Where does WordDocumentProtectionSettings live in the IronWord API?

WordDocumentProtectionSettings is a class in the IronWord.Models namespace, shipped in IronWord.dll, with Object as its base type. Construct it with a ProtectionType and password, then apply it when saving to enforce the protection.

How do you password-protect a Word document in C#?

Create a WordDocumentProtectionSettings with a ProtectionType and a password through its constructor, set RestrictFormatting if formatting should be locked, and apply the settings when you save. The saved file then requires the password to remove the restriction.

How do you leave part of a protected document editable?

Add UnprotectedRegion entries to the UnprotectedRegions list, each pinned by a start and end ContentElement, and list editable style names in AllowedStyles. Those regions and styles stay open while the rest of the document is restricted.

Class WordDocumentProtectionSettings

Represents settings for protecting a Word document.

Inheritance

System.Object

WordDocumentProtectionSettings

Namespace: IronWord.Models

Assembly: IronWord.dll

Syntax

public class WordDocumentProtectionSettings : Object

Use WordDocumentProtectionSettings to lock down a Word document so readers can open it but cannot freely change it. It gathers the protection mode, an optional password, and the formatting and region rules that decide what editing the document still permits, giving you one object to describe how a file is protected.

You construct the settings and apply them when you save a protected document. The simplest path is the constructor that takes a ProtectionType and a password, which sets the protection level and the unlock secret in one step; the parameterless constructor lets you fill the properties individually instead. Either way the configured object describes the restrictions the saved file enforces.

The Type property is a ProtectionType that names the protection mode, and Password holds the secret a reader needs to lift the restriction. RestrictFormatting toggles whether formatting changes are blocked, while AllowedStyles is a read-only List<string> of the style names that remain editable when formatting is restricted, so you can permit a known set of styles and freeze the rest. UnprotectedRegions is a read-only List<UnprotectedRegion> marking the spans that stay editable inside an otherwise locked document, each region pinned by a start and end ContentElement. Add the styles and regions you want to leave open, set the type and password, and the saved document applies exactly those exceptions to the protection.

using IronWord.Models;

var protection = new WordDocumentProtectionSettings(
    ProtectionType.ReadOnly, "secret");
protection.RestrictFormatting = true;

The edit text how-to covers changing document content, the edit text example shows an edit in code, and the document element tutorial shows the element model that unprotected regions point into.

Constructors

WordDocumentProtectionSettings()

Initializes a new instance of the class.

Declaration

public WordDocumentProtectionSettings()

WordDocumentProtectionSettings(ProtectionType, String)

Initializes a new instance of the class with the specified type and password.

Declaration

public WordDocumentProtectionSettings(ProtectionType type, string password)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
ProtectionType	type	The type of protection.
System.String	password	The protection password.

Properties

AllowedStyles

If formatting restrictions are applied, this collection determines which styles are allowed.

Declaration

public List<string> AllowedStyles { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
System.Collections.Generic.List<System.String>

Password

Gets or sets the password used for protection. If null, no password is required to unprotect the document.

Declaration

public string Password { get; set; }

Property Value

Type	Description
System.String

RestrictFormatting

Gets or sets a value indicating whether formatting restrictions are applied.

Declaration

public bool RestrictFormatting { get; set; }

Property Value

Type	Description
System.Boolean

Type

Gets or sets the type of protection applied to the document.

Declaration

public ProtectionType Type { get; set; }

Property Value

Type	Description
ProtectionType

UnprotectedRegions

Gets or sets a list of sections or content regions that are exempt from protection.

Declaration

public List<UnprotectedRegion> UnprotectedRegions { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
System.Collections.Generic.List<UnprotectedRegion>