book

Xamarin.Forms Projects - Second Edition

Name: Xamarin.Forms Projects - Second Edition
ISBN: 9781839210051

by Daniel Hindrikes, Johan Karlsson

June 2020

Intermediate to advanced

504 pages

9h 51m

English

Packt Publishing

Read now

Unlock full access

Title Page
Copyright and Credits
Xamarin.Forms Projects Second Edition
Dedication
About Packt
Why subscribe?
Foreword
Contributors
About the authorsAbout the reviewersPackt is searching for authors like you
Preface
Who this book is forWhat this book coversTo get the most out of this bookDownload the example code filesDownload the color imagesConventions usedGet in touchReviews
Introduction to Xamarin
Native applicationsXamarin and MonoCode sharingUsing existing knowledgeXamarin platformsXamarin.iOSXamarin.AndroidXamarin.MacXamarin.FormsThe architecture of Xamarin.FormsDefining a UI using XAMLDefining a Label controlCreating a page in XAMLCreating a page in C#XAML or C#?Xamarin.Forms versus traditional XamarinWhen to use Xamarin.FormsSetting up a development machineSetting up a MacInstalling XcodeInstalling Visual StudioConfiguring the Android emulatorSetting up a Windows machineInstalling Xamarin for Visual StudioPairing Visual Studio with a MacConfiguring an Android emulator and hardware accelerationConfiguring UWP developer modeXamarin productivity toolingXamarin Hot RestartXamarin XAML Hot ReloadSummary
Building Our First Xamarin.Forms App
Technical requirementsAn overview of the projectBeginning the projectSetting up the projectCreating the new projectExamining the filesDoTooDoToo.AndroidDoToo.iOSDoToo.UWPUpdating the Xamarin.Forms packagesRemoving the MainPage fileCreating a repository and a TodoItem modelDefining a to-do list itemCreating a repository and its interfaceConnecting SQLite to persist dataAdding the SQLite NuGet packageUpdating the TodoItem classCreating a connection to the SQLite databaseImplementing the GetItems(), AddItems(), and UpdateItems() methodsUsing MVVM – creating views and ViewModelDefining a ViewModel base classIntroducing PropertyChanged.Fody Creating the MainViewModelCreating the TodoItemViewModelCreating the ItemViewModel classCreating the MainView viewCreating the ItemView viewWiring up a dependency injection through AutofacAdding a reference to AutofacCreating the resolverCreating the bootstrapperAdding a bootstrapper on iOSAdding a bootstrapper in AndroidAdding a bootstrapper in UWPMaking the app runAdding data bindingsNavigating from MainView to ItemView to add a new itemAdding new items to the listBinding ListView in MainViewCreating a ValueConverter object for the item statusUsing ValueConverterNavigating to an item using a commandMarking an item as complete using a commandCreating the filter toggle function using a commandLaying out the contentsSetting an application-wide background colorLaying out the MainView and ListView itemsThe filter buttonTouching up ListViewSummary
Building a News App Using Xamarin.Forms Shell
Technical requirementsProject overviewGetting startedBuilding the news appSetting up the projectCreating the new projectUpdating Xamarin.Forms packagesCreating the structure of the appCreating the ViewModel base classRecapping on Quick PropertyChanged.Fody Implementing INotifyPropertyChangedAdding a reference to PropertyChanged.FodyCreating a FodyWeaver fileCreating the HeadlinesViewModel classCreating the HeadlinesViewCreating the ArticleItemCreating the ArticleViewCreating the AboutViewWiring up dependency injection through AutofacAdding a reference to AutofacCreating the resolverCreating the bootstrapperInitializing the bootstrapperDownloading and configuring Font AwesomeDownloading Font AwesomeAdding Font Awesome to Info.plist on iOSAdding the font to a static resourceDefining some icons in the resource dictionaryDefining the shellCreating the MainShell file Defining the basic structureAdding the MainShell type to the containerMaking the app runCreating the news serviceObtaining an API keyCreating the modelsCreating a service classCreating the NewsScope enumEnabling C# 8Creating the NewsService classWiring up the NewsService classExtending the HeadlinesViewModel classExtending the HeadlinesViewExtending the ContentView of the ArticleItemAdding to the bootstrapperAdding a ContentTemplate attributeHandling navigationCreating the navigation serviceCreating the INavigation interfaceImplementing the INavigation interface using ShellAdding the INavigation interface to the ViewModel classNavigating using routesFinalizing the ItemSelected commandExtending the ArticleView to receive query dataExtending the ArticleView with a WebViewRegistering the routeSummary

