This article represents the second installment of the XAML for Beginners series, which elucidates the concept of declarative markup in the context of defining UI in .NET applications. All articles within this series are accessible from here.
The initial article focused mainly on introducing XAML and its building blocks.
In this article, the focus will be on the following:
Starting a new series entitled XAML for Beginners elucidates the concept of declarative markup to define UI in .NET applications. All articles within this series can be accessed from here.
The second installment of this series is now available to read here.
XAML is an acronym that stands for eXtensible Application Markup Language. It was first introduced in 2006, accompanying the initial release of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) alongside .NET 3.0.
The principal objective of this methodology is to segregate the UI design from the program logic. This separation allows the design team to focus solely on the UI, while the program logic can be developed and evaluated independently. Consequently, these components can be integrated into a unified system.
The MVVM design pattern is an exemplary framework for accomplishing this. However, XAML also supports the code-behind approach.
This article is part of the MVVM – Made Easy series, focusing on handling UI events with ViewModel commands.
This series comprises articles that provide insights into working with the MVVM design pattern, to make it a delightful experience. All the articles in this series can be accessed from here – MVVM – Made Easy
The View serves as the user interface, while the ViewModel is composed of Properties and Commands that encapsulate the underlying logic. This architectural layering offers the distinct advantage of enabling independent development and testing of both components. Data Binding functions as the cohesive element that interlinks these two layers.
An event represents a significant mechanism for notifying state changes, such as a button click, to other components that have a vested interest in the occurrence.
The receiver component is capable of responding to the event by subscribing to it through a method whose signature corresponds with the delegate of the event ensuring type safety. And that method is generally referred to as an event handler.
However, the challenge emerges during the testing of the ViewModel, as the event is closely intertwined with the View. Business logic can’t be independently tested.
As the name suggests, has a slew of features under the hood to work with .NET MAUI.
To effectively support the stable release of .NET MAUI 9, both the CLI NuGet package and the Visual Studio extension of the All-in-One .NET MAUI Templates Pack have been fully updated.
An article has already been published detailing the comprehensive features of .NET MAUI 9.
To know more about the features of this template pack, consult the articles linked here.
Install:
From CLI:
Here’s the command to install the CLI templates pack.
Not confined to .NET MAUI, the XAML Live Preview functions as an invaluable tool for inspecting the UI and its associated properties in XAML apps overall.
However, it is imperative that the app be connected to the debugger, is it not? Yes, that is prior to the intro of the debugger-detached XAML Live Preview in VS2022, v17.13 Preview 1.0.
Yesterday, during the .NET MAUI session at .NET Conf 2024 (YouTube clip linked), David and Rachel provided an insightful overview of its functionality.
To know about this virtual event, consult this .NET Conf 2024 article and this detailed article outlining the comprehensive features of .NET MAUI 9.
This article is part of the MVVM – Made Easy series, with a focus on the initial preview release of v8.4 of the CommunityToolkit.Mvvm (aka Microsoft MVVM Toolkit) NuGet package, which includes support for Partial Properties.
Update as of Dec 2024: The v8.4 stable release is now available. For further details, please refer to this blog post.
Here are the links to other articles in this series.
Support for Partial Properties is one of most sought after features in the MVVM toolkit as it allows to define custom access modifier for property accessors and makes code more readable. The need for an analyzer to track the usage of a field instead of a (generated) property is no longer necessary.
This is an article in the Developer Tips series, which offers concise hints to enhance productivity. You can access all the articles in this series here.
Border:
From .NET MAUI 9 onwards, the Frame control has been marked as obsolete, paving the way for more robust Border control.
An article has already been published detailing the comprehensive features of .NET MAUI 9.
The Border serves as a container control, akin to the Frame; however, it exhibits significantly greater flexibility, enabling the user to delineate any enclosed geometric shape.
This article analyzes a significant change introduced in .NET MAUI 9, specifically the deprecation of the Application’s MainPage property, which has been replaced by the Window’s Page property.
An article has already been published detailing the comprehensive features of .NET MAUI 9.
The MainPage has existed since the inception of Xamarin.Forms, at which time it functioned as a single-window UI framework.
Nevertheless, the design of .NET MAUI incorporates the concept of a Window to effectively support Desktop form factors, including WinUI and Mac Catalyst.
Yesterday, Syncfusion, a prominent vendor of software components, announced its dedication to contributing to .NET MAUI and the release of the initial set of free and open-source controls for .NET MAUI, which is now available as a NuGet package titled Syncfusion.Maui.Toolkit.
Microsoft has gladly welcomed Syncfusion’s open-source contributions, a gesture seen as a positive step for .NET MAUI confirming the ongoing commitment to the cross-platform framework.
Syncfusion is utilizing its proficiency in developing software components to collaborate with Microsoft, with the objective of significantly enhancing .NET MAUI. Their team is already making a noteworthy impact.
.NET MAUI 9 is the next major version of the cross-platform application UI framework. An article detailing the significant features of this version has already been published and can be accessed here.
This release features two prominent enhancements:
The TitleBar support for MacCatalyst is in progress. Track here.
This article will delve into the details of HybridWebView.