Generate Excel from Data Sources in Storage

This section demonstrates how to call the Web API service through a client application and generate excel file from dataset or .NET collection present in storage (remote storage or storage at the same server).

Step 1: Call the Service

Step 2: Run the Client Project

The following example makes a call to the Web API service through HTML as well as WinForms client applications. These clients send a GET request to the service, which returns a response stream. This response stream is then saved in the desired excel file format.

In the following example, the service URL takes name and location of dataset/ collection (present in storage) in DataName parameter and the desired file format, xls, in Type parameter. The specified dataset, named Products, resides in Nwind folder of the hosted service.

Step 1: Call the Service

Complete the following steps to call the Web API service.

C#
HTML

Create a WinForms application, as discussed in Configure Client for REST API service. Add one C1Label, one C1TextBox and one C1Button control. Your form will appear as shown below.

Define a method (for example: GetExcel()) in form class of your WinForms application, to call the service application, as shown below.

C#	Copy Code
public void GetExcel() { var apiURL = string.IsNullOrEmpty(C1TextBox1.Text) ? "http://demos.componentone.com/ASPNET/WebAPI/api/excel? FileName = excel & type = xls & dataname = Nwind % 2 FProducts " : C1TextBox1.Text; WebRequest request = WebRequest.Create(apiURL); WebResponse response = request.GetResponse(); var fileStream = File.Create("D:\\ExcelfromStorage.xls"); //The file format specified here should be same as that specified in the request url response.GetResponseStream().CopyTo(fileStream); }

Copy Code

public void GetExcel() {
  var apiURL = string.IsNullOrEmpty(C1TextBox1.Text) ? "http://demos.componentone.com/ASPNET/WebAPI/api/excel?
  FileName = excel & type = xls & dataname = Nwind % 2 FProducts " : C1TextBox1.Text;
  WebRequest request = WebRequest.Create(apiURL);
  WebResponse response = request.GetResponse();
  var fileStream = File.Create("D:\\ExcelfromStorage.xls"); 
  //The file format specified here should be same as that specified in the
  request url
  response.GetResponseStream().CopyTo(fileStream);
}

Call the GetExcel() method on button-click event of Generate Excel button.

Create an HTML application, as discussed in Configure Client for REST API service.

Add the following markups in the <form> tags, within <body> tags, of your HTML page.

HTML	Copy Code
<form action="http://demos.componentone.com/ASPNET/WebAPI/api/excel" method="GET"> <label for="fileName">File Name:</label> <input type="text" id="fileName" name="fileName" value="ExcelfromStorage" /> <br /> <label for="fileFormat">File Format:</label> <input type="text" id="fileFormat" name="type" value="xls" /> <br /> <label for="DataName">Data Name:</label> <input type="text" id="DataName" name="DataName" value="Nwind/Products" /> <input type="submit" value="Generate Excel"/> </form>

HTML

Copy Code

<form action="http://demos.componentone.com/ASPNET/WebAPI/api/excel" method="GET">
        <label for="fileName">File Name:</label>
        <input type="text" id="fileName" name="fileName" value="ExcelfromStorage" />
        <br />
        <label for="fileFormat">File Format:</label>
        <input type="text" id="fileFormat" name="type" value="xls" />
        <br />
        <label for="DataName">Data Name:</label>
        <input type="text" id="DataName" name="DataName" value="Nwind/Products" />
        <input type="submit" value="Generate Excel"/>
</form>

Note that, for GET request we set method attribute of <form> tag to GET, and set its action attribute to service request URL. Also, we create input controls on the HTML page, which take various parameters to generate the excel from dataset, present in the storage, to the desired excel format.

Step 2: Run the Client Project

WinForms Application

Click Build | Build Solution to build the project.
Press F5 to run the project.
Provide the service URL, along with the query string containing appropriate parameters, in the textbox corresponding to Request URL field.
Click the Generate Excel button. The generated excel data stream will get downloaded at the location specified within the GetExcel() method.

HTML Application

Save your HTML file and open it in a browser.
Set the appropriate parameters for the desired excel file format, and click Generate Excel button.

Explore detailed demo samples of REST API service to generate excel from data sources available in storage at:

Generate Excel Live Demo