How to Work With Content Controls in Word Documents in .NET Apps

This technical tip explains how developers can work with content controls inside a MS Word documents using .NET.  In Microsoft Word, you can create a form by starting with a template and adding content controls, including check boxes, text boxes, date pickers, and drop-down lists. In Aspose.Words, a Structured Document Tag or content control from any document loaded into Aspose.Words is imported as a StructuredDocumentTag node. Structured document tags (SDT or content control) allow to embed customer-defined semantics as well as its behavior and appearance into a document. StructuredDocumentTag can occur in a document in the following places:

• Block-level - Among paragraphs and tables, as a child of a Body, HeaderFooter, Comment, Footnote or a Shape node.
• Row-level - Among rows in a table, as a child of a Table node.
• Cell-level - Among cells in a table row, as a child of a Row node.
• Inline-level - Among inline content inside, as a child of a Paragraph.
• Nested inside another StructuredDocumentTag.  

//Code sample shows how to create content control of type rich text box.

//[C# code sample]

Document doc = new Document();
StructuredDocumentTag sdtRichText = new StructuredDocumentTag(doc, SdtType.RichText, MarkupLevel.Block);

Paragraph para = new Paragraph(doc);
Run run = new Run(doc);
run.Text = "Hello World";
run.Font.Color = Color.Green;
para.Runs.Add(run);
sdtRichText.ChildNodes.Add(para);
doc.FirstSection.Body.AppendChild(sdtRichText);

doc.Save(MyDir + "Out.docx");

//[VB Code Sample]

Dim doc As New Document()
Dim sdtRichText As New StructuredDocumentTag(doc, SdtType.RichText, MarkupLevel.Block)

Dim para As New Paragraph(doc)
Dim run As New Run(doc)
run.Text = "Hello World"
run.Font.Color = Color.Green
para.Runs.Add(run)
sdtRichText.ChildNodes.Add(para)
doc.FirstSection.Body.AppendChild(sdtRichText)

doc.Save(MyDir & "Out.docx")
 
//Code samples for how to create content control of type combo box.

//[C# code sample]

Document doc = new Document();
StructuredDocumentTag sdt = new StructuredDocumentTag(doc, SdtType.ComboBox, MarkupLevel.Block);

sdt.ListItems.Add(new SdtListItem("Choose an item", "-1"));
sdt.ListItems.Add(new SdtListItem("Item 1", "1"));
sdt.ListItems.Add(new SdtListItem("Item 2", "2"));
doc.FirstSection.Body.AppendChild(sdt);

doc.Save(MyDir + "Out.docx");
 
//[VB Code Sample]

Dim doc As New Document()
Dim sdt As New StructuredDocumentTag(doc, SdtType.ComboBox, MarkupLevel.Block)

sdt.ListItems.Add(New SdtListItem("Choose an item", "-1"))
sdt.ListItems.Add(New SdtListItem("Item 1", "1"))
sdt.ListItems.Add(New SdtListItem("Item 2", "2"))
doc.FirstSection.Body.AppendChild(sdt)

doc.Save(MyDir & "Out.docx")
 
//Code for how to modify content controls of type plain text box, drop down list and picture.

//[C# code sample]

Document doc = new Document(MyDir + "in.docx");

foreach (StructuredDocumentTag sdt in doc.GetChildNodes(NodeType.StructuredDocumentTag, true))
{
    if (sdt.SdtType == SdtType.PlainText)
    {
        sdt.RemoveAllChildren();
        Paragraph para = sdt.AppendChild(new Paragraph(doc)) as Paragraph;
        Run run = new Run(doc, "new text goes here");
        para.AppendChild(run);
    }
    else if (sdt.SdtType == SdtType.DropDownList)
    {
        SdtListItem secondItem = sdt.ListItems[2];
        sdt.ListItems.SelectedValue = secondItem;
    }
    else if (sdt.SdtType == SdtType.Picture)
    {
        DrawingML dml = (DrawingML)sdt.GetChild(NodeType.DrawingML, 0, true);
        if (dml.HasImage)
        {
            dml.ImageData.SetImage(MyDir + "image.png");
        }
    }
}

doc.Save(MyDir + "Out.docx");
 
//[VB Code Sample]

Dim doc As New Document(MyDir & "in.docx")

For Each sdt As StructuredDocumentTag In doc.GetChildNodes(NodeType.StructuredDocumentTag, True)
    If sdt.SdtType = SdtType.PlainText Then
        sdt.RemoveAllChildren()
        Dim para As Paragraph = TryCast(sdt.AppendChild(New Paragraph(doc)), Paragraph)
        Dim run As New Run(doc, "new text goes here")
        para.AppendChild(run)
    ElseIf sdt.SdtType = SdtType.DropDownList Then
        Dim secondItem As SdtListItem = sdt.ListItems(2)
        sdt.ListItems.SelectedValue = secondItem
    ElseIf sdt.SdtType = SdtType.Picture Then
        Dim dml As DrawingML = DirectCast(sdt.GetChild(NodeType.DrawingML, 0, True), DrawingML)
        If dml.HasImage Then
            dml.ImageData.SetImage(MyDir & "image.png")
        End If
    End If
Next

doc.Save(MyDir & "Out.docx")