Tutorial: Learn to Convert XPS to PDF

Learning Objectives

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to convert XML Paper Specification (XPS) files to PDF documents using Aspose.PDF Cloud API. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to:

  • Authenticate with the Aspose.PDF Cloud API
  • Upload XPS files to Aspose Cloud Storage
  • Convert XPS files to PDF format with preserved formatting
  • Download the converted PDF files
  • Implement XPS to PDF conversion in your applications

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, make sure you have:

  1. An Aspose Cloud account (Sign up for a free trial if you don’t have one)
  2. Your Client ID and Client Secret from the Aspose Cloud dashboard
  3. A REST API client like cURL, Postman, or your preferred programming language
  4. Basic knowledge of REST API concepts
  5. An XPS (.xps) file for testing (you can create one by printing any document to the Microsoft XPS Document Writer on Windows)

Tutorial Scenario

Imagine you’re developing a document management system for a large corporation that uses Microsoft XPS format for archiving internal documents. Your users need to share these documents externally with clients and partners who typically use PDF readers. By implementing XPS to PDF conversion, you enable seamless document sharing across different platforms and devices.

Step 1: Understanding the API Endpoint

For converting XPS files to PDF, Aspose.PDF Cloud provides a dedicated endpoint:

GET /pdf/create/xps

This endpoint requires the following parameter:

ParameterRequiredTypeDescription
srcPathtrueQueryThe path of the XPS file in Aspose Cloud Storage

Step 2: Obtaining Authentication Token

Before making API calls, you need to authenticate with Aspose.Cloud to get an access token:

curl -v "https://api.aspose.cloud/connect/token" \
-X POST \
-d "grant_type=client_credentials&client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
-H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
-H "Accept: application/json"

The response will contain an access token that you’ll use in subsequent API calls:

{
  "access_token": "eyJhbGciO...",
  "expires_in": 3600,
  "token_type": "bearer"
}

Step 3: Uploading the XPS File to Cloud Storage

Before converting your XPS file, you need to upload it to Aspose Cloud Storage:

curl -v "https://api.aspose.cloud/v3.0/pdf/storage/file/simple.xps" \
-X PUT \
-H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
--data-binary @/path/to/your/simple.xps

Make sure to replace:

  • YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN with the token obtained in Step 2
  • /path/to/your/simple.xps with the path to your XPS file on your local machine

Upon successful upload, you’ll receive a successful response with status code 200.

Step 4: Converting XPS to PDF

Now that your XPS file is uploaded to the cloud storage, you can convert it to PDF:

curl -v "https://api.aspose.cloud/v3.0/pdf/create/xps?srcPath=simple.xps" \
-X GET \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
--output converted.pdf

Make sure to replace:

  • YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN with the token obtained in Step 2
  • simple.xps with the name of your XPS file in cloud storage

The API will return the PDF file as binary data, which will be saved as “converted.pdf” in your current directory.

Step 5: Implementation in C# Using SDK

For C# developers, Aspose.PDF Cloud provides an SDK that simplifies the integration process:

// Example: Convert XPS to PDF in C#
using System;
using System.IO;
using Aspose.Pdf.Cloud.Sdk.Api;
using Aspose.Pdf.Cloud.Sdk.Model;

namespace XpsToPdfExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            // Get your clientId and clientSecret from https://dashboard.aspose.cloud/
            string clientId = "YOUR_CLIENT_ID";
            string clientSecret = "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET";
            
            // Create PDF API client
            var pdfApi = new PdfApi(clientId, clientSecret);
            
            // Path to XPS file
            string localXpsFile = @"C:\Path\To\Your\simple.xps";
            string cloudXpsFile = "simple.xps";
            
            try
            {
                // 1. Upload XPS file to cloud storage
                using (FileStream fileStream = File.OpenRead(localXpsFile))
                {
                    var uploadResult = pdfApi.UploadFile(cloudXpsFile, fileStream);
                    Console.WriteLine("XPS file uploaded successfully!");
                }
                
                // 2. Convert XPS to PDF
                var response = pdfApi.GetXpsInStorageToPdf(cloudXpsFile);
                
                // 3. Save PDF file
                string outputPdfFile = "converted.pdf";
                using (FileStream fileStream = File.Create(outputPdfFile))
                {
                    response.CopyTo(fileStream);
                }
                
                Console.WriteLine($"XPS successfully converted to PDF! Output file: {outputPdfFile}");
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Error: " + ex.Message);
            }
        }
    }
}

Advanced Usage: Converting Multiple XPS Files

For scenarios where you need to convert multiple XPS files, you can create a simple workflow that processes all XPS files in a directory:

