# .NET Framework

> List the templates of your storage with ListTemplates and merge an invoice to PDF in an ASP.NET MVC 5 app on the .NET Framework with the ReportingCloud SDK.

- **Product:** ReportingCloud
- **Section:** Documentation
- **Kind:** Topic
- **Path:** ReportingCloud > Getting Started > .NET > .NET Framework
- **3281 words**
- **Web URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/getting-started/dotnet/dotnet-framework/
- **LLMs URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/getting-started/dotnet/dotnet-framework/llms.txt
- **LLMs-Full URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/getting-started/dotnet/dotnet-framework/llms-full.txt

---

Applications that still run on the .NET Framework use the same NuGet package as those on .NET 10: `TXTextControl.ReportingCloud` contains a build for the .NET Framework 4.5 and later. The ASP.NET MVC 5 application below, built in Visual Studio 2022 with the .NET Framework 4.8, reads the templates of your template storage and lists them on its home page. A second action then merges the demo template `sample_invoice.tx` into a PDF.

For a new application, prefer ASP.NET Core on .NET 10, as in the [ASP.NET Core](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/getting-started/dotnet/aspnet-core/llms-full.txt) tutorial. ASP.NET MVC 5 and the .NET Framework run on Windows only.

### Prerequisites

- **A ReportingCloud account and an API key.** A trial account is enough, and it has `sample_invoice.tx` in its template storage. [Creating an Account](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/installation/account/llms-full.txt) shows how to sign up, and [API Keys](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/installation/api-keys/llms-full.txt) how to create a key in the ReportingCloud portal.
- **Visual Studio 2022 and the .NET Framework 4.8** on Windows.

### Set the API Key

The application reads the API key from the environment variable `REPORTINGCLOUD_API_KEY`, which keeps it out of your source code. Set the variable for your Windows user in a command prompt or in PowerShell:

```powershell
setx REPORTINGCLOUD_API_KEY "<API key>"
```

Replace `<API key>` with a key from the **Manage Account** page of the portal. A program reads the environment variables when it starts, so set the variable before you start Visual Studio. If Visual Studio is already open, close it and start it again.

### Create the Project

1. In Visual Studio 2022, choose **Create a new project**.
2. Select **ASP.NET Web Application (.NET Framework)** as the project template and confirm with **Next**.
3. Enter `MyTemplateList` as the project name, select **.NET Framework 4.8** as the **Framework** and confirm with **Create**.
4. In the next dialog, choose **Empty** as the project template, check **MVC** under **Add folders & core references** and confirm with **Create**.

    ![The New ASP.NET Web Application dialog of an older Visual Studio version with the Empty template selected and MVC checked under the folders and core references](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/reporting-cloud/vs-aspnet-empty-mvc-project.3cafce00.webp)

    The picture shows the dialog of an older Visual Studio version. Visual Studio 2022 arranges it differently but offers the same two choices.

The **MVC** option adds the folders and core references of an MVC application, such as the *Controllers* folder. The project has no controller yet.

### Install the NuGet Package

1. In **Solution Explorer**, select your project and choose **Manage NuGet Packages...** from the **Project** main menu.
2. Select **nuget.org** as the **Package source**.
3. Browse for `TXTextControl.ReportingCloud` and install it.

Instead, you can open the **Package Manager Console** from **Tools** > **NuGet Package Manager** and type:

```powershell
Install-Package TXTextControl.ReportingCloud
```

In a .NET Framework project, NuGet uses the .NET Framework 4.5 build of the package, version 1.205.500, and installs its dependencies with it: Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi 5.2.6, whose client library the SDK uses to send and read JSON, and Newtonsoft.Json 10.0.3.

### Write the Controller

1. In **Solution Explorer**, right-click the *Controllers* folder and choose **Add** > **Controller...**.
2. Choose **MVC 5 Controller - Empty** and confirm with **Add**.
3. Name the controller `HomeController` and confirm with **Add**.
4. Replace the content of *HomeController.cs* with the following code:

```csharp
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Web.Mvc;
using TXTextControl.ReportingCloud;

namespace MyTemplateList.Controllers
{
    public class HomeController : Controller
    {
        // GET: Home
        public ActionResult Index()
        {
            ReportingCloud reportingCloud = CreateReportingCloud();

            // Request the list of templates in the template storage
            List<Template> templates = reportingCloud.ListTemplates();

            return View(templates);
        }

        private static ReportingCloud CreateReportingCloud()
        {
            // Read the API key from the environment, never from source code
            string apiKey = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("REPORTINGCLOUD_API_KEY");

            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(apiKey))
            {
                throw new InvalidOperationException("Set the environment variable REPORTINGCLOUD_API_KEY.");
            }

            return new ReportingCloud(apiKey);
        }
    }
}
```

Adding the controller also creates the folder *Views/Home* for its views.

