# Create a Document

> Build a document from scratch with ServerTextControl: insert text, apply character and paragraph formatting with Selection, add a table and a header.

- **Product:** TX Text Control .NET Server
- **Section:** Documentation
- **Kind:** Topic
- **Path:** TX Text Control .NET Server > Getting Started > Document Processing > Create a Document
- **4248 words**
- **Web URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/getting-started/document-processing/create/
- **LLMs URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/getting-started/document-processing/create/llms.txt
- **LLMs-Full URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/getting-started/document-processing/create/llms-full.txt

---

A document doesn't have to start as a file: you can build it from scratch in code. You insert text, format characters and paragraphs with the `Selection` class, add a table and a header and save the result as DOCX and PDF.

### Prerequisites

- A console application that references `TXTextControl.TextControl.Core.SDK`, as created in [Create Your First Application](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/getting-started/document-processing/first-application/llms-full.txt).
- Each example is a complete `Program.cs`. Replace the content of the file with the example and run the application.

### Key Concepts

A few ideas make the code on this page easier to follow:

- **Input position:** Like the cursor in a word processor, `ServerTextControl` has a current input position. New text and new tables are inserted there.
- **Selection:** The [Selection](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/llms-full.txt) class describes a piece of text and its formatting attributes. The [ServerTextControl.Selection](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/reference/txtextcontrol/servertextcontrol/selection-property/llms-full.txt) property gets or sets the current selection, and you use it to insert text and to apply character and paragraph formatting.
- **Paragraphs:** A carriage return and a line feed (`\r\n`) end a paragraph.
- **Twips:** Font sizes, border widths and distances are measured in twips. One point is 20 twips, so 240 twips are 12 pt.

### Add Text

The quickest way to put text into a document is the [Text](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/reference/txtextcontrol/servertextcontrol/text-property/llms-full.txt) property, which sets the text of the whole document:

```csharp
tx.Text = "This is a sample document.";
```

To build a document piece by piece, set `tx.Selection.Text` instead. Each assignment inserts the text at the current input position, so the pieces appear in the order you add them. Formatting attributes that you set on `tx.Selection` before the text apply to the text that follows:

```csharp
using TXTextControl;

using (ServerTextControl tx = new ServerTextControl())
{
    tx.Create();

    tx.Selection.FontSize = 480; // 480 twips = 24 pt
    tx.Selection.Text = "Sample Document\r\n\r\n";

    tx.Selection.FontSize = 240; // 240 twips = 12 pt
    tx.Selection.Text = "This paragraph was added with ServerTextControl.\r\n";

    tx.Save("text.docx", StreamType.WordprocessingML);
}
```

### Format Characters and Paragraphs

To format a paragraph, create a `Selection` object, set its text and its attributes, and then assign it to `tx.Selection`. The following example inserts a centered, bold paragraph with a gray background and a red double line below it:

```csharp
using TXTextControl;

using (ServerTextControl tx = new ServerTextControl())
{
    tx.Create();

    // Create a selection at the start of the document and set its text
    Selection selection = new Selection(0, 0);
    selection.Text = "Hello, World!";

    // Set the paragraph format
    selection.ParagraphFormat = new ParagraphFormat()
    {
        Alignment = HorizontalAlignment.Center,
        BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.LightGray,
        Frame = Frame.BottomLine,
        FrameLineColor = System.Drawing.Color.Red,
        FrameStyle = FrameStyle.Double,
        FrameLineWidth = 10
    };

    // Set the font format
    selection.FontSize = 240; // 240 twips = 12 pt
    selection.FontName = "Arial";
    selection.Bold = true;

    // Apply the changes to the document
    tx.Selection = selection;

    tx.Save("formatted.docx", StreamType.WordprocessingML);
}
```

`new Selection(0, 0)` creates a selection that starts at position 0 with a length of 0, which is the beginning of the document. The changes take effect when you assign the object to `tx.Selection`.

The saved document starts with the formatted paragraph:

![A centered, bold "Hello, World!" paragraph with a light gray background and a red double line below it, under the gray line of trial text that the trial packages add.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/paragraph-format-result.41f7f82e.webp)

The properties you need most often:

| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| `Selection.Bold`, `Selection.Italic` | Bold and italic text. |
| `Selection.FontName` | The name of the font. |
| `Selection.FontSize` | The font size in twips. |
| `Selection.ForeColor` | The text color, as a `System.Drawing.Color`. |
| `Selection.Underline` | The underline style, for example `FontUnderlineStyle.Single`. |
| `Selection.ParagraphFormat` | The paragraph formatting, as a [ParagraphFormat](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/llms-full.txt) object. |
| `ParagraphFormat.Alignment` | `HorizontalAlignment.Left`, `Right`, `Center` or `Justify`. |
| `ParagraphFormat.BackColor` | The background color of the paragraph. |
| `ParagraphFormat.Frame`, `FrameStyle`, `FrameLineColor`, `FrameLineWidth` | Lines around the paragraph, their style, color and width in twips. |

