In this article I will explain how to dynamically create/generate Zip Files on the fly in ASP.Net using the DotNetZip Library, C# and VB.Net.
Referencing the DotNetZip Library
You will need to download the DotNetZip Library DLL using the Download Link provided below.
Download DotNetZip Or your will find the DLL in the attached sample at the end of the article.
Once you have the DLL you need to place the Ionic.Zip.Reduced.dll in the BIN Folder.
Namespaces
You will need to import the following Namespaces
C#
using System.IO;
using Ionic.Zip;
using System.Collections.Generic;
VB.Net
Imports System.IO
Imports Ionic.Zip
Imports System.Collections.Generic
Storage of Files on Server Directory
In my website I have created a Folder named Files which contains the following files as shown in the screenshot below
Displaying the Files stored in Folder on the Server in ASP.Net GridView
I have placed an ASP.Net GridView control on my Web Page along with a Button that will be used to download the Files.
You will notice that I have placed a CheckBox Control in the GridView, this CheckBox will allow users to select the file that wish to download.
<asp:GridView ID="GridView1" runat="server" AutoGenerateColumns="false" EmptyDataText="No files available">
<Columns>
<asp:TemplateField>
<ItemTemplate>
<asp:CheckBox ID="chkSelect" runat="server" />
<asp:Label ID="lblFilePath" runat="server" Text='<%# Eval("Value") %>' Visible="false"></asp:Label>
</ItemTemplate>
</asp:TemplateField>
<asp:BoundField DataField="Text" HeaderText="File Name" />
</Columns>
</asp:GridView>
<br />
<asp:Button ID="btnDownload" runat="server" Text="Download" OnClick="DownloadFiles" />
The following code is used the bind the List of Files from the Server Folder or Directory to the ASP.Net GridView control
C#
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (!IsPostBack)
{
string[] filePaths = Directory.GetFiles(Server.MapPath("~/Files/"));
List<ListItem> files = new List<ListItem>();
foreach (string filePath in filePaths)
{
files.Add(new ListItem(Path.GetFileName(filePath), filePath));
}
GridView1.DataSource = files;
GridView1.DataBind();
}
}
VB.Net
Protected Sub Page_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Me.Load
If Not IsPostBack Then
Dim filePaths As String() = Directory.GetFiles(Server.MapPath("~/Files/"))
Dim files As New List(Of ListItem)()
For Each filePath As String In filePaths
files.Add(New ListItem(Path.GetFileName(filePath), filePath))
Next
GridView1.DataSource = files
GridView1.DataBind()
End If
End Sub
Downloading Multiple Files selected in GridView as Zip Archive File using DotNetZip
C#
protected void DownloadFiles(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
using (ZipFile zip = new ZipFile())
{
zip.AlternateEncodingUsage = ZipOption.AsNecessary;
zip.AddDirectoryByName("Files");
foreach (GridViewRow row in GridView1.Rows)
{
if ((row.FindControl("chkSelect") as CheckBox).Checked)
{
string filePath = (row.FindControl("lblFilePath") as Label).Text;
zip.AddFile(filePath, "Files");
}
}
Response.Clear();
Response.BufferOutput = false;
string zipName = String.Format("Zip_{0}.zip", DateTime.Now.ToString("yyyy-MMM-dd-HHmmss"));
Response.ContentType = "application/zip";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "attachment; filename=" + zipName);
zip.Save(Response.OutputStream);
Response.End();
}
}
VB.Net
Protected Sub DownloadFiles(sender As Object, e As EventArgs)
Using zip As New ZipFile()
zip.AlternateEncodingUsage = ZipOption.AsNecessary
zip.AddDirectoryByName("Files")
For Each row As GridViewRow In GridView1.Rows
If TryCast(row.FindControl("chkSelect"), CheckBox).Checked Then
Dim filePath As String = TryCast(row.FindControl("lblFilePath"), Label).Text
zip.AddFile(filePath, "Files")
End If
Next
Response.Clear()
Response.BufferOutput = False
Dim zipName As String = [String].Format("Zip_{0}.zip", DateTime.Now.ToString("yyyy-MMM-dd-HHmmss"))
Response.ContentType = "application/zip"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "attachment; filename=" + zipName)
zip.Save(Response.OutputStream)
Response.[End]()
End Using
End Sub
Demo
Downloads
