Introduction

Creating PDF documents from HTML content has become an essential requirement for various applications, ranging from generating invoices to archiving web content. IronPDF is a powerful and versatile .NET library that simplifies the process of converting HTML to PDF, making it effortless for developers to create high-quality PDF documents in C#. In this article, we will explore the features of IronPDF and provide a step-by-step guide to using it for PDF creation.

How to create PDF files in C# using IronPDF library

1. Create a new Visual Studio project
2. Add IronPDF library from NuGet package manager
3. Create a Simple PDF file.
4. Modify PDF files.
5. Adding Headers and Footers
6. Including External Stylesheets and Scripts
7. Including Images and bitmaps.
8. HTML Files to PDF conversion.
9. URL to a PDF conversion.

Introduction to IronPDF

IronPDF is a .NET library that allows developers to convert HTML to PDF with ease. It supports a wide range of features, including CSS, JavaScript, and even embedded images. With IronPDF, you can create PDFs that look exactly like your HTML web pages, ensuring a seamless transition between formats. This library is particularly useful for web applications that need to generate dynamic PDF documents on the fly.

IronPDF allows developers to seamlessly integrate PDF functionality into .NET applications without needing to manually manage PDF file structures. IronPDF leverages the Chrome-based rendering engine to convert an HTML pages (including complex CSS, JavaScript, and images) into well-structured PDF documents. It can be used for generating reports, invoices, eBooks, or any type of document that needs to be presented in PDF format.

IronPDF is versatile, offering functionality that not only renders PDFs but also provides a wide range of PDF manipulation options like editing, form handling, encryption, and more.

Key Features of IronPDF C# create PDF files

1. HTML to PDF Conversion

   • HTML Rendering: IronPDF can convert HTML documents or web pages (including HTML with CSS, images, and JavaScript) directly into a PDF document with just a few lines. This is ideal for generating PDFs from dynamic web content.

   • Support for Modern HTML/CSS: IronPDF handles modern HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript and various PDF generation tasks, ensuring that your web-based content is rendered accurately as a PDF, preserving the layout, fonts, and interactive elements.

   • Advanced Rendering: It uses Chrome’s rendering engine (via Chromium) for accurate, high-quality PDF generation, making it more reliable than many other HTML-to-PDF libraries.
   • Website URL to PDF: IronPDF can take string URL of the website as input and convert to PDF.

2. Custom Headers and Footers

   • IronPDF allows developers to add custom headers and footers to PDF documents, which can include dynamic content such as page numbers, document title, or custom text.
   • Headers and footers can be added to individual pages, or as consistent elements across the entire document.

3. Support for JavaScript in PDFs

   • IronPDF enables JavaScript execution within the HTML content before PDF generation. This allows for dynamic content rendering, such as form calculations or interactivity in the generated PDFs.
   • JavaScript is useful when creating PDFs from dynamic web pages or generating reports that require client-side logic.

4. Edit Existing PDFs

   • IronPDF provides the ability to edit existing PDFs. You can modify text, images, and add annotations to existing PDF files. This feature is useful for watermarking documents, adding signatures, or updating content within PDF files.
   • Text extraction and modification allow you to manipulate content within a PDF document programmatically.

5. Merge and Split PDFs

   • IronPDF allows you to merge multiple PDF files into a single document or split a large PDF into smaller files. This is ideal for workflows where documents need to be combined or broken down into more manageable parts.

6. Support for Interactive Forms

   • You can create, fill, and manipulate PDF forms using IronPDF. It provides full support for interactive forms (like text fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons) and allows you to pre-fill forms with data.
   • IronPDF also allows for extracting form data from existing PDFs, making it easy to read and process the form data programmatically.

7. Page Manipulation

   • IronPDF offers various methods for manipulating individual pages within a PDF document, such as rotating pages, deleting pages, or reordering them. This helps in customizing the structure of the final document.
   • You can also add new pages to an existing PDF, or remove unwanted pages.

