# The Text Control Reporting Framework: An Overview > The Text Control Reporting Framework centers on the DocumentServer.MailMerge component, which merges MS Word-compatible templates with data from IEnumerable objects, DataSets, and DataTables. Template designers for Windows Forms, WPF, and ASP.NET support nested merge blocks. - **Author:** Bjoern Meyer - **Published:** 2015-05-28 - **Modified:** 2026-03-05 - **Description:** The Text Control Reporting Framework centers on the DocumentServer.MailMerge component, which merges MS Word-compatible templates with data from IEnumerable objects, DataSets, and DataTables. Template designers for Windows Forms, WPF, and ASP.NET support nested merge blocks. - **4 min read** (743 words) - **Tags:** - Reporting - **Web URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2015/05/28/the-text-control-reporting-framework-an-overview/ - **LLMs URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2015/05/28/the-text-control-reporting-framework-an-overview/llms.txt - **LLMs-Full URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2015/05/28/the-text-control-reporting-framework-an-overview/llms-full.txt --- ![The Text Control Reporting Framework: An Overview](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2015/05/28/a/assets/reporting_framework.webp "The Text Control Reporting Framework: An Overview")The **Text Control Reporting Framework** is part of all TX Text Control .NET products including **Windows Forms**, **WPF** and **ASP.NET**. The central element is the [DocumentServer.MailMerge](https://docs.textcontrol.com/textcontrol/windows-forms/ref.txtextcontrol.documentserver.mailmerge.class.htm) component that encapsulates the complete mail merge functionality. Fully-featured Template Designers for All Platforms --------------------------------------------------- Basically, the *MailMerge* component takes an MS Word compatible template with merge fields and populates those fields with data from a defined data source. These templates can be created with TX Text Control and the pre-compiled template designers for each available platform: Windows Forms, WPF and ASP.NET. These fully-featured template designers (*TX Text Control Words*) can be fully customized and adapted to the requirements of end-users. ![Fully-featured template designers for all platforms](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2015/05/28/a/assets/tx_words.webp "Fully-featured template designers for all platforms")Combine Powerful Reporting with Easy-to-use Word Processing ----------------------------------------------------------- A template consists of typical word processing features such as headers and footers, sections, tables and text frames. The advantage over reporting tools like *Crystal Reports* is the easy-to-use template designer and the MS Word inspired interface. Templates can be created with MS Word skills and typical word processing features. The *Flow Type Layout Reporting* concept of TX Text Control removes the banded report structure with a fixed header, body and footer part. Text is floating automatically and TX Text Control is taking care of paging. If a table element doesn't fit onto a page, the table gets split and will be continued on the next page. Table headers are repeated on new pages automatically, if activated. In order to insert new pages at specific locations of the text, word processing paragraph features such as "page break before" or "keep together" are used which makes the template creation as easy as writing a professional letter in MS Word. Master-detail Views and MS Word Compatibility --------------------------------------------- The used merge fields are completely compatible to the MS Word *Mailings* functionality. But the Text Control Reporting Framework supports way more than the typical MS Word *Mailings* functionality. It combines powerful reporting functionality with an easy-to-use word processor. Repeating merge blocks are parts of the document that will be repeated based on the number of passed data rows. Those merge blocks can consist of a paragraph, a table row or a complete page. Blocks can be nested and contain itself merge fields and other merge blocks. Supported data sources are all [IEnumerable](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.collections.ienumerable%28v=vs.110%29.aspx) business objects, [DataSet](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.data.dataset%28v=vs.110%29.aspx) and [DataTable](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.data.datatable%28v=vs.110%29.aspx) objects. During the merge process, *MailMerge* checks the data source master table's column names that matches merge field names and related child tables to match the master-detail merge blocks. All data relations are evaluated automatically. ![Master-detail views and MS Word compatiblity](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2015/05/28/a/assets/22_diagram_overview.webp "Master-detail views and MS Word compatiblity")Replace MS Office Automation and Banded Report Designers -------------------------------------------------------- Typically, Text Control Reporting is used to replace Microsoft Office automation processes. MS Word is an end-user application and it is not designed to be automated. As a developer component, TX Text Control has been built from scratch in order to be automated and programmed. Also, TX Text Control is used to replace reporting tools such as *Crystal Reports* as end-users are requesting a more user-friendly way to create templates using an MS Word inspired interface. While other "document APIs" only provide an API to create or merge documents, TX Text Control provides the powerful combination of a fully-featured editor that can be fully integrated into .NET Windows, web and mobile applications