Introduction to .NET MAUI

Module 1 — Introduction to .NET MAUI

Learning objectives:

• Understand what .NET MAUI is.
• Understand the difference between MAUI, Xamarin.Forms, WPF, WinUI, and ASP.NET.
• Learn the supported platforms.
• Understand single-project architecture.

Topics:

• What is .NET MAUI?
• Cross-platform app development.
• Native controls and handlers.
• App lifecycle.
• Project structure.

Module 2 — Development Environment Setup

• Installing Visual Studio 2022.
• Installing .NET MAUI workload.
• Configuring Android SDK and emulator.
• Creating your first MAUI app.
• Running on Windows and Android.

dotnet workload install maui

dotnet new maui -n MyFirstMauiApp
cd MyFirstMauiApp
dotnet build

Module 3 — C# Refresher for MAUI

• Classes and objects.
• Properties and methods.
• Events.
• Async and await.
• Observable collections.

public class Parcel
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string ParcelNumber { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string County { get; set; } = string.Empty;
}

Module 4 — XAML User Interface Design

• What is XAML?
• Labels, Buttons, Entries, Pickers, and Images.
• StackLayout, Grid, FlexLayout, and ScrollView.
• Styles and resources.

<VerticalStackLayout Padding="20" Spacing="12">
    <Label Text="Welcome to .NET MAUI"
           FontSize="24"
           FontAttributes="Bold" />

    <Entry Placeholder="Enter your name" />

    <Button Text="Continue"
            Clicked="OnContinueClicked" />
</VerticalStackLayout>

Module 5 — Pages, Layouts, and Controls

• ContentPage.
• TabbedPage.
• CollectionView.
• ListView.
• Form layouts.

<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Parcels}">
    <CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <Border Padding="12" Margin="6">
                <VerticalStackLayout>
                    <Label Text="{Binding ParcelNumber}" FontAttributes="Bold" />
                    <Label Text="{Binding County}" />
                </VerticalStackLayout>
            </Border>
        </DataTemplate>
    </CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
</CollectionView>

Module 6 — Navigation and Shell

• Shell navigation.
• Routes.
• Passing parameters between pages.
• Flyout menus.
• Tabs.

await Shell.Current.GoToAsync("//home");

await Shell.Current.GoToAsync($"details?id={parcel.Id}");

Module 7 — MVVM Architecture

• Model, View, and ViewModel.
• Separation of concerns.
• INotifyPropertyChanged.
• Dependency injection.
• Services and repositories.

public class MainViewModel
{
    public string Title { get; set; } = "Shambamap MAUI App";

    public ObservableCollection<Parcel> Parcels { get; set; } = new();
}

Module 8 — Data Binding and Commands

• One-way binding.
• Two-way binding.
• Command binding.
• BindingContext.
• Validation messages.

<Entry Text="{Binding UserName}" Placeholder="Username" />
<Button Text="Login" Command="{Binding LoginCommand}" />

Module 9 — Calling REST APIs

• Using HttpClient.
• GET and POST requests.
• JSON serialization.
• Error handling.
• Calling ASP.NET Core Web APIs.

public class ApiService
{
    private readonly HttpClient _httpClient = new();

    public async Task<List<Parcel>> GetParcelsAsync()
    {
        var url = "https://example.com/api/parcels";
        var result = await _httpClient.GetFromJsonAsync<List<Parcel>>(url);
        return result ?? new List<Parcel>();
    }
}

Module 10 — Local Storage and Preferences

• Preferences.
• SecureStorage.
• File storage.
• SQLite basics.
• Offline-first app design.

Preferences.Set("UserName", "student");

string userName = Preferences.Get("UserName", string.Empty);

Module 11 — Platform-Specific Features

• Permissions.
• Camera access.
• Location access.
• File picker.
• Platform-specific code folders.

var status = await Permissions.RequestAsync<Permissions.LocationWhenInUse>();

if (status == PermissionStatus.Granted)
{
    var location = await Geolocation.GetLastKnownLocationAsync();
}

Module 12 — Debugging and Testing

• Debugging with Visual Studio.
• Android emulator troubleshooting.
• Device logs.
• Handling exceptions.
• Testing services and ViewModels.

Module 13 — Publishing Android and Windows Apps

• Android package identifiers.
• VersionCode and VersionName.
• Keystore signing.
• Generating APK and AAB files.
• Creating MSIX packages for Windows.

<ApplicationId>com.example.myapp</ApplicationId>
<ApplicationDisplayVersion>1.0</ApplicationDisplayVersion>
<ApplicationVersion>1</ApplicationVersion>

Module 14 — Final Project

Students build a complete .NET MAUI app using the skills learned in the course.

• Login page.
• Dashboard page.
• Data entry form.
• REST API integration.
• Local storage.
• Android or Windows deployment package.