Xamarin : Cross-Platform Mobile Application Development

Master the skills required to develop cross-platform applications from drawing board to app store(s) using Xamarin About This Book Learn to deliver high-performance native apps that leverage platform specific acceleration, complied for native performance Learn development techniques that will allow you to use and create custom layouts for cross-platform UI Gain the knowledge needed to become more efficient in testing, deploying, and monitoring your applications Implement application life cycle management concepts to manage cross-platform projects Who This Book Is For Mobile application developers wanting to develop skills required to steer cross-platform applications using Xamarin. What You Will Learn Share C# code across platforms and call native Objective-C or Java libraries from C# Submit your app to the Apple App Store and Google Play Use the out-of-the-box services to support third-party libraries Find out how to get feedback while your application is used by your users Create shared data access using a local SQLite database and a REST service Test and monitor your applications Gain memory management skills to avoid memory leaks and premature code cycles while decreasing the memory print of your applications Integrate network resources with cross-platform applications Design and implement eye-catching and reusable UI components without compromising on nativity in mobile applications In Detail Developing a mobile application for just one platform is becoming a thing of the past. Companies expect their apps to be supported on iOS, Android and Windows Phone, while leveraging the best native features on all three platforms. Xamarin's tools help ease this problem by giving developers a single toolset to target all three platforms. The main goal of this course is to equip you with knowledge to successfully analyze, develop, and manage Xamarin cross-platform projects using the most efficient, robust, and scalable implementation patterns. Module 1 is a step-by-step guide to building real-world applications for iOS and Android. The module walks you through building a chat application, complete with a backend web service and native features such as GPS location, camera, and push notifications. Additionally, you'll learn how to use external libraries with Xamarin and Xamarin.Forms. Module 2 provide you recipes on how to create an architecture that will be maintainable, extendable, use Xamarin.Forms plugins to boost productivity. We start with a simple creation of a Xamarin.Forms solution, customize the style and behavior of views for each platform. Further on, we demonstrate the power of architecting a cross-platform solution. Next, you will utilize and access hardware features that vary from platform to platform with cross-platform techniques. You will master the steps of getting the app ready and publishing it in the app store. The last module starts with general topics such as memory management, asynchronous programming, local storage, networking, and platform-specific features. You will learn about key tools to leverage the pattern and advanced implementation strategies. Finally, we show you the toolset for application lifecycle management to help you prepare the development pipeline to manage and see cross-platform projects through to public or private release. After the completion of this course, you will learn a path that will get you up and running with developing cross-platform mobile applications and help you become the go-to person when it comes to Xamarin. Style and approach This course will serve as comprehensive guide for developing cross-platform applications with Xamarin with a unique approach that will engage you like never before as you create real-world cross-platform apps on your own. Cover Copyright Credits Preface Table of Contents Module 1: Xamarin Cross-Platform Application Development Chapter 1: Setting Up Xamarin The Xamarin tools Installing Xcode Installing Xamarin Choosing a Xamarin license Setting up the Android emulator Enrolling in the iOS Developer Program Registering as a Google Play developer Summary Chapter 2: Hello, Platforms! Building your first iOS application Understanding Apple's MVC pattern Using the iOS designer Building your first Android application Android activities Xamarin's Android designer Summary Chapter 3: Code Sharing between iOS and Android Learning the MVVM design pattern Comparing project organization strategies Working with Portable Class Libraries Using preprocessor statements Simplifying dependency injection Implementing Inversion of Control Summary Chapter 4: XamChat – a Cross-platform App Starting our sample application concept Developing our Model layer Writing a mock web service Writing the ViewModel layer Writing unit tests Summary Chapter 5: XamChat for iOS Understanding the basics of an iOS app Using UINavigationController Implementing the login screen Using segues and UITableView Adding a friends list screen Adding a list of messages Composing messages Summary Chapter 6: XamChat for Android Introducing Android Manifest Adding a login screen Using ListView and BaseAdapter Implementing the friends list Composing messages Summary Chapter 7: Deploying and Testing on Devices iOS provisioning Android device settings Understanding the linker Understanding AOT compilation Avoiding common memory pitfalls Summary Chapter 8: Web Services with Push