8. Security and Encryption

   • IronPDF allows you to apply password protection and encryption to PDFs, ensuring that your documents are secure. You can set user permissions, such as preventing printing, copying, or editing the PDF.
   • Digital signatures can also be added to PDFs to verify authenticity, providing a layer of security for sensitive documents.

9. Watermarking and Branding

   • Adding watermarks to PDF documents is easy with IronPDF. You can overlay text or images as watermarks onto pages, providing protection against unauthorized copying or distributing of your documents.
   • This feature is often used for branding, where the logo or text needs to appear consistently across all pages of a document.

   10. Text and Image Extraction

       • IronPDF allows for text and image extraction from PDF documents, enabling developers to extract data for processing or reuse.
   • This is helpful for scenarios where you need to analyze the contents of a PDF, extract information from forms, or retrieve images for further use.

   11. Unicode and Multi-language Support

       • IronPDF has robust Unicode support, meaning it can handle international characters and fonts, making it ideal for generating PDFs in multiple languages.
   • It supports languages such as Chinese, Arabic, Russian, and more, allowing for the creation of multilingual PDF documents.
   12. Optimized for Performance
   • IronPDF is optimized for performance, capable of handling large PDF documents and high volumes of requests. The library ensures that even when working with large datasets or images, PDF generation remains fast and efficient.

   13. API and Developer-Friendly Tools

       • IronPDF comes with a comprehensive and easy-to-use API. Developers can quickly get started by using simple method calls to perform complex tasks.
   • The API is well-documented, making it easy to integrate IronPDF into any C# or .NET application.
   14. Cross-Platform Support
   • IronPDF is cross-platform compatible, meaning it can be used on both Windows and Linux environments, allowing you to generate and manipulate PDFs across different operating systems.

Step 1: Create a new Visual Studio project

Now let's get started with creating a new project, open Visual Studio and create a new project as below.

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Select create console application.

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Provide project name and location.

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Select .NET version

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Create a new project.

Step 2: Add IronPDF library from NuGet package manager

Using using NuGet Package Manager in Visual Studio console application you can use below command to add IronPDF NuGet library.

Install-Package IronPdf

Install-Package IronPdf

'INSTANT VB TODO TASK: The following line uses invalid syntax:
'Install-Package IronPdf

Also, IronPDF can be installed using Visual Studio Package Manager

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Step 3: Create a Simple PDF file.

Generate PDF documents with ease using IronPDF library. Now let us get started with a simple blank PDF file.

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key";
        PdfDocument pdf = new PdfDocument(270, 270);
        pdf.SaveAs("simple.pdf"); // Generate pdf file
    }
}

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key";
        PdfDocument pdf = new PdfDocument(270, 270);
        pdf.SaveAs("simple.pdf"); // Generate pdf file
    }
}

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key"
		Dim pdf As New PdfDocument(270, 270)
		pdf.SaveAs("simple.pdf") ' Generate pdf file
	End Sub
End Class

Explanation of the Code

This program demonstrates how to use the IronPDF library to create a PDF document in C#. Here's what happens in the code:

1. License Key Setup: The program first sets the license key for the IronPDF library. This is necessary to use the full features of the library, as the license key ensures you have access to the full functionality (rather than being limited to a trial version).

2. Creating a PDF Document: The program then creates a new PDF document with a size of 270x270 points. A point is a unit of measurement in printing and is equivalent to 1/72 of an inch. Therefore, this would create a square document of roughly 3.75 inches by 3.75 inches.

3. Saving the PDF: After creating the blank document, the program saves the PDF with the filename "simple.pdf". Since no content is added to the document, the output will be a completely blank (black) PDF.

