export in pdf report

Question

I have a web report(.aspx page). I like to have a functionality to export that report into pdf format. Is there any way I can export it to PDF format without using any third party control or product?

Or any other way I can use report viewer control's export feature in web page and hiding report viewer control?

Answer 1

Export to PDF

Yes, you can do it, but I think this would be highly inefficient and possibly difficult and time consuming. In a nutshell, you would be writing your own "to PDF" library - just like the ones that already exist, so, why reinvent the wheel?

If you are willing to use a third party control (some of them are free, or even open source), you have some better options:

• using Visual Studio's Crystal Reports (you asked about this in your second paragraph)
• using free 3rd party itextsharp
• using any other free (or not) library

If you are still not willing to use a third party control, and don't want to create the library yourself, you have some other odd options :

• Have your client "print" the page to their installed PDF printer (like CutePDF)
• Convert the page into an image, and from there into a PDF