### Write the View

1. In **Solution Explorer**, right-click the folder *Views/Home* and choose **Add** > **View**.
2. Name the view `Index` and confirm with **Add**.
3. Replace the content of *Index.cshtml* with the following code:

    ```cshtml
    @model List<TXTextControl.ReportingCloud.Template>

    @{
        ViewBag.Title = "Index";
    }

    <h2>All Templates</h2>

    <table>
        <tr>
            <th>Filename</th>
            <th>Modified</th>
        </tr>

        @foreach (TXTextControl.ReportingCloud.Template template in Model)
        {
            <tr>
                <td>@template.TemplateName</td>
                <td>@template.Modified</td>
            </tr>
        }
    </table>
    ```

#### What the Code Does

- **`ReportingCloud`**, in the namespace `TXTextControl.ReportingCloud`, is the class of the SDK with a method for each endpoint of the Web API; those of the two tracked-changes endpoints are in its property `Processing.Review`. The constructor with one string takes an API key, which the SDK sends with every request in the header `Authorization: ReportingCloud-APIKey <key>`. The helper method `CreateReportingCloud` reads the key from `REPORTINGCLOUD_API_KEY`, throws an `InvalidOperationException` when the variable is empty and creates the instance, so that each action of the controller can call it.
- **`ListTemplates`** sends the request [GET /v1/templates/list](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/reference/web-api/templates/list/get/llms-full.txt) and returns a `List<Template>`, one element per template in your storage.
- **`Template`** describes one template: `TemplateName` is its file name in the storage, `Modified` the date and time of its last change as a `DateTime` and `Size` its size in bytes.
- **`ActionResult`** is the return type of an MVC 5 action. `View(templates)` passes the list to the view as its model, and the view writes a table row for each template.

### Run the Application

Press **F5** to build and start the application. The browser opens the home page, which lists the templates of your storage with their names and the dates of their last changes. A new trial account has one template, `sample_invoice.tx`; templates that you added from the gallery or uploaded appear as well.

![Browser showing the All Templates page with sample_invoice.tx and the date it was last modified](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/reporting-cloud/template-list-view.131f0b6f.webp)

### Merge a Template

The same class merges templates. Add the following action to `HomeController`, below `Index`:

```csharp
// GET: Home/Invoice
public ActionResult Invoice()
{
    ReportingCloud reportingCloud = CreateReportingCloud();

    // The property names match the merge fields and the merge block item
    var invoice = new
    {
        invoice_no = "778723",
        billto_name = "Joey Montana",
        billto_companyname = "Montana, LLC",
        item = new[]
        {
            new { qty = "1", item_no = "1", item_description = "Item description 1", item_total = "2130.40" },
            new { qty = "1", item_no = "2", item_description = "Item description 2", item_total = "5543" }
        },
        total = "8210.538"
    };

    MergeBody mergeBody = new MergeBody { MergeData = new[] { invoice } };

    List<byte[]> documents = reportingCloud.MergeDocument(
        mergeBody, "sample_invoice.tx", ReturnFormat.PDF);

    return File(documents[0], "application/pdf", "invoice.pdf");
}
```

The code works as follows:

- The anonymous object is one *record*, the data of one document. Its properties fill the *merge fields* of the same name in `sample_invoice.tx`, placeholders such as `invoice_no`, and the array `item` fills the *merge block* `item`, which repeats a table row for each line item. Merge fields without data are removed from the document, the default of the merge setting `removeEmptyFields`.
- `MergeBody` carries the data in `MergeData`. The SDK sends it as JSON; the array with one record becomes the `mergeData` array of the request.
- `MergeDocument` sends `POST /v1/document/merge` with the template name and `ReturnFormat.PDF` and returns one byte array per created document. Each successful call counts 1 against the monthly document quota of your plan.
- `File` sends the PDF to the browser as a download named *invoice.pdf*.

Start the application and open `/Home/Invoice` below its address. The browser downloads *invoice.pdf*, the demo invoice filled with the data; a trial account adds the ReportingCloud logo to it.

The [Web API](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/getting-started/web-api/llms-full.txt) tutorial merges the same template with the complete invoice data, and [ASP.NET Core](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/getting-started/dotnet/aspnet-core/llms-full.txt) builds the data from classes instead of an anonymous object.

### Troubleshooting

The methods of the SDK throw an `ArgumentException` when the Web API answers with an error. Its message is the response body of the Web API, without the status code.

- **The API key is not set.** The action throws `InvalidOperationException` with the message "Set the environment variable REPORTINGCLOUD\_API\_KEY." Visual Studio was started before the variable was set: close it, open the project again and press **F5**.
- **The request is forbidden.** The Web API answers with status code 403 when the API key is wrong or deleted. For `MergeDocument`, it also does so when the document quota of the month is used up or when more than two requests of your account arrive at the same time. Compare the key with the list on **Manage Account** in the portal.
- **The template is not found.** `MergeDocument` fails with status code 400 when the template is not in your storage. The list on the home page shows the names that are.

### Next Steps

- [ASP.NET Core](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/getting-started/dotnet/aspnet-core/llms-full.txt): the SDK in an ASP.NET Core application on .NET 10.
- [Managing Templates](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/document-processing/templates/llms-full.txt): upload, list, download and delete the templates of your storage.
- [Merge Data](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/mail-merge/data-sources/llms-full.txt): how objects and arrays map to merge fields and merge blocks.
- [.NET](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/sdks/dotnet/llms-full.txt): every method of the .NET SDK.

---

## Nearby

- **Previous:** [ASP.NET Core](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/getting-started/dotnet/aspnet-core/llms-full.txt)
- **Next:** [PHP](https://docs.textcontrol.com/reporting-cloud/getting-started/php/llms-full.txt)