Converting to XPS in .NET

Introduction

When it comes to converting Excel files to XPS format, you might feel a bit out of your depth, especially if you’re new to the world of programming or just diving into .NET development. But fear not! In this guide, we’ll break down the process using Aspose.Cells for .NET like a pro. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll not only have a clear understanding of how to do this but also gain some practical insights that can elevate your coding skills. So, let’s get started!

Prerequisites

Before you dive into the nitty-gritty of conversion, let’s make sure you have everything you need. Here’s what you’ll require:

  1. Visual Studio: This is the IDE where you’ll write your code. Make sure you have it installed.
  2. Aspose.Cells Library: You need this library to handle Excel files efficiently. You can download it from here.
  3. Basic Knowledge of .NET: Familiarity with C# or VB.NET will help you understand our examples better.
  4. Excel File: Have a sample Excel file (for this tutorial, we will use “Book1.xls”) ready in your working directory.

Import Packages

Now that we’ve covered the prerequisites, let’s move on to importing the necessary packages. Importing the right namespaces is crucial, as it tells the compiler where to find the classes and methods we’ll be using.

Set Up Your Project

First things first! Open Visual Studio and create a new project. Choose a console application as it’s straightforward and perfect for this kind of task.

Add Aspose.Cells to Your Project

To get started with Aspose.Cells, you need to add the library. To do this:

  1. Right-click on your project in the Solution Explorer.
  2. Click on “Manage NuGet Packages.”
  3. Search for “Aspose.Cells” and click “Install.”

Import the Required Namespaces

At the beginning of your C# file, you’ll need to import Aspose.Cells. This involves adding the following using directives:

using System.IO;
using Aspose.Cells;

Let’s break down the process of converting an Excel file to XPS format into simple, manageable steps.

Step 1: Define Your Document Directory

Here’s where you specify the path where your Excel files are located. This is crucial since the code will need to know where to find the files.

string dataDir = "Your Document Directory"; // Make sure to replace with your actual path

Step 2: Open an Excel File

Now, let’s load your Excel file into an Aspose Workbook object. This action gives your program access to the data inside that Excel file.

Workbook workbook = new Workbook(dataDir + "Book1.xls");

Here, we’re creating a new instance of the Workbook class and loading the “Book1.xls” into it.

Step 3: Access the First Worksheet

Next, we need to get hold of the worksheet we want to work on. Since we are using the first worksheet, our code will look like this:

Worksheet sheet = workbook.Worksheets[0]; // Accessing the first worksheet

This line of code allows you to access the first worksheet for further commands.

Step 4: Configure Image and Print Options

Now we need to define how we want to render our output. This involves creating an instance of ImageOrPrintOptions and setting the desired output format.

Aspose.Cells.Rendering.ImageOrPrintOptions options = new Aspose.Cells.Rendering.ImageOrPrintOptions();
options.SaveFormat = SaveFormat.Xps; // Setting the output format to XPS

This step tells Aspose that we want to convert the Excel content into XPS format.

Step 5: Render the Sheet

With the options set, it’s time to render the specific sheet:

Aspose.Cells.Rendering.SheetRender sr = new Aspose.Cells.Rendering.SheetRender(sheet, options);
sr.ToImage(0, dataDir + "out_printingxps.out.xps");

Here, we’ve created a SheetRender object, which takes care of the rendering process. The method ToImage handles the actual conversion and saves the rendered output as “out_printingxps.out.xps”.

Step 6: Export the Whole Workbook to XPS

If you want to convert the entire workbook instead of just one sheet, you can follow this additional step:

WorkbookRender wr = new WorkbookRender(workbook, options);
wr.ToImage(dataDir + "out_whole_printingxps.out.xps");

This code snippet allows you to export the whole workbook in one go, making it efficient if you have multiple worksheets to convert.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully converted an Excel file to XPS format using the Aspose.Cells library in .NET. It may seem like a lot of steps, but each one plays a vital role in the process. With this knowledge, you’re well-equipped to handle Excel files in your applications and optimize them for various formats. So next time someone asks you how to convert those pesky spreadsheets, you’ll know exactly what to do!

FAQ’s

What is XPS format?

XPS (XML Paper Specification) is a fixed-document format that retains the layout and appearance of documents.

Do I need to purchase Aspose.Cells to use it?

You can try a free trial of Aspose.Cells available here. Afterward, you may need to purchase a license for full functionality.

Can I convert multiple Excel files at once?

Yes, you can adapt the code to loop through multiple files in the directory and apply the same conversion logic for each file.

What if I only need to convert specific sheets?

You can specify the index of the sheet you want in the SheetRender object as shown in our steps.

Where can I find more information about Aspose.Cells?

You can explore the documentation for more advanced features and options available with the library.

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