Insert Field Using Field Builder

Here is a step-by-step guide to explain the C# source code below, which uses the “Insert a Field using FieldBuilder” feature of Aspose.Words for .NET. Make sure to follow each step carefully to get the desired results.

Step 1: Document Directory Setup

In the code provided, you must specify the directory of your documents. Replace the value “YOUR DOCUMENT DIRECTORY” with the appropriate path to your documents directory.

string dataDir = "YOUR DOCUMENTS DIRECTORY";

Step 2: Creating the document

We start by creating a new document.

Document doc = new Document();

Step 3: Building the IF field using FieldBuilder

We use the FieldBuilder class to construct an IF field with two nested MERGEFIELD fields. In this example, the IF field displays first and last name based on a condition.

FieldBuilder fieldBuilder = new FieldBuilder(FieldType.FieldIf)
     .AddArgument("left expression")
     .AddArgument("=")
     .AddArgument("right expression")
     .AddArgument(
         new FieldArgumentBuilder()
             .AddText("Firstname: ")
             .AddField(new FieldBuilder(FieldType.FieldMergeField).AddArgument("firstname")))
     .AddArgument(
         new FieldArgumentBuilder()
             .AddText("Lastname: ")
             .AddField(new FieldBuilder(FieldType.FieldMergeField).AddArgument("lastname")));

Step 4: Inserting the IF field into the document

We use the BuildAndInsert() method to build and insert the IF field at a specific location in the document.

Field field = fieldBuilder.BuildAndInsert(doc.FirstSection.Body.FirstParagraph);
field. Update();

Example source code for inserting a field using FieldBuilder with Aspose.Words for .NET

// The path to the documents directory.
string dataDir = "YOUR DOCUMENTS DIRECTORY";

// Document creation.
Document doc = new Document();

// Construction of the IF field using FieldBuilder.
FieldBuilder fieldBuilder = new FieldBuilder(FieldType.FieldIf)
     .AddArgument("left expression")
     .AddArgument("=")
     .AddArgument("right expression")
     .AddArgument(
         new FieldArgumentBuilder()
             .AddText("Firstname: ")
             .AddField(new FieldBuilder(FieldType.FieldMergeField).AddArgument("firstname")))
     .AddArgument(
         new FieldArgumentBuilder()
             .AddText("Lastname: ")
             .AddField(new FieldBuilder(FieldType.FieldMergeField).AddArgument("lastname")));

// Insert the IF field into the document.
Field field = fieldBuilder.BuildAndInsert(doc.FirstSection.Body.FirstParagraph);
field. Update();

doc.Save(dataDir + "InsertFieldWithFieldBuilder.docx");

In this example, we created a new document, constructed an IF field with nested MERGEFIELD fields, and then inserted that field into the document at a specified location. The document is then saved with a specific file name.

FAQ’s

Q: What is a field constructor in Aspose.Words?

A: A Field Builder in Aspose.Words is a powerful tool for creating and manipulating fields in a Word document. It offers advanced features for building and customizing fields, including inserting field codes and managing formatting options.

Q: What types of fields can be inserted using the field builder?

A: The field builder in Aspose.Words allows you to insert different types of fields into a Word document. Here are some examples of commonly used field types:

• MERGEFIELD: used to merge data from external sources.
• DATE: displays the current date.
• PAGE: displays the current page number.
• IF: allows to condition the display of a content according to a condition.
• TOC: automatically generates a table of contents based on the document title styles.

Q: How to customize the fields inserted with the field builder?

A: The field builder offers customization options for inserted fields. You can use field constructor methods and properties to set options such as field formatting, arguments, switches, and default values. For example, you can set the date format, number format, thousands separator, etc.