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Mastering Xamarin UI Development
Mastering Xamarin UI Development

Mastering Xamarin UI Development: Build robust and a maintainable cross-platform mobile UI with Xamarin and C# 7 , Second Edition

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Mastering Xamarin UI Development

Building a PhotoLibrary App Using Android

In the previous chapter, we learned how to download and install the Visual Studio for Mac IDE as well as the Xamarin Platform SDKs and components for both the iOS and Android platforms. We also covered some of the features contained in the Visual Studio for Mac IDE and then dived into learning about the Xamarin Mobile platform, as well as the benefits of developing Native versus Xamarin.Forms apps.

We learned how to create a cross-platform Xamarin project for both the iOS and Android platforms, and constructed the user interface by using the XAML syntax and writing the C# code that will be used to communicate with the XAML to populate a ListView control with planet names.

Finally, we learned how to set breakpoints and create conditional breakpoints, as well as using the built-in debugger in the Visual Studio for Mac IDE, which allows you...

Creating a native Android app using Visual Studio for Mac

In this section, we will take a look at how to create a native Android solution for the first time. We will begin by developing the basic structure for our application, as well as adding the Xamarin Media Plugin NuGet package and designing the user interface using XML for our PhotoLibrary application.

We will also learn how to update the Strings XML file to include values for our UI control elements that are contained in our XML file. Finally, we will create the styles XML file for our Photo Library app that will be used to style our UI control elements.

Before we can proceed, we need to create our PhotoLibrary project. It is very simple to create this using Visual Studio for Mac. Simply follow these steps:

  1. Firstly, launch the Visual Studio for Mac application.
  2. Next, choose the New Solution… option, or alternatively...

Creating and implementing the PhotoLibrary Activity class

In this section, we will start by creating the PhotoLibrary Activity class that will be used to interact with our PhotoLibraryUI user interface, and handle when each of the buttons has been pressed.

Let's start by creating the PhotoLibraryActivity class for our PhotoLibrary app in the following steps:

  1. Ensure that the PhotoLibrary solution is currently open in the Visual Studio for Mac IDE.
  2. Next, right-click on the PhotoLibrary project and choose Add|New File... from the pop-up menu, as shown in the following screenshot:
Creating a new Android Activity Class
  1. Then, choose the Activity option under the Android section and enter PhotoLibraryActivity for the name of the new Activity file to be created, as shown in the following screenshot:
Creating the PhotoLibraryActivity Class
  1. Next, click on the New button to allow...

Implementing Material Design in the PhotoLibrary app

In the previous sections, we looked at how to create the user interface for our app, update the Strings.xml file, and create the styles.xml file. Lastly, we looked at creating PhotoLibraryActivity and making some changes to the MainActivity class.

In this section, we will learn how to go about creating and implementing custom Material Design Themes, and how to implement Material Design in the PhotoLibrary application.

Creating custom themes for the PhotoLibrary application

Creating custom themes for your apps is extremely easy. Android themes are similar to using CSS style sheets in your web applications for user interface design. Themes allow you to separate styles from...

Setting up camera and photo album permissions

Before we can start accessing the camera and photo album, we will need to assign certain permissions for our PhotoLibrary Android app. To do this, we need to make some changes to our Android Manifest file to give access to our camera and photo album.

Let's start by updating the AndroidManifest.xml file for our PhotoLibrary app by performing the following steps:

  1. Expand the Properties folder in the PhotoLibrary solution and double-click on the AndroidManifest.xml file. Ensure that you have selected the Source button, which is located at the bottom of the screen, as shown in the following screenshot:
Setting up Camera and Photo Album Permissions
  1. Then, ensure that the AndroidManifest.xml file is displayed in the code editor and enter the following code snippet:
     <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"...

Launching the Photo Library app using the Android emulator

In this section, we will take a look at how to compile and run our PhotoLibrary. You have the option of choosing to run your application using an actual device or choosing from a list of emulators available for an Android device.

