How to VIEW files on asp.net?

Question

I am trying to view files from a folder in asp.net. I have tried using the "Response" class and its many functions to view files but so far I have been unsuccessful. Mostly using the Response class allows me to download the files but not view them in the browser. Most of what I have seen online suggests the same thing which is to use this bit of code:

string fileName = "Myfile.pdf";
Response.ContentType = "application/pdf";
Response.AddHeader("Content-Disposition", "inline; filename="+fileName);

But again, this only allows me to download the file and not view it in the browser.

Any suggestions on how I can do this?

Whether a file can be viewed or not is dependent on the browser having the capability to view it. If the browser can't, and there is no relevant plugin/extension, then a library will be needed to turn the file into a representation that the browser can understand (HTML/CSS/JS or some other format the browser can handle natively or via plugin), or the file will need to be downloaded to the user's machine. — mason
– mason, Commented Oct 31, 2016 at 20:36

Jonathan · Accepted Answer · 2016-10-31 19:04:06Z

2

This is what works for me:

        Response.Clear();
        Response.AddHeader("Content-Length", binaryFile.Length.ToString(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture));
        //Response.AddHeader("Content-Disposition", string.Format("attachment; filename={0}", title)); // save file as attachment
        Response.AddHeader("Content-Disposition", string.Format("inline; filename={0}", title)); // display inline in browser
        Response.AddHeader("Content-Type", "application/pdf");
        Response.BinaryWrite(binaryFile);
        Response.Flush();
        Response.End();

answered Oct 31, 2016 at 19:04

Jonathan

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Comments

Gregor Primar · Accepted Answer · 2016-10-31 19:47:27Z

Here is some nice project using free HTML based file browser:

https://github.com/magicbruno/FileBrowser

Alternative would be to use something like ASP.NET GridView and handle browsing specific folder. Here is short sample.

ASPX code:

<asp:GridView ID="GridView1" runat="server"></asp:GridView>

Page code:

protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    if (!Page.IsPostBack)
    {
        DisplayDirectoryContent(Server.MapPath("~"));
    }
}

void DisplayDirectoryContent(string directory)
{
    System.Data.DataTable data = new System.Data.DataTable();
    data.Columns.Add("Name",typeof(string));
    data.Columns.Add("IsFolder", typeof(bool));
    foreach (var dir in System.IO.Directory.GetDirectories(directory))
    {
       System.IO.DirectoryInfo di = new System.IO.DirectoryInfo(directory);
       data.Rows.Add(new object[] { di.Name, true });
    }
    foreach (var file in System.IO.Directory.GetFiles(directory))
    {
        System.IO.FileInfo fi = new System.IO.FileInfo(file);
        data.Rows.Add(new object[] { fi.Name, false });
    }
    GridView1.DataSource = data;
    GridView1.DataBind();
}

Take notice that you cant directly view any file in browser, but you can link downolad action to GridView (similar to your code). This is how it works.

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