The document summarizes a presentation given by Craig Dunn on Mono for Android at a Google Developer Group meeting. It discusses how Mono for Android allows developers to build Android applications using C# in MonoDevelop or Visual Studio. It also covers how code can be reused across Android, iOS, and Windows platforms. The presentation included demos of building a simple Android app in C# and examples of cross-platform apps developed with Mono.

1. Google Developer Group
January 14th, 2013

2. Mono for Android...
for Google Developers
Craig Dunn
Developer Evangelist
craig@xamarin.com @conceptdev
Xamarin's Mono for Android tools let you build applications for Android using C#.
You can write code on a Mac with MonoDevelop, or for Windows choose between
MonoDevelop and Visual Studio. What's in it for Java developers? C# is an easy
leap, and you can then re-use your code on iOS and Windows devices. We'll look at
the tooling, building an Android app with C# and the principles of sharing code with
iPhones, iPads and Windows.

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OVERVIEW

4. What is Mono?
Open source implementation of the .NET Common Language
Runtime (CLR) and the C# language
• Linux, MacOS X, Solaris, BSD, Wii, PS3, PS Vita!
• Started in 2001 as Ximian, purchased by Novell
in 2003, released in 2004
• 2009: MonoTouch created (released 2010)
• 2010: Mono for Android created (released 2011)
• 2011: Novell purchased by Attachmate ($2.2b)
- Xamarin is born...
http://www.mono-project.com/
http://github.com/mono
http://xamarin.com/

5. What is Mono for Android?
Mono C# & .NET
+ Android API bindings
+ UI designer
+ Visual Studio plug-in (or MonoDevelop)
= Android application development
http://xamarin.com/android
Released April 2011

6. What is Mono for Android?
• Runs natively
- Fast enough for games, eg. flight simulation
• Use platform’s UI controls
• Access all Android features
• Incorporate existing Java

7. What is Mono for Android?
• LINQ support
• .NET XML APIs
• Event handling & delegates
• Parallel LINQ

8. Rich IDE Support
• Point and Click UI generation
• Code completion to explore Android APIs
• Source control (Subversion & Git)
• Use Visual Studio or our own cross-platform IDE

9. Debugging on Emulator & Devices
• Debug with Android simulator and on devices
• Set breakpoints, watches, single-step through code, hover over variables
• Change object values real-time

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DEMO

11. Who moved my cheese?
• /res/ & R.java
• findViewById
• Android.xml
• Anonymous classes
• Naming (InitialCaps)!

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Tech stuff

13. Runtime
• Mono runtime is bundled with each app
• For faster debugging, a Shared
Runtime can be installed
• Apps deployed to users always include
the runtime, but...

14. Linking
Mono compiler strips out unused classes/libraries
• Mobile devices – size matters!
• Trap for young players: it might strip out stuff you want to
keep!
• Classes/methods/properties used via Reflection
• Classes/methods/properties used in serialization
operations
By default disabled in DEBUG, so stuff will work there and
mysteriously break in RELEASE
[Preserve(AllMembers = true)]

15. Binding
• Xamarin releases new versions of
Mono for Android that correspond to
each API level and release from
Google.
• Tools are provided to help you ‘bind’
any existing Java lib (.jar) to incorporate
into your Mono app

16. Xamarin.Mobile APIs
xamarin.com/mobile
• Camera
• Contacts
• Geolocation
• Compass/Accelerometer
• Notifications
For Android, iOS, Win Phone & Win 8/RT

17. Cross-Platform Development
• Share code
• Shared data with SQLite
• Shared web services with WebClient/
HttpClient
• Conditional compilation (if required)
Write your UI
for each platform

18. Cross-Platform Development
iCircuit
• Code re-use
http://praeclarum.org/

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DEMO

20. Cross-Platform Development
MWC 2012 sample

21. Cross-Platform Development
mwc.xamarin.com

22. Cross-Platform Development
Other Cross-Platform Libraries
• MonoCross code.google.com/p/monocross
Cross-platform UI framework
• Vernacular github.com/rdio/vernacular
Cross-platform localization framework
• MonoGame monogame.net
Cross-platform XNA game framework, from Xbox to Windows RT (as well as
iOS and Android)

23. Customers
Complete access to iOS & Android UI and APIs
Native binary, not interpreted, for responsive, fluid performance
under the most demanding app scenarios
Infinite Flight TouchDraw Rdio
iOS, Mac & Android iOS, Android, WP
(Samsung only)

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Questions?

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Thank you!
Learn more at our conference
xamarin.com/evolve
Austin, Texas ~ April 14-17