Let's begin by performing the following steps:

  1. Ensure that you have chosen the PhotoLibrary project from the drop-down menu.
  2. Next, choose your preferred device from the list of available Android emulators.
  3. Then, select the Run|Start Debugging menu option, as shown in the following screenshot:
Launching the PhotoLibrary App within the Android Emulator
  1. Alternatively, you can also build and run the PhotoLibrary application by pressing Command + Enter.

When the compilation is complete, the Android emulator will appear automatically and the PhotoLibrary application will be displayed, as shown...

Summary

In this chapter, we focused primarily on how to develop a native Android app using Visual Studio for Mac, Xamarin.Android, and C#. You learned how to use and work with the Visual Designer in the Visual Studio for Mac IDE to construct the user interface for your PhotoLibrary app using XML and implement Material Design in your apps, as well as create your own custom themes and then apply theming to your app.

Finally, you learned how to provide the necessary permissions to AndroidManifest.xml so that we can interact with the device camera and photo album, before launching the app in the Android emulator. In the next chapter, you will learn how to build a tile sliding game using Xamarin.iOS and C#.

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Key benefits

  • Build effective native and cross-platform user interfaces using the Xamarin frameworks for iOS and Android, as well as Xamarin.Forms
  • Maximize the testability, flexibility, and overall quality of your Xamarin mobile apps
  • Step-by-Steps guide that is packed with real-world scenarios and solutions, to build professional grade mobile apps and games for the iOS and Android platforms, using C# 7

Description

This book will provide you with the knowledge and practical skills that are required to develop real-world Xamarin and Xamarin.Forms applications. You’ll learn how to create native Android app that will interact with the device camera and photo gallery, and then create a native iOS sliding tiles game. You will learn how to implement complex UI layouts and create customizable control elements based on the platform, using XAML and C# 7 code to interact with control elements within your XAML ContentPages. You’ll learn how to add location-based features by to your apps by creating a LocationService class and using the Xam.Plugin.Geolocator cross-platform library, that will be used to obtain the current device location. Next, you’ll learn how to work with and implement animations and visual effects within your UI using the PlatformEffects API, using C# code. At the end of this book, you’ll learn how to integrate Microsoft Azure App Services and use the Twitter APIs within your app. You will work with the Razor Templating Engine to build a book library HTML5 solution that will use a SQLite.net library to store, update, retrieve, and delete information within a local SQLite database. Finally, you will learn how to write unit tests using the NUnit and UITest frameworks.

Who is this book for?

This book is intended for readers who have experience using at least the C# 6.0 programming language and interested in learning how to create stunning native, and cross-platform user interfaces for the iOS and Android platforms using the Xamarin and Xamarin.Forms frameworks using C# 7.

What you will learn

  • Downloading and Installing the Visual Studio for Mac IDE
  • Overview and Understanding of the Xamarin Mobile Platform
  • Understand the MVVM architectural pattern and how to implement this with your apps
  • Build a NavigationService class to enable navigation between your ViewModels
  • Implement Data-Binding to control elements within your XAML pages and ViewModels
  • Create and Implement Xamarin.Forms Animations within your applications
  • Work with the Microsoft Azure App Services Platform and the Facebook SDK
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Publication date : Aug 31, 2018
Length: 584 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781788995511
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Length: 584 pages
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Language : English
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Microsoft
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Table of Contents

14 Chapters
Setting Up Visual Studio for Mac Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Building a PhotoLibrary App Using Android Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Building a SlidingTiles Game Using Xamarin.iOS Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Creating the TrackMyWalks Native App Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
MVVM and Data Binding Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Navigating Within the Mvvm Model Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Adding Location-based Features Within Your App Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Customizing the User Interface Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Working with Animations in Xamarin.Forms Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Working with the Razor Templating Engine Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Incorporating Microsoft Azure App Services Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Making Our App Social Using the Twitter API Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Unit Testing Your Xamarin.Forms Apps Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
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Amazon Customer Jan 07, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
While this book is ultimately about about UI development with Xamarin, it fortunately does not assume too much about you besides an understanding of C# and OOP programming techniques. This is good as this is essentially a crash course on getting you up to speed with UI crossplatform mobile apps with Xamarin. Explanations was to the point and I was able to understand how the photoapp example in the book is built and run pretty quickly.
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