### Add a Table

[Tables.Add](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/reference/txtextcontrol/tablecollection/add-method/llms-full.txt) inserts a table with the given number of rows and columns at the current input position. The third parameter is an ID of your choice, which you pass to `Tables.GetItem` to get the new [Table](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/reference/txtextcontrol/table/llms-full.txt) object:

```csharp
using TXTextControl;

using (ServerTextControl tx = new ServerTextControl())
{
    tx.Create();

    // Add a table with 5 rows, 4 columns and the ID 10
    tx.Tables.Add(5, 4, 10);
    Table table = tx.Tables.GetItem(10);

    // Make the first row a header row with a gray background
    TableRow headerRow = table.Rows.GetItem(1);
    headerRow.IsHeader = true;
    headerRow.CellFormat = new TableCellFormat()
    {
        BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.LightGray,
        BottomBorderWidth = 10
    };

    // Set the text of every cell and add borders to the data cells
    foreach (TableCell cell in table.Cells)
    {
        if (cell.Row == 1)
        {
            cell.Text = "Header Column " + cell.Column.ToString();
        }
        else
        {
            cell.Text = "Row " + cell.Row.ToString() + ", Column " + cell.Column.ToString();

            cell.CellFormat = new TableCellFormat()
            {
                BottomBorderWidth = 1,
                TopBorderWidth = 1,
                LeftBorderWidth = 1,
                RightBorderWidth = 1
            };
        }
    }

    tx.Save("table.pdf", StreamType.AdobePDF);
}
```

What the code does:

- Rows and columns are numbered from 1. `table.Rows.GetItem(1)` returns the first row, and each [TableCell](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/reference/txtextcontrol/tablecell/llms-full.txt) reports its position through its `Row` and `Column` properties.
- [TableRow.IsHeader](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/reference/txtextcontrol/tablerow/isheader-property/llms-full.txt) marks the row as part of the table header. Header rows are repeated at the top of each page when the table extends over several pages.
- A [TableCellFormat](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/reference/txtextcontrol/tablecellformat/llms-full.txt) sets the background color and the border widths, in twips, of a row or a cell.

### Add a Header

Headers and footers belong to the [HeadersAndFooters](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/reference/txtextcontrol/servertextcontrol/headersandfooters-property/llms-full.txt) collection. Add a header first, then get it from the collection and set its text through its own `Selection`:

```csharp
using TXTextControl;

using (ServerTextControl tx = new ServerTextControl())
{
    tx.Create();

    tx.Text = "This document has a header.";

    // Add a header to the document
    tx.HeadersAndFooters.Add(HeaderFooterType.Header);

    // Get the header and set its text
    HeaderFooter header = tx.HeadersAndFooters.GetItem(HeaderFooterType.Header);
    header.Selection.Text = "This is the header";

    tx.Save("header.pdf", StreamType.AdobePDF);
}
```

For a footer, use `HeaderFooterType.Footer` in both calls. [GetItem](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/reference/txtextcontrol/headerfootercollection/getitem-method/llms-full.txt) throws an `ArgumentException` if the requested header or footer has not been added.

### Complete Example

The following program combines the steps above. It adds a heading and a paragraph, inserts a table below them, adds a header, and saves the document as DOCX and PDF:

```csharp
using TXTextControl;

using (ServerTextControl tx = new ServerTextControl())
{
    tx.Create();

    // Heading
    tx.Selection.FontSize = 480; // 24 pt
    tx.Selection.Bold = true;
    tx.Selection.Text = "Quarterly Report\r\n\r\n";

    // Body text
    tx.Selection.FontSize = 240; // 12 pt
    tx.Selection.Bold = false;
    tx.Selection.Text = "The following table lists the results.\r\n\r\n";

    // Table with a header row
    tx.Tables.Add(4, 3, 10);
    Table table = tx.Tables.GetItem(10);

    TableRow headerRow = table.Rows.GetItem(1);
    headerRow.IsHeader = true;
    headerRow.CellFormat = new TableCellFormat()
    {
        BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.LightGray
    };

    foreach (TableCell cell in table.Cells)
    {
        cell.Text = "Row " + cell.Row.ToString() + ", Column " + cell.Column.ToString();
    }

    // Header
    tx.HeadersAndFooters.Add(HeaderFooterType.Header);
    HeaderFooter header = tx.HeadersAndFooters.GetItem(HeaderFooterType.Header);
    header.Selection.Text = "Quarterly Report";

    // Save as DOCX and PDF
    tx.Save("report.docx", StreamType.WordprocessingML);
    tx.Save("report.pdf", StreamType.AdobePDF);
}

Console.WriteLine("Documents created: report.docx and report.pdf");
```

The first page of *report.pdf* shows the header, the heading, the body text and the table with its gray header row. The table has no borders, because the example sets none:

![The first page of report.pdf: the header "Quarterly Report" at the top, the trial text line, the heading "Quarterly Report" in 24 pt bold, the sentence "The following table lists the results." and a table of 4 rows and 3 columns whose first row has a light gray background.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/quarterly-report-result.449b9e20.webp)

### Next Steps

- [Save as DOCX and PDF](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/getting-started/document-processing/save-docx-pdf/llms-full.txt) — save to a byte array and return the document from ASP.NET Core.
- [Simple Mail Merge](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/getting-started/mail-merge/simple/llms-full.txt) — design the layout once as a template and fill it with data.
- [Create a PDF](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/getting-started/pdf/create/llms-full.txt) — create PDF documents in more depth.
- [Load a Document](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/getting-started/document-processing/load/llms-full.txt) — start from an existing document instead of an empty one.

---

## Nearby

- **Previous:** [Load a Document](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/getting-started/document-processing/load/llms-full.txt)
- **Next:** [Save as DOCX and PDF](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-server/getting-started/document-processing/save-docx-pdf/llms-full.txt)