Inserting Bookmarks Dynamically

You can insert bookmarks to your reports dynamically using bookmark tags. Syntax of a bookmark tag is defined as follows.

<<bookmark [bookmark_expression]>>
bookmarked_content
<</bookmark>>

Here, bookmark_expression defines the name of a bookmark to be inserted during runtime. This expression is mandatory and must return a non‑empty value. While building a report, bookmark_expression is evaluated and its result is used to construct a bookmark start and end that replace corresponding opening and closing bookmark tags respectively.

Note – A bookmark tag cannot be used within a chart.

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FAQ

1. Q: How can I generate the bookmark name at runtime?
   A: Use any valid expression that returns a string, such as a field from your data source or a concatenation of values. For example: <<bookmark [\"Section_\" + data[\"Id\"]]>>.

2. Q: Can a bookmark tag be placed inside a table cell?
   A: Yes, the bookmark tag works inside tables, paragraphs, and most other document elements. The only restriction is that it cannot be used inside a chart.

3. Q: How do I reference a dynamically created bookmark later in the document?
   A: After the report is generated, you can retrieve the bookmark by its runtime name using Document.getBookmarks().get(\"BookmarkName\"). Ensure the name you generated is stored or predictable so you can access it later.

4. Q: What happens if the bookmark expression evaluates to an empty string?
   A: The engine will throw an error because a bookmark name is required and cannot be empty. Always validate that the expression returns a non‑empty value before the tag is processed.

5. Q: Is it possible to create multiple bookmarks with the same name?
   A: No. Bookmark names must be unique within a document. If you attempt to insert a duplicate name, Aspose.Words will replace the existing bookmark, potentially causing loss of the original bookmark’s range. Use distinct names for each bookmark.