GetChildNodes

CompositeNode.GetChildNodes method

Returns a live collection of child nodes that match the specified type.

public NodeCollection GetChildNodes(NodeType nodeType, bool isDeep)
ParameterTypeDescription
nodeTypeNodeTypeSpecifies the type of nodes to select.
isDeepBooleantrue to select from all child nodes recursively; false to select only among immediate children.

Return Value

A live collection of child nodes of the specified type.

Remarks

The collection of nodes returned by this method is always live.

A live collection is always in sync with the document. For example, if you selected all sections in a document and enumerate through the collection deleting the sections, the section is removed from the collection immediately when it is removed from the document.

Examples

Shows how to print all of a document’s comments and their replies.

Document doc = new Document(MyDir + "Comments.docx");

NodeCollection comments = doc.GetChildNodes(NodeType.Comment, true);
// If a comment has no ancestor, it is a "top-level" comment as opposed to a reply-type comment.
// Print all top-level comments along with any replies they may have.
foreach (Comment comment in comments.OfType<Comment>().Where(c => c.Ancestor == null))
{
    Console.WriteLine("Top-level comment:");
    Console.WriteLine($"\t\"{comment.GetText().Trim()}\", by {comment.Author}");
    Console.WriteLine($"Has {comment.Replies.Count} replies");
    foreach (Comment commentReply in comment.Replies)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"\t\"{commentReply.GetText().Trim()}\", by {commentReply.Author}");
    }
    Console.WriteLine();
}

Shows how to extract images from a document, and save them to the local file system as individual files.

Document doc = new Document(MyDir + "Images.docx");

// Get the collection of shapes from the document,
// and save the image data of every shape with an image as a file to the local file system.
NodeCollection shapes = doc.GetChildNodes(NodeType.Shape, true);

Assert.AreEqual(9, shapes.Count(s => ((Shape)s).HasImage));

int imageIndex = 0;
foreach (Shape shape in shapes.OfType<Shape>())
{
    if (shape.HasImage)
    {
        // The image data of shapes may contain images of many possible image formats. 
        // We can determine a file extension for each image automatically, based on its format.
        string imageFileName =
            $"File.ExtractImages.{imageIndex}{FileFormatUtil.ImageTypeToExtension(shape.ImageData.ImageType)}";
        shape.ImageData.Save(ArtifactsDir + imageFileName);
        imageIndex++;
    }
}

Shows how to traverse through a composite node’s collection of child nodes.

Document doc = new Document();

// Add two runs and one shape as child nodes to the first paragraph of this document.
Paragraph paragraph = (Paragraph)doc.GetChild(NodeType.Paragraph, 0, true);
paragraph.AppendChild(new Run(doc, "Hello world! "));

Shape shape = new Shape(doc, ShapeType.Rectangle);
shape.Width = 200;
shape.Height = 200;
// Note that the 'CustomNodeId' is not saved to an output file and exists only during the node lifetime.
shape.CustomNodeId = 100;
shape.WrapType = WrapType.Inline;
paragraph.AppendChild(shape);

paragraph.AppendChild(new Run(doc, "Hello again!"));

// Iterate through the paragraph's collection of immediate children,
// and print any runs or shapes that we find within.
NodeCollection children = paragraph.GetChildNodes(NodeType.Any, false);

Assert.AreEqual(3, paragraph.GetChildNodes(NodeType.Any, false).Count);

foreach (Node child in children)
    switch (child.NodeType)
    {
        case NodeType.Run:
            Console.WriteLine("Run contents:");
            Console.WriteLine($"\t\"{child.GetText().Trim()}\"");
            break;
        case NodeType.Shape:
            Shape childShape = (Shape)child;
            Console.WriteLine("Shape:");
            Console.WriteLine($"\t{childShape.ShapeType}, {childShape.Width}x{childShape.Height}");
            break;
    }

Shows how to add, update and delete child nodes in a CompositeNode’s collection of children.

Document doc = new Document();

// An empty document, by default, has one paragraph.
Assert.AreEqual(1, doc.FirstSection.Body.Paragraphs.Count);

// Composite nodes such as our paragraph can contain other composite and inline nodes as children.
Paragraph paragraph = doc.FirstSection.Body.FirstParagraph;
Run paragraphText = new Run(doc, "Initial text. ");
paragraph.AppendChild(paragraphText);

// Create three more run nodes.
Run run1 = new Run(doc, "Run 1. ");
Run run2 = new Run(doc, "Run 2. ");
Run run3 = new Run(doc, "Run 3. ");

// The document body will not display these runs until we insert them into a composite node
// that itself is a part of the document's node tree, as we did with the first run.
// We can determine where the text contents of nodes that we insert
// appears in the document by specifying an insertion location relative to another node in the paragraph.
Assert.AreEqual("Initial text.", paragraph.GetText().Trim());

// Insert the second run into the paragraph in front of the initial run.
paragraph.InsertBefore(run2, paragraphText);

Assert.AreEqual("Run 2. Initial text.", paragraph.GetText().Trim());

// Insert the third run after the initial run.
paragraph.InsertAfter(run3, paragraphText);

Assert.AreEqual("Run 2. Initial text. Run 3.", paragraph.GetText().Trim());

// Insert the first run to the start of the paragraph's child nodes collection.
paragraph.PrependChild(run1);

Assert.AreEqual("Run 1. Run 2. Initial text. Run 3.", paragraph.GetText().Trim());
Assert.AreEqual(4, paragraph.GetChildNodes(NodeType.Any, true).Count);

// We can modify the contents of the run by editing and deleting existing child nodes.
((Run)paragraph.GetChildNodes(NodeType.Run, true)[1]).Text = "Updated run 2. ";
paragraph.GetChildNodes(NodeType.Run, true).Remove(paragraphText);

Assert.AreEqual("Run 1. Updated run 2. Run 3.", paragraph.GetText().Trim());
Assert.AreEqual(3, paragraph.GetChildNodes(NodeType.Any, true).Count);

See Also

CompositeNode.GetChild CompositeNode.GetEnumerator