Sections and Page Layout in Word Documents

Jan 16, 2026
10 minutes to read

Every rich text document can be divided into multiple sections. Every section can specify its own page layout, headers, footers, page numbering, and other formatting options. Simple documents contain a single section that defines layout options for all content.

Divide a Document into Sections

Use the following methods to insert a section in code:

Document.InsertSection - inserts a new section at the specified document position.
Document.AppendSection - appends a new section.

Sections are added to the Document.Sections collection.

Specify the Section.StartType property to define the section break’s type. Word Processing Document API supports the following section breaks:

Next Page Starts a new section on the following page. Continuous Starts a new section on the same page. Even Page Starts a new section on the next even-numbered page. Odd Page Starts a new section on the next odd-numbered page. Column Starts a new section in the next column.

The following code sample shows how to insert a continuous section break after the specified paragraph:

C#
VB.NET

csharp

using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native;

using (var wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer())
{
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument(@"Documents//Alice.docx");

    Document document = wordProcessor.Document;
    var section = document.InsertSection(document.Paragraphs[4].Range.End);

    // Retrieve the inserted section
    var sectionPosition = document.CreatePosition(section.Range.End.ToInt() + 1);
    Section insertedSection = document.GetSection(sectionPosition);
    insertedSection.StartType = SectionStartType.Continuous;

    wordProcessor.SaveDocument("Alice_formatted.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx);   
}

Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit
Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native

Using wordProcessor = New RichEditDocumentServer()
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument("Documents//Alice.docx")

    Dim document As Document = wordProcessor.Document
    Dim section = document.InsertSection(document.Paragraphs(4).Range.End)

    ' Retrieve the inserted section
    Dim sectionPosition = document.CreatePosition(section.Range.End.ToInt() + 1)
    Dim insertedSection As Section = document.GetSection(sectionPosition)
    insertedSection.StartType = SectionStartType.Continuous

    wordProcessor.SaveDocument("Alice_formatted.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx)
End Using

Linked Sections

When you create a new section, it is automatically linked to the previous section, and the content from the first section header and footer is automatically inserted in the second section header and footer.

Unlink the newly created section from the previous section and remove the existing content before inserting new content in the header or footer.

Utilize one of the following methods to unlink a section:

Method	Descriptions
Section.UnlinkHeaderFromNext
Section.UnlinkFooterFromNext	Unlinks the current section’s header or footer from the next section’s header or footer.
Section.UnlinkHeaderFromPrevious
Section.UnlinkFooterFromPrevious	Unlinks the current section’s header or footer from the next section’s header or footer.

Call the SubDocument.Delete() method for a corresponding SubDocument to clear content. Refer to the following article for more information on how to retrieve header and footer content: Headers and Footers

Divide Sections into Pages

You can insert a page break to divide a section or an entire document into pages. Insert the Characters.PageBreak symbol in the specified position to complete the task.

The following code sample divides the first section into two pages:

C#
VB.NET

csharp

using DevExpress.Office;
using DevExpress.Office.Utils;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native;

using (var wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer()) {
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument(@"Documents\Alice.docx");
    Document document = wordProcessor.Document;

    Section section = document.Sections[0];
    var middlePosition = section.Paragraphs[section.Paragraphs.Count / 2].Range.End;
    document.InsertText(middlePosition, Characters.PageBreak.ToString());

    wordProcessor.SaveDocument("Alice_formatted.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx);
}

Imports DevExpress.Office
Imports DevExpress.Office.Utils
Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit
Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native

Using wordProcessor = New RichEditDocumentServer()
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument("Documents\Alice.docx")
    Dim document As Document = wordProcessor.Document

    Dim section As Section = document.Sections(0)
    Dim middlePosition = section.Paragraphs(section.Paragraphs.Count \ 2).Range.End
    document.InsertText(middlePosition, Characters.PageBreak.ToString())

    wordProcessor.SaveDocument("Alice_formatted.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx)
End Using

Define Page Formatting Options

You can use properties available in the SectionPage class to specify the page’s paper type, orientation, and size. Use the Section.Page property to obtain page formatting settings.

The following code sample modifies the first section’s page formatting options: sets orientation to portrait and page size to A3 Extra.

