DRIT.Document

A pure-managed, cross-platform .NET library for creating, reading, and manipulating Word documents — DOCX, DOCM, DOC, ODT, and HTML — with full support for tables, lists, styles, charts, mail merge, track changes, form fields, footnotes and endnotes, comments, content controls, digital signatures (XAdES-BES), AES-256 encryption, VBA macros, and PDF export.

DRIT.Document is built around a clean-room OOXML (ECMA-376), binary DOC, and ODF implementation: the entire stack — package model, OpenXML reader/writer, binary DOC reader/writer, ODF text pipeline, drawing model, chart hierarchy, mail merge engine, and signing ceremony — is implemented in source, with no third-party Word dependencies.

Public examples

Runnable examples are maintained under DRIT.Document.Examples.Console. Each example has its own console project and follows the layout used by DRIT.Pdf/GitHub/DRIT.Pdf.Examples.Console.

What is DRIT.Document?

DRIT.Document is a pure-managed .NET Word document library. It does not depend on Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office Interop, or any third-party Word library. The entire stack — OOXML package model, OpenXML reader/writer, binary DOC (Word 97-2003) reader/writer, ODF text pipeline, drawing model, chart hierarchy, mail merge engine, and digital-signature ceremony — is implemented in source.

Key positioning:

Clean-room implementation. Written from scratch against the ECMA-376 (Office Open XML), [MS-DOC], and ODF 1.2 specifications. No code copied from Open XML SDK, GemBox.Document, or any other library.
Full format coverage. Read and write DOCX, DOCM, and ODT; read legacy binary DOC with preservation for round-trip fidelity; import and export HTML.
Complete document model. Sections, body, paragraphs, runs, styles, tables with cell merging, lists with multi-level indentation, headers/footers, footnotes/endnotes, comments, fields, form fields, and content controls.
Mail merge engine. Scalar {{FieldName}} replacement, {{#Range}} block expansion for IEnumerable data sources, nested collections, and FieldMerging / ImageFieldMerging callbacks.
Track changes. DocumentSettings.TrackRevisions with a typed RevisionCollection and AcceptAll / RejectAll.
Digital signatures. XAdES-BES signing with commitment type and signer role; append, validate, and remove signatures.
Cross-format conversion. Load DOCX, save as ODT or HTML (and vice-versa); export to PDF with bookmarks and font fallback.
Integrated with DRIT.Pdf. PDF export with document properties and bookmarks.
Integrated with DRIT.Drawing. Advanced graphics, font support, and image format coverage.