Step 4: Modify PDF files

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key";
        var pdf = new PdfDocument("simple.pdf");
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pagePdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Awesome IronPDF Library</h1>");
        pdf.PrependPdf(pagePdf);
        pdf.SaveAs("simple_WithTitle.pdf");
     }
}

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key";
        var pdf = new PdfDocument("simple.pdf");
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pagePdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Awesome IronPDF Library</h1>");
        pdf.PrependPdf(pagePdf);
        pdf.SaveAs("simple_WithTitle.pdf");
     }
}

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key"
		Dim pdf = New PdfDocument("simple.pdf")
		Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
		Dim pagePdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Awesome IronPDF Library</h1>")
		pdf.PrependPdf(pagePdf)
		pdf.SaveAs("simple_WithTitle.pdf")
	End Sub
End Class

Code Explanation

1. License Key Setup:

   • The program starts by setting the IronPDF license key. This step ensures that the library operates fully without limitations. You need to replace "your key" with your actual license key.

2. Loading an Existing PDF:

   • The program then loads an existing PDF file named "simple.pdf" into a new PdfDocument object. This is done by passing the file name to the PdfDocument constructor. This is the PDF that will have a new cover page prepended to it.

3. Rendering HTML to PDF:

   • A ChromePdfRenderer object is created, which is used to render HTML content into a PDF. In this case, the HTML content is a simple

     tag with the text "Awesome IronPDF Library".

   • This HTML is converted into a cover page PDF using the RenderHtmlAsPdf method.

4. Prepending the Cover Page:

   • The PrependPdf method is used to insert the cover page PDF (generated from the HTML) at the beginning of the existing PDF document. This means the cover page will appear as the first page of the final document.

5. Saving the Modified PDF:

   • Finally, the program saves the modified PDF (with the new cover page) under the name "simple_WithTitle.pdf". The original content from the "simple.pdf" is retained, but now it begins with the newly added title page.

Output PDF

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Step 5: Adding Headers and Footers

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your code";
        // Create a new HtmlToPdf object
        var Renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        string htmlContent = "<html><body><h1>IronPDF: An Awesome PDF Generation Library</h1><h1>Report</h1><p>This is a sample report.</p></body></html>";
        string headerHtml = "<div style='text-align: right;'>Page {page} of {total-pages}</div>";
        string footerHtml = "<div style='text-align: center;'>Confidential</div>";
        // Convert the HTML content to a PDF document with headers and footers
        var pdfDocument = Renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);
        pdfDocument.AddHtmlHeadersAndFooters(new ChromePdfRenderOptions
        {
            HtmlHeader= new HtmlHeaderFooter() { HtmlFragment=headerHtml },
            HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter() { HtmlFragment=footerHtml }
        });
        pdfDocument.SaveAs("report.pdf");
    }
}

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your code";
        // Create a new HtmlToPdf object
        var Renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        string htmlContent = "<html><body><h1>IronPDF: An Awesome PDF Generation Library</h1><h1>Report</h1><p>This is a sample report.</p></body></html>";
        string headerHtml = "<div style='text-align: right;'>Page {page} of {total-pages}</div>";
        string footerHtml = "<div style='text-align: center;'>Confidential</div>";
        // Convert the HTML content to a PDF document with headers and footers
        var pdfDocument = Renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);
        pdfDocument.AddHtmlHeadersAndFooters(new ChromePdfRenderOptions
        {
            HtmlHeader= new HtmlHeaderFooter() { HtmlFragment=headerHtml },
            HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter() { HtmlFragment=footerHtml }
        });
        pdfDocument.SaveAs("report.pdf");
    }
}

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your code"
		' Create a new HtmlToPdf object
		Dim Renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
		Dim htmlContent As String = "<html><body><h1>IronPDF: An Awesome PDF Generation Library</h1><h1>Report</h1><p>This is a sample report.</p></body></html>"
		Dim headerHtml As String = "<div style='text-align: right;'>Page {page} of {total-pages}</div>"
		Dim footerHtml As String = "<div style='text-align: center;'>Confidential</div>"
		' Convert the HTML content to a PDF document with headers and footers
		Dim pdfDocument = Renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent)
		pdfDocument.AddHtmlHeadersAndFooters(New ChromePdfRenderOptions With {
			.HtmlHeader= New HtmlHeaderFooter() With {.HtmlFragment=headerHtml},
			.HtmlFooter = New HtmlHeaderFooter() With {.HtmlFragment=footerHtml}
		})
		pdfDocument.SaveAs("report.pdf")
	End Sub
End Class

Code snippet Explanation

1. License Key Setup:

   • The IronPdf.License.LicenseKey is set with your unique IronPDF license key to enable the library's full functionality.

