How can I make a download link which downloads data directly from a DB in ASP.NET?

Question

Possible Duplicate:
How to Download A file stored in SQL DB in Binary Format

I stored some MS word docs in SQL Server. When I wanna download them, I save them as a file on server first then user can download them, but I'm looking for a way that doesn't involve saving the file to the server filesystem...

Answer 1

You'll need a custom HttpHandler implementing IHttpHandler. See IHttpHandler.ProcessRequest Method in MSDN. Set the appropriate MIME-type and redirect the binary data from your database to the HttpContext's OutputStream.

An example (guessed, not tested) for a custom handler called Docs.ashx:

using System.IO;
using System.Web;

public class Docs : IHttpHandler 
{
    public void ProcessRequest (HttpContext context) 
    {
        context.Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document";
        using (var streamReader = new StreamReader("fileSourceForDemonstration.docx"))
        {
            streamReader.BaseStream.CopyTo(context.Response.OutputStream);
        }
    }

    public bool IsReusable 
    {
        get { return false; }
    }
}