Skip to main content

​
Overview

View mode allows users to read documents without editing capabilities. This is ideal for document review workflows, displaying final versions, or when users should only have read access.

​
Setting View Mode

The OnlyOffice Editor control supports two modes:
  • edit - Full editing capabilities (default)
  • view - Read-only, no editing allowed

​
Implementation

Set the Mode property to “view” before displaying the document:
protected void btnUpload_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    if (!fuFile.HasFile)
    {
        litStatus.Text = string.Empty;
        return;
    }

    // Load the document
    docEditor.SetDocumentFromBytes(fuFile.FileBytes, fuFile.FileName);
    
    // Set to view-only mode
    docEditor.Mode = "view";
    
    litStatus.Text = "<span class='text-success'>Document loaded in view mode</span>";
}

​
Complete View-Only Page Example

Here’s a complete example of a document viewer page:

​
ASPX Markup

DocumentViewer.aspx
<%@ Page Title="Document Viewer" Language="C#" 
         MasterPageFile="~/Site.Master" AutoEventWireup="true" 
         CodeBehind="DocumentViewer.aspx.cs" 
         Inherits="OnlyOfficeControl.DocumentViewer" ValidateRequest="false" %>
<%@ Register Src="~/Controls/OnlyOfficeEditor/OnlyOfficeEditor.ascx" 
             TagPrefix="oo" TagName="Editor" %>

<asp:Content ID="BodyContent" ContentPlaceHolderID="MainContent" runat="server">
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="<%= ResolveUrl("~/Content/WebEditor.css") %>" />

    <div class="we">
        <section class="we-toolbar">
            <div class="we-toolbar__left">
                <h2>Document Viewer</h2>
            </div>
            <div class="we-toolbar__right">
                <asp:Button ID="btnDownloadPdf" runat="server" 
                            Text="Download as PDF" 
                            CssClass="btn we-btn we-btn-accent" 
                            OnClick="btnDownloadPdf_Click" />
            </div>
        </section>

        <div class="we-surface">
            <div class="we-surface__head">
                <div class="we-surface__title">
                    <asp:Literal ID="litDocumentName" runat="server" />
                </div>
                <div class="we-surface__meta">Read-only view</div>
            </div>
            <oo:Editor ID="docEditor" runat="server" Mode="view" />
        </div>
    </div>
</asp:Content>

​
Code-Behind

DocumentViewer.aspx.cs
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Web.UI;

namespace OnlyOfficeControl
{
    public partial class DocumentViewer : Page
    {
        protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            if (!IsPostBack)
            {
                LoadDocument();
            }
        }

        private void LoadDocument()
        {
            // Get document ID from query string
            string docId = Request.QueryString["id"];
            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(docId))
            {
                // Load a default document
                docId = "sample";
            }

            string filePath = Server.MapPath($"~/Documents/{docId}.docx");
            if (File.Exists(filePath))
            {
                docEditor.SetDocumentFromFile(filePath);
                litDocumentName.Text = Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(filePath);
            }
            else
            {
                litDocumentName.Text = "Document not found";
            }
        }

        protected void btnDownloadPdf_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            if (!docEditor.HasDocument)
                return;

            try
            {
                // Convert to PDF and download
                byte[] pdfBytes = docEditor.ConvertCurrentDocumentToPdfBytes();
                
                Response.Clear();
                Response.ContentType = "application/pdf";
                Response.AddHeader("Content-Disposition", 
                    $"attachment; filename={docEditor.DocumentName}.pdf");
                Response.BinaryWrite(pdfBytes);
                Response.End();
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                // Handle error
                Response.Write($"Error: {ex.Message}");
            }
        }
    }
}

​
View Mode Features

When in view mode, the editor:

Read-Only Content

Users cannot modify text, formatting, or document structure

Full Navigation

Users can scroll, zoom, and navigate through the document

Search Functionality

Built-in search allows users to find text within the document

Print Support

Users can print the document directly from the viewer

​
Use Cases

​
Document Approval Workflow

protected void ShowDocumentForApproval(string documentPath, string reviewer)
{
    // Load document in view mode for review
    docEditor.SetDocumentFromFile(documentPath);
    docEditor.Mode = "view";
    docEditor.UserDisplayName = reviewer;
    
    lblStatus.Text = "Please review the document and approve or reject.";
}

protected void btnApprove_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    // Document approved - allow editing
    docEditor.Mode = "edit";
    lblStatus.Text = "Document approved. You can now make changes.";
}

​
Public Document Display

protected void DisplayPublicDocument(string documentId)
{
    // Always show public documents in view-only mode
    string filePath = Server.MapPath($"~/Public/{documentId}.docx");
    docEditor.SetDocumentFromFile(filePath);
    docEditor.Mode = "view";
    
    // Hide editing-related controls
    pnlEditingTools.Visible = false;
}

​
Configuration Options

​
Language Settings

// Set the editor language for view mode
docEditor.Lang = "es";  // Spanish
docEditor.Lang = "fr";  // French
docEditor.Lang = "de";  // German

​
User Information

Even in view mode, you can set user information for tracking: 
docEditor.UserId = "viewer123";
docEditor.UserDisplayName = "John Doe (Reviewer)";

​
Comparison: Edit vs View Mode

FeatureEdit ModeView Mode
Read content✅✅
Modify text✅❌
Format content✅❌
Add comments✅❌
Search✅✅
Print✅✅
Download✅✅
Navigation✅✅
Zoom✅✅

​
Security Considerations

View mode prevents editing in the UI, but you should still implement server-side security to prevent unauthorized modifications.
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    // Check user permissions
    if (!User.HasPermission("edit_documents"))
    {
        // Force view mode for users without edit permission
        docEditor.Mode = "view";
    }
}

​
Next Steps

PDF Export

Learn how to export documents to PDF

Simple Editor

See the basic editor setup with full editing

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us