#.NET Training

[scholarhat01]

Building Cross-Platform Desktop Apps with .NET MAUI

In the rapidly evolving world of software development, creating cross-platform desktop applications has become a necessity. Users expect their favorite apps to run seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Thankfully, .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) is here to simplify the process. This blog post will guide you through the essentials of building cross-platform desktop apps using .NET MAUI and how .NET training can make it a breeze.

Introduction to .NET MAUI

What is .NET MAUI?

.NET MAUI is an open-source, cross-platform framework that allows developers to create native user interfaces for desktop, mobile, and web applications using a single codebase. MAUI is the evolution of Xamarin, a popular framework for mobile app development. With .NET MAUI, you can build applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux, along with iOS and Android.

Benefits of Using .NET MAUI

.NET MAUI offers numerous advantages for cross-platform app development. It simplifies the development process, reduces code duplication, and ensures a consistent user experience across different platforms. By using .NET MAUI, you can leverage your existing C# skills, making it easier to learn and implement for developers with .NET training.

Setting Up Your Development Environment

Installing .NET MAUI

Before you start developing cross-platform desktop apps with .NET MAUI, you'll need to set up your development environment. The first step is to install .NET MAUI, which you can do using the .NET CLI. Ensure you have the .NET SDK installed on your system, and then run the following command:

bashCopy code

dotnet workload install maui

This command will install the required workloads for .NET MAUI development.

IDE Choice

You can choose from various integrated development environments (IDEs) for .NET MAUI, including Visual Studio, Visual Studio for Mac, and Visual Studio Code. These IDEs offer excellent tooling support for .NET MAUI, making it easier to develop, debug, and test your applications.

Building the User Interface

XAML for .NET MAUI

One of the key aspects of .NET MAUI development is the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language) for creating the user interface. XAML is a declarative markup language that allows you to define the layout and behavior of your app's user interface.

XAML is a powerful tool that simplifies the process of creating user interfaces for .NET MAUI applications. With its rich set of controls and the ability to define UI elements in a platform-agnostic manner, XAML streamlines the development process and ensures that your app looks and feels native on all supported platforms.

Creating Cross-Platform UIs

One of the major advantages of .NET MAUI is the ability to create cross-platform user interfaces. You can define your UI elements in XAML, and .NET MAUI will ensure that they are rendered appropriately on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This means you don't need to create separate UIs for each platform, saving you time and effort.

Writing Code with C#

Code Sharing

With .NET MAUI, you can share a significant portion of your codebase across different platforms. This means you can write most of your app's logic in C# and have it work seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This code sharing approach, coupled with .NET training, makes development faster and more efficient.

Platform-Specific Code

While code sharing is a big advantage, there may be instances where you need platform-specific code. .NET MAUI allows you to write platform-specific code when necessary. This provides flexibility while maintaining a single codebase for your app. It's a great feature for handling unique platform features or requirements.

Debugging and Testing

Debugging Tools

Debugging is an essential part of software development, and .NET MAUI offers robust debugging tools to make the process easier. You can set breakpoints, inspect variables, and step through your code with the IDE of your choice. This helps you identify and fix issues specific to each platform quickly.

Emulators and Simulators

To test your cross-platform desktop app, .NET MAUI provides emulators and simulators for Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as iOS and Android. These tools allow you to run your app on various platforms without the need for physical devices, speeding up the testing and debugging process.

Deployment

Packaging Your App

Once your cross-platform desktop app is ready, it's time to package and deploy it to the target platforms. .NET MAUI simplifies this process, offering platform-specific packaging options. You can create installers, MSI packages, or .deb/.rpm packages for Windows, macOS, and Linux, respectively.

App Stores

If you plan to distribute your app through app stores, .NET MAUI supports both the Microsoft Store and the Apple App Store. You can follow platform-specific guidelines for app submission and take advantage of .NET MAUI's built-in features for app publishing.

UI Customization

Theming and Styling

To provide a consistent user experience, it's essential to customize your app's UI to match each platform's design guidelines. .NET MAUI makes this easier with theming and styling options. You can adapt your app's appearance to look and feel native on Windows, macOS, and Linux while maintaining a single codebase.

Platform-Specific Customizations

In some cases, you may want to go beyond theming and implement platform-specific customizations. .NET MAUI allows you to do this by providing access to platform-specific APIs and resources. This flexibility ensures that you can create a truly native experience on each platform while still sharing most of your code.

Optimizing Performance

Performance Considerations

Ensuring that your cross-platform desktop app runs smoothly on all supported platforms is crucial. .NET MAUI offers performance optimization features and guidelines to help you achieve this goal. By following best practices and optimizing your code, you can deliver a responsive and efficient application.

Profiling and Benchmarking

To identify and address performance bottlenecks, .NET MAUI provides profiling and benchmarking tools. These tools allow you to analyze your app's performance on different platforms, enabling you to make necessary optimizations and improvements.

