Tracking Document Conversion Progress Programmatically in .NET

Introduction

Are you looking to enhance your document conversion process using Aspose.Cells for .NET? If so, you’re in the right place! In this tutorial, we’ll dive deep into tracking the conversion progress of Excel documents as they are transformed into PDF format. Not only will we guide you through the essential steps to achieve this, but we’ll also sprinkle in some helpful insights along the way. So, let’s get started!

Prerequisites

Before we jump into the nitty-gritty of tracking document conversion, there are a few prerequisites you should have in place:

1. Basic Knowledge of C#: Since we’ll be using C# to code, a fundamental understanding of this programming language will come in handy.
2. Visual Studio Installed: This will serve as our development environment. You can use any version you prefer, but the latest is always a good choice.
3. Aspose.Cells for .NET: Ensure you have Aspose.Cells installed. You can download it from the Aspose website.
4. An Excel File: Have a sample Excel file ready for conversion. You can create a simple .xlsx file to follow along.

Import Packages

Now that we have our prerequisites covered, it’s time to import the necessary packages to your C# project. Here’s how to do it:

Create a New Project

1. Open Visual Studio and create a new project. Choose a Console App template for simplicity.

Add Reference to Aspose.Cells

2. Right-click on the References in the Solution Explorer, select Add Reference, and navigate to the Aspose.Cells assembly if it’s not added automatically. You can also use NuGet Package Manager by running the following command in the Package Manager Console:

Install-Package Aspose.Cells

Import Namespaces

3. At the top of your Program.cs file, add the following using directive:

using Aspose.Cells.Rendering;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

Now we’re all set with our project setup!

With the groundwork laid, let’s break down the actual process of tracking document conversion into digestible steps.

Step 1: Define Your Directories

Start by specifying the directories where your source and output files will reside. Here’s how to do it:

// Source directory
string sourceDir = "Your Document Directory";
// Output directory
string outputDir = "Your Document Directory";

Make sure to replace "Your Document Directory" with the actual path on your system. This will help in locating your files easily.

Step 2: Load the Workbook

Next, you need to load your Excel workbook using the Workbook class. Here’s how:

Workbook workbook = new Workbook(sourceDir + "PagesBook1.xlsx");

This line of code creates a Workbook object that will allow us to interact with the Excel file we specified.

Step 3: Set Up PDF Save Options

Now, let’s set up the PDF save options. This is where the magic of tracking progress begins. You’ll create an instance of PdfSaveOptions and assign a callback to it.

PdfSaveOptions pdfSaveOptions = new PdfSaveOptions();
pdfSaveOptions.PageSavingCallback = new TestPageSavingCallback();

By assigning a custom callback (TestPageSavingCallback), we can implement our own logic for tracking page conversion progress.

Step 4: Save the Workbook as PDF

With everything set up, it’s time to save your workbook as a PDF. Use the Save method of the Workbook class like so:

workbook.Save(outputDir + "DocumentConversionProgress.pdf", pdfSaveOptions);

This line will trigger the conversion process and invoke our callback methods as the pages are being processed.

Step 5: Implement the Callback Class

Now let’s create the TestPageSavingCallback class. This is where you define what happens at the start and end of saving each page.

public class TestPageSavingCallback : IPageSavingCallback
{
    public void PageStartSaving(PageStartSavingArgs args)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Start saving page index {0} of pages {1}", args.PageIndex, args.PageCount);
        // Don't output pages before page index 2.
        if (args.PageIndex < 2)
        {
            args.IsToOutput = false;
        }
    }
    public void PageEndSaving(PageEndSavingArgs args)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("End saving page index {0} of pages {1}", args.PageIndex, args.PageCount);
        // Don't output pages after page index 8.
        if (args.PageIndex >= 8)
        {
            args.HasMorePages = false;
        }
    }
}

• PageStartSaving: This method is called just before a page starts saving. Here, we log the start of the saving process for each page. Additionally, we can control whether to output the page or not. In this case, pages before index 2 are skipped.
• PageEndSaving: This method is invoked after a page has been saved. It allows you to log when saving ends for each page and control whether more pages should be processed. In this example, we stop after page index 8.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully implemented a system to track the progress of document conversion using Aspose.Cells for .NET. This approach not only allows you to monitor the conversion process but also gives you control over which pages to include or exclude, making your document management much more efficient.

FAQ’s

What is Aspose.Cells?

Aspose.Cells is a powerful .NET library that allows developers to create, manipulate, and convert Excel files programmatically.

How can I get a free trial of Aspose.Cells?

You can download a free trial from the Aspose website.

Is it possible to customize the conversion process?

Yes, using callbacks, you can customize how pages are processed during conversion.

Can I control the output file name?

Absolutely! You can specify any name for your output file when saving the workbook.

Where can I find support for Aspose.Cells?

You can get support by visiting the Aspose forum.