---
title: Getting Started
page_title: Getting Started
description: Check our "Getting Started" documentation article for the RadPdfViewer {{ site.framework_name }} control.
slug: radpdfviewer-getting-started
tags: getting,started
published: True
position: 1
---

# Getting Started with {{ site.framework_name }} PdfViewer

__RadPdfViewer__ is a control that allows you to display PDF files natively in {% if site.site_name == 'Silverlight' %} Silverlight{% endif %}{% if site.site_name == 'WPF' %}WPF{% endif %}. This topic helps you to quickly get started using the control. It focuses on the following:      

* [Adding the Required Assembly References](#assembly-references)
* [Declaring RadPdfViewer in XAML](#adding-radpdfviewer-to-a-page)
* [Wiring UI with the Commands of RadPdfViewer](#wiring-the-ui-with-radpdfviewer-commands)

## Adding Telerik Assemblies Using NuGet

To use RadPdfViewer when working with NuGet packages, install the `Telerik.Windows.Controls.FixedDocumentViewers.for.Wpf.Xaml` package.
To use the PdfViewer's dialogs and other additional UI elements, install the `Telerik.Windows.Controls.FixedDocumentViewersUI.for.Wpf.Xaml` package.
The [package name may vary]({%slug nuget-available-packages%}) slightly based on the Telerik dlls set - [Xaml or NoXaml]({%slug xaml-vs-noxaml%})

Read more about NuGet installation in the [Installing UI for WPF from NuGet Package]({%slug nuget-installation%}) article.

>tip With the 2025 Q1 release, the Telerik UI for WPF has a new licensing mechanism. You can learn more about it [here]({%slug installing-license-key%}).

## Adding Assembly References Manually

If you are not using NuGet packages, you can add a reference to the required assemblies manually. The minimal set of assembly references you need to add to your {% if site.site_name == 'Silverlight' %} Silverlight {% endif %}{% if site.site_name == 'WPF' %} WPF {% endif %} project in order to use RadPdfViewer are listed below:        

* __Telerik.Licensing.Runtime__
* __Telerik.Windows.Controls.dll__
* __Telerik.Windows.Controls.FixedDocumentViewers.dll__
* __Telerik.Windows.Documents.Core.dll__
* __Telerik.Windows.Documents.Fixed.dll__

>tip With the 2025 Q1 release, the Telerik UI for WPF has a new licensing mechanism. You can learn more about it [here]({%slug installing-license-key%}).

If you want to include a RadToolBar, you also need to reference:

* __Telerik.Windows.Controls.Input.dll__
* __Telerik.Windows.Controls.Navigation.dll__

You can also take advantage of some RadPdfViewer-specific controls such as FindDialog and PercentComboBox. To use them, you need to add the following references to your project:  

* __Telerik.Windows.Controls.Input.dll__
* __Telerik.Windows.Controls.Navigation.dll__        
* __Telerik.Windows.Controls.FixedDocumentViewersUI.dll__
            
RadPdfViewer can also import and show documents containing predefined CMap tables. To enable this functionality with the default implementation, you will need to add a reference to: 

* __Telerik.Windows.Documents.CMapUtils.dll__

>Check the [CMap tables](https://docs.telerik.com/devtools/document-processing/libraries/radpdfprocessing/concepts/cmaps) topic for more details on importing documents containing that feature.

## Adding RadPdfViewer to a Page

You have to first declare the Telerik namespace.
        

#### __[XAML] Example 1: Declare the Telerik namespace__

{{region xaml-radpdfviewer-getting-started_0}}
	telerik="http://schemas.telerik.com/2008/xaml/presentation"     
{{endregion}}



After that, you can add a RadPdfViewer, as shown in __Example 2__.

#### __[XAML] Example 2: Create a PdfViewer__

{{region xaml-radpdfviewer-getting-started_1}}
	<Grid>
	    <telerik:RadPdfViewer x:Name="pdfViewer"/>
	</Grid>
{{endregion}}

> When you create a RadPdfViewer, ensure that the control is __not__ placed in a container that measures its children in Infinity as this could lead to unexpected behavior of the viewer. Examples of such containers are __ScrollViewer__, __StackPanel__ or __Grid__ with row height and column width set to __*Auto__*. 

## Wiring the UI with RadPdfViewer Commands 

The navigation panel is separated from the control to provide better customization options. In order to add a panel in your application, you can use __RadToolBar__, which has the command descriptors of the viewer as a DataContext.
{% if site.site_name == 'WPF' %}        
>Since R1 2018, you can use the predefined UI of RadPdfViewer - __RadPdfViewerToolBar__. For more information, check the [Default UI]({%slug radpdfviewer-default-ui%}) topic.
{% endif %}
#### __[XAML] Example 3: Add a RadToolBar to RadPdfViewer__

{{region xaml-radpdfviewer-getting-started_2}}
	<telerik:RadToolBar DataContext="{Binding ElementName=pdfViewer, Path=CommandDescriptors}">
	    <!--...-->
	</telerik:RadToolBar>
{{endregion}}

>tipYou can download a complete runnable example that shows the default RadPdfViewer with RadToolBar configuration from the [Telerik® SDK repository](https://github.com/telerik/xaml-sdk/tree/master/PdfViewer/FirstLook). 

