Word Interop C#: Insert new page using existing page

Question

I have a word template file which contains a table and it has 11 rows and 3 columns. So there are 33 cells in table on first page. I fill these cell with some data, however if number of records are greater than 33 say 66, I am creating two files, each containing 33 records. I want to create single file which will contain all 66 records and there should be two pages in one file instead of two separate files. How should I do it?

Following is the code I am using to create one doc file.

private static string FillTemplate(List<ClientListItem> clients, string fileName)
    {
        //Filled document file name
        var savedFileName = string.Empty;
        //Search template file in current directory
        var templateFilePath = System.AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory + "templateFile.doc";

        #region Generate file for labels

        object missing = System.Type.Missing;
        // Create Word application
        WORD._Application app = new WORD.Application();

        try
        {
            Print("Creating label document.");
            // Create new file
            WORD._Document doc = app.Documents.Open(templateFilePath);

            //Print("Creating app selection object");
            WORD.Selection selection = app.Selection;

            //If the template file contains tables
            if (selection.Tables.Count > 0)
            {
                //Use first table
                //Table's are accessed with starting index as 1 not 0
                var tableToUse = selection.Tables[1];

                //Counter for number of parent caregivers inserted
                var counter = 0;
                //Number of parent caregivers
                var numberOfParentCaregivers = clients.Count;
                //Loop on each row
                //Rows are accessed with starting index as 1 not 0
                for (int rowIndex = 1; rowIndex <= tableToUse.Rows.Count; rowIndex++)
                {
                    //Loop on each column
                    //Columns are accessed with starting index as 1 not 0
                    for (int columnIndex = 1; columnIndex <= tableToUse.Columns.Count; columnIndex++)
                    {
                        //If counter has reached to its limit
                        if (counter + 1 > numberOfParentCaregivers)
                        {
                            //Stop
                            break;
                        }

                        //If current column index is even
                        if (columnIndex % 2 == 0)
                        {
                            //Do not process it
                            //Why? Check template file for yourself
                            continue;
                        }

                        //Get parent caregiver to set
                        var parentCaregiver = clients[counter];

                        Print("Generating label to add to document.");

                        //Get label to add to document
                        var labelToAdd = string.Format("{0} {1},{6}{2},{6} {3}, {4} {5}", parentCaregiver.Parent1LastName, parentCaregiver.Parent1FirstName,
                            parentCaregiver.Parent1StreetAddress, parentCaregiver.Parent1City, parentCaregiver.Parent1State, parentCaregiver.Parent1Zip, Environment.NewLine);

                        //Print(string.Format("Adding label {0} at {1}, {2} position.", labelToAdd, rowIndex, columnIndex));

                        //Get cell to set value
                        var tableCell = tableToUse.Cell(rowIndex, columnIndex);
                        //Set text in cell
                        tableCell.Range.Text = labelToAdd;
                        //Middle align text
                        tableCell.Range.ParagraphFormat.Alignment = WORD.WdParagraphAlignment.wdAlignParagraphCenter;

                        Print(string.Format("Label added {0} at {1}, {2} position.", labelToAdd, rowIndex, columnIndex));
                        counter++;
                    }

                    //If counter has reched to its limit
                    //i.e. no parent caregivers to process - all processed
                    if (counter + 1 > numberOfParentCaregivers)
                    {
                        //stop
                        break;
                    }
                }
            }

            // Set file name to save
            savedFileName = string.Format(@"{0}{1}{2}", Path.GetTempPath(), fileName, Path.GetExtension(templateFilePath));
            object fname = savedFileName;
            Print(string.Format("Saving new document at {0}", savedFileName));
            // SaveAs new file
            doc.SaveAs(ref fname, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing);
            Print(string.Format("{0} saved successfully.", savedFileName));
            app.Documents.Close(ref missing, ref missing, ref missing);
        }
        catch (Exception exc)
        {
            Print("Exception while generating label document");
            Print(exc.ToString());
            //Set file Name to empty string
            savedFileName = string.Empty;
        }
        finally
        {
            // Close Word application
            app.Quit(ref missing, ref missing, ref missing);
            Marshal.ReleaseComObject(app);
            app = null;
            GC.Collect();
            GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers();
            GC.Collect();
            GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers();
        }

        //Return saved file name
        return savedFileName;

    }

Please suggest changes so that I can create any number of pages based on number of records to add in template file.

