Creating and displaying PDF documents in web applications is a common task when working with ASP.NET Core 5 or ASP.NET Core MVC 5. Whether it’s generating invoices, reports, or salary slips, having the ability to dynamically create PDFs can significantly enhance the functionality of your application. In this guide, we will explore how to leverage the DinkToPdf library to generate these PDF files efficiently within an ASP.NET Core 5 application.
DinkToPdf is a powerful .NET Core P/Invoke wrapper for the wkhtmltopdf library. This library converts HTML to PDF using the Qt WebKit rendering engine, providing a reliable method for rendering complex web pages as PDF documents. The ability to render HTML ensures that your PDFs can include rich text, images, and styling that mirrors what the user would see in a browser.
To get started with creating PDFs in your ASP.NET Core 5 application, you’ll need to install the necessary packages, including DinkToPdf, and set up the appropriate configuration in your project. If you’re new to the process, make sure you have Visual Studio 2019 installed on your system, as it provides all the tools required to work seamlessly with ASP.NET Core 5. You can easily download Visual Studio 2019 if you don’t have it yet.
By the end of this guide, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge to implement PDF generation in your own ASP.NET Core 5 projects. The steps and code samples provided will help you integrate this functionality into your application, allowing for smooth creation and delivery of PDF documents, all while maintaining the flexibility to customize the output as needed.