Notifications Learning Windows Azure Setting up your Azure account Exploring Azure Mobile Services Creating tables and scripts Adding a backend to XamChat Using the Apple Push Notification service Implementing Google Cloud Messaging Summary Chapter 9: Third-party Libraries The Xamarin Component Store Porting existing C# libraries Objective-C bindings Java bindings Summary Chapter 10: Contacts, Camera, and Location Introducing Xamarin.Mobile Accessing contacts Looking up GPS location Accessing the photo library and camera Summary Chapter 11: Xamarin.Forms Creating Hello World in Xamarin.Forms Understanding the architecture behind Xamarin.Forms Using XAML in Xamarin.Forms Using data binding and MVVM Summary Chapter 12 : App Store Submission Following the iOS App Store Review Guidelines Submitting an app to the iOS App Store Signing your Android applications Submitting the app to Google Play Tips to make a successful mobile app Summary Module 2: Xamarin Cross-Platform Development Cookbook Chapter 1: One Ring to Rule Them All Introduction Creating a cross-platform solution Creating a cross-platform login screen Using common platform features Authenticating with Facebook and Google providers Chapter 2: Declare Once, Visualize Everywhere Introduction Creating a tabbed-page cross-platform application Adding UI behaviors and triggers Configuring XAML with platform-specific values Using custom renderers to change the look and feel of views Chapter 3: Native Platform-Specific Views and Behavior Introduction Showing native pages with renderers Attaching platform-specific gestures Taking an in-app photo with the native camera page Chapter 4: Different Cars, Same Engine Introduction Sharing code between different platforms Using the dependency locator Adding a third-party Dependency Injection Container Architecture design with Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) pattern Using the event messenger Adding localization Chapter 5: Dude, Where's my Data? Introduction Creating a shared SQLite data access Performing CRUD operations in SQLite Consuming REST web services Leveraging native REST libraries and making efficient network calls Chapter 6: One for All and All for One Introduction Creating cross-platform plugins Taking or choosing photos Getting the GPS location Show and schedule local notifications Chapter 7: Bind to the Data Introduction Binding data in code Binding data in XAML Configuring two-way data binding Using value converters Chapter 8: A List to View Introduction Displaying a collection and selecting a row Adding, removing, and refreshing items Customizing the row template Adding grouping and a jump index list Chapter 9: Gestures and Animations Introduction Adding gesture recognizers in XAML Handling gestures with native platform renderers Adding cross-platform animations Chapter 10: Test Your Applications, You Must Introduction Creating unit tests Creating acceptance tests with Xamarin.UITest Using the Xamarin.UITest REPL runtime shell to test the UI Uploading and running tests in Xamarin Test Cloud Chapter 11: Three, Two, One – Launch and Monitor Introduction Using Xamarin Insights Publishing iOS applications Publishing Android applications Publishing Windows Phone applications Module 3: Mastering Cross-Platform Development with Xamarin Chapter 1: Developing with Xamarin Cross-platform projects with Xamarin Target platforms Setting up the development environment Emulator options A typical Xamarin solution structure Quality in cross-development Summary Chapter 2: Memory Management Application Component lifecycle Garbage collection Platform-specific concepts Troubleshooting and diagnosis Patterns and best practices Summary Chapter 3: Asynchronous Programming Multithreading on Xamarin Asynchronous methods Parallel execution Patterns and best practices Background tasks Summary Chapter 4: Local Data Management Data in mobile applications Application data Local filesystem SQLite Patterns and best practices Backup/Roaming Summary Chapter 5: Networking Connected apps Web services SignalR Patterns and best practices Platform-specific concepts Cloud integration Summary Chapter 6: Platform Extras Content sharing Peripherals Location data Native libraries Summary Chapter 7: View Elements Design philosophy Design elements User interaction Summary Chapter 8: Xamarin.Forms Under the hood Components Extending forms Patterns and best practices Summary Chapter 9: Reusable UI Patterns Visual assets Localization Architectural patterns Summary Chapter 10: ALM – Developers and QA Development pipeline Troubleshooting and diagnostics Unit testing UI testing Summary Chapter 11: ALM – Project and Release Management Source control Continuous integration Automated testing Beta deployment Live telemetry Summary Chapter 12 : ALM – App Stores and Publishing Release packages Distribution options Line of Business apps Summary Bibliography Master the skills required to develop cross-platform applications from drawing board to app store(s) using Xamarin About This BookLearn to deliver high-performance native apps that leverage platform specific acceleration, complied for native performanceLearn development techniques that will allow you to use and create custom layouts for cross-platform UIGain the knowledge needed to become more efficient in testing, deploying, and monitoring your applicationsImplement application life cycle management concepts to manage cross-platform