2. Create the PDF Renderer:

   • An instance of ChromePdfRenderer is created, which will be used to render HTML content into a PDF format. This is part of IronPDF's rendering engine.

3. Define HTML Content:

   • A simple HTML string is created that includes a title (

     IronPDF: An Awesome PDF Generation Library), a report header (

     Report), and a sample report paragraph.

4. Define Header and Footer HTML:

   • Custom header and footer HTML strings are specified:

     • The header includes page numbers formatted as "Page {page} of {total-pages}" aligned to the right.
     • The footer includes the text "Confidential" aligned to the center of each page.

5. HTML to PDF Conversion:

   • The RenderHtmlAsPdf() method is called to convert the HTML content into a PDF document.

6. Adding Headers and Footers:

   • The AddHtmlHeadersAndFooters() method is called on the pdfDocument object. This method adds the previously defined header and footer to the generated PDF. The ChromePdfRenderOptions is used to pass the header and footer settings.

7. Saving the PDF:

   • Finally, the SaveAs() method is used to save the generated PDF to a file named "report.pdf" on the disk.

Output PDF

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Step 6: Including External Stylesheets and Scripts

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key";        
        // Define the HTML content with links to external CSS and JS files
        string htmlContent = @"
            <html>
            <head>
                <link rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' href='styles.css'>
                <script src='script.js'></script>
            </head>
            <body>
                <h1>IronPDF: An Awesome PDF Generation Library</h1>
                <h1>Styled Content</h1>
                <p id='dynamic-text'>This content is styled using an external CSS file and JavaScript.</p>
            </body>
            </html>";
        var pdfDocument = Renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);
        pdfDocument.SaveAs("awesomeIronPDF_styled_content.pdf");
    }
}

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key";        
        // Define the HTML content with links to external CSS and JS files
        string htmlContent = @"
            <html>
            <head>
                <link rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' href='styles.css'>
                <script src='script.js'></script>
            </head>
            <body>
                <h1>IronPDF: An Awesome PDF Generation Library</h1>
                <h1>Styled Content</h1>
                <p id='dynamic-text'>This content is styled using an external CSS file and JavaScript.</p>
            </body>
            </html>";
        var pdfDocument = Renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);
        pdfDocument.SaveAs("awesomeIronPDF_styled_content.pdf");
    }
}

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key"
		' Define the HTML content with links to external CSS and JS files
		Dim htmlContent As String = "
            <html>
            <head>
                <link rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' href='styles.css'>
                <script src='script.js'></script>
            </head>
            <body>
                <h1>IronPDF: An Awesome PDF Generation Library</h1>
                <h1>Styled Content</h1>
                <p id='dynamic-text'>This content is styled using an external CSS file and JavaScript.</p>
            </body>
            </html>"
		Dim pdfDocument = Renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent)
		pdfDocument.SaveAs("awesomeIronPDF_styled_content.pdf")
	End Sub
End Class

style.css

/* styles.css */
body {
    font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
    margin: 20px;
}
h1 {
    color: #007BFF;
}
p {
    font-size: 14px;
    line-height: 1.6;
}

/* styles.css */
body {
    font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
    margin: 20px;
}
h1 {
    color: #007BFF;
}
p {
    font-size: 14px;
    line-height: 1.6;
}

' styles.css 
body
If True Then
	font-family: Arial, sans-serif
	margin:
	20px
End If
h1
If True Then
	color:
	#007BFF;
End If
p
If True Then
	font-size: 14px
	line-height: 1.6
End If

script.js

// script.js
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
    var dynamicText = document.getElementById('dynamic-text');
    dynamicText.textContent = "This content has been modified by JavaScript.";
});

// script.js
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
    var dynamicText = document.getElementById('dynamic-text');
    dynamicText.textContent = "This content has been modified by JavaScript.";
});

' script.js
document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', @function() { var dynamicText = document.getElementById('dynamic-text'); dynamicText.textContent = "This content has been modified by JavaScript."; });

Code Explanation

This code demonstrates how to use IronPDF in C# to generate a PDF from HTML content that includes links to external CSS and JavaScript files. It shows how to create a PDF with styled content and dynamic behavior (via JavaScript).

