The document introduces Xamarin.Forms, a framework for building native user interfaces for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone using a shared C# codebase. It covers the structure of a Xamarin.Forms app, various components like buttons and labels, and the benefits of using Xamarin.Forms, such as code sharing and access to native SDKs. Additionally, it discusses advanced features like dependency services, data binding, and custom renderers to enhance application functionality.

1. Your First
Xamarin.Forms
App
Craig Dunn
Developer Evangelist
@conceptdev

2. Forget Everything!

3. Meet Xamarin.Forms
Build native UIs for iOS, Android and Windows Phone
from a single, shared C# codebase.

4. Meet Xamarin.Forms
Build native UIs for iOS, Android and Windows Phone
from a single, shared C# codebase.

5. Meet Xamarin.Forms
Build native UIs for iOS, Android and Windows Phone
from a single, shared C# codebase.

6. Meet Xamarin.Forms
C# XAML
public class HelloWorld : ContentPage
{
public HelloWorld ()
{
var button = new Button
{ Text = "Say Hello" } ;
button.Clicked += SayHelloClicked;
Content = new StackLayout {
new Label { Text = "Hello World" } ,
button
};
}
!
void SayHelloClicked (object s, EventArgs e)
{
// do something
}
}
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ContentPage xmlns="http://xamarin.com/schemas/2014/forms"
x:Class="HelloForms.HelloWorld">
<StackLayout>
<Label Text="Hello World" />
<Button Text="Say Hello"
OnClick="SayHelloClicked" />
</StackLayout>
</ContentPage>
!
public partial class HelloWorld : ContentPage
{
public HelloWorld ()
{
InitializeComponent ();
}
void SayHelloClicked (object s, EventArgs e)
{
// do something
}
}

7. Your first Xamarin.Forms app
■ File > New Project
■ Design a screen
■ Add some code
■ Run on iOS, Android,
& Windows Phone

8. Traditional Xamarin Development
Using the native UI SDKs
■ Write shared C# code
■ Database, Web Services
■ Business Logic
■ Build native UIs
■ UIKit & Storyboards on iOS
■ AXML for Android
■ XAML for Windows Phone
■ Share 60-‐80% of the code
UIKit Layout XAML
SharedS Ch#a rAepdp A Lpopg iLcogic

9. UIKit Layout XAML
Shared C# User Interface Code
Shared C# App Logic
Shared App Logic
Using Xamarin.Forms
To build the User Interface
■ Use the same strategies for sharing
■ Database, Web Services
■ Business Logic
■ Build the UI with a single shared
codebase
!
■ Share 99% of the code

10. Using Xamarin.Forms
Benefits
■ Native look and feel
■ Code sharing/re-‐use
■ Access to native SDKs using Custom
Renderers and DependencyService
■ Camera, accelerometer, GPS,
■ NFC & more on Android
■ PassKit & more on iOS
■ Tiles & more on Windows Phone
Shared C# User Interface Code
Shared App Logic
Shared C# App Logic

11. How Xamarin.Forms works
■ Anatomy of a Xamarin.Forms solution
■ Controls
■ Layouts
■ Pages

12. How Xamarin.Forms works
Anatomy of a Xamarin.Forms Solution
■ PCL or Shared Project

13. How Xamarin.Forms works
Anatomy of a Xamarin.Forms Solution
■ PCL or Shared Project
■ NuGet Package

14. How Xamarin.Forms works
Anatomy of a Xamarin.Forms Solution
■ PCL or Shared Project
■ NuGet Package
■ App.cs

15. How Xamarin.Forms works
Anatomy of a Xamarin.Forms Solution
■ PCL or Shared Project
■ NuGet Package
■ App.cs
■ Android app

16. How Xamarin.Forms works
Anatomy of a Xamarin.Forms Solution
■ PCL or Shared Project
■ NuGet Package
■ App.cs
■ Android app
■ iOS app

17. How Xamarin.Forms works
Anatomy of a Xamarin.Forms Solution
■ PCL or Shared Project
■ NuGet Package
■ App.cs
■ Android app
■ iOS app
■ Windows Phone app

18. How Xamarin.Forms works
Controls
var hello = new Label {
Text = "Hello World"
};
var ok = new Button { Text = "OK" };
ok.Clicked += async (sender, e) => {
await DisplayAlert("OK",
"You said OK",
"Done");
};
!
!
<Label Text="Hello World" />
<Button Text="OK"
OnClick="OkClicked" />
image: Balsamiq

19. How Xamarin.Forms works
Layouts
var layout = new StackLayout {
Orientation = StackOrientation.Vertical,
Children = {
hello, ok
}
};
<StackLayout
Orientation="Vertical">
<Label x:Name="hello"
Text="Hello World" />
<Button x:Name="ok"
Text="OK"
OnClick="OkClicked"/>
</StackLayout>
image: Balsamiq