Features

Create, load, and save documents from file or stream (DOCX, DOCM, DOC, ODT, HTML), with load options (password, encryption expectation) and cancellation support.
Merge & split — combine the body content of two documents into one with conflict policies for styles and lists.
Cross-format conversion — load DOCX, save as ODT or HTML (and vice-versa) with round-trip fidelity.
Preservation — unknown and unmapped OpenXml elements are preserved for round-trip fidelity.
Text and formatting: character formatting (font name, size, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, color, all-caps, superscript, subscript) via Font; paragraph formatting (alignment, indentation, line spacing, space before/after, borders, background) via ParagraphFormat; built-in and custom styles via StyleCollection; rich text across multiple runs.
Breaks: line breaks, column breaks, and page breaks in multi-column sections.
Sections: add, reorder, and remove sections with section breaks; page setup (size, orientation, margins, multi-column layout, line numbering) via PageSetup.
Headers and footers: default, first-page-only, and odd/even page headers and footers with page numbering.
Lists: bullet lists and numbered lists with multi-level indentation via List and ListFormat.
Tables: create tables, set cell text, configure column widths, apply borders, merge cells (horizontal and vertical), and shade header cells.
Bookmarks, hyperlinks, and references: bookmarks; external URL and email hyperlinks; internal document references; footnotes and endnotes via Document.AddFootnote / AddEndnote; table of contents via Paragraph.AppendTableOfContents.
Comments and review: reviewer comments with author, initials, and date; track changes via DocumentSettings.TrackRevisions with RevisionCollection and AcceptAll / RejectAll.
Fields and forms: DocumentFieldInfo with FieldInstruction (AUTHOR, DATE, IF, and more); text, check box, and drop-down form fields; content control round-trip preservation (w:sdt).
Pictures, shapes, and charts: inline pictures via Shape.SetImage; drawing shapes with outline, fill, and rotation; text boxes; text watermarks; 17+ chart types (Bar, Line, Pie, Scatter, Bubble, Area, Radar, Stock, Treemap, Sunburst, BoxWhisker, Funnel, Histogram, Map, Pareto, Waterfall, and 3-D variants) with titles, legends, axes, and data labels.
Mail merge: scalar {{FieldName}} replacement; {{#Range}} block expansion for IEnumerable data sources; nested {{#Collection}} blocks; FieldMerging and ImageFieldMerging callbacks; MailMergeCleanupOptions.
Find and replace: Document.Find(text) with StringComparison and FindReplaceOptions; Document.Replace(old, new) with plain-text, case-insensitive, and regex modes.
Restrict editing: DocumentSettings.Protection.StartEnforcingProtection with granular DocumentProtectionType and password.
Write protection: DocumentSettings.WriteProtection.SetPassword / Recommended with SHA-512 hash round-trip.
Encryption: AES-256 (ECMA-376 Agile) DOCX encryption with password-protected opening.
Digital signatures: XAdES-BES with commitment type and signer role; SaveSigned, AppendDigitalSignature, ListDigitalSignatures, and RemoveDigitalSignatures.
VBA macros: VbaProject with modules (AddModule / AddClass / AddDocument), references, and code read/write; save as .docm.
Metadata: built-in summary (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Company) and statistics; custom properties; document variables; custom XML parts.
Conversion: PDF (bookmarks, document properties, font fallback) via DocumentPdfExporter.SaveAsPdf; HTML (flow-layout and fixed-layout); ODT; plain text via Document.GetText().

Supported File Formats

Format	Read	Write	Specification
DOCX	✅	✅	ECMA-376 (Office Open XML)
DOCM	✅	✅	ECMA-376 (Macro-Enabled)
DOC	✅	Preservation-only	[MS-DOC] (Word 97-2003 Binary)
ODT	✅	✅	ODF 1.2 (OpenDocument Text)
HTML	✅	✅	HyperText Markup Language
PDF	—	✅	PDF 1.5

PDF export is provided via the integrated DRIT.Pdf companion.

Platform Independence

DRIT.Document is implemented in pure managed C# and targets net48 and netstandard2.0, so it runs on:

.NET Framework 4.8+
.NET Standard 2.0 compatible runtimes (.NET Core 2.0+, .NET 5.0+)
Windows, Linux, and macOS

Its dependencies are DRIT.Pdf (PDF export), DRIT.Drawing (graphics and font support), System.Drawing.Common, and System.Text.Encoding.CodePages. No Microsoft Word installation, no Office Interop, and no third-party Word packages are required.

Get Started

The Document class is the entry point for creating, loading, and saving Word documents.

Create a Word Document

using DRIT.Document;

// Initialize a new document
var doc = new Document();
var section = doc.AddSection();

// Add content
section.AddParagraph("NovaEdge Technologies — Employee Handbook 2026");
section.AddParagraph("This handbook sets out the company's policies and guidelines.");

// Save the document
doc.Save("output.docx");

Load and Iterate Document Content

using DRIT.Document;

// Load an existing document
var doc = new Document("input.docx");

Console.WriteLine($"Paragraphs: {doc.Sections[0].Body.Paragraphs.Count}");

// Iterate all body paragraphs
foreach (var para in doc.Sections[0].Body.Paragraphs)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"[Para] \"{para.GetText()}\"");
    foreach (var run in para.Runs)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"  [Run] \"{run.Text}\" " +
            $"Bold={run.Font.Bold} Italic={run.Font.Italic} Size={run.Font.Size}");
    }
}

// Full text extraction
Console.WriteLine(doc.GetText());