C#
VB.NET

csharp

using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native;
using DevExpress.Drawing.Printing;

using (var wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer()) {
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument(@"Documents//Alice.docx");
    Document document = wordProcessor.Document;

    Section firstSection = wordProcessor.Document.Sections[0];
    firstSection.Page.Landscape = false;
    firstSection.Page.PaperKind = DXPaperKind.A3Extra;
}

Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit
Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native
Imports DevExpress.Drawing.Printing

Using wordProcessor = New RichEditDocumentServer()
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument("Documents//Alice.docx")
    Dim document As Document = wordProcessor.Document

    Dim firstSection As Section = wordProcessor.Document.Sections(0)
    firstSection.Page.Landscape = False
    firstSection.Page.PaperKind = DXPaperKind.A3Extra
End Using

Specify Page Borders

The Section.PageBorders property allows you specify page borders options for a specific section. Use the SectionPageBorders.ResetBorders() method to reset all page borders in the section.

Use the following properties on the document level to specify page border alignments options:

AlignBordersAndEdgesSpecifies whether to align paragraph borders and table edges with page borders.BorderSurroundsHeaderSpecifies whether the page border includes or excludes the header.BorderSurroundsFooterSpecifies whether the page border includes or excludes the footer.

Example

The following code snippet adds page borders to two sections:

In the first section, page borders are shown only on the first page.
In the second section, page borders are shown on all pages.
C#
VB.NET

csharp

using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Drawing;

string fileName = "Test.docx";
using (var wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer()) {
    Document document = wordProcessor.Document;
    // Generate a document with two sections and multiple pages in each section.
    document.AppendText("\f\f\f");
    document.Paragraphs.Append();
    document.AppendSection();
    document.AppendText("\f\f");

    Section firstSection = document.Sections[0];
    SectionPageBorders pageBorders1 = firstSection.PageBorders;

    // Set page borders for the first page of the first section.
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders1.LeftBorder, BorderLineStyle.Single, 1f, Color.Red);
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders1.TopBorder, BorderLineStyle.Single, 1f, Color.Red);
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders1.RightBorder, BorderLineStyle.Single, 1f, Color.Red);
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders1.BottomBorder, BorderLineStyle.Single, 1f, Color.Red);
    pageBorders1.AppliesTo = PageBorderAppliesTo.FirstPage;

    Section secondSection = document.Sections[1];
    SectionPageBorders pageBorders2 = secondSection.PageBorders;

    // Set page borders for all pages of the second section.
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders2.LeftBorder, BorderLineStyle.Double, 1.5f, Color.Green);
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders2.TopBorder, BorderLineStyle.Double, 1.5f, Color.Green);
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders2.RightBorder, BorderLineStyle.Double, 1.5f, Color.Green);
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders2.BottomBorder, BorderLineStyle.Double, 1.5f, Color.Green);
    pageBorders2.AppliesTo = PageBorderAppliesTo.AllPages;
    pageBorders2.ZOrder = PageBorderZOrder.Back;

    wordProcessor.SaveDocument(fileName, DocumentFormat.Docx);
}
void SetPageBorders(PageBorder border, BorderLineStyle lineStyle,
    float borderWidth, Color color) {
        border.LineStyle = lineStyle;
        border.LineWidth = borderWidth;
        border.LineColor = color;
    }

Process.Start(new ProcessStartInfo(fileName) { UseShellExecute = true });

Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit
Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native
Imports System.Diagnostics
Imports System.Drawing

Private fileName As String = "Test.docx"
Using wordProcessor = New RichEditDocumentServer()
    Dim document As Document = wordProcessor.Document
    ' Generate a document with two sections and multiple pages in each section.
    Private Sub SurroundingSub()
        document.AppendText(vbFormFeed & vbFormFeed & vbFormFeed)
        document.Paragraphs.Append()
        document.AppendSection()
        document.AppendText(vbFormFeed & vbFormFeed)
    End Sub

    Dim firstSection As Section = document.Sections(0)
    Dim pageBorders1 As SectionPageBorders = firstSection.PageBorders

    ' Set page borders for the first page of the first section.
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders1.LeftBorder, BorderLineStyle.Single, 1F, Color.Red)
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders1.TopBorder, BorderLineStyle.Single, 1F, Color.Red)
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders1.RightBorder, BorderLineStyle.Single, 1F, Color.Red)
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders1.BottomBorder, BorderLineStyle.Single, 1F, Color.Red)
    pageBorders1.AppliesTo = PageBorderAppliesTo.FirstPage

    Dim secondSection As Section = document.Sections(1)
    Dim pageBorders2 As SectionPageBorders = secondSection.PageBorders

