Learn .NET MAUI - Full Course for Beginners | Build cross-platform apps in C#
Table of Contents
Introduction
This tutorial is designed to guide you through the basics of .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI), enabling you to build beautiful native cross-platform applications for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows using C#. By following this step-by-step guide, you will learn how to design user interfaces, implement the MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) pattern, navigate between pages, and access platform features.
Step 1: Install .NET MAUI
- Visit the official .NET MAUI website to download and install the required tools
- Ensure you have Visual Studio installed with the .NET MAUI workload.
- Follow the installation instructions specific to your operating system (Windows or macOS).
Step 2: Create Your First .NET MAUI App
- Open Visual Studio and create a new project.
- Select "MAUI App" from the project templates.
- Name your project and choose a location to save it.
- Click “Create” to generate the project structure.
Step 3: Understand Project Architecture
- Get familiar with the folder structure
- Platforms: Contains platform-specific code and resources.
- Resources: Contains images and styles used in your app.
- Views: Holds the XAML files for your app’s user interfaces.
- Review the
App.xaml
andMainPage.xaml
files to see the starting point of your application.
Step 4: Implement MVVM Pattern
- Create models to represent your data.
- Create a ViewModel class
- Implement
INotifyPropertyChanged
to notify the view of property changes. - Example code:
public class SampleViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged { private string _sampleProperty; public string SampleProperty { get => _sampleProperty; set { _sampleProperty = value; OnPropertyChanged(nameof(SampleProperty)); } } public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged; protected void OnPropertyChanged(string propertyName) => PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName)); }
Step 5: Build User Interfaces with XAML
- Open
MainPage.xaml
and start designing your UI. - Use layouts such as
StackLayout
,Grid
, andCollectionView
for organizing your content. - Example of a simple layout:
<StackLayout> <Label Text="{Binding SampleProperty}" /> <Entry Text="{Binding SampleProperty}" /> </StackLayout>
Step 6: Navigation Between Pages
- Create additional pages as needed (e.g.,
SecondPage.xaml
). - Implement navigation using the
Shell
orNavigationPage
- Example of navigating to another page:
await Navigation.PushAsync(new SecondPage());
Step 7: Access Platform Features
- Use platform-specific APIs, such as geolocation
- Add necessary permissions in the
AndroidManifest.xml
or equivalent for other platforms. - Example of accessing geolocation:
var location = await Geolocation.GetLastKnownLocationAsync();
Step 8: Implement Dark and Light Themes
- Define resources for light and dark themes in
App.xaml
. - Switch themes based on user preferences:
<Application.Resources> <ResourceDictionary> <Style TargetType="Label"> <Setter Property="TextColor" Value="Gray" /> </Style> </ResourceDictionary> </Application.Resources>
Conclusion
By following these steps, you have gained the foundational knowledge needed to start building cross-platform applications with .NET MAUI. As you progress, consider exploring more advanced topics such as HTTP REST calls, data binding with the .NET Community Toolkit, and integrating platform-specific functionalities. For further learning, check out the provided resources and documentation linked above. Happy coding!