How to download .xslx File from server using EPPlus and MVC

Question 1

I'm late to this question but may be it will be helpful for others.

After you setup the excel sheet then without saving or adding it to the MemoryStream, just make array of bytes as packge.GetAsByteArray() and from your action return it as a File instead of FileStreamResult.

var FileBytesArray = packge.GetAsByteArray();
return File(FileBytesArray, "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet", filename + ".xlsx");

Question 2

EPPLUS has given me some real headaches.
And I'm not so familiar with MVC, but i assume you want to do something along the lines of writing directly to the output response. In that case, I use something like what's below.
and I see i left in the comments that the memory stream write works as well. that's closer to what you are asking to do but i do not currently use it in my code. so buyer beware.

.cheers.

        Response.Clear();
        Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet";

        Response.AddHeader( "Content-Disposition", "attachment; filename=ProposalRequest-" + fileName + ".xslx" );
        Response.BinaryWrite( pck.GetAsByteArray() );
        // myMemoryStream.WriteTo(Response.OutputStream); //works too
        Response.Flush();
        Response.Close();

Question 3

The answer that DougY has post probably works fine, however i did find a solution before he posted.

I won't mark this as answered because i'm sure there is a better way, if anyone wants to post or comment on what's the best way to do it ill mark an answer then.

thanks for the response DougY

The 2 methods of the controller could probably be combined, but this is just how it ended up.

Controller

public static string ContentType { get; set; }
public static string FilePath { get; set; }
public static string FileName { get; set; }
public static byte[] Bytes { get; set; }

public void ExportToExcel(int BatchID,string BatchName)//is called first to set the variables
    {
        string contentType;
        byte[] bytes;
        string ret = DataAccess.ExportUtility.CreateExcelFile(BatchID, BatchName,out contentType, out bytes);
        ContentType = contentType;
        Bytes = bytes;

        FileName = ret[1];




    }
    public ActionResult DownloadExcelFile()//is then called to download the file
    {

        return File(Bytes, ContentType, FileName);

    }

ExportUtility class

public static string[] CreateExcelFile(int batchid,string batchName,out string ContentType, out byte[] Bytes)
    {

        string fileName = batchName + " Reason_Code_Export.xlsx";

        var serverPath = HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath("~/ExportFiles/");
        DirectoryInfo outputDir = new DirectoryInfo(serverPath);
        byte[] bytes;
        FileInfo newfile = new FileInfo(outputDir.FullName + fileName);
        if (newfile.Exists)
        {
            newfile.Delete();
            newfile = new FileInfo(outputDir.FullName + fileName);
        }
        Dictionary<string,int> MAData = PolicyDataAccess.GetMatchActionData(batchid);
        MemoryStream MS = new MemoryStream();
        ExcelPackage package;
        using (package = new ExcelPackage(newfile))
        {
            ExcelWorksheet worksheet = package.Workbook.Worksheets.Add(batchName);

            worksheet.Cells["A1"].Value = batchName + " Reason_Code_Export";
            worksheet.Cells["A1"].Style.HorizontalAlignment = ExcelHorizontalAlignment.Center;
            worksheet.Cells["A1:B1"].Merge = true;
            worksheet.Cells["A1:B1"].Style.Font.Bold = true;

            worksheet.Cells["A2"].Value = "Reason Code";
            worksheet.Cells["B2"].Value = "Number of Reason Codes Selected";
            worksheet.Cells["A2:B2"].Style.Font.Bold = true;
            int row = 3;
            int col = 1;
            foreach (KeyValuePair<string,int> MA in MAData)
            {
                worksheet.Cells[row, col].Value = MA.Key;
                worksheet.Cells[row, col + 1].Value = MA.Value;
                row++;

            }
            worksheet.Column(1).Width = 34.29;
            worksheet.Column(2).Width = 34.29;

            package.Workbook.Properties.Title = batchName + " Reason_Code_Export";
            package.Workbook.Properties.Author = "Intranet Application: Unclaimed Properties";
            package.Workbook.Properties.Company = "Assurity Life 2013";
            Bytes = package.GetAsByteArray();
            //package.SaveAs(newfile);//MS);

        }
        MS.Position = 0;
        var rl = serverPath + fileName;
        var contentType = "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet";
        ContentType = contentType;
        FileStreamResult FSR = new FileStreamResult(MS, contentType);
        FSR.FileDownloadName = fileName;
        string[] ret = new string[2];
        ret[0] = serverPath;
        ret[1] = fileName;


        return ret;
    }