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...

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:

3. 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:

4. Next, click on the New button to allow...

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 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...

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:

2. 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"...

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:

4. 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...

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#.