Apply Character Formatting

using DRIT.Document;

var doc = new Document();
var section = doc.AddSection();
var para = section.AddParagraph();

para.AppendRun("NovaEdge Technologies").Font.Bold = true;
para.AppendBreak(BreakType.LineBreak);

var italicRun = para.AppendRun("Employee Handbook 2026");
italicRun.Font.Italic = true;
italicRun.Font.Size = 16;

doc.Save("formatted.docx");

Create a Table

using DRIT.Document;
using DRIT.Document.Tables;

var doc = new Document();
var section = doc.AddSection();

// Create a 5-column table
var table = section.Body.AddTable(5, 5);
table.Alignment = TableAlignment.Center;

// Header row
string[] headers = { "SKU", "Product", "Category", "Unit Price", "Stock" };
for (int col = 0; col < headers.Length; col++)
{
    var cell = table.Rows[0].Cells[col];
    cell.SetText(headers[col]);
    cell.Paragraphs[0].Runs[0].Font.Bold = true;
}

// Data rows
string[][] data =
{
    new[] { "NE-SRV-001", "NebulaCore Server", "Servers", "4 899.00", "42" },
    new[] { "NE-MON-002", "ArcLight Monitor", "Displays", "649.00", "135" },
};
for (int r = 0; r < data.Length; r++)
    for (int c = 0; c < data[r].Length; c++)
        table.Rows[r + 1].Cells[c].SetText(data[r][c]);

doc.Save("table.docx");

Create a Chart

using DRIT.Document;
using DRIT.Document.Chart;

var doc = new Document();
var section = doc.AddSection();
var para = section.AddParagraph();

// Create a bar chart
var chart = new BarChart(doc);

// Set category labels
chart.Data.Categories.Add("Q1");
chart.Data.Categories.Add("Q2");
chart.Data.Categories.Add("Q3");
chart.Data.Categories.Add("Q4");

// Add series
chart.DataSeries.Add("Orion", "cache:[Q1|Q2|Q3|Q4]", "cache:[4200|5100|4800|6300]");
chart.DataSeries.Add("Vega",  "cache:[Q1|Q2|Q3|Q4]", "cache:[3100|2900|3600|4200]");
chart.DataSeries.Add("Lyra",  "cache:[Q1|Q2|Q3|Q4]", "cache:[1800|2400|3100|3900]");
chart.Data.ApplyCategoriesToSeries();

// Set the chart title and legend
chart.AddTitle();
chart.Title.FormattedText.Text = "Quarterly Revenue by Product";
chart.AddLegend();

// Append the chart to the paragraph
para.AppendChart(chart, 22, 14);

doc.Save("chart.docx");

Mail Merge

using DRIT.Document;

// Load a template with merge fields
var doc = new Document("template.docx");

// Perform merge with a dictionary data source
doc.Merge(new Dictionary<string, object>
{
    ["CustomerName"] = "Aiko Tanaka",
    ["ProductName"] = "NebulaCore Server",
    ["OrderDate"] = "2026-05-12",
    ["Quantity"] = "1",
    ["TotalPrice"] = "4 899.00"
});

doc.Save("merged.docx");

Find and Replace

using DRIT.Document;

var doc = new Document("input.docx");

// Find all occurrences
var matches = doc.Find("NovaEdge Technologies");
Console.WriteLine($"Found {matches.Count} occurrence(s).");

// Replace across the whole document
int replaced = doc.Replace("NovaEdge Technologies", "NovaEdge Technologies Ltd.");
Console.WriteLine($"Replaced {replaced} occurrence(s).");

doc.Save("updated.docx");

Add Headers and Footers

using DRIT.Document;

var doc = new Document();
var section = doc.AddSection();
section.PageSetup.DifferentFirstPageHeaderFooter = true;

// First-page header
var firstHeader = section.AddHeaderFooter(HeaderFooterType.HeaderFirst);
firstHeader.AddParagraph("NovaEdge Technologies — Employee Handbook");