1. License Key Setup:

   • The IronPdf.License.LicenseKey is set to your unique IronPDF license key, allowing access to full features of the IronPDF library.

2. Define HTML Content with External Resources:

   • The HTML string is defined with:

     • A link to an external CSS file (styles.css) to style the content.

     • A link to an external JavaScript file (script.js) that can add dynamic functionality to the content.
   • The HTML content includes a heading (

     IronPDF: An Awesome PDF Generation Library), a subheading (

     Styled Content), and a paragraph (

     ) with an ID dynamic-text that is styled by the external CSS and potentially modified by the JavaScript.

3. Rendering HTML to PDF:

   • The Renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf() method is called to convert the HTML content, including the linked CSS and JavaScript, into a PDF document. Note that IronPDF can handle external resources like CSS and JavaScript if the resources are accessible, such as when the files are hosted locally or remotely.

4. Saving the PDF:

   • The generated PDF document is saved to a file named "awesomeIronPDF_styled_content.pdf" using the SaveAs() method.

Notes

• External CSS and JS Files: To ensure the links work, the styles.css and script.js files should be accessible in the environment where the code runs. If the files are local, make sure they are in the correct directory or provide the full path to the files.
• JavaScript in PDFs: IronPDF can render content that uses JavaScript for page behavior. However, it is important to note that JavaScript may not execute as expected in a static PDF file, as PDFs are not inherently dynamic like web pages. IronPDF primarily uses JavaScript to render content before the PDF is generated, so dynamic content manipulation via JavaScript may not work after the PDF is created.

Output PDF

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Step 7: Including Images and bitmaps.

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key";  
        ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        // Import image file as byte
        byte[] base64Bytes = File.ReadAllBytes("image.jpg"); // Use your own here
        // Convert byte to base64
        string imgDataUri = @"data:image/png;base64," + Convert.ToBase64String(base64Bytes);
        string imgHtml = $"<img src='{imgDataUri}'>";
        PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(imgHtml);   // document object      
        pdf.SaveAs("embedded_sample.pdf");
    }
}

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key";  
        ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        // Import image file as byte
        byte[] base64Bytes = File.ReadAllBytes("image.jpg"); // Use your own here
        // Convert byte to base64
        string imgDataUri = @"data:image/png;base64," + Convert.ToBase64String(base64Bytes);
        string imgHtml = $"<img src='{imgDataUri}'>";
        PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(imgHtml);   // document object      
        pdf.SaveAs("embedded_sample.pdf");
    }
}

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key"
		Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
		' Import image file as byte
		Dim base64Bytes() As Byte = File.ReadAllBytes("image.jpg") ' Use your own here
		' Convert byte to base64
		Dim imgDataUri As String = "data:image/png;base64," & Convert.ToBase64String(base64Bytes)
		Dim imgHtml As String = $"<img src='{imgDataUri}'>"
		Dim pdf As PdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(imgHtml) ' document object
		pdf.SaveAs("embedded_sample.pdf")
	End Sub
End Class

Explanation of the Code

This C# program demonstrates how to use IronPDF to embed an image into a PDF document by converting the image to a Base64 string and then embedding it in HTML content. Here’s a breakdown of the process:

1. License Key Setup:

   • The program starts by setting the IronPDF license key, which is necessary to use IronPDF's full functionality without limitations.

