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RadFlowDocumentEditor

Updated on Jun 16, 2026

Although RadFlowDocument can be created and modified by using the style properties and child collections of the document elements, this can be quite cumbersome. RadFlowDocumentEditor simplifies this process and achieves the same results with less code. It is also useful when several document elements must be inserted in the right order to ensure the document integrity—for example, when inserting fields, hyperlinks, images, and other elements.

Creating and Positioning
Inserting Document Elements
Changing Current Styles

Creating and Positioning

RadFlowDocumentEditor is always associated with a single document, which it takes as a constructor parameter when it is created.

Example 1: Create a RadFlowDocumentEditor

RadFlowDocument document = this.CreateDocument();
RadFlowDocumentEditor editor = new RadFlowDocumentEditor(document);

The editor maintains an internal position inside the document. This position points either inside a paragraph (to an inline) or directly after the end of a table element. The following methods are available for changing the position of the editor within a document:

MoveToInlineStart(InlineBase inline)
MoveToInlineEnd(InlineBase inline)
MoveToParagraphStart(Paragraph paragraph)
MoveToParagraphEnd(Paragraph paragraph)
MoveToTableEnd(Table table)

The code from Example 2 demonstrates how to position the editor after the second inline in the first paragraph of the document.

Example 2: Change the Position of RadFlowDocumentEditor

Paragraph firstParagraph = document.EnumerateChildrenOfType<Paragraph>().First();
editor.MoveToInlineEnd(firstParagraph.Inlines[1]);

You can create a RadFlowDocumentEditor for an empty document (one with no sections). In this case, a section and a paragraph are automatically created when you call an insert method. Example 3 creates a document with one section, containing one paragraph with the text "Hello word!".

Example 3: Insert Text in a Document

RadFlowDocumentEditor editor = new RadFlowDocumentEditor(new RadFlowDocument());
			editor.InsertText("Hello word!");

Inserting Document Elements

Most of the insert methods of RadFlowDocumentEditor return the newly inserted element. This way you can set additional properties of the element if desired.

Inserting Text

You can insert text Runs with the following methods:

Method	Description
`InsertText(string text)`	Inserts a new `Run` with the given text in the current paragraph.
`InsertLine(string text)`	Inserts a new `Run` with the given text in the current paragraph and starts a new paragraph.

Both methods return the newly inserted Run element. If there are new lines in the text parameter, a new paragraph is also inserted for each new line. In this case, the returned run is the last one that is inserted.

The code in Example 4 inserts a run containing a new line.

Example 4: Insert a Run with a New Line

editor.InsertText("First" + Environment.NewLine + "Second");

The result looks like Figure 1 shows.

Figure 1 RadFlowDocumentEditor insert text result

The current CharacterFormatting and ParagraphFormatting is applied for each Run and Paragraph that is created.

Inserting Paragraph

You can start a new Paragraph with the InsertParagraph() method. The current ParagraphFormatting is applied to the new paragraph and the paragraph is returned.

Example 5: Insert a Paragraph

editor.InsertText("First paragraph");
editor.InsertParagraph();
editor.InsertText("Second paragraph");

Figure 2 shows the result from Example 5.

Figure 2: The Content Inserted in Example 5 RadFlowDocumentEditor insert paragraph result

If you call the InsertParagraph() method while the editor is positioned in the middle of a paragraph, all the inlines after the position are moved inside the new paragraph. The effect is the same as pressing Enter while the cursor is in the middle of a paragraph in a text editor application.

Inserting Sections

You can insert Section elements with the InsertSection() method. A paragraph with the new section's properties is added and the new Section element is returned.

Example 6: Insert a Section

editor.InsertSection();

If you call the InsertSection() method while the editor is positioned in a TableCell, the Table is split at the current row. This means that if the table contains three rows, and the editor is positioned in a cell which is on the second row, the table is split into two tables—one with one row, which is added to the previous section, and one with two rows (containing the TableCell where the editor position was). The latter is added to the newly inserted Section.

Inserting Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks in the RadFlowDocument model are Fields, which means they have code and result parts separated by FieldCharacter inlines. The RadFlowDocumentEditor.InsertHyperlink() method simplifies inserting hyperlinks:

csharp

public Hyperlink InsertHyperlink(string text, string uri, bool isAnchor, string toolTip)

It automatically applies the "Hyperlink" built-in style to the inserted hyperlink if there is no explicitly set style in the CharacterFormatting options of the editor.