// Default footer with page number
var footer = section.AddHeaderFooter(HeaderFooterType.FooterPrimary);
footer.AddParagraph("Page [page] of [numpages]");

doc.Save("headers.docx");

Track Changes

using DRIT.Document;

var doc = new Document("input.docx");

// Enable revision tracking
doc.DocumentSettings.TrackRevisions = true;

// Make an edit — it will be recorded as a revision
doc.Sections[0].Body.AddParagraph("Revised section added during review.");

// Accept or reject all tracked changes
doc.Revisions.AcceptAll();
// doc.Revisions.RejectAll();

doc.Save("tracked.docx");

Export to PDF

using DRIT.Document;
using DRIT.Document.Export.Pdf;

var doc = new Document("input.docx");

// Export entire document to PDF
doc.SaveAsPdf("output.pdf", new DocumentPdfSaveOptions
{
    IncludeBookmarks = true,
    CopyDocumentProperties = true
});

// Export specific sections only
doc.SaveAsPdf("sections.pdf", new DocumentPdfSaveOptions
{
    SectionIndexes = new[] { 0, 1 }
});

Encrypt a Document

using DRIT.Document;

var doc = new Document();
doc.Sections[0].Body.AddParagraph("Confidential content");

// Save with AES-256 encryption
doc.Save("encrypted.docx", new DocumentSaveOptions
{
    EncryptionMode = DocxEncryptionMode.Ecma376Agile,
    Password = "open-password"
});

// Open with the correct password
var loaded = new Document("encrypted.docx",
    new DocumentLoadOptions { Password = "open-password" });
Console.WriteLine($"Paragraphs: {loaded.Sections[0].Body.Paragraphs.Count}");

Add a Digital Signature

using System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates;
using DRIT.Document;

var doc = new Document();
doc.Sections[0].Body.AddParagraph("Signed content");

// Sign with a PFX certificate (XAdES-BES)
var certificate = new X509Certificate2("certificate.pfx", "password");
doc.SaveSigned("signed.docx", new DocxDigitalSignatureSaveOptions
{
    Certificate = certificate,
    SignerRole = "Author"
});

// Validate on reload
var signatures = Document.ListDigitalSignatures("signed.docx");
Console.WriteLine($"Signatures: {signatures.Count}");

Create a Macro-Enabled Document

using DRIT.Document;

var doc = new Document();
doc.Sections[0].Body.AddParagraph("Macro-enabled document");

// Add a VBA module
var module = doc.VbaProject.Modules.AddModule("HandbookHelpers");
module.Code = @"
Sub InsertDisclaimer()
    Selection.TypeText ""Confidential — NovaEdge Technologies""
End Sub";

// Save as .docm
doc.Save("macros.docm");

// Edit existing code
var loaded = new Document("macros.docm");
var existing = loaded.VbaProject.Modules["HandbookHelpers"];
existing.Code = existing.Code.Replace("InsertDisclaimer", "InsertConfidential");
loaded.Save("macros_edited.docm");

Security

Capability	Implementation
AES-256 encryption	`DocumentSaveOptions` with `EncryptionMode.Ecma376Agile` and `Password`
Restrict editing	`DocumentSettings.Protection.StartEnforcingProtection(type, password)`
Write protection	`DocumentSettings.WriteProtection.SetPassword()` / `Recommended` (SHA-512)
XAdES-BES signing	`DocxDigitalSignatureSaveOptions` with `Certificate`, `CommitmentType`, and `SignerRole`
Append signatures	`Document.AppendDigitalSignature(path, signature)`
Validate signatures	`Document.ListDigitalSignatures(path)`
Remove signatures	`Document.RemoveDigitalSignatures(path)`

Repository Contents

This repository contains runnable console examples for DRIT.Document. The core library is closed-source and distributed via NuGet.