2. Image Import and Conversion to Base64:

   • The program reads an image file (in this case, image.jpg) as a byte array.
   • It then converts this byte array into a Base64 string. The Base64 string is prefixed with the appropriate image type (data:image/png;base64,), making it suitable to be embedded directly into HTML.

3. Embedding Image in HTML:

   • The Base64 string representing the image is then embedded in an HTML tag. This HTML string now contains the image in a format that can be rendered in a PDF.

4. Rendering HTML to PDF:

   • The program uses IronPDF's ChromePdfRenderer to render the HTML (with the embedded image) into a PDF document.

5. Saving the PDF:

   • Finally, the program saves the generated PDF, which now includes the embedded image, to a file called "embedded_sample.pdf".

Output PDF

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Step 8: HTML Files to PDF conversion.

using IronPdf;
    // Instantiate Renderer
    var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
    // Create a PDF from an existing HTML file using C#
    var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("sample.html");
    // Export to a file or Stream
    pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

using IronPdf;
    // Instantiate Renderer
    var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
    // Create a PDF from an existing HTML file using C#
    var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("sample.html");
    // Export to a file or Stream
    pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

Imports IronPdf
	' Instantiate Renderer
	Private renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
	' Create a PDF from an existing HTML file using C#
	Private pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("sample.html")
	' Export to a file or Stream
	pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")

Explanation of the Code

This program demonstrates how to convert an existing HTML file into a PDF document using the IronPDF library in C#. Here's an explanation of each step:

1. Instantiate the Renderer:

   • The first step is to create an instance of ChromePdfRenderer, which is the class responsible for rendering HTML content into PDF. This renderer uses Chromium, a powerful browser engine, to ensure accurate and high-quality conversion of HTML to PDF.

2. Convert HTML to PDF:

   • The program then loads an existing HTML file (in this case, sample.html) and uses the RenderHtmlFileAsPdf method to convert the HTML file into a PDF document. The resulting PDF will retain the layout, styles, and formatting from the HTML source.

3. Save the PDF:

   • After rendering the HTML into a PDF, the program saves the PDF document to a file named "output.pdf" using the SaveAs method. This allows the generated PDF to be stored and used as needed.

Step 9: URL to a PDF conversion.

The following code snippet demonstrates the usage of IronPDF to convert URL to 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");

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");

IRON VB CONVERTER ERROR developers@ironsoftware.com

Explanation of the Code:

1. Instantiate the Renderer:

   • The first step involves creating an instance of ChromePdfRenderer. This renderer is responsible for converting HTML content into a PDF. It uses the Chromium browser engine to ensure that the rendered PDF closely matches how the page would look in a real browser.

2. Convert URL or Local File to PDF:

   • The program then uses the RenderUrlAsPdf method to create a PDF from the content of a specified URL (in this case, https://ironpdf.com/). This method fetches the page at the given URL and renders it into a PDF format.
   • If you wish, you can also pass a local file path instead of a URL to render content from a local HTML file.

3. Save the PDF:

   • Once the HTML content from the URL or file is rendered into a PDF, the program saves the resulting PDF document using the SaveAs method. In this example, the PDF is saved with the filename "url.pdf".

Use Cases of IronPDF

IronPDF is a powerful library for working with PDFs in C#. It allows developers to generate, modify, and manipulate PDF documents easily. Below are some common use cases of IronPDF in C# applications:

1. Generate PDF Reports from HTML Content

• Use Case: Create PDF reports from dynamic or static HTML content, such as invoices, financial statements, and product catalogs.
• Example: A business application that generates weekly sales reports and sends them as PDF attachments via email. The report can be dynamically generated from a database and then converted into a formatted PDF document using HTML and CSS.

2. Convert Web Pages to PDF

• Use Case: Convert web pages or URLs into PDF documents. This is useful for saving articles, entire websites, or specific web pages as PDFs.
• Example: A tool that allows users to convert any webpage into a PDF, like a “Save as PDF” browser extension, or for saving web-based content for offline viewing or printing.