Thanks, Nikhil.

Answer 1

An other approach, is that you can Add the template file to the Document instead of opening it, and then just use Range.InsertFile to insert the template file after a page break on each time you reach the last cell of the table. I used a while loop just to keep your current flow and enumerating the items by using an index variable.

private static string FillTemplate(List<ClientListItem> clients, string fileName)
{
    //Filled document file name
    var savedFileName = string.Empty;
    //Search template file in current directory
    var templateFilePath = System.AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory + "templateFile.doc";

    //#region Generate file for labels

    object missing = System.Type.Missing;
    // Create Word application
    WORD._Application app = new WORD.Application();

    try
    {
        Print("Creating label document.");
        // Create new file
        //WORD._Document doc = app.Documents.Open(templateFilePath);
        // Instead of creating a new file, just add our template to the document
        WORD._Document doc = app.Documents.Add(templateFilePath);

        //Print("Creating app selection object");
        WORD.Selection selection = app.Selection;

        //If the template file contains tables
        if (selection.Tables.Count > 0)
        {
            //Use first table
            //Table's are accessed with starting index as 1 not 0
            var tableToUse = selection.Tables[selection.Tables.Count];

            //Counter for number of parent caregivers inserted
            var counter = 0;
            //Number of parent caregivers
            var numberOfParentCaregivers = clients.Count;
            //Loop on each row

            int rowIndex = 1, columnIndex = 1;

            while (counter < numberOfParentCaregivers)
            {
                if(columnIndex > tableToUse.Columns.Count)
                {
                    // Reset column index if we have reached the last column
                    columnIndex = 1;
                    // And go to the next row
                    rowIndex++;

                    if(rowIndex > tableToUse.Rows.Count)
                    {
                        // Reset row index if we have reached the last row
                        rowIndex = 1;
                        // Go the the end of the document, add a page break and insert our empty table template
                        object startPoint = 0;
                        WORD.Range range = doc.Range(ref startPoint, ref missing);
                        range.Collapse(WORD.WdCollapseDir‌​ection.wdCollapseEnd‌​);
                        range.InsertBreak(WORD.WdBreakTyp‌​e.wdSectionBreakNext‌​Page);
                        range.InsertFile(templateFilePath);
                        // Assign the new inserted template table to our current table to use
                        tableToUse = range.Tables[selection.Tables.Count];
                    }
                }

                var parentCaregiver = clients[counter];

                Print("Generating label to add to document.");

                //Get label to add to document
                var labelToAdd = string.Format("{0} {1},{6}{2},{6} {3}, {4} {5}", parentCaregiver.Parent1LastName, parentCaregiver.Parent1FirstName,
                    parentCaregiver.Parent1StreetAddress, parentCaregiver.Parent1City, parentCaregiver.Parent1State, parentCaregiver.Parent1Zip, Environment.NewLine);

                //Print(string.Format("Adding label {0} at {1}, {2} position.", labelToAdd, rowIndex, columnIndex));

                //Get cell to set value
                var tableCell = tableToUse.Cell(rowIndex, columnIndex);
                //Set text in cell
                tableCell.Range.Text = labelToAdd;
                //Middle align text
                tableCell.Range.ParagraphFormat.Alignment = WORD.WdParagraphAlignment.wdAlignParagraphCenter;

                Print(string.Format("Label added {0} at {1}, {2} position.", labelToAdd, rowIndex, columnIndex));
                // Increate items counter and columns counter on each loop
                counter++;
                columnIndex++;
            }
        }

        // Set file name to save
        savedFileName = string.Format(@"{0}{1}{2}", Path.GetTempPath(), fileName, Path.GetExtension(templateFilePath));
        object fname = savedFileName;
        Print(string.Format("Saving new document at {0}", savedFileName));
        // SaveAs new file
        doc.SaveAs(ref fname, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing);
        Print(string.Format("{0} saved successfully.", savedFileName));
        app.Documents.Close(ref missing, ref missing, ref missing);
    }
    catch (Exception exc)
    {
        Print("Exception while generating label document");
        Print(exc.ToString());
        //Set file Name to empty string
        savedFileName = string.Empty;
    }
    finally
    {
        // Close Word application
        app.Quit(ref missing, ref missing, ref missing);
        Marshal.ReleaseComObject(app);
        app = null;
        GC.Collect();
        GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers();
        GC.Collect();
        GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers();
    }

    //Return saved file name
    return savedFileName;
}

Answer 2

I changed your code looping over all the items to insert in the table(s) instead of looping over the cells of the table. Inside this loop the indexes of the columns and rows are incremented and when all the cells have been filled a page break is inserted at the end of the document where a copy of the original table is pasted. At this point the two indexes are reset to 1, the new table is set as the one to be used, and everything continues normally.

