("modified_document.docx")
End Sub
End Class
End Namespace
To explore more functionalities IronWord can perform, please visit this code examples page.
Conclusion
In this article, we explored the capabilities of IronWord, a robust C# Word DOCX library that simplifies the process of opening and manipulating Word documents programmatically. By providing a rich feature set and eliminating dependencies on external software, IronWord empowers developers to seamlessly integrate document processing into their .NET applications. Whether you're automating document-related tasks or enhancing experiences, IronWord proves to be a valuable tool in your .NET toolkit.
To learn more and start incorporating IronWord into your new application projects, visit the documentation page.
IronWord offers a free-trial to test out its complete functionality. This helps you make an informed decision before purchasing it. Its Lite license starts from $749 and further details can be found on this license page.
Try IronWord for free from here.