A Matchmaking App with a Rich UX Using Animations
Technical requirementsProject overviewCreating the matchmaking appCreating the projectCreating the new projectUpdating the Xamarin.Forms NuGet packagesDesigning the MainPage fileCreating the Swiper controlCreating the controlDefining the main gridAdding a content view for the photoCreating the DescriptionGenerator classCreating a picture classBinding the picture to the controlSetting the sourceControlling the loading labelHandling pan gesturesTesting the controlCreating decision zonesExtending the gridAdding the StackLayout for liking photosAdding the StackLayout for denying photosDetermining the screen sizeAdding a clamp functionAdding code to calculate the stateDefining a method for calculating the state Wiring up the pan state checkAdding exit logicChecking if the image should exitRemoving the imageUpdating PanCompletedAdding events to the controlDeclaring two eventsRaising the eventsWiring up the Swiper controlAdding imagesAdding initial photosMaking the call from the constructorAdding count labelsSubscribing to eventsAdding methods to update the GUI and respond to eventsWiring up eventsSummary
Building a Photo Gallery App Using CollectionView and CarouselView
Technical requirementsProject overviewBuilding the photo gallery appImporting photosImporting photos from the iOS photo galleryImporting photos from the Android photo galleryWriting the app-initializing codeCreating a shellCreating a base view modelCreating a bootstrapper and a resolverCreating the bootstrapperCreating the gallery viewCreating the ViewModelCreating the viewLoading photos incrementallySaving favoritesCreating the carouselsCreating the view model for the favorite photosCreating the view model for the latest photosShowing the favorites photosSummary
Building a Location Tracking App Using GPS and Maps
Technical requirementsProject overviewBuilding the MeTracker appCreating a repository to save the locations of our usersCreating a model for the location dataCreating the repositoryXamarin.EssentialsCreating a service for location trackingSetting up the app logicCreating a view with a mapCreating a ViewModelCreating a resolver Creating the bootstrapperCreating the iOS bootstrapperCreating the Android bootstrapperSetting the MainPageBackground location tracking on iOSEnabling location updates in the backgroundGetting permissions to use the location of the userSubscribing to location updatesBackground location tracking with AndroidAdding the required permissions to use the location of the userCreating a background jobScheduling a background jobSubscribing to location updatesCreating a heat mapAdding the GetAll method to LocationRepositoryPreparing the data for visualizationCreating custom renderersCreating a custom control for the mapCreating a custom renderer to extend the map in the iOS appCreating a custom renderer to extend the map in the Android appRefreshing the map when resuming the appSummary
Building a Weather App for Multiple Form Factors
Technical requirementsProject overviewBuilding the weather appCreating models for the weather dataAdding the weather API models manuallyAdding the app-specific modelsAdding the ForecastItem modelAdding the Forecast modelCreating a service to fetch the weather dataConfiguring the applications so they use location servicesConfiguring the iOS app so that it uses location servicesConfiguring the Android app so that it uses location servicesConfiguring the UWP app so that it uses location servicesCreating the ViewModel classGetting the weather dataGrouping the weather dataCreating a ResolverCreating a bootstrapperCreating the view for tablets and desktop computersUsing FlexLayoutAdding a toolbar item to refresh the weather dataAdding a loading indicatorSetting a background imageCreating the view for phonesUsing a grouped CollectionViewAdding pull to refresh functionalityNavigating to different views based on the form factorHandling states with VisualStateManagerCreating a behavior to set state changesSummary
Setting Up a Backend for a Chat App Using Azure Services
Technical requirementsUnderstanding the different Azure serverless servicesAzure SignalR ServiceAzure FunctionsAzure Blob storageAzure Cognitive ServicesProject overviewBuilding the serverless backendCreating a SignalR serviceCreating a storage accountCreating an Azure Cognitive ServiceUsing Azure Functions as an APICreating the Azure service for functionsCreating a function to return the connection information for the SignalR serviceCreating a message libraryCreating a storage helperCreating a function for sending messagesUsing the Computer Vision API to scan photos for adult contentCreating a scheduled job to clear photos from storageDeploying the functions to AzureSummary
Building a Real-Time Chat Application
Technical requirementsProject overviewGetting startedBuilding the chat appCreating the chat serviceInitializing the appCreating a resolverCreating a BootstrapperCreating a base ViewModelCreating the main viewCreating MainViewModelCreating MainViewReplacing MainPageEditing the XAMLFixing the code behind the viewSetting the main viewCreating ChatViewCreating ChatViewModelCreating the classAdding the text propertyReceiving messagesCreating the LocalSimpleTextMessage classSending text messagesInstalling the Acr.UserDialogs pluginInstalling the Media pluginSending photosCreating the ChatViewCreating Base64ToImageConverterCreating the skeleton ChatView Adding ResourceDictionaryAdding CollectionViewAdding templatesCreating a template selectorAdding the buttons and entry controlFixing the code behindStylingStyling with CSSApplying the style sheetHandling life cycle eventsSummary
Creating an Augmented Reality Game
Technical requirementsEssential theoryAn overview of the projectSetting up the projectCreating the projectUpdating the Xamarin.Forms NuGet packagesSetting the Android target framework version to 9.0Adding the camera permission to AndroidAdding a camera usage description for iOSDefining the user interfaceCreating the ARView controlModifying the MainPageAdding UrhoSharpInstalling the UrhoSharp NuGet package for iOS and the .NET Standard projectInstalling the UrhoSharp.ARCore NuGet package for AndroidAdding the Android life cycle eventsDefining the PlaneNode classAdding custom renderers for the ARView controlFor iOSFor AndroidCreating the gameAdding the shared abstract Game classInitializeARCreateSubPlaneUpdateSubPlaneFindNodeByPlaneIdAdding platform-specific classesAdding the iOS-specific classAdding the Android-specific classWriting the ARKit-specific codeDefining the ARKitComponentWriting handlers for adding and updating anchorsSetPositionAndRotationUpdateOrAddPlaneNodeOnAddAnchorOnUpdateAnchorsWriting a handler for removing anchorsOnRemoveAnchorsInitializing ARKitWriting the ARCore-specific codeDefining the ARCoreComponentSetPositionAndRotationWriting a handler for ARFrame updatesInitializing ARCoreOnConfigRequestedInitializeARWriting the gameAdding a cameraConfiguring a rendererAdding lightsImplementing the game startupAdding boxesAddBox()OnUpdate()Making boxes rotateCreating the rotate componentAssigning the Rotator componentAdding a box hit-testAdding a death animationDetermineHit()OnTouchBegin()Wiring up inputUpdating statisticsDefining a statistics classSending updates via MessagingCenterWiring up eventsUpdating the GUI Subscribing to the updates in the MainPage classSummary
Hot Dog or Not Hot Dog Using Machine Learning
Technical requirementsMachine learningAzure Cognitive Services – Custom VisionCore MLTensorFlowProject overviewGetting startedBuilding the Hot Dog or Not Hot Dog application using machine learningTraining a modelTagging imagesTraining a modelExporting a modelBuilding the appClassifying images with machine learningUsing Core ML for image classificationUsing TensorFlow for image classificationCreating a base ViewModel classInitializing the appCreating a Resolver classCreating a bootstrapperCreating the iOS bootstrapperCreating the Android bootstrapperBuilding the first viewBuilding the ViewModel classBuilding the viewBuilding the result viewBuilding the ViewModel classBuilding the viewSummary
Other Books You May Enjoy
Leave a review - let other readers know what you think

