In a landmark moment for the world of cross-platform app development, the highly anticipated release of .NET MAUI in .NET 8 has emerged as a game-changer, poised to revolutionize the way applications are built and deployed across diverse platforms. Designed to empower .NET developers with unparalleled flexibility and efficiency, .NET MAUI offers a comprehensive solution for crafting cross-platform applications for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. With its seamless integration of native functionalities, platform-specific user interfaces, and innovative hybrid experiences, .NET MAUI stands at the forefront of a new era in application development.

The release of .NET 8 represents a significant milestone in the evolution of .NET MAUI, marked by a series of groundbreaking advancements and quality enhancements. Noteworthy achievements include:

• A staggering 1618 pull requests merged, reflecting a collaborative effort of unprecedented scale and scope.
• Resolution of 689 bug issues, indicative of a relentless commitment to refining and enhancing the framework’s stability and performance.

These achievements underscore the dedication and ingenuity of the development community, with contributions from diverse teams at Microsoft and the broader community shaping .NET MAUI into a robust and versatile framework that meets the evolving needs of developers worldwide.

A Focus on User Experience: Key Areas of Improvement

In response to invaluable user feedback, .NET MAUI has prioritized key areas for improvement, including:

• Optimization of keyboard behavior to ensure seamless user interaction across different devices and platforms.
• Enhanced support for right-to-left languages, catering to a global audience and facilitating localization efforts.
• Improvements in layout fidelity and performance, guaranteeing a consistent and responsive user experience across various screen sizes and resolutions.
• Streamlined scroll performance for smoother navigation and enhanced usability.
• Advanced memory management techniques to optimize resource utilization and enhance overall application performance.

These refinements aim to elevate the development experience and empower developers to create engaging and immersive cross-platform applications that resonate with users worldwide.

Exploring the Latest Innovations in .NET MAUI

Keyboard Accelerators: Empowering Productivity

The introduction of keyboard accelerators enables developers to associate shortcuts with menu items in desktop applications, thereby enhancing productivity and streamlining user interactions. This feature empowers users to perform tasks more efficiently, leveraging keyboard commands for swift execution.

Enhancing Interactivity

.NET MAUI introduces enhancements to PointerGesture, allowing developers to leverage PointerPressed and PointerReleased events for more precise interaction tracking. These enhancements foster greater user engagement and responsiveness across multiple platforms, creating a more immersive and intuitive user experience.

Customizing User Experience

Enhancements to drag and drop gestures provide developers with greater control and flexibility in customizing the user experience. With features such as custom glyphs, captions, and drop actions, .NET MAUI empowers developers to create intuitive and immersive applications that cater to the unique needs and preferences of their users.

Performance and Memory Improvements

.NET 8 introduces significant improvements in performance, app size, and memory management, enabling developers to create smoother and more efficient applications. New features such as AndroidStripILAfterAOT, AndroidEnableMarshalMethods, and NativeAOT for iOS optimize application performance and resource utilization, ensuring a superior user experience.

Enriching the Development Experience

From enhanced WebView capabilities to improvements in TapGestureRecognizer and Blazer WebView, .NET 8 introduces a myriad of new features and enhancements that enrich the development experience. These updates empower developers to create high-quality cross-platform applications with ease, fostering creativity and innovation in the development process.

Community Contributions and Support

One of the hallmarks of the .NET MAUI project is the vibrant and inclusive community that actively participates in its development and evolution. With a total of 94 contributors, including teams from Microsoft and dedicated community members, the collaborative effort behind .NET MAUI underscores the collective passion and commitment to driving innovation in cross-platform app development.

The diverse perspectives and expertise brought forth by community contributors have played a pivotal role in shaping the direction and feature set of .NET MAUI. Through open communication channels, forums, and collaborative platforms, developers from all backgrounds have the opportunity to contribute code, provide feedback, and share insights, fostering an environment of continuous improvement and shared learning.

Embracing The Future

As .NET MAUI and .NET 8 continue to evolve and mature, the future of cross-platform app development looks brighter than ever before. With ongoing advancements, feature enhancements, and community-driven initiatives, .NET MAUI is poised to remain at the forefront of innovation, empowering developers to create next-generation applications that transcend boundaries and redefine user experiences.

By embracing collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning, developers can unlock the full potential of .NET MAUI and .NET 8, paving the way for a future where cross-platform app development knows no limits.

Getting Started

Developers can access .NET MAUI and .NET 8 through the latest stable release of Visual Studio 2022 17.8 or utilize Visual Studio Code with the .NET MAUI extension for a versatile development environment.

  dotnet workload install maui 

The .NET 8 installer and command-line tools simplify installation and setup, enabling developers to hit the ground running with .NET MAUI and embark on their journey towards creating innovative cross-platform applications.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the release of .NET MAUI in .NET 8 heralds a new era of possibilities for cross-platform app development. With its robust framework, powerful features, and vibrant community, .NET MAUI empowers developers to create immersive, feature-rich applications that delight users across diverse platforms.

