From zero to your first PDF in 10 minutes

1Install the package

Install only one. XtudioPdf.AspNetCore already includes the engine.

Requires .NET 8 or .NET 10. Runs on Windows, Linux, macOS and Docker. .NET Framework (4.x) is not supported.

2Install the extension (once per computer)

That's all. The first time you open a .pdfx, the extension installs the designer by itself (the xtudiopdf tool) and keeps it up to date. Without an extension, install it by hand: dotnet tool install -g XtudioPdf.Tool

3Create your document

Right-click the folder where you keep your reports and add an XtudioPdf document. Give it a name, for example Invoice.

4Design

Double-click Invoice.pdfx and the designer opens as one more tab of your editor. You don't need to run your app.

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1. Blocks. Drag them onto the sheet: text, tables, images, QR, charts… A Row puts blocks side by side; a Column stacks them.
2. The sheet. Header and footer repeat on every page; the body grows with your data and jumps to new pages by itself.
3. Properties. Click any block to change its text, font, colors, borders, spacing and when it is shown.
4. Preview (Ctrl+Enter) shows the real PDF. Save with Ctrl+S.

5Connect your data

The Data tab lists the properties of your class. You never type a field by hand: you choose it.

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1. Your fields. Click one (or drag it) to insert it in the selected text, for example {{Customer.Name}}.
2. On the sheet each field is a blue label. The database button at the top shows the sample values instead.
3. A table repeats one row per item of a list, and jumps to the next page when it doesn't fit.
4. Choose the list (Lines, Items…) and the field of each column. Formats like {{Total:N2}} or the amount in words {{Total:letras}} go after the colon.

The preview uses your sample data: the .sample.json file next to the template, or a static GetSampleData() method in your class.

6Generate the PDF in your code

Every .pdfx in the project is embedded when you build and checked against its class: if a field doesn't exist, the compiler warns you.

// Program.cs
builder.Services.AddPdfReports();

// Reports/InvoiceReport.cs: created for you; XtudioPdf completes it from the .pdfx
public sealed partial class InvoiceReport
{
    public byte[] Generate(InvoiceDto data) => Render(data);
}

// Your endpoint returns the PDF
app.MapGet("/invoices/{id:int}/pdf", async (int id, InvoiceReport report, AppDb db) =>
    await db.Invoices.FindAsync(id) is { } invoice
        ? Results.File(report.Generate(invoice), "application/pdf", $"invoice-{id}.pdf")
        : Results.NotFound());

Without ASP.NET Core (XtudioPdf.Core):

var templates = new PdfTemplates().AddAssembly(typeof(Program).Assembly);
byte[] pdf = templates.Render("Invoice", invoice);

What you do with the bytes is up to you: return them from your API, save them, attach them to an email or send them to the tax authority with the XML.

7Activate Pro (optional)

Community works without a key and includes 100% of features for individuals and companies under $1M USD annual revenue. With a Pro key, put it in appsettings.json or in the XTUDIOPDF_LICENSE_KEY environment variable.

"XtudioPdf": { "LicenseKey": "XTPD.…" }

• Validated 100% offline in both the designer and production — never contacts external servers.
• Embeds your organization's name in the PDF Creator metadata and includes priority support.