    ' Set page borders for all pages of the second section.
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders2.LeftBorder, BorderLineStyle.Double, 1.5F, Color.Green)
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders2.TopBorder, BorderLineStyle.Double, 1.5F, Color.Green)
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders2.RightBorder, BorderLineStyle.Double, 1.5F, Color.Green)
    SetPageBorders(pageBorders2.BottomBorder, BorderLineStyle.Double, 1.5F, Color.Green)
    pageBorders2.AppliesTo = PageBorderAppliesTo.AllPages
    pageBorders2.ZOrder = PageBorderZOrder.Back

    wordProcessor.SaveDocument(fileName, DocumentFormat.Docx)
End Using
Private Sub SetPageBorders(ByVal border As PageBorder, ByVal lineStyle As BorderLineStyle, ByVal borderWidth As Single, ByVal color As Color)
    border.LineStyle = lineStyle
    border.LineWidth = borderWidth
    border.LineColor = color
End Sub

Process.Start(New ProcessStartInfo(fileName) With {.UseShellExecute = True})

The following picture shows the resulting page borders:

Specify Page Margins

The Section.Margins property allows you specify margin options for a specific section. Margins are measured in units specified by the Document.Unit property (the default value is Document). You can use Units class API to convert values.

The following code snippet changes the first section’s margins:

C#
VB.NET

csharp

using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native;

using (var wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer()) {
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument("Document.docx");

    Document document = wordProcessor.Document;

    Section firstSection = wordProcessor.Document.Sections[0];

    var pageMargins = firstSection.Margins;
    pageMargins.Left = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(0.5f);
    pageMargins.Top = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(0.7f);
    pageMargins.Right = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(0.5f);
    pageMargins.Bottom = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(1.5f);
}

Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit
Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native

Using wordProcessor = New RichEditDocumentServer()
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument("Document.docx")

    Dim document As Document = wordProcessor.Document

    Dim firstSection As Section = wordProcessor.Document.Sections(0)

    Dim pageMargins = firstSection.Margins
    pageMargins.Left = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(0.5F)
    pageMargins.Top = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(0.7F)
    pageMargins.Right = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(0.5F)
    pageMargins.Bottom = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(1.5F)
End Using

Add Gutter Margins

You can add a gutter margin - an extra space that ensures that binding will not obscure the text on printed pages.

Use the following properties to specify gutter margin position:

Document.GutterAtTopPositions the gutter margin at the page top. This gutter is enabled for the entire document.SectionMargins.GutterPositionThis property is in effect only if GutterAtTop is false. Allows you to position a gutter margin at page left or right. This gutter is applied to a specific section.

Whether you enabled top or side gutter margin, use the SectionMargins.Gutter property to change the margin size. This value is added to the already specified margin, regardless of position. The gutter value is specified for each section individually.

The following code sample adds a left gutter to the first document section:

C#
VB.NET

csharp

using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native;
using DevExpress.Office.Utils;

using (var wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer()) {
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument(@"Documents//Alice.docx");

    Document document = wordProcessor.Document;

    Section firstSection = wordProcessor.Document.Sections[0];

    var pageMargins = firstSection.Margins;
    pageMargins.GutterPosition = GutterPosition.Left;
    pageMargins.Gutter = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(1);

    wordProcessor.SaveDocument("Alice_formatted.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx);   
}

Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit
Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native
Imports DevExpress.Office.Utils

Using wordProcessor = New RichEditDocumentServer()
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument("Documents//Alice.docx")

    Dim document As Document = wordProcessor.Document

    Dim firstSection As Section = wordProcessor.Document.Sections(0)

    Dim pageMargins = firstSection.Margins
    pageMargins.GutterPosition = GutterPosition.Left
    pageMargins.Gutter = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(1)

    wordProcessor.SaveDocument("Alice_formatted.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx)
End Using

Enable Mirrored Margins

The Document.MarginType property defines the margin type: regular or mirrored. Enable mirrored margins if you print on both sides of paper and want to bind the printout. If you open a fold, two pages will face each other and you’ll likely want to apply symmetrical margins. For example, you can apply a bigger margin on the inside edge.

You can add a gutter margin in mirrored layout. Specify the SectionMargins.Gutter property. Note that the SectionMargins.GutterPosition property is ignored. Gutter margins appear on the inside of the fold.