Conclusion

Building cross-platform desktop apps with .NET MAUI is a game-changer for developers seeking to reach a broad audience. By leveraging your .NET training and the power of .NET MAUI, you can create versatile applications that run flawlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux. With a single codebase, you can streamline development, reduce duplication, and ensure a consistent user experience across platforms. So, get started with .NET MAUI and unlock the potential of cross-platform desktop app development. Your users on various platforms will thank you for it.

[nikidontsurf]

Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White at London Colney (before the ucl match with PSV)

[netwarior]

I went on vacation late summer of 2019. Stayed at a beach house that my extended family owned. I was inspired to draw this after seeing a neat piece of stained glass there

[if-we-are-free-tell-me-why]

every time I hear someone say "oh you have to listen to Dear Evan Hansen it has such good mental health representation" I cry in Next to Normal

[sp0o0kylights]

obsessed with your latest steddie au! steve’s relationship with his parents is so emotionally abusive and manipulative and my heart is breaking that nobody seems to recognise that

Thank you!!

I really wanted to focus on how Steve's parents are abusive in a way that is a lot harder to clock.

They're not out there screaming and kicking him out of the house. These people want you to like them, and they lie like they breath.

These are the adults who downplay serious issues, who make you doubt yourself, who smooth things over or even apologize on your behalf as a way to control and isolate you.

If everyone thinks you're terrible, and your amazing, doting, angelic parents are once again swooping in to save you, then your escape routes close up rapidly--which is of course, the whole point. They want their victims to rely on them and them alone.

For a lot of the Party, that's just not an evil they've encountered yet.

Throw in the fact that Steve does in fact, have a head injury, and things get muddy FAST.

It makes for delicious, angst-ridden scenarios and I am delighted everyone's happy to come along for the ride.

[purplesaline]

The fastest and most effective way to get an animal to love you isn't by giving them treats.

It's respecting their boundaries and helping them enforce their boundaries when others try to violate them.

This shows them you are someone they can trust and forms a strong foundation for a loving bond to grow.

I've often found that setting and enforcing my own boundaries with animals makes this process even faster. In my experience animals seem much more comfortable in a relationship when they understand there are mutual boundaries, even if it takes them time to learn to respect them (being consistent in your enforcement is important). They known rules exist and they want to know what those rules are. They won't always choose to follow them, mind you, but they do like to understand them.

I rarely give the menagerie here treats but they all adore me and often fight over who gets to cuddle with me. As an added bonus none of them try to obnoxiously beg from me either!

[tricksterlatte]

I've always been fascinated by fandom history, and I know I'm not the only one. It's interesting to see how fans of pop culture can create a culture of their own, and in the modern age of social media and the internet in general, that culture is as widespread as ever. Unfortunately, that also means downsides are becoming bigger as this culture becomes widespread, and it's saddening to watch, maybe even concerning.

I don't discuss these things to be preachy, especially considering how I've fallen into several of these pitfalls before, and have perpetuated some of this behavior in the past. To say otherwise would make me a hypocrite and a liar, and I firmly believe this goes for most people in any fandom. I was just thinking about this recently, and how a lot of the biggest stressors in what should be our stress relief really can be pinned mostly into a few central talking points, which I would love to discuss to know if I'm not just going crazy here

The concept of Big Name Fan has evolved into a position of authority on fandom, which does not fall to anyone regarding subjectivity. No one in a fandom is an authority except the creators themselves, who have every right to stay away from the fandoms they have birthed.

Popularity in general being conflated to intellectual authority as well, especially on websites with public stats, particularly following counts. The algorithm is no benevolent god, but people will sometimes see someone with 30k followers and think they are correct on a minor non-issue that has spiraled into discourse, especially when compared to someone with 30 followers. This also is just...a bummer when fanon evolves into perceived canon, and newcomers to the fandom can't post even innocuous meta or headcanons without it being perceived as morally/intellectually incorrect.

Monetization of fanworks, but especially zines, have led to a hypercompetitive atmosphere that only escalates the bitterness and resentment. This is not a universal problem, but many zines across all fandoms habitually accept the same artists and writers, or diminish the value of fanfic due to the limitations of physical printing. The application process has devolved into such a disheartening debacle for a majority of people I see, and the way it is often framed as "your work just wasn't good enough" when it's really about what the mods deem mass marketable will destroy just about anyone's self-esteem after repetitive rejections, and will give some frequent zine runners a false sense of final say over the community (not usually, but it can happen).

The level of distrust for anyone new attempting to start a fan project is just so depressing nowadays (and this one we sadly can blame on a few people by name, but the ones who have sent this issue spiraling still don't care and that just sucks. I feel horrible for everyone who has been tricked).

Somehow comment and anonymous asks have gone backwards from "don't feed the trolls" to "suck it up, at least you're getting comments." I have seen some of these comments people have been told to suck up. It's not okay in general. It's particularly gross when it's an anonymous hate message unrelated to the fanworks themselves, perhaps born out of resentment or bearing an ulterior motive. And some will even attack and defame character due to identity. It's not subtle. It's not okay. People should absolutely be dunked on for this, and I gotta say I'm sick of unsolicited concrit being enforced as positive either. If they didn't ask, don't give it. There's a reason a lot of fic writers some people adore suddenly go ghost, and they can't even talk about it.