// Example: Batch convert XPS files to PDF in C#
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Aspose.Pdf.Cloud.Sdk.Api;
using Aspose.Pdf.Cloud.Sdk.Model;

namespace BatchXpsToPdfExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            // Get your clientId and clientSecret from https://dashboard.aspose.cloud/
            string clientId = "YOUR_CLIENT_ID";
            string clientSecret = "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET";
            
            // Create PDF API client
            var pdfApi = new PdfApi(clientId, clientSecret);
            
            // Directory containing XPS files
            string xpsDirectory = @"C:\Path\To\Your\XpsFiles";
            
            // Output directory for PDF files
            string outputDirectory = @"C:\Path\To\Your\ConvertedPdfs";
            
            // Create output directory if it doesn't exist
            if (!Directory.Exists(outputDirectory))
            {
                Directory.CreateDirectory(outputDirectory);
            }
            
            // Get all XPS files in the directory
            string[] xpsFiles = Directory.GetFiles(xpsDirectory, "*.xps");
            
            Console.WriteLine($"Found {xpsFiles.Length} XPS files to convert.");
            
            int successCount = 0;
            List<string> failedFiles = new List<string>();
            
            foreach (string xpsFile in xpsFiles)
            {
                string fileName = Path.GetFileName(xpsFile);
                Console.WriteLine($"Processing {fileName}...");
                
                try
                {
                    // 1. Upload XPS file to cloud storage
                    using (FileStream fileStream = File.OpenRead(xpsFile))
                    {
                        var uploadResult = pdfApi.UploadFile(fileName, fileStream);
                    }
                    
                    // 2. Convert XPS to PDF
                    var response = pdfApi.GetXpsInStorageToPdf(fileName);
                    
                    // 3. Save PDF file
                    string outputPdfFile = Path.Combine(outputDirectory, Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(fileName) + ".pdf");
                    using (FileStream fileStream = File.Create(outputPdfFile))
                    {
                        response.CopyTo(fileStream);
                    }
                    
                    Console.WriteLine($"  - Converted to: {outputPdfFile}");
                    successCount++;
                }
                catch (Exception ex)
                {
                    Console.WriteLine($"  - Error: {ex.Message}");
                    failedFiles.Add(fileName);
                }
            }
            
            Console.WriteLine("\nConversion Summary:");
            Console.WriteLine($"  - Successful: {successCount}");
            Console.WriteLine($"  - Failed: {failedFiles.Count}");
            
            if (failedFiles.Count > 0)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("\nFailed Files:");
                foreach (string file in failedFiles)
                {
                    Console.WriteLine($"  - {file}");
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Understanding XPS and PDF Formats

To better appreciate the conversion process, it’s helpful to understand the differences between XPS and PDF formats:

  • XPS (XML Paper Specification): Developed by Microsoft as an alternative to PDF, XPS is an XML-based document format that preserves document formatting and is used primarily in Windows environments.

  • PDF (Portable Document Format): Created by Adobe, PDF is a widely-used file format designed to present documents consistently across all platforms and devices.

While XPS offers excellent document fidelity within the Microsoft ecosystem, PDF has broader compatibility across different operating systems and devices, making it the preferred format for document sharing.

Troubleshooting Tips

Here are some common issues you might encounter and how to resolve them:

  1. XPS File Not Found: Make sure you’ve uploaded the XPS file to cloud storage before trying to convert it.
  2. Authentication Errors: Check that your Client ID and Client Secret are correct and the token hasn’t expired.
  3. Invalid XPS File: Ensure your XPS file is valid and properly formatted. Corrupt XPS files will fail to convert.
  4. Complex Layout Issues: Very complex XPS documents with advanced features might have minor formatting differences in the converted PDF. Review the output for critical content.

Try It Yourself

Now that you understand how to convert XPS to PDF, try these exercises to reinforce your learning:

  1. Convert an XPS file containing text, images, and tables to PDF and compare the output
  2. Implement the batch conversion utility to process multiple XPS files at once
  3. Create a simple web application that allows users to upload XPS files and download the converted PDFs

What You’ve Learned

In this tutorial, you’ve learned how to:

  • Authenticate with the Aspose.PDF Cloud API
  • Upload XPS files to Aspose Cloud Storage
  • Convert XPS files to PDF using REST API calls
  • Implement XPS to PDF conversion in C# applications
  • Create a batch processing workflow for multiple XPS files

Next Steps

Now that you’ve mastered XPS to PDF conversion, you might want to explore these related tutorials:

Helpful Resources

Have questions about this tutorial? Feel free to post your questions on our support forum.