and the high-performance MailMerge engine to create documents. Industry Standard Document Format Support ----------------------------------------- TX Text Control supports all typical industry document formats such as RTF, DOC, DOCX and Adobe PDF. Existing documents can be used as templates to replace your MS Office automation processes. Even Adobe PDF documents can be imported into the TX Text Control in order to be used as templates. This enables developers to migrate from PDF based processes such as *Adobe Lifecycle* to Text Control Reporting. --- ## About Bjoern Meyer As CEO, Bjoern is the visionary behind our strategic direction and business development, bridging the gap between our customers and engineering teams. His deep passion for coding and web technologies drives the creation of innovative products. If you're at a tech conference, be sure to stop by our booth - you'll most likely meet Bjoern in person. With an advanced graduate degree (Dipl. Inf.) in Computer Science, specializing in AI, from the University of Bremen, Bjoern brings significant expertise to his role. In his spare time, Bjoern enjoys running, paragliding, mountain biking, and playing the piano. - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjoernmeyer/) - [X](https://x.com/txbjoern) - [GitHub](https://github.com/bjoerntx) --- ## Related Posts - [.NET C# PDF Generation Techniques: Which Method is Right for Your Project?](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/10/30/net-csharp-pdf-generation-techniques-which-method-is-right-for-your-project/llms.txt) - [Best Practices for Mail Merge and Form Field Processing in ASP.NET Core C# Applications](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/07/30/best-practices-for-mail-merge-and-form-field-processing-in-asp-net-core-csharp-applications/llms.txt) - [Advantages of Flow Type Layout Reporting vs. Banded Reporting or PDF Template Engines in .NET C#](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/07/29/advantages-of-flow-type-layout-reporting-vs-banded-reporting-or-pdf-template-engines-in-net-c-sharp/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 32.0 Has Been Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2023/09/13/tx-text-control-320-has-been-released/llms.txt) - [Getting Started: Angular Document Editor Attributes Explained](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2023/02/01/getting-started-angular-document-editor-attributes-explained/llms.txt) - [Getting Started: Programming the Angular Document Editor using JavaScript](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2023/01/30/getting-started-programming-the-angular-document-editor-using-javascript/llms.txt) - [Getting Started: Loading and Saving Documents using Angular](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2023/01/30/loading-and-saving-documents-using-angular/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 31.0 and TX Spell .NET 10.0 Have Been Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2022/09/07/tx-text-control-31-released/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 30.0 and TX Spell .NET 9.0 Have Been Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2021/11/29/tx-text-control-30-released/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control X19 and TX Spell 8.0 Have Been Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2020/12/02/tx-text-control-x19-released/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control for Angular X18 Published](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2020/03/18/tx-text-control-for-angular-x18-published/llms.txt) - [MVC NuGet Packages for X18 Published](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2020/03/17/mvc-nuget-packages-for-x18-published/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control X18 has been Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2020/03/16/tx-text-control-x18-released/llms.txt) - [Impressions from NDC London 2020](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2020/02/01/impressions-from-ndc-london-2020/llms.txt) - [Sneak Peek X18: Form Field Conditional Instructions](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2020/01/03/sneak-peek-x18-form-field-conditional-instructions/llms.txt) - [DocumentViewer: New Two Page View Mode](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2020/01/02/documentviewer-new-two-page-view-mode/llms.txt) - [Creating Your First ASP.NET Reporting Application](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2020/01/01/creating-your-first-aspnet-reporting-application/llms.txt) - [What a Year! 2019 Recap and Outlook 2020](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2019/12/23/what-a-year-2019-recap-and-outlook-2020/llms.txt) - [MailMerge Class Settings Explained](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2019/12/05/mailmerge-settings-explained/llms.txt) - [Impressions from DDC in Cologne](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2019/12/02/impressions-from-ddc-in-cologne/llms.txt) - [See Text Control at DDC in Cologne](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2019/11/24/see-text-control-at-ddc-in-cologne/llms.txt) - [Impressions from DEVintersection Fall 2019](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2019/11/22/impressions-from-devintersection-fall-2019/llms.txt) - [Impressions from TechBash 2019](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2019/11/14/impressions-from-techbash-2019/llms.txt) - [Outlook X18: Document Workflow and Forms Processing](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2019/11/12/outlook-x18-document-workflow-and-forms-processing/llms.txt) - [Deploying the Angular Document Editor](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2019/11/11/deploying-the-angular-document-editor/llms.txt)