The following code sample enables mirrored margins and specifies an additional space value:

C#
VB.NET

csharp

using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native;
using DevExpress.Office.Utils;

using (var wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer())
{
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument(@"Documents//Alice.docx");

    Document document = wordProcessor.Document;

    // Enable mirrored margins
    document.MarginsType = MarginsType.Mirrored;

    foreach (Section section in wordProcessor.Document.Sections)
    {
        var pageMargins = section.Margins;

        // Set the value for mirrored margins
        pageMargins.Gutter = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(0.5f);
    }

    wordProcessor.SaveDocument("Alice_formatted.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx);   
}

Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit
Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native
Imports DevExpress.Office.Utils

Using wordProcessor = New RichEditDocumentServer()
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument("Documents//Alice.docx")

    Dim document As Document = wordProcessor.Document

    ' Enable mirrored margins
    document.MarginsType = MarginsType.Mirrored

    For Each section As Section In wordProcessor.Document.Sections
        Dim pageMargins = section.Margins

        ' Set the value for mirrored margins
        pageMargins.Gutter = Units.InchesToDocumentsF(0.5F)
    Next section

    wordProcessor.SaveDocument("Alice_formatted.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx)
End Using

Add Page Numbering

Each section can start its own page number sequence and use its own number format. Use the Section.PageNumbering property to retrieve related options. The following properties are available: SectionPageNumbering.ContinueNumbering, SectionPageNumbering.FirstPageNumber, and SectionPageNumbering.NumberingFormat.

Note

Even if the document contains a single section, you should set that section’s ContinueNumbering to false to specify a custom page numbering sequence.

The following fields show document page numbers:

To apply new settings to existing page numbers, call the Document.UpdateAllFields() method.

The following code sample specifies the initial number and NumberingFormat.CardinalText numbering format, and inserts the PAGE field to the section footer.

C#
VB.NET

csharp

using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native;

using (var wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer())
{
    wordProcessor.CreateNewDocument();
    Section section = wordProcessor.Document.Sections[0];
    section.PageNumbering.ContinueNumbering = false;
    section.PageNumbering.FirstPageNumber = 3;
    section.PageNumbering.NumberingFormat = NumberingFormat.CardinalText;

    var footer = section.BeginUpdateFooter();
    footer.Fields.Create(footer.Range.End, "PAGE");
    section.EndUpdateFooter(footer);

    wordProcessor.Document.UpdateAllFields();
}

Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit
Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native

Using wordProcessor As New RichEditDocumentServer()
    wordProcessor.CreateNewDocument()
    Dim section As Section = wordProcessor.Document.Sections(0)
    section.PageNumbering.ContinueNumbering = False
    section.PageNumbering.FirstPageNumber = 3
    section.PageNumbering.NumberingFormat = NumberingFormat.CardinalText

    Dim footer = section.BeginUpdateFooter()
    footer.Fields.Create(footer.Range.End, "PAGE")
    section.EndUpdateFooter(footer)

    wordProcessor.Document.UpdateAllFields()
End Using

Protect Sections from Modification

You can protect certain sections in your document. To do this, use the ProtectedForForms property.

The following code snippet loads a document with two sections, turns on form protection for the first section in the document, unprotects the second section, and saves the updated document.

C#
VB.NET

csharp

using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native;

using (var wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer()) {
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument(@"C:\DocumentWithTwoSections.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx);
    wordProcessor.Document.Sections[0].ProtectedForForms = true;
    wordProcessor.Document.Sections[1].ProtectedForForms = false;
    wordProcessor.Document.Protect("", DocumentProtectionType.FillInForms);
    wordProcessor.SaveDocument("DocumentWithTwoSectionsProtected.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx);
}

Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit
Imports DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native

Using wordProcessor = New RichEditDocumentServer()
    wordProcessor.LoadDocument("C:\DocumentWithTwoSections.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx)
    wordProcessor.Document.Sections(0).ProtectedForForms = True
    wordProcessor.Document.Sections(1).ProtectedForForms = False
    wordProcessor.Document.Protect("", DocumentProtectionType.FillInForms)
    wordProcessor.SaveDocument("DocumentWithTwoSectionsProtected.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx)
End Using

Other Page Formatting Tasks

The table below lists other page layout-related tasks you can complete with Word Processing Document API.

To execute this task	Use these API members	Example
Enable line numbering	SectionLineNumbering.CountBy	How to: Add Line Numbering
Divide page content into columns	SectionColumns.CreateUniformColumns	How to: Create a Three-Column Layout with Uniform Columns
Specify headers and footers	Section.BeginUpdateHeader
Section.BeginUpdateFooter	Headers and Footers
Specify footnote and endnote options	Section.FootnoteOptions
Section.EndnoteOptions	Footnotes and Endnotes
Add watermarks to selected sections	ShapeCollection.InsertTextWatermark
ShapeCollection.InsertImageWatermark	Add a Watermark to an Individual Document Section