20. How Xamarin.Forms works
Pages
public class HelloWorld : ContentPage
{
public HelloWorld ()
{
var button = new Button { Text = "OK" } ;
button.Clicked += SayHelloClicked;
Content = new StackLayout {
new Label { Text = "Hello World" } ,
button
};
}
void SayHelloClicked (object s, EventArgs e)
{
// display an alert
}
}
!
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ContentPage xmlns="http://xamarin.com/schemas/2014/forms"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009
x:Class="HelloForms.HelloWorld">
<StackLayout Orientation="Vertical">
<Label x:Name="hello" Text="Hello World" />
<Button x:Name="ok" Text="OK"
OnClick="OkClicked" />
</StackLayout>
</ContentPage>
image: Balsamiq

21. Platform Renderers
Taking Xamarin.Forms UI to the people (﴾devices)﴿
?
?
?

22. Platform Renderers
Taking Xamarin.Forms UI to the people

23. Xamarin.Forms brings common UX to everyone
iOS does not have a native control
for the iPhone, however
Xamarin.Forms uses
UISplitViewController on iPad.
Android has a native 'drawer'
control which Xamarin.Forms uses.
Windows Phone doesn’t have a
comparable UI metaphor, so
Xamarin.Forms provides an
implementation.
MasterDetailPage

24. Xamarin.Forms brings common UX to everyone
iOS has the UINavigationController
which Xamarin.Forms leverages.
Android has the navigation stack
built in, but Xamarin.Forms adds
the automatic 'back' button for API
consistency.
Windows Phone also has a back-‐
stack with hardware button, so
Xamarin.Forms takes advantage of
that.
NavigationPage

25. 140 new Controls!
Welcome to our new Xamarin.Forms partners
http://blog.xamarin.com/enterprise-‐component-‐
vendors-‐join-‐xamarin.forms-‐ecosystem/

26. Your second Xamarin.Forms app
■ File > New Project
■ Design some screens
■ Add some code
■ Run on iOS, Android,
& Windows Phone

27. Dependency Service
Easily call into platform-‐specific code
■ In the common code
■ Code to an Interface
public interface ITextToSpeech
{
void Speak (string text);
}
!
!
DependencyService.Get<ITextToSpeech>().Speak("Hello from Xamarin Forms");
!
!
!

28. Dependency Service
Easily call into platform-‐specific code
■ In the common code
■ Code to an Interface
■ Use DependencyService
public interface ITextToSpeech
{
void Speak (string text);
}
!
!
DependencyService.Get<ITextToSpeech>().Speak("Hello from Xamarin Forms");
!
!
!

29. Dependency Service
Easily call into platform-‐specific code
■ In the common code
■ Code to an Interface
■ Use DependencyService
■ For each platform
■ implement the Interface
[assembly: Xamarin.Forms.Dependency (typeof (Speech))]
public class Speech : ITextToSpeech
{
public Speech () { }
public void Speak (string text)
{
var speechSynthesizer = new AVSpeechSynthesizer ();
var speechUtterance = new AVSpeechUtterance (text) {
Rate = AVSpeechUtterance.MaximumSpeechRate/4,
Voice = AVSpeechSynthesisVoice.FromLanguage ("en-US"),
Volume = 0.5f,
PitchMultiplier = 1.0f
} ;
speechSynthesizer.SpeakUtterance (speechUtterance);
}
}

30. Dependency Service
Easily call into platform-‐specific code
■ In the common code
■ Code to an Interface
■ Use DependencyService
■ For each platform
■ implement the Interface
■ use Dependency
attribute on the
assembly
[assembly: Xamarin.Forms.Dependency (typeof (Speech))]
public class Speech : ITextToSpeech
{
public Speech () { }
public void Speak (string text)
{
var speechSynthesizer = new AVSpeechSynthesizer ();
var speechUtterance = new AVSpeechUtterance (text) {
Rate = AVSpeechUtterance.MaximumSpeechRate/4,
Voice = AVSpeechSynthesisVoice.FromLanguage ("en-US"),
Volume = 0.5f,
PitchMultiplier = 1.0f
} ;
speechSynthesizer.SpeakUtterance (speechUtterance);
}
}

31. Data Binding
Sync views and models
■ Enables MVVM-‐style development
■ SetBinding in C#
■ {Binding} in XAML
■ also supports the Command pattern

32. Messaging Center
Loosely-‐coupled publish and subscribe
Subscriber Messaging Publisher
Center
1. Register
3. Receive
2. Send Message

33. Custom Renderers
Extend or Create Xamarin.Forms Controls
■ Subclass the built-‐in Platform Renderers
!
■ Build your own Xamarin.Forms
control and renderers
(﴾eg. OxyPlot)﴿
!
■ Attend Jason’s
Extending Xamarin.Forms talk
on Thursday

34. Further Reading…
■ developer.xamarin.com
■ forums.xamarin.com
■ Creating Mobile Apps with
Xamarin.Forms -‐ Charles Petzold
PREVIEW EDITION available for
all Evolve 2014 attendees

35. What’s next?
Today
• Building cross platform applications -‐ Laurent Bugnion
Tomorrow
• XAML for Xamarin.Forms -‐ Charles Petzold
• Extending Xamarin.Forms -‐ Jason Smith
Friday
• Xamarin.Forms is Cooler Than You Think -‐ Charles Petzold
!
Mini-‐hacks
• Visit the Darwin Lounge

36. Your First
Xamarin.Forms
App
Craig Dunn
@conceptdev
craig@xamarin.com