Don't like, don't read has been discarded in favor of don't like, tell others don't read and also don't write. Transformative works don't have to fit into a canon or even in character mold. That's why they're transformative! It's a different type of artistic expression. If you don't like it, chances are good it simply wasn't meant for you. It's not bad. Don't shame others, god especially not for non-issues such as a t/b preference or a different gender hc, preferred haircuts, types of animal you imagine them as in another lifetime, I could list literally anything here and I bet there has been a fandom fight over it.

Exclusive yet publicly advertised community Discords that will bar you from invite if you're not one of the cool kids. I have unfortunately fallen into this trap before, and refuse to ever enable or endorse that behavior ever again. This isn't about friend groups either, it's about fandom-dedicated servers that flaunt themselves as a VIP club instead of what they are: a friend group. I also don't even know how to broach the subject of private accounts that turn into fandom tea accounts with dozens if not hundreds of followers, only for people to be angry if someone isn't exactly okay with horrific stuff being said in general, let alone about their mutuals or friends.

I know none of this will likely ever change, and tbh i'm so tired of it all, but...does anyone else know what I mean? I'm stressed out whenever I try to enjoy myself, because popularity and a strange business mindset is steadily taking over fandom spaces. I'm not saying people should stop trying to make stuff that sells, or that people universally do any of this, but fandom is evolving into a thing I'm not sure is good. idk anymore

[lilis-palace]

Lili! I know I've asked this before and I know you're focused on creating your own version of Ravenwood now (loved the Simblreen tombstones, btw!), but is an interior train set still on your mind? Your store fronts gave me LIFE and now all I'm needing is a train set, pretty please! Thank you, thank you & thank you for all the amazing content you provide us with ♥️

Heeey!! I'm coming back to INTARSIA in the winter, and I can promise there will be a lot of train interior-compatible items among them!

A train set is still an amazing idea, and I love old trains! If you have some interiors in mind, or any inspo pics, feel free to send them! It would make me extremely happy!

I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying my sets, and I hope you’ll like the new ones too! The train set is still on my list, and I really want to make it happen! 🥰❤

[turtle-sister-april]

Happy Birthday, dearest April. /g

We tried our best to get them accurate for you! ✨️

~ @donniesexceptionalmind

Awwww they’re adorable and perfect!💚

Thank you so much guys you’re the best. /gen

[netwarior]

Sharing my first decent attempt at drawing Toothless! This was actually my 3rd attempt back in 2019 (feels like forever ago)

After drawing what I thought was a really decent sketch, I wanted to see what it would look like if I digitally colored it. This was the result

[mousemannation]

i am being divinely punished for not learning to drive

[ranger-rai]

What are your thoughts on Black Belt trainers? I've been told a few times I train like one, but I don’t use just fighting types.

While Balck Belt trainers are typically known for using fighting types and devoting most if not all of their time to training and honing their skills, perhaps to machine some level of mastery or personal discipline, there's nothing saying you NEED to be using fighting types, rather being a Black Belt trainer means you belong to a Dojo.

Most Black Belts belong to fighting type dojos and achieve the level of Black Belt. There are some Dojos for people with pokemon who have the same level of discipline.

I've seen trainers with Jigglypuff and even Psychic or Grass Types and fight like they eat, sleep, and breathe Brick Break.

If you don't want to tie yourself to Black Belt, maybe try finding a Dojo or Training Facility that has a more unique title.

I know that here in sinnoh, Crasher Wake has special titles for people he believes go above and beyond.

Don't feel like you need to limit yourself.

[tojisun]

BEKANDISOWKDBOEOD LETS DEVOUR THEM — baby

RECALLING BAINS FROM THE AHL WAS THE BEST DECISION FOR REAL

[vip-komilk]

Truly the bad end for underpassshipping is Grimsley catching feelings despite knowing it was only supposed to be a casual thing.

He’s not SUPPOSED to get attached to people. He’s supposed to be careful and distant and never allow his true feelings to come to the surface. He’s supposed to protect himself.

Emmet’s blunt earnestness makes him lower his guard. He’s jarringly honest, even when he’s (poorly) trying to hide how much Ingo’s disappearance is affecting him. And Grimsley doesn’t think of himself as a bleeding heart, and he knows it’s none of his business and he doesn’t WANT to make it any of his business, but alas. He gets attached. And that’s scary for him and he doesn’t know how to act and so he fronts that he doesn’t feel anything and everything is cool and casual while slowly dying inside.

Meanwhile Emmet is just in a perpetual state of limbo. Everything is just a temporary arrangement to keep him going until Ingo comes back. Everything’s just a distraction from the fact he feels torn open and incomplete, and he’ll drop it all without a second thought the moment Ingo returns because all he wants is for things to go back to how they used to be.

Whatever, I’m exploding them with my mind lol

[cowpokezuko]

I've been listening to Dr. Dog for a few years now, they're a fantastic band, so imagine my surprise when I discover youtuber Pat Finnerty and that the Dr. Dog cover of Here Comes the Hotstepper only exists because of his hatred of the band Train.

What the hell.