As developers embark on their journey with .NET MAUI and .NET 8, they are poised to redefine the way applications are built, deployed, and experienced in the digital age. By embracing collaboration, innovation, and creativity, developers can unlock endless opportunities and shape the future of cross-platform app development for generations to come.

Together, let us embrace the future and embark on a journey of exploration, discovery, and innovation with .NET MAUI and .NET 8. The possibilities are limitless, and the future is ours to create.

Since Microsoft released the second and final release candidates for the framework and its related NET MAUI, ASP.NET Core, and EF8 versions,.NET 8 and all of its components are now one month away from become generally available.

They will be released between November 14 and 16 in conjunction with the business’s .NET Conf 2023 conference.

The dev team concentrated mostly on bringing things into final form for GA by polishing functionality and correcting bugs rather than introducing significant new features, thus the code is essentially set at this point.

The RC2s for Microsoft’s developer tools solutions are defined in the following manner.

.NET MAUI

Microsoft refers to this framework as the “Xamarin.Forms” progression since it allows developers to construct desktop apps in addition to typical iOS and Android mobile targets. It has had development issues, and Microsoft-centric developers are keeping a careful eye on it in light of the recent announcement that Microsoft was cancelling Visual Studio for Mac, which has its own major development issues.

Microsoft said “Today, we take one step closer to .NET 8 general availability (GA) by shipping .NET MAUI in .NET 8 release candidate 2 (RC2),”. “As with RC1, this release is covered by a go-live license so you can receive support when using it in your production applications. In this release we have focused on issues that regressed throughout the previews, and regaining some performance that was lost as we improved the reliability of hot reload, visual state manager, bindings, and app themes.”

• .NET MAUI has a go-live license and no breaking API changes from .NET 7.
• The team addressed a number of bugs with UI components and controls in order to increase uniformity and visual correctness across platforms.
• For a uniform user experience across platforms, platform-specific updates addressing drag-and-drop functionality, tab bar look, and certain platform behaviors were implemented.
• Several optimizations were made to boost performance of of ActivityExtensions.GetWindowFrame on Android, and “Setter Specificity.”
• Microsoft released.NET 7 service release 8 (version 7.0.96) with high-priority updates.
• With Visual Studio 17.8 Preview 3 or the most recent stable version of Visual Studio for Mac, Xamarin developers may use Xcode 15 and Android API 34.

The.NET MAUI release notes include further information.

.NET 8

“.NET 8 RC2 is now available,” Microsoft said on October 10. “This is the final release candidate. New NuGet package READMEs for.NET packages, easy CLI-based project assessment for MSBuild, publishing containers to tar.gz files, and Tensor Primitives for.NET are included in this version.

The following are some of the announcement post’s highlights:

• NuGet package READMEs for.NET packages are provided to offer users with critical information and to assist them in rapidly understanding what a library is and what it does. This is part of the dev team’s ongoing efforts to improve the uptake and quality of NuGet package READMEs.
• MSBuild now has a new, easy CLI-based project assessment feature that makes it simpler to incorporate MSBuild data into scripts or tools by utilizing the –getProperty, –getItem, and –getTargetResult parameters to assist project analysis.
• The SDK Container Publish tools now includes the ability to immediately construct a container as a tar.gz archive, which can be beneficial for processes that involve scanning or transferring the image before sending it, hence broadening potential deployment possibilities.
• Tensor Primitives for.NET are now available, boosting support for machine learning and data science activities. Tensor Primitives is a new collection of APIs that add support for tensor operations, which are critical in AI and machine learning applications. It includes vectorized versions of operations such as cosine similarity, dot product, matrix multiplication, and others.

The.NET 8 RC2 release notes also provide information on important fixes and much more.

ASP.NET Core

According to the announcement article regarding ASP.NET Core enhancements in.NET 8 RC 2, much of the dev team’s efforts in this cycle were spent to Blazor, Microsoft’s scheme for doing web development largely using C# rather than the traditional mainstay, JavaScript. The post said 11 things for Blazor, when every other component has just one item, with the exception of Servers & Middleware, which has two. Microsoft included an essential new notion for Blazor in .NET 8, the ability to deliver a full-stack Web UI.

The following are some of the announcement post’s highlights:

• New features in HTTP logging middleware include duration logging, merged logs, and configurable interceptors.
• Version 7x of the IdentityModel library has been released, which increases efficiency, consistency, and Native AOT compatibility.
• Blazor now supports types with IFormFile attributes and form binding for simple APIs.
• The SignalR TypeScript client now supports stateful reconnect, reducing downtime for clients experiencing brief network difficulties.
• The Blazor Web App template now has additional options for enabling interactive render mode globally or per page, as well as using the Blazor identity UI.
• The Blazor WebAssembly Standalone App template has been renamed and changed to allow static site hosting in the absence of an ASP.NET Core server.
• Blazor’s form model binding now respects data contract characteristics for customizing how form data is tied to the model.
• HttpContext may now be accessed from a static server component as a cascade parameter.
• In a Blazor Web App, the PersistentComponentState service can now be used to save and access component state.
• Using the [Inject] Attribute now enables injecting keyed services using the InjectAttribute.Key property.