This is the code:

    private static string FillTemplate(List<ClientListItem> clients, string fileName)
    {
        //Filled document file name
        var savedFileName = string.Empty;
        //Search template file in current directory
        var templateFilePath = System.AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory + "templateFile.doc";



        object missing = System.Type.Missing;
        // Create Word application
        WORD._Application app = new WORD.Application();

        try
        {
            app.Visible = true;
            Print("Creating label document.");
            // Create new file
            WORD._Document doc = app.Documents.Open(templateFilePath);

            //Print("Creating app selection object");
            WORD.Selection selection = app.Selection;

            //If the template file contains tables
            if (selection.Tables.Count > 0)
            {
                //Use first table
                var tableToUse = selection.Tables[1];

                //copy the empty table in the clipboard
                WORD.Range range = tableToUse.Range;
                range.Copy();

                int rowIndex = 1;
                int columnIndex = 1;

                // loop over all the items to insert
                foreach (ClientListItem parentCaregiver in clients)
                {
                    // check if all the cells in the current row have been used
                    if (columnIndex > tableToUse.Columns.Count)
                    {
                        // if this is the case increment the row index and restart from the first column
                        columnIndex = 1;
                        rowIndex++;
                        // check if all the rows in the current table have been used
                        if (rowIndex > tableToUse.Columns.Count)
                        {
                            // if this is the case create a new table and restart from the first row
                            rowIndex = 1;
                            // first go to end of document
                            selection.EndKey(WORD.WdUnits.wdStory, WORD.WdMovementType.wdMove);
                            // then add page break
                            object breakType = WORD.WdBreakType.wdPageBreak; 
                            selection.InsertBreak(ref breakType);
                            // add a new table (initially with 1 row and one column) at the end of the document
                            // i.e. on the new page
                            WORD.Table tableCopy = doc.Tables.Add(selection.Range, 1, 1, ref missing, ref missing);
                            // paste the original empty table over the new one
                            tableCopy.Range.Paste();
                            // makes the copied table the one to use
                            tableToUse = tableCopy;
                        }
                    }
                    Print("Generating label to add to document.");

                    //Get label to add to document
                    var labelToAdd = string.Format("{0} {1},{6}{2},{6} {3}, {4} {5}", parentCaregiver.Parent1LastName, parentCaregiver.Parent1FirstName,
                        parentCaregiver.Parent1StreetAddress, parentCaregiver.Parent1City, parentCaregiver.Parent1State, parentCaregiver.Parent1Zip, Environment.NewLine);

                    //Get cell to set value
                    var tableCell = tableToUse.Cell(rowIndex, columnIndex);
                    //Set text in cell
                    tableCell.Range.Text = labelToAdd;
                    //Middle align text
                    tableCell.Range.ParagraphFormat.Alignment = WORD.WdParagraphAlignment.wdAlignParagraphCenter;

                    Print(string.Format("Label added {0} at {1}, {2} position.", labelToAdd, rowIndex, columnIndex));

                    columnIndex++;
                }


            }

            // Set file name to save
            savedFileName = fileName; // string.Format(@"{0}{1}{2}", Path.GetTempPath(), fileName, Path.GetExtension(templateFilePath));
            object fname = savedFileName;
            Print(string.Format("Saving new document at {0}", savedFileName));
            // SaveAs new file
            doc.SaveAs(ref fname, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing);
            Print(string.Format("{0} saved successfully.", savedFileName));
            app.Documents.Close(ref missing, ref missing, ref missing);
        }
        catch (Exception exc)
        {
            Print("Exception while generating label document");
            Print(exc.ToString());
            //Set file Name to empty string
            savedFileName = string.Empty;
        }
        finally
        {
            // Close Word application
            app.Quit(ref missing, ref missing, ref missing);
            Marshal.ReleaseComObject(app);
            app = null;
            GC.Collect();
            GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers();
            GC.Collect();
            GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers();
        }

        //Return saved file name
        return savedFileName;

    }