projectsWho This Book Is ForMobile application developers wanting to develop skills required to steer cross-platform applications using Xamarin. What You Will LearnShare C# code across platforms and call native Objective-C or Java libraries from C#Submit your app to the Apple App Store and Google PlayUse the out-of-the-box services to support third-party librariesFind out how to get feedback while your application is used by your usersCreate shared data access using a local SQLite database and a REST serviceTest and monitor your applicationsGain memory management skills to avoid memory leaks and premature code cycles while decreasing the memory print of your applicationsIntegrate network resources with cross-platform applicationsDesign and implement eye-catching and reusable UI components without compromising on nativity in mobile applicationsIn DetailDeveloping a mobile application for just one platform is becoming a thing of the past. Companies expect their apps to be supported on iOS, Android and Windows Phone, while leveraging the best native features on all three platforms. Xamarin's tools help ease this problem by giving developers a single toolset to target all three platforms. The main goal of this course is to equip you with knowledge to successfully analyze, develop, and manage Xamarin cross-platform projects using the most efficient, robust, and scalable implementation patterns. Module 1 is a step-by-step guide to building real-world applications for iOS and Android. The module walks you through building a chat application, complete with a backend web service and native features such as GPS location, camera, and push notifications. Additionally, you'll learn how to use external libraries with Xamarin and Xamarin.Forms. Module 2 provide you recipes on how to create an architecture that will be maintainable, extendable, use Xamarin.Forms plugins to boost productivity. We start with a simple creation of a Xamarin.Forms solution, customize the style and behavior of views for each platform. Further on, we demonstrate the power of architecting a cross-platform solution. Next, you will utilize and access hardware features that vary from platform to platform with cross-platform techniques. You will master the steps of getting the app ready and publishing it in the app store. The last module starts with general topics such as memory management, asynchronous programming, local storage, networking, and platform-specific features. You will learn about key tools to leverage the pattern and advanced implementation strategies. Finally, we show you the toolset for application lifecycle management to help you prepare the development pipeline to manage and see cross-platform projects through to public or private release. After the completion of this course, you will learn a path that will get you up and running with developing cross-platform mobile applications and help you become the go-to person when it comes to Xamarin. Master the skills required to develop cross-platform applications from drawing board to app store(s) using Xamarin About This Book Learn to deliver high-performance native apps that leverage platform specific acceleration, complied for native performance Learn development techniques that will allow you to use and create custom layouts for cross-platform UI Gain the knowledge needed to become more efficient in testing, deploying, and monitoring your applications Implement application life cycle management concepts to manage cross-platform projects Who This Book Is For Mobile application developers wanting to develop skills required to steer cross-platform applications using Xamarin. What You Will Learn Share C# code across platforms and call native Objective-C or Java libraries from C# Submit your app to the Apple App Store and Google Play Use the out-of-the-box services to support third-party libraries Find out how to get feedback while your application is used by your users Create shared data access using a local SQLite database and a REST service Test and monitor your applications Gain memory management skills to avoid memory leaks and premature code cycles while decreasing the memory print of your applications Integrate network resources with cross-platform applications Design and implement eye-catching and reusable UI components without compromising on nativity in mobile applications In Detail Developing a mobile application for just one platform is becoming a thing of the past. Companies expect their apps to be supported on iOS, Android and Windows Phone, while leveraging the best native features on all three platforms. Xamarin's tools help ease this problem by giving developers a single toolset to target all three platforms. The main goal of this course is to equip you with knowledge to successfully analyze, develop, and manage Xamarin cross-platform projects using the most efficient, robust, and scalable implementation patterns. Module 1 is a step-by-step guide to building real-world applications for iOS and Android. The module walks you through building a chat application, complete with a backend web service and native features such as GPS location, camera, and push notifications. Additionally, you'll learn how to use external libraries with Xamarin and Xamarin. Forms. Module 2 provide you recipes on how to create an architecture that will be maintainable, extendable, use Xamarin. Forms plugins to boost productivity. We start with a simp ..