How to Run Examples Leave feedback

This page explains how to set up and run the GroupDocs.Viewer for .NET code examples. The examples demonstrate common document rendering scenarios, including rendering documents to HTML, PDF, PNG, and JPEG, processing documents stored in archives, extracting attachments, and retrieving document information.

If you want to build a minimal application from scratch, see the Quick Start Guide.

Before running the examples, make sure you have:

1. A configured environment that meets the requirements described in the System Requirements.
2. The .NET SDK or Visual Studio 2022 or later.
3. The GroupDocs.Viewer for .NET examples repository, cloned or downloaded from GitHub.

git clone https://github.com/groupdocs-viewer/GroupDocs.Viewer-for-.NET.git

Alternatively, download the repository as a ZIP archive and extract it locally.

The examples are located in the Examples folder. Shared C# code is stored in GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp, while separate projects target different .NET frameworks.

📂 GroupDocs.Viewer-for-.NET
├── Demos
│   ├── ASP.NET Core
│   ├── ASP.NET MVC
│   ├── ASP.NET Web Forms
│   ├── Windows Forms
│   └── WPF
├── Examples
│   ├── GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.sln
│   ├── GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp
│   │   ├── QuickStart
│   │   ├── BasicUsage
│   │   ├── AdvancedUsage
│   │   ├── HowTo
│   │   ├── Resources
│   │   └── Utils.cs
│   ├── GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.Framework
│   ├── GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.Net
│   └── GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.NetWindows
├── Plugins
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

The target-framework-specific projects use the corresponding GroupDocs.Viewer runtime package. For more information, see Installation.

Navigate to the Examples directory and restore the NuGet packages:

cd GroupDocs.Viewer-for-.NET/Examples
dotnet restore GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.sln

If you use Visual Studio, open GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.sln, right-click the solution in Solution Explorer, and select Restore NuGet Packages.

Select the project that matches your target framework and operating system:

• GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.Net for cross-platform .NET applications.
• GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.NetWindows for Windows-specific .NET applications.
• GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.Framework for .NET Framework applications.

In Visual Studio, right-click the required project and select Set as Startup Project.

If you have a GroupDocs.Viewer license file, specify its path in Examples/GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp/Utils.cs:

public const string LicensePath = @"C:\licenses\GroupDocs.Viewer.lic";

Make sure the license file exists at the specified location, or update LicensePath to point to your license file.

Note

For more details about licensing, evaluation limitations, and obtaining a temporary license, see the Licensing and evaluation page.

RunExamples.cs in the selected startup project runs the available examples sequentially.

Run the project from the Examples directory:

dotnet run --project GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.Net

Replace the project name with GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.NetWindows or GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp.Framework if you selected a different target framework.

In Visual Studio, press F5 to build and run the selected project.

The examples demonstrate scenarios such as:

• Rendering documents to HTML, PDF, PNG, and JPEG.
• Processing documents stored in archives.
• Retrieving document information.
• Applying different rendering options.
• Extracting document attachments.

To run only a specific example, open RunExamples.cs in the selected startup project and comment out the .Run() calls for the examples you do not need.

For example, the following configuration runs only the HelloWorld example:

#region Quick Start

// SetLicenseFromFile.Run();
// SetLicenseFromStream.Run();
// SetMeteredLicense.Run();
HelloWorld.Run();

#endregion

Save the changes and run the project again.

Most examples save their output to the Examples/Output/<ExampleName>/ directory. The output path is configured by Utils.OutputPath in Utils.cs.

Sample documents used by the examples are stored in:

Examples/GroupDocs.Viewer.Examples.CSharp/Resources/SampleFiles

The Demos folder contains ready-to-run applications that demonstrate how to integrate GroupDocs.Viewer into different types of .NET applications.

Clone or download the repository first, then follow the instructions for the demo you want to run.

1. Navigate to Demos/ASP.NET Core.

2. Run the application:

   dotnet run
   

3. Open http://localhost:8080/viewer in your browser.

1. Navigate to Demos/ASP.NET MVC.
2. Open the solution in Visual Studio.
3. Update the required parameters in web.config and the demo settings in configuration.yml. See the Configuration section.
4. Run the project.
5. Open http://localhost:8080/viewer in your browser.

1. Navigate to Demos/ASP.NET Web Forms.
2. Open the solution in Visual Studio.
3. Update the required parameters in web.config and the example settings in configuration.yml. See the Configuration section.
4. Run the project.
5. Open http://localhost:8080/viewer in your browser.

1. Navigate to Demos/WPF.
2. Open the solution in Visual Studio.
3. Run the project.

1. Navigate to Demos/Windows Forms.
2. Open the solution in Visual Studio.
3. Run the project.

You can contribute to the GroupDocs.Viewer examples by adding new examples or improving existing ones. The examples repository is open source and can be used in your own applications.

To contribute:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Modify or add an example.
3. Create a pull request.

The changes will be reviewed and incorporated into the repository when appropriate.

If you encounter problems while running the examples:

• Make sure all NuGet packages are restored successfully.
• Verify that the selected project matches your target framework and operating system.
• Check that your environment meets the System Requirements.
• If you use a license, verify that LicensePath points to the correct license file.
• Visit the Technical Support page for additional help.