You can then add buttons, combo boxes, etc., bound to the respective command descriptors of the viewer, as __Example 4__ shows.

#### __[XAML] Example 4: Wire a CommandDescriptor to a RadButton__

{{region xaml-radpdfviewer-getting-started_3}}
	<telerik:RadButton Command="{Binding OpenCommandDescriptor.Command}" Visibility="{Binding OpenCommandDescriptor.IsEnabled, Converter={StaticResource BoolToVisibilityConverter}}" HorizontalAlignment="Left" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" Margin="2" Padding="0" HorizontalContentAlignment="Center" VerticalContentAlignment="Center" IsBackgroundVisible="False">
	    <ToolTipService.ToolTip>
	        <TextBlock Text="Open" />
	    </ToolTipService.ToolTip>
	    <Image Source="{telerik:IconResource IconRelativePath=open.png, IconSources={StaticResource IconPaths}}" Stretch="None" />
	</telerik:RadButton>
{{endregion}}


>tipFor the whole configuration of a RadToolBar with all commands of the viewer, you can refer to the [Wiring UI]({%slug radpdfviewer-wiring-ui%}) article. More information about the command descriptors is available [here]({%slug radpdfviewer-command-descriptors%}).
          

## 

After you configure __RadPdfViewer__ in this way, the control is ready to use. Additional options, such as showing a PDF document when the viewer is loaded or binding the document, are described in the [Showing a File]({%slug radpdfviewer-showing-a-file%}) article.

## Setting a Theme

The controls from our suite support different themes. You can see how to apply a theme different than the default one in the [Setting a Theme]({%slug styling-apperance-implicit-styles-overview%}) help article.

>important Changing the theme using implicit styles will affect all controls that have styles defined in the merged resource dictionaries. This is applicable only for the controls in the scope in which the resources are merged. 

To change the theme, you can follow the steps below:
* Choose between the themes and add reference to the corresponding theme assembly (ex: __Telerik.Windows.Themes.Windows8.dll__). You can see the different themes applied in the __Theming__ examples from our {% if site.site_name == 'WPF' %}[WPF Controls Examples](https://demos.telerik.com/wpf/){% else %}[Silverlight Controls Examples](https://demos.telerik.com/silverlight/#GridView/Theming){% endif %} application.

* Merge the ResourceDictionaries with the namespace required for the controls that you are using from the theme assembly. For RadPdfViewer, you will need to merge the following resources:

	* __Telerik.Windows.Controls__

> If you are using other controls like RadToolBar or RadPdfViewer-specific controls, you need also to merge the DLLs mentioned at the top of this article.	
	
__Example 5__ demonstrates how to merge the ResourceDictionaries so that they are applied globally for the entire application.

#### __[XAML] Example 5: Merge the ResourceDictionaries__  
{{region radpdfviewer-getting-started_08}}
		<Application.Resources>
			<ResourceDictionary>
				<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
	                <ResourceDictionary Source="/Telerik.Windows.Themes.Windows8;component/Themes/System.Windows.xaml"/>
	                <ResourceDictionary Source="/Telerik.Windows.Themes.Windows8;component/Themes/Telerik.Windows.Controls.xaml"/>
				</ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
			</ResourceDictionary>
		</Application.Resources>
{{endregion}}

__Figure 1__ shows RadPdfViewer with the __Windows8__ theme applied.
	
#### __Figure 1: RadPdfViewer with the Windows8 theme__
![Telerik {{ site.framework_name }} PdfViewer-windows8](images/RadPdfViewer-windows8.png)
        

{% if site.site_name == 'WPF' %}
## Telerik UI for WPF Learning Resources

* [Telerik UI for WPF PDFViewer Component](https://www.telerik.com/products/wpf/pdf-viewer.aspx)
* [Getting Started with Telerik UI for WPF Components]({%slug getting-started-first-steps%})
* [Telerik UI for WPF Installation]({%slug installation-installing-which-file-do-i-need%})
* [Telerik UI for WPF and WinForms Integration]({%slug winforms-integration%})
* [Telerik UI for WPF Visual Studio Templates]({%slug visual-studio-templates%})
* [Setting a Theme with Telerik UI for WPF]({%slug styling-apperance-implicit-styles-overview%})
* [Telerik UI for WPF Virtual Classroom (Training Courses for Registered Users)](https://learn.telerik.com/learn/course/external/view/elearning/16/telerik-ui-for-wpf) 
* [Telerik UI for WPF License Agreement](https://www.telerik.com/purchase/license-agreement/wpf-dlw-s)
{% endif %}

## See Also
* [Showing a File]({%slug radpdfviewer-showing-a-file%})
* [Wiring UI]({%slug radpdfviewer-wiring-ui%})