Wrapping Up

The introduction of.NET 8 RC2 marks an important step toward the eventual release of.NET 8 in November 2023. This release contains updated NuGet package READMEs, easy CLI-based project assessment for MSBuild, publishing containers to tar.gz files, and Tensor Primitives for.NET.

Overall, .NET 8 RC2 is a strong release with a slew of important additions and enhancements. I strongly advise all .NET developers to download and test this release candidate.

In the field of software development, designing user interfaces (UIs) that are aesthetically pleasing and simple to use is essential for gaining and maintaining user engagement. Developers now have a potent framework at their disposal to create cross-platform applications with gorgeous UIs thanks to the introduction of .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI). In this post, we’ll examine the fundamentals of .NET MAUI UI development and learn how to make contemporary, responsive, and user-friendly user interfaces.

Understanding .NET MAUI

Microsoft’s cross-platform .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) framework enables programmers to design native user interfaces (UI) for software that can run on various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. It is an evolution of Xamarin.Forms and is built on top of the .NET ecosystem.

With the unified development paradigm provided by .NET MAUI, developers can create a single codebase for their business logic and user interface (UI), which can then be distributed to several platforms. This method saves time and effort because there is no longer a need to build unique UI code for each platform.

The framework offers a collection of controls and layouts that are natively generated on each platform, giving the applications a native appearance and feel. Additionally, it provides access to local APIs and support for platform-specific customization, enabling developers to make the most of each platform’s features.

XAML for UI Design

For the purpose of developing user interfaces in .NET applications, especially those created with .NET MAUI, XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language) is a declarative markup language. It offers a clear and accessible approach to describing the organization, appearance, and behavior of the UI elements. It is simpler for developers and designers to work together when they can separate the UI design from the application functionality using XAML. You can establish data bindings to link UI elements with the underlying data model, specify attributes and events, and describe the visual hierarchy of your UI using XAML.

With the help of the numerous controls, layouts, and style options supported by XAML, you can design engaging user interfaces. Additionally, it enables animations, resources, and templates, allowing you to design extremely adaptable user interfaces.

Responsive Layouts

Responsive layouts refer to the ability of an application’s user interface to adapt and adjust its appearance based on the available screen space and device orientation. In the context of .NET MAUI, responsive layouts play a crucial role in creating user interfaces that can seamlessly adapt to different screen sizes, resolutions, and aspect ratios across various devices.

To achieve responsive layouts in .NET MAUI, developers can leverage XAML’s layout containers such as StackLayout, Grid, and FlexLayout, along with various properties and techniques provided by the framework. These include setting appropriate constraints, using adaptive triggers, employing adaptive layouts, and leveraging platform-specific APIs to optimize the UI for each device type.

Styling and Theming

Styling and theming are essential aspects of UI design that allow developers to define the visual appearance of their applications. In .NET MAUI, developers can use XAML to apply styles and themes to their UI elements, ensuring a consistent and visually appealing user experience.

Styles in XAML allow developers to define a set of visual properties that can be applied to multiple UI elements. This promotes code reuse and simplifies the process of updating the appearance of UI elements throughout the application. Themes, on the other hand, provide a way to switch between different visual styles based on user preferences or application requirements.

By leveraging styles and themes effectively, developers can create visually appealing interfaces, maintain a consistent design language, and enhance the overall user experience.

Data Binding

Data binding is a powerful feature in .NET MAUI that allows developers to establish a connection between the data and the user interface elements. It enables automatic synchronization of data between the model or view model and the UI, reducing the need for manual updates and providing a more responsive and interactive user experience.

In .NET MAUI, developers can use XAML to define data bindings between UI elements and the underlying data sources. This can include binding UI controls to properties, collections, or commands in the code-behind or view model. By establishing these bindings, any changes in the data source are automatically reflected in the UI, and user interactions can update the underlying data seamlessly.

Data binding simplifies the development process by decoupling the UI from the data, making applications more flexible, maintainable, and scalable.

Performance Optimization

When creating cross-platform apps like those in .NET MAUI, performance optimization becomes a crucial component of application development. Here are some essential factors for performance optimization:

• Effective Data Binding: When it comes to regularly changing data, use data binding carefully and prevent frequent binding modifications. When applicable, take into account employing one-time or one-way data bindings.
• Asynchronous Programming: To keep the UI fluid and avoid blocking the main thread, use asynchronous programming techniques like async/await. When possible, move time-consuming tasks to background threads.
• Caching and Memory Management: Use caching techniques to lessen the need for repeated data retrieval and processing. To avoid memory leaks, appropriately dispose away unused resources.
• Use UI virtualization techniques for lists and grids to quickly render massive datasets by only loading elements that are visible.

Conclusion

With the help of .NET MAUI, developers can create beautiful cross-platform UIs with less time and effort and a single codebase. .NET MAUI gives you the tools to build stunning and useful user interfaces that provide a wonderful user experience on a variety of devices and operating systems thanks to its robust UI design capabilities, responsive layouts, styling and theming options, support for data binding, and integration with platform-specific features. Accept the potential of .NET MAUI for UI development and you’ll be able to produce outstanding applications that your users will love.