.NET MAUI Overview

Welcome to the official Microsoft documentation for .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI). .NET MAUI is an open-source, cross-platform framework for creating native mobile and desktop applications with C# and XAML from a single shared codebase.

What is .NET MAUI?

.NET MAUI is the evolution of Xamarin.Forms. It allows developers to build modern, performant, and visually appealing applications for:

• Android
• iOS
• macOS (using Mac Catalyst)
• Windows

It provides a unified API that abstracts away the underlying platform-specific UI elements, enabling you to write your UI and application logic once and deploy it everywhere.

Key Features

• Single Project: Manage all your platform-specific assets and code from a single project.
• Native UI: Renders to native UI controls on each platform, ensuring a native look and feel.
• XAML: A declarative UI markup language for designing your user interfaces.
• C# and .NET: Leverage the power and productivity of C# and the extensive .NET ecosystem.
• Modern Development: Built on modern .NET technologies.
• Performance: Optimized for performance and resource efficiency.
• Community Driven: Open-source and supported by a vibrant community.

Getting Started

To start building .NET MAUI applications, you'll need to install the .NET SDK and the .NET MAUI workload. The easiest way to get started is by using Visual Studio.

Prerequisites:

• .NET SDK (version 6.0 or later)
• Visual Studio 2022 (version 17.3 or later) with the .NET MAUI workload

Once installed, you can create a new .NET MAUI project directly from Visual Studio's project templates. For command-line development, you can use the dotnet new maui command.

Basic Project Structure:

A typical .NET MAUI project includes:

• Platforms folder: Contains platform-specific code and resources.
• Resources folder: Houses images, fonts, and styles.
• App.xaml and App.xaml.cs: The application entry point.
• AppShell.xaml and AppShell.xaml.cs: Defines the overall structure of your app (navigation, tabs, etc.).
• MainPage.xaml and MainPage.xaml.cs: The main content page of your application.

Example: A Simple Button

Here's a basic XAML example to display a button:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="MyMauiApp.MainPage"
             Title="Welcome">

    <ScrollView>
        <VerticalStackLayout
            Padding="30,0"
            Spacing="25"
            VerticalOptions="Center">

            <Image
                Source="dotnet_bot.png"
                HeightRequest="200"
                HorizontalOptions="Center" />

            <Label
                Text="Hello, .NET MAUI!"
                SemanticProperties.HeadingLevel="Level1"
                FontSize="32"
                HorizontalOptions="Center" />

            <Button
                x:Name="CounterBtn"
                Text="Click me"
                SemanticProperties.Hint="Counts the number of times you click"
                Clicked="OnCounterClicked"
                HorizontalOptions="Center" />

        </VerticalStackLayout>
    </ScrollView>

</ContentPage>

And the corresponding C# code-behind:

using Microsoft.Maui.Controls;
using System;

namespace MyMauiApp
{
    public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
    {
        int count = 0;

        public MainPage()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void OnCounterClicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            count++;
            CounterBtn.Text = $"Clicked {count} times";
        }
    }
}

Learn More

Explore the following resources to deepen your understanding of .NET MAUI:

• Official .NET MAUI Documentation
• Sample Applications
• Community Forums
• Getting Started Guide

This documentation provides a comprehensive guide to developing cross-platform applications with .NET MAUI. Dive in and start building!