Prompt user to download .html page generated from .aspx

Question

I have a default page with a button that prompts user to download a "signature"

Which is basically an .html file with specific format (based on user info)

So currently I have an .aspx page but I'm not sure how to make the user download the "rendered HTML page from that aspx"

On the default page i have the following

   Protected Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        Response.ContentType = "text/html"
        Response.AppendHeader("Content-Disposition", "attachment; filename=My_Signature.html")
        Response.TransmitFile(Server.MapPath("~/Signature.aspx"))
        Response.End()

    End Sub

Is it possible to render the aspx page in the background then somehow prompt the user to download it ( the resulted html) ?

Answer 1

You're making it more difficult than it is. Simply download the file content as you would from any other website, store it in a string, write it to the response.

Protected Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        Response.ContentType = "text/html"
        Response.AppendHeader("Content-Disposition", "attachment; filename=My_Signature.html")
        Dim contents As String = New System.Net.WebClient().DownloadString(Request.Url.GetLeftPart(UriPartial.Authority) + ResolveUrl("~/Signature.aspx"))    
        Response.Write(contents)
        Response.End()    
    End Sub

Of course, a better solution would be to put your code for generating the signature in a Class Library (.dll) and then call that as needed.

Answer 2

You could override the Render() method of the aspx file so it writes an html file:

Protected Overrides Sub Render(writer As HtmlTextWriter)
    Dim sb As New StringBuilder()
    Dim sw As New StringWriter(sb)
    Dim hwriter As New HtmlTextWriter(sw)
    MyBase.Render(hwriter)
    Using outfile As New StreamWriter(Server.MapPath(".") + "\signature.html")
        outfile.Write(sb.ToString())
    End Using
    Response.ContentType = "text/html"
    Response.AppendHeader("Content-Disposition", "attachment;   filename=signature.html")
    Response.TransmitFile(Server.MapPath("~/signature.html"))
    Response.End()
End Sub

All this would be in the aspx file to be converted to html (signature.aspx). I would say have your button click do a redirect to a new window that calls the aspx, and thus this method.