Example 7: Insert a Hyperlink

editor.InsertHyperlink("telerik", "http://www.telerik.com", false, "Telerik site");

Figure 3: Hyperlink RadFlowDocumentEditor hyperlink result

Inserting Code Fields

You can insert fields with the InsertField() method, which accepts code and result fragments:

csharp

public Field InsertField(string code, string result)

Example 8 shows how to add page numbering in the header of a document:

Example 8: Add Page Numbering in a Header

//Create header and move the editor
Header header = document.Sections[0].Headers.Add();
editor.MoveToParagraphStart(header.Blocks.AddParagraph());

editor.InsertText("Page ");
editor.InsertField("PAGE", "1");
editor.InsertText(" of ");
editor.InsertField("NUMPAGES", "1");

Figure 4: The Page Numbering Inserted in Example 8 RadFlowDocumentEditor page numbering result

In this case the result is automatically updated when a document is opened in MS Word, because the page fields are in the header of the document.

You can find an extensive list of field codes in the Office Open XML standard documentation - ECMA-376 4th edition, December 2012, Chapter 17.16.6 Field Definitions.

Inserting Images

RadFlowDocumentEditor provides several methods for inserting ImageInline and FloatingImage. All of them return the inserted image element, so that you can perform additional manipulations.

InsertImageInline(ImageSource source, Size size)
InsertImageInline(Stream stream, string extension, Size size)
InsertFloatingImage(ImageSource source, Size size)
InsertFloatingImage(Stream stream, string extension, Size size)

Example 9 shows how to insert an image using a stream:

Example 9: Insert an Image from a Stream

editor.InsertText("Image:");
using (Stream stream = File.OpenRead("Telerik_logo.png"))
{
	editor.InsertImageInline(stream, "png", new Size(118, 28));
}

Figure 5: The Image Inserted in Example 9 RadFlowDocumentEditor insert image result

Inserting Tables

Use the following methods to insert a Table in the document:

Method	Description
`InsertTable()`	Inserts an empty table in the document.
`InsertTable(int rows, int columns)`	Inserts a table with the specified number of rows and columns.

The formatting specified with the TableFormatting property is applied to the inserted table. After the insert operation the editor is automatically placed directly after the inserted table (not inside it).

The following example inserts a table with the "TableGrid" built-in style:

Example 10: Insert a Table with a Style

document.StyleRepository.AddBuiltInStyle(BuiltInStyleNames.TableGridStyleId);
editor.TableFormatting.StyleId = BuiltInStyleNames.TableGridStyleId;

editor.InsertText("Before table.");
editor.InsertTable(2, 4);
editor.InsertText("After table.");

Figure 6: The Table in the Document RadFlowDocumentEditor table result

The DocumentElementImporter class allows you to import a document element from one document into another. For more information, refer to Import Document Element.

Changing Current Styles

When you use the insert methods of RadFlowDocumentEditor, the editor creates different document elements. You can control the formatting of the newly created elements with the following properties:

Property	Description
`CharacterFormatting`	Applied to all newly created `Run` elements. When inserting hyperlinks, the "Hyperlink" built-in style is applied only if no style is set in `CharacterFormatting`.
`ParagraphFormatting`	Applied to all newly created `Paragraph` elements, including paragraphs inserted through `InsertText()` and `InsertLine()`.
`TableFormatting`	Applied to all newly created `Table` elements.

Formatting options are most useful when inserting multiple elements that must have consistent styling. For example, the code from Example 11 inserts multiple paragraphs with no spacing between them and with text (Run elements) in "Consolas" font:

Example 11: Insert Content with Specified Styles

//Set code block formatting
var codeFont = new ThemableFontFamily(new FontFamily("Consolas"));
editor.CharacterFormatting.FontFamily.LocalValue = codeFont;
editor.ParagraphFormatting.SpacingAfter.LocalValue = 0;

editor.InsertLine("static void Main(string[] args)");
editor.InsertLine("{");
editor.InsertLine("    Console.WriteLine(\"Hello World\");");
editor.InsertLine("}");

Figure 7: The Content Inserted in Example 11 RadFlowDocumentEditor styled content result

Deleting Content

Example 12: Delete Content Between Existing Elements

var document = new RadFlowDocument();
var editor = new RadFlowDocumentEditor(document);

editor.InsertParagraph();
var startRun = editor.InsertText("Start");
editor.InsertParagraph();
var middleRun = editor.InsertText("Middle");
editor.InsertParagraph();
var endRun = editor.InsertText("End");

editor.DeleteContent(startRun, endRun, false);

The method deletes everything between the "start" and "end" elements. You can choose if the "start" and "end" elements are deleted with the last parameter.