Example	Description
`GettingStarted`	Create a document with paragraphs, save, and reload.
`Reading`	Load an existing document and iterate paragraphs, runs, and formatting.
`CharacterFormatting`	Per-run font properties: bold, italic, underline, size, color, strikethrough, caps.
`ParagraphFormatting`	Paragraph-level settings: alignment, line spacing, indentation, and borders.
`Styles`	Apply built-in paragraph styles and create custom character styles.
`Tables`	Create a table, populate it with data, merge cells, and apply borders.
`Lists`	Create bullet lists and numbered lists with multi-level indentation.
`Charts`	Create bar, line, and pie charts from in-memory data.
`Pictures`	Embed an image file as an inline shape and read its bytes back.
`Shapes`	Add drawing shapes with outline color, fill, and rotation.
`TextBoxes`	Insert inline text-box shapes with body text.
`HeadersAndFooters`	Add default, first-page, and odd/even page headers and footers.
`Sections`	Add sections with section breaks and configure page setup.
`Bookmarks`	Insert bookmarks into paragraphs and locate them by name.
`Hyperlinks`	External URL and email hyperlinks, and internal document references.
`Footnotes`	Insert footnotes and endnotes and reference them from paragraph runs.
`Comments`	Attach reviewer comments to paragraph ranges with author and date.
`TrackChanges`	Enable revision tracking and accept or reject tracked changes.
`Fields`	Insert and read fields (AUTHOR, DATE, IF) with field instructions.
`FormFields`	Create text, check box, and drop-down form fields and read their values.
`ContentControls`	Round-trip preserve structured document tags (w:sdt).
`MailMerge`	Perform scalar field, range block, and nested collection merges.
`FindAndReplace`	Text search and replacement (plain-text, case-insensitive, and regex).
`Watermarks`	Add text watermarks with diagonal layout, color, and semi-transparency.
`DocumentProperties`	Read and write built-in summary properties and custom document properties.
`VBA`	Create a VBA module, add code, and edit existing code in a macro-enabled document.
`Protection`	Restrict editing with a password and apply write protection.
`Encryption`	DOCX password encryption (AES-256, ECMA-376 Agile).
`DigitalSignature`	Sign a document with a PFX certificate (XAdES-BES) and validate on reload.
`ConvertToPdf`	Export a document to PDF with bookmarks and document properties.
`ConvertToHtml`	Export a document to flow-layout and fixed-layout HTML.
`ConvertToOdt`	Cross-format save to OpenDocument Text.

Building

Each example is a standalone console project. Open the individual .csproj in Visual Studio 2022 (17.10+) or build from the command line.

The examples reference the DRIT.Document NuGet package. The first public snapshot uses DRIT.Document 26.9.1376; future compatible updates may use the rolling 26.* package line. Restore and run a single example:

cd GettingStarted
dotnet add package DRIT.Document --version 26.9.1376
dotnet run

Or build all examples at once (if a solution file is provided):

dotnet build DRIT.Document.Examples.sln -c Release

The examples target net48 and net8.0 to match the public example projects.

License

DRIT.Document is a closed-source, commercial product of DR-IT Ltd. The examples in this repository are provided for evaluation and learning. See the product page for licensing terms.

Home | Product Page | NuGet

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
DRIT.Document.Examples.Console		DRIT.Document.Examples.Console
NuGet.Config		NuGet.Config
README.md		README.md

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DRIT.Document

Public examples

Table of Contents

What is DRIT.Document?

Features

Supported File Formats

Platform Independence

Get Started

Create a Word Document

Load and Iterate Document Content

Apply Character Formatting

Create a Table

Create a Chart

Mail Merge

Find and Replace

Add Headers and Footers

Track Changes

Export to PDF

Encrypt a Document

Add a Digital Signature

Create a Macro-Enabled Document

Security

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DRIT.Document

Public examples

Table of Contents

What is DRIT.Document?

Features

Supported File Formats

Platform Independence

Get Started

Create a Word Document

Load and Iterate Document Content

Apply Character Formatting

Create a Table

Create a Chart

Mail Merge

Find and Replace

Add Headers and Footers

Track Changes

Export to PDF

Encrypt a Document

Add a Digital Signature

Create a Macro-Enabled Document

Security

Repository Contents

Building

License

About

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