3. Embed Images, Tables, and Graphs in PDFs

• Use Case: Embed images, graphs, and complex tables into PDF files, often needed in scenarios like generating invoices, certificates, or marketing materials.
• Example: A company application that generates personalized invoices with embedded company logos, barcodes, and itemized tables of purchased products.

4. Convert HTML Forms to PDFs

• Use Case: Convert HTML forms to fillable or non-fillable PDF forms, useful for situations where users need to submit forms digitally.
• Example: A form management application that allows users to fill out forms online and then download or email the completed form as a PDF. The form data is embedded into the PDF for easy access and printing.

5. Edit and Modify Existing PDFs

• Use Case: Add, remove, or modify elements in an existing PDF, such as adding headers, footers, text annotations, images, or watermarks.
• Example: A document management system where you need to watermark all PDFs before they are shared to ensure they are not printed or distributed without authorization.

6. Merge Multiple PDFs into One

• Use Case: Combine several PDFs into a single document, such as combining multiple invoices or merging scanned documents.
• Example: A tool used by legal firms to combine separate pages from various legal documents into one cohesive PDF file for easier storage and retrieval.

7. Extract Text and Data from PDFs

• Use Case: Extract text, tables, and other data from existing PDF files to analyze or reprocess it.
• Example: An OCR application that extracts data from scanned forms or invoices in PDF format for further processing, such as entering the data into a database.

8. Create PDFs from Templates

• Use Case: Use pre-defined templates (HTML, CSS, or existing PDFs) to generate consistent, branded PDF documents automatically.
• Example: A web service that generates downloadable PDF certificates based on a pre-designed HTML template, with dynamic text like the user’s name, course completion details, and date.

9. Digital Signatures for PDF Documents

• Use Case: Add digital signatures to PDFs for secure and authorized document signing. This is helpful in legal, governmental, and business processes.
• Example: A solution where contracts or agreements are signed electronically. The signed document is then converted into a secure PDF file, ensuring authenticity.

10. Automate PDF Document Generation

• Use Case: Automate the generation of large volumes of PDF documents, such as product catalogs, monthly reports, or receipts.
• Example: A web application that generates and emails monthly PDF invoices for customers, or a system that creates personalized documents (e.g., proposals or contracts) on demand based on user input.

11. Create Interactive PDFs

• Use Case: Create PDFs that include interactive elements like buttons, hyperlinks, or form fields that users can fill out directly in the PDF viewer.
• Example: A form submission application where users can fill out forms, sign, and submit them directly within a PDF document without needing additional software.

12. Convert PDFs to Other Formats

• Use Case: Convert PDFs to other formats like HTML, Word, or images (e.g., JPEG or PNG) for further use or manipulation.
• Example: A document conversion tool that turns PDFs into editable Word documents for easy content modification.

13. Split PDF Documents

• Use Case: Split large PDFs into smaller, more manageable files based on specific page ranges or content.
• Example: A scanning application that automatically splits scanned documents (like contracts or multi-page forms) into separate PDFs for each individual page or section.

14. Password-Protect PDFs

• Use Case: Encrypt and password-protect PDF files to ensure they are only accessible by authorized individuals.
• Example: A financial reporting application that generates PDF statements and protects them with a password to ensure the sensitive data inside is not exposed to unauthorized parties.

License Information (Trail available)

IronPDF. Place it before using IronPDF library like so.

IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key";

IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key";

IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "your key"

Conclusion

IronPDF .NET PDF library makes PDF generation in C# not only simple but also powerful and versatile. Whether you're generating invoices, reports, or any other kind of document, IronPDF offers robust features like HTML-to-PDF conversion, custom headers and footers, PDF editing, form handling, and more. It provides a seamless way to work with PDFs without worrying about low-level document structure details.

With IronPDF , you can create high-quality PDFs effortlessly in C#, allowing you to focus more on delivering great functionality to your users rather than worrying about the complexities of document formatting. Whether you're working with dynamic web content or creating static reports, IronPDF is a reliable solution for your PDF needs.