Overview

Xamarin.Forms Projects is a hands-on guide for developers to learn cross-platform mobile development using Xamarin.Forms. The book walks you through seven real-world projects to explore essential and advanced features of Xamarin.Forms, including the latest updates such as Shell and CollectionView. With step-by-step instructions, you'll learn how to create engaging and functional mobile applications from scratch.

What this Book will help me do

Set up Xamarin.Forms and build cross-platform native apps with shared codebases.
Work with essential mobile app development features like layout, animations, and navigation.
Create customized component rendering through platform-specific custom renderers.
Develop apps showcasing advanced concepts like augmented reality and machine learning.
Apply Azure SignalR and backend services to implement real-time features in mobile apps.

Author(s)

None Hindrikes and None Karlsson are experienced mobile application developers who have been working with Xamarin.Forms since its inception. They have extensive coding experience using C# and .NET and are passionate about sharing their knowledge through practical and engaging project-based examples. Their expertise make this book an insightful guide for mastering Xamarin.Forms.

Who is it for?

This book is tailored for developers proficient in C# and familiar with .NET, looking to expand their skill set into cross-platform mobile app development with Xamarin.Forms. Readers should ideally have experience with Visual Studio or a similar development environment. The content covers the spectrum from setting up projects to mastering advanced features and technologies, appealing to developers at intermediate to advanced skill levels. If your goal is to build apps for iOS and Android with a modern UI and backend integration, this book is for you.

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

Read now

Unlock full access

More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly

O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.

Julian F.

Head of Cybersecurity

I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.

Addison B.

Field Engineer

I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.

Amir M.

Data Platform Tech Lead

I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.

Mark W.

Embedded Software Engineer

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781839210051

Cloud Computing

Data Engineering

Data Science

AI & ML

Programming Languages

Software Architecture

IT